Effect of subclinical mastitis on the yield and cheese-making properties of ewe’s milk

Publication date: Available online 28 December 2019Source: Small Ruminant ResearchAuthor(s): Ana Martí-De Olives, Cristòfol Peris, Maria Pilar MolinaAbstractThis review covers an update of scientific knowledge about productive and technological consequences of subclinical mastitis in sheep milk. The literature reports individual milk yield losses of 2.6 to 43.1 %, being modulated by several factors as infection severity, production level, causal agents, and unilateral or bilateral IMI (1 or 2 infected glands, respectively). A compensatory increase of milk production from the uninfected gland when only one half was infected has been quantified in 6.6%, compared with healthy halves of control sheep. This compensatory adaptation highlights the risk of underestimating subclinical mastitis in sheep. The mammary gland response is quick and milk yield losses in absolute terms remained constant within the following weeks, both when infection appear during lactation and when it is present from lambing.With respect to the changes on main components in milk due to subclinical mastitis it has been clearly established a decrease in the concentration of lactose and an increase of that of whey proteins. The role played by lactose as an osmotic regulator result in a more accentuated decrease of its concentration in milk. This is why lactose is considered at present as a reliable potential indicator of subclinical mastitis. Whey proteins increase as a result of the increase of the blood-mil...
Source: Small Ruminant Research - Category: Zoology Source Type: research