Total oxidant and antioxidant activities in milk with various somatic cell count intervals during discrete cow and buffalo lactation periods

Abstract

This study first investigated the total oxidant and antioxidant capacity (TOC and TAC, respectively) in cow and buffalo milk, with various somatic cell count (SCC) levels, having the same lactation numbers, Second, it determined whether there is an association between the TAC and TOC and the lactation number, for the same SCC level. Quarter milk samples, collected from Holstein cows and Anatolian buffaloes, were separated into SCC levels of ≤2×10⁵, 2×10⁵-5×10⁵, 5×10⁵-10⁶ and ≥10⁶ cells mL^-1 for cow milk, and ≥2×10⁵, 2×10⁵-4×10⁵, 4×10⁵-10⁶ and ≥10⁶ cells mL^-1, for buffalo milk. Next, each group was subdivided, according to the lactation number (cows: 1-2^nd, 3-4^th, 5-6^th; 1-4^th; buffaloes: 5-8^th, 9-12^th), and TOC and TAC of the milk were measured. For the same lactation numbers, TOC increased in the cow and buffalo groups with an SCC ≥10⁶ cells mL^-1 (p<0.05). Conversely, TAC decreased in cow milk with an SCC >5×10⁵ cells mL^-1. In buffalo milk, TAC decreased in parallel with the increased SCC. Among the same SCC groups, TOC and TAC were not affected by the lactation number, in cow and buffalo milk. An increased SCC caused an increased TOC and decreased TAC level, for the same lactation number. No relation existed among TOC, TAC and lactation number, for the same SCC level. SCC may be used as an indicator of TOC and TAC in cow and buffalo milk.