peyt

Dairy

Convenient on-site somatic cell counting & viability

Measuring the concentration of somatic cells in milk is very important for monitoring milk quality. If the number of somatic cells in the specimen exceeds certain limits, the milk cannot be sold for human consumption.

Within the EU, the limit is 400.000 cells/ml, whereas the limit is 750.000 cells/ml in the US.

In addition, when somatic cell count increases, milk yields and milk quality decline, emphasizing the need for reliable monitoring of the concentration of somatic cells in the milk.

Scientist pipetting a milk sample onto a glass slide for a quality control analysis.
The somatic cells counted are usually leukocytes, as they make up most somatic cells in milk. The concentration of leukocytes in milk increases with an upped immune response, for example, mastitis caused by pathogenic bacteria. Other factors can also influence somatic cell counts, such as altered milk composition after calving, when cell concentration increases.

Solutions for somatic cell counting

The NucleoCounter® SCC-100™ is based on our proven technology that uses fluorescence image cytometry. Image cytometry is a well-known method for cell analysis, based on recording an image of the sample, detecting and analyzing the cells therein.

This approach is closely related to the manual microscopy method, where the process of analyzing a liquid sample is automated within a computerized system.

With this instrument, the low optical magnification enables you to analyze a large volume sample in just a single image.

To identify fluorescence-illuminating DNA in the nucleus of the cells, the image is run through a software application for analysis and quantification.

Front view of the NucleoCounter® SCC-100™ and SCC-Cassette™ for somatic cell counting

The SCC-100™ precisely measures somatic cell counts, combining ease-of-use technology with a unique system that prevents human subjectivity from influencing the results. This makes it the ideal instrument for every quality-minded company and research facility. The SCC-100™ instrument uses the single-use SCC-Cassette™ sampling and measuring device, which eliminates human error in sample handling and is easy to use. The NucleoView™ software accurately detects and analyzes individual SCCs for precise and unbiased results.