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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 
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