Relationship Between N-Acetyl-β-D-Glucosaminidase Activity and Cell Count, Lactose, Chloride, or Lactoferrin in Cow Milk

Abstract

Activity of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase was measured in foremilk samples collected from cows. A total of 64 samples were collected from these cows, some of which were affected by mastitis. They were examined for N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase activity, cell count in whole milk, and milk chloride, lactose, and lactoferrin. The correlation coefficient was .72 between activity and cell count, −.80 between activity and lactose, and .88 between activity and chloride. Therefore, the correlations between N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase activity and milk components, chloride and lactose, were larger than that between N-acetyl-β-D- glucosaminidase activity and cell count. The correlation coefficient was high (.91) between N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase and lactoferrin. The N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase activity in cow's milk has potential for diagnosis of mastitis. © 1984, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.