Rapid Milk Somatic Cell Counting Based on a Customized Multichamber Chip

Rapid and accurate detection of milk somatic cell count (SCC) is of great significance for monitoring dairy cow udder health and ensuring milk quality. The conventional direct microscopic somatic cell counting method is low cost, but the accuracy of measured results is usually poor. While the flow cytometry method is widely used, which can accurately generate milk somatic cell count, the equipment cost is usually high. To address these issues, a customized multichamber chip was designed for milk somatic cell counting, combining cell fluorescent staining reagents and specially designed cell counters. The validation testing results with 30 samples with different somatic cell counts showed that the proposed method was highly consistent with two commercial milk somatic cell counters. In addition, the microchamber chip for SCC showed good reproducibility with the coefficients of variation <10%. Therefore, the easy-to-use multichamber chip-based SCC method provides a useful tool for tracking daily milk quality and controlling the incidence of mastitis.

Automated summary

Accurate milk somatic cell count is crucial for monitoring udder health and milk quality. The conventional method is low-cost but inaccurate, while flow cytometry is accurate but expensive. A customized chip method combining staining reagents and specialized counters was developed, providing a low-cost and accurate way of counting cells.