The Influence of Somatic Cell Count in Milk on Its Composition During the Summer Period

The aim of our paper was to study the relationship between somatic cell count, milk productivity, and specific technological parameters of the milking process in cows during the summer period. The research was conducted on a commercial farm in the central part of Ukraine from June to August 2024 on the Holstein cows with 1 to 5 lactations. Milk analysis was performed in a commercial laboratory using Bentley Instruments equipment. The following was analyzed: fat content (FC, %), protein content (PC, %), lactose content (LC, %), somatic cell count (SCC, thsd./cm3), and milk urea nitrogen (MUN, mg/100 ml). General linear model (GLM) and correlation analysis were applied. To analyze the influence of the “group of SCС” factor on the milk composition, all studied milk samples were divided into three groups according to the SCC in them: 1) ≤300; 2) 300–500; 3) ≥500. There was an established negative correlation between the LС, somatic cell score (SCS, -0.387, p < 0.001) and single milk yield (-0.225, p < 0.001). It was found that most traits, such as the FC, F/P, and MUN concentrations, increased in August if compared to the other summer months. The SCS decreased every month during the summer and was lowest in August (3.04±0.048).