The Effects of the Somatic Cell Count on Yield, Composition and Coagulating Properties of Mediterranean Buffalo Milk

Tripaldi, C.; Terramoccia, S.; Bartocci, S.; Angelucci, M.; Danese, V.

doi:2003.16.5.738

Article

Animal Breeding and Genetics

Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences 2003;16(5): 738-742.
https://doi.org/10.5713/ajas.2003.738 Published online January 1, 2003.

The Effects of the Somatic Cell Count on Yield, Composition and Coagulating Properties of Mediterranean Buffalo Milk

C. Tripaldi, S. Terramoccia, S. Bartocci, M. Angelucci, V. Danese

Abstract

The monitoring was carried out for one year on 20 farms of Mediterranean buffalo situated in central Italy. The milk yield, the somatic cell count, the coagulating properties and some components were determined. The average value of somatic cells was 221.28 n횞103/ml. Milk production decreased when somatic cell numbers increased. The rennet clotting time increased significantly when somatic cells were higher than 300.00 n횞103/ml, the curd firming time was significantly higher when somatic cells were more than 1,000.00 n횞103/ml and the curd firmness increased up to 200.00 n횞103/ml, then gradually decreased. Protein and casein decreased when somatic cells increased and the same trend was shown by casein/protein ratio. Both for these components and the coagulating properties the threshold limit of somatic cells to obtain better results was 200.00 n횞103/ml. The somatic cell number did not show a trend which was strictly influenced by the lactation stage, contrary to what happened in the other species.

Keywords: Buffalo Milk; Somatic Cells; Milk Yield; Milk Composition; Coagulating Properties