Influence of various types of preserving milk samples on the number of somatic cells.

The purpose of the paper was to determine the influence of various types of milk preservatives on the change in the number of somatic cells regarding the duration of sample storage (5 and 8 hours, 2, 4 and 7 days) and the storage tem-perature (+4°C and -20°C). The following preservatives were used for preserving milk samples: azidiol, bronopol and potassium dichromate. A total of 25 milk samples was used and somatic cells were determined by the fluoro-opto-electronic method on Fossomatic 90 (FossElectric, Denmark). The data were statistically analysed in the SAS programme (2004). The significant differences (P<0.0001) in the number of somatic cells were determined regarding the type of the preservative and storage period. The research determined that the increase in the number of somatic cells in the non-preserved milk samples stored for 2, 4 and 7 days (+4°C) was significant (P<0.0001). None of the milk samples preserved with three different preservatives, as well as the frozen unpreserved milk during the researched period significantly differed from the initial number of somatic cells measured in the fresh milk 5 hours after milking (control sample).