Many dairy cows lumber along with chronic mammary gland infections that increase the number of infection-fighting white blood cells in their milk, especially during the dog days of summer.
Milk quality is based on that cell count.
Producers can’t sell milk with counts that exceed the legal limit. In the United States, that’s 750,000 cells per millilitre. Canada and Europe have lower limits – 500,000 and 400,000, respectively.
“And there is a move afoot to lower the limit in (the U.S.),” said USDA agricultural research service dairy scientist Max Paape.
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He agreed to test bromelain supplied by Tokyo manufacturer Ajinomoto Co. Inc., on cows with chronic mastitis.
Medicinal benefits
Bromelain is a mix of enzymes extracted from the stems of pineapple plants. It is sold in health foods stores under claims that it combats human heart disease, arthritis and other maladies.
In animals, it appears to reduce inflammation by interfering with the synthesis of prostaglandins and other inflammatory substances.
He divided 10 cows into two groups having average cell counts a little over 300,000. For four weeks, group one got pellets containing 75 grams of bromelain in their feed. Group two got no bromelain.
A week after this first trial ended, Paape reversed the treatment, with only group two getting the bromelain.
Bromelain reduced cell counts by 100,000 on average during each trial, Paape said.
Cell counts never surpassed the legal U.S. or Canadian limits when the cows got bromelain, as they did when left untreated.
“With bromelain, dairy producers will have more days with cell counts in the premium price range – under 300,000,” said Paape.
Milk with a low white blood cell count has more milk protein, or casein. Cheese makers prefer to buy high-casein milk because the protein allows the cheese to properly set.
