Chemical and electrophoretic properties of Holstein cow milk as affected by somatic cell count

Abstract

Chemical and electrophoretic properties of raw milk samples with different somatic cell counts (SCCs)(<200 000, 200 000–800 000 and >800 000 cells/mL) were determined. Milk was analysed for fat, lactose, total nitrogen (TN), non‐casein nitrogen (NCN), ratio of casein nitrogen to total nitrogen (CN/TN), pH, titratable acidity (TA), solid‐non‐fat (SNF), total solid (TS), the amount of α s ‐casein and β‐casein. Milk SCC had no significant effect (P ≥ 0.05) on fat and TN. An increase in the SCC resulted in an increase in pH and NCN content, and a significant decrease in lactose, TA, SNF, CN/TN, αs‐casein and β‐casein. Milk quality of Holstein dairy cattle deteriorate due to higher proteolytic activity associated with high SCC.