The somatic cell count in raw milk is a critical indicator for the early diagnosis of bovine mastitis and the assessment of milk quality. However, the widely used California Mastitis Test (CMT) cannot provide accurate somatic cell counts to realize the early detection of subclinical mastitis. Additionally, dairy enterprises currently rely on imported flow cytometry equipment and consumables for raw milk quality testing, which are not only costly but also pose risks of supply chain disruptions. To address these challenges, the Animal-derived Product Quality & Safety Innovation Team at the Institute of Quality Standards and Testing Technology for Agro-Products of CAAS has developed a compact, portable milk somatic cell counter by integrating intelligent image recognition with microfluidic chip technology to realize the rapid and accurate counting of somatic cells in raw milk.

Figure 1: Workflow Diagram of the Handheld Rapid Milk Somatic Cell Counter

The counter incorporates a specially designed microfluidic chip, which draws milk through the sample inlet into the chip's channel and combines with pre-embedded fluorescent dyes to stain somatic cells. After inserted such a chip, the handheld analyzer can perform image recognition and automatic cell counting. The entire testing process is completed within two minutes without any additional operational steps. The range spans from 50,000 to 3,000,000 cells per milliliter, with a counting error of less than 10%. This counter achieves an accuracy of 93% in diagnosing bovine mastitis. This innovation supports the early intervention of bovine mastitis and promotes the sustainable and healthy development of the dairy industry.

This research was supported by the Agricultural Science and Technology Innovation Program of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. Relevant results have been published in Trends in Food Science & Technology and Analytica Chimica Acta.

Link:

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0924224423001048

2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003267024003416

By ChenAiliang

(chenailiang@caas.cn)