Calidad de la leche en los concursos de la vaca lechera en el sistema de producción familiar

Dairy cow contests recognize the best cow based on the amount of milk produced, however: quality is also considered in the market. In order to contribute to recognizing the best cow in the dairy family, this study was aimed to determine the physicochemical composition and the somatic cells count (SCC) in the milk of the cows participating in the “The Dairy Cow” contest from Maravatio, Michoacan, Mexico. The main physicochemical components (fat, protein and non-fat solids) and the SCC in milk were determined. Results showed that the winning cow obtained an average production of 39±1.05 liters/day. However, the milk did not have the best components nor the lowest SCC. The best cow regarding the physicochemical components obtained an average of 29.5±1.05 liters/day of milk, with 3.07% protein, 8.35% solids non-fat and 3.26% fat. The cow with the lowest SCC (34,500 SC/ml) was the one with the lowest production. It was shown that the best physicochemical and SCC characteristics in the contest cows do not concentrate on a single animal. In addition, it is important to say that the best cow, apart from being the one with the highest production, should meet the minimum quality requirements according to the context.