Method for detection of bacteria in milk

Abstract

A method of detecting the presence of bacteria in milk is provided, wherein milk is contacted with a preparation which may comprise an effective amount of at least one type of antibodies, said antibodies being capable of specifically binding to bacteria to be detected; staining said antibodies, before or after said contacting, with a staining preparation, said staining preparation being selected so that the antibodies stained therewith exhibit a color change or a change in color concentration when in contact with said bacteria; and determining the concentration of stained antibodies bound to bacteria in said milk from the presence and / or the relative intensity of the color change caused by contacting said milk with said stained antibodies.

Description

Background technique [0001] Some bacteria cause diseases (especially mastitis) in dairy cows which can adversely affect the quality of the milk. For example, mastitis is an infectious disease in the udder or teat of an individual dairy cow, and mastitis bacteria are often present in the milk produced by such cows. Many different types of bacteria may be involved in causing mastitis, ie there is not just one type or strain of mastitis bacteria but many. The types of bacteria involved in mastitis generally vary from case to case. [0002] Because dairy products are generally (especially in industrial-scale dairy operations) produced by blending milk from multiple cows, when some cows become infected, the dairy product will be Contains a certain amount of undesired microorganisms (for example, mastitis-causing bacteria). However, there is no a priori predictability of the type and concentration of bacterial cells contained in infected milk that is ultimately mixed into the fin...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

Excessively high bacterial concentrations in shipped milk are an indication of mastitis, which results in milk producers receiving lower prices per unit of milk shipped