Bacterial Cell Counts in Goat Milk and Their Correlations with Somatic Cell Counts, Percent Fat, and Protein

Abstract

Representative milk samples at morning and afternoon milking were collected periodically for 5 mo from 32 does in a Prairie View A&M University milking herd to test the concentrations of total bacterial, coliform, and staphylococcus counts and to determine the correlations among the bacterial cell counts, somatic cell counts, percent fat, and percent protein. Bacterial cell counts were assayed by microbiogical methods using different nutrient media for the three cell types. Somatic cell counts were determined by an automated fluorescent microscopic somatic cell counter. Percent fat and protein were analyzed by an automated dual beam infrared absorption analyzer. Mean counts for total bacterial, coliform, staphylococcus, and somatic cell were 2.54 × 104, .966 × 103, 3.32 × 103, and 9.08 × 105 cells/ml, respectively. The Nubian goats had higher counts in all three bacterial cell types than the Alpines, and the difference in staphylococcus counts between breeds was significant (P