Microstructure of goat milk
Abstract
As a raw material for dairy products, goat milk must be safe for human consumption. Bacterial contamination and somatic cell count are the main indicators of milk safety. Somatic cell count is used as an indicator of milk quality and udder health in dairy goats, although its interpretation is complicated by non-infectious factors, including seasonality, parity, farm-specific cond i tions and physiological factors. Compared with the threshold level for cows, the somatic cell count in goat milk is higher. The aim of the study was to identify morphological features of goat milk components (including somatic cells) using scanning electron microscopy. Sample analysis was performed on a scanning electron microscope equipped with a low vacuum chamber and an X-ray microanalysis system in the electron microscopy laboratory of Sumy National Agrarian University. Somatic cells, fat globules, protein micelles, fat-protein agglomerates, calcium salts, and foreign impurities were detected in goat milk samples during observation using a scanning electron microscope. A detailed analysis revealed that somatic cells have a dense consistency and clearly defined boundaries. The characteristics of typical morphological structures of goat milk are summarized, the morph o logical features of somatic cells of goat milk in scanning electron microscopy images are described. Milk secretion in goats o c curs according to the apocrine type, as a result of which milk contains mainly fragments of the apical cytoplasm of secretory cells, rather than whole epithelial cells.References
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