Investigation of the Relationship Between Somatic Cell Count and Milk Amyloid A, Electrical Conductivity and pH in Cow Milk

Mastitis is a great cost for the dairy industry in terms of production loss, breast damage and associated treatment costs. Somatic cell count (SCC) is widely used as an indicator of mastitis. In this study, it was aimed to compare biochemical indicators such as milk amyloid A (MAA), electrical conductivity (EC) and pH with SCC. A total of 50 cow milk was collected from cow milk producers in Afyon province. The collected milk is Group I (GI) below 200 thousand cells ml(-1) according to SCC and Group II (GII) between 200-400 thousand cells mL(-1) and those above 400 thousand cells mL(-1) are Group III (GIII). is divided into groups. It was observed that the MAA values of the milk collected showed a significant difference compared to the SCC groups and the median values of MAA increased as the SCC values increased (p <0.05). However, it was found that pH and EC values did not show statistically significant difference according to SCC groups. As a result, it was determined that MAA test data sustained a higher relationship with SCC than EC and pH measurements. It is thought that the mixing of healthy milk with mastitis could be prevented by determining MAA in raw cow milk and might be a useful diagnostic indicator. Also, it can be considered that using MAA measurement as a quality indicator is important for milk quality.