CHAPTER V 



MILK DEFECTS 



IN addition to the changes in milk caused by the 

 common milk bacteria and those occurring in the course 

 of diseases of the cow, there are certain alterations in 

 consistency, odor, taste, and color which are known as 

 milk defects. Some of these defects make the milk re- 

 volting, even nauseating, while a few render it harmful. 

 They may be divided into two groups (a) those which 

 are present when the milk is drawn from the udder and 

 (b) those which appear shortly afterward. 



(a) Milk Defects which are Present in Milk when it 

 Comes from the Udder. The most important of these 

 are named below, together with the causes, the latter 

 being given because they indicate the measures to be taken 

 for the correction or removal of the defects. 



1. Cow-like or Salty, Cow-like Taste. The milk has 

 a strong cow-like taste or a salty, cow-like taste, is of a 

 gray color and may have the appearance of soapy water. 

 This may be due to several causes. Milk from cows in 

 the last stages of lactation has a mild, cow-like taste which 

 is attributed to the relaxation of the gland tissue and fil- 

 tration of blood serum between the epithelial cells of the 

 alveoli. The cow-like taste also occurs when the cow 

 has been incompletely milked at the previous milking, 

 and it is claimed that the first few streams of every milk- 

 ing have a similar taste. In these cases it is thought that 

 the abnormal taste is due to bacteria which enter the teat 

 canal. Certain staphylococci and streptococci and some 



66 



