Comparing techniques for detecting the number of somatic cells in raw milk

Evaluating the quality of milk and monitoring for cow mastitis requires an evaluation of the somatic cell count (SCC), an important parameter in the dairy industry. We studied the somatic cells of raw milk using a confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM), flow cytometry (FCM), and a light microscope (LM). The CLSM method gave a good correlation (r=0.987) with the LM counts of somatic cells in raw milk. The FCM method also correlated well (r=0.904) with the LM method. The CLSM method gave a good correlation (r=0.908) with the FCM method. This study shows that the CLSM method and the FCM method both offer rapid and simple approaches to somatic cell detection.