Camel Milk Composition, Udder Health and Effect of Different Storage Times and Temperatures on Raw Milk Quality Using Camel Milking Machine “StimuLactor”

Camel milk is considered one of the most valuable food sources for people in arid and semi-arid areas and is in increasing demand in many European countries and North America. The objective of this study was to investigate the camel milk composition, udder health and effect of different storage times and temperatures on raw milk quality using camel milking machine “StimuLactor” (ST-C). This work was carried out in the department of research and development of Siliconform Türkheim, Germany. Five one-humped dromedary lactating camels were used in this experiment. Milk samples were collected and fat, Protein, Lactose, Somatic cell count (SCC) and Bacterial count (BC) were determined. In none of the tested milk samples pathogenic bacteria could be shown, i.e. all quarters were healthy during the study period. The mean contents of fat, protein, lactose, SCC and BC of milk samples were 2.92±0.07%, 2.28±0.01%, 3.91±0.02%, 126.43±7.21 x 103 cells/ml and 23.88±0.57 x 103 Bacteria/ml, respectively. After 24 h at room temperature or 48 h at 4 degree a refrigerator, storing raw milk samples had no significant changes in the milk composition and –quality. In Conclusion, a good safe raw camel milk with normal composition was obtained if hygienic measures were taken into consideration in the farm and by using the camel milking machine for milk removal. Furthermore, we could store the raw camel milk for 24 h at room temperature or for 48 h in the refrigerated temperature without any hygienic quality problems, and all milk components did not significantly change

Best combination of pre-stimulation and latency period duration before cluster attachment for efficient oxytocin release and milk ejection in cows with low to high udder-filling levels

Experiments were designed to investigate the suitability of a combination of a short manual teat stimulation with a short latency period before teat cup attachment to induce and maintain oxytocin release and milk ejection without interruption. In Experiment 1, seven dairy cows in mid lactation were manually pre-stimulated for 15, 30 or 45 s, followed by either 30 s or 45 s of latency period. It was shown that all treatments induced a similar release of oxytocin without interruption until the end of milking. In particular, the latency period of up to 45 s did not cause a transient decrease of oxytocin concentration. In Experiment 2, milking characteristics were recorded in seven cows each in early, mid, and late lactation, respectively. Because the course of milk ejection depends mainly on the degree of udder filling, individual milkings were classified based on the actual degree of udder filling which differs between lactational stages but also between morning and evening milkings. All animals underwent twelve different udder preparation treatments, i.e. 15, 30, or 45 s of pre-stimulation followed by latency periods of 0, 30, 45, or 60 s. Milking characteristics were recorded. Total milk yield, main milking time and average milk flow rate did not differ between treatments if the degree of udder filling at the start of milking was >40% of the maximum storage capacity. However, if the udder filling was <40%, main milking time was decreased with the duration of a latency period up to 45 s, independent of duration of pre-stimulation. Average milk flow at an udder filling of <40% was highest after a pre-stimulation of 45 s followed by a latency period of another 45 s. In contrast, average milk flow reached its lowest values at a pre-stimulation of 15 s without additional latency period. However, average milk flow after a 15-s pre-stimulation increased with increasing latency period. In conclusion, a very short pre-stimulation when followed by a latency period up to 45 s before teat cup attachment remains a suitable alternative for continuous stimulation to induce milk ejection