eXtension Presents: Mastitis and Milk Management Weekly Series:
week NINE: How Milk Quality is Assessed
Production of maximum quantities of high quality milk is an important goal of every dairy operation. On the other hand, poor milk quality affects all segments of the dairy industry, ultimately resulting in milk with decreased manufacturing properties and dairy products with reduced shelf-life. How is milk quality determined? Several different methods are used to assess milk quality. Some methods such as the somatic cell count (SCC) and standard plate count (SPC) are mandated by the federal Grade “A” Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, which is a document that specifies safety standards of Grade “A” milk. Other methods, while not mandated, are useful to monitor milk quality and to help diagnose potential on-farm problems/deficiencies associated with abnormally high counts and poor quality milk. The following is a brief description of the primary methods used to assess raw milk quality.
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