Lactating goats routinely milked twice daily were used. Starting at peak lactation, two groups of five goats were milked three times daily unilaterally (right gland) for 6 weeks, then one group received recombinant bovine somatotrophin (BST) by daily injection for 6 weeks, and finally both groups were returned to unilateral thrice-daily milking (left gland) for 6 weeks. Thrice-daily milking increased milk yield significantly by 10·4%. As thrice-daily milking finished and BST treatment began there was a small (2·7%) but significant increase in whole-udder milk yield in the treated goats and a decline in the control goats; throughout the BST treatment period treated goats produced 14·3% more milk than controls. The effect of BST was the same in glands previously milked thrice daily as in those previously milked twice daily. Milk yield declined as BST treatment finished, but this decline was less in the glands that then began thrice-daily milking. The effect of milking frequency was similar in this period to that obtained earlier in the experiment, and was not different between goats that had previously received BST and those that had not. The results are discussed in relation to the proposed modes of action of BST and frequent milking, and possible interactions between the two.

A direct capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to measure elevated polymorphonuclear granulocyte (PMN) antigens using horseradish peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) conjugated rabbit polyclonal anti-PMN antisera and a monoclonal antibody specific for PMN cells. Optical densities obtained in the ELISA were used to predict the cell counts of milk samples. Predicted counts were not significantly different from actual somatic cell counts (SCC). In a total of 156 bovine milk samples the correlation coefficient between somatic cell counting, taking > 500000 cells/ml as being indicative of mastitis, and the assay was 0·94, yielding an assay sensitivity of 95·2% and a specificity of 97·3%. In further trials the ELISA could detect elevated PMN antigens in milk with SCC as low as 100000 cells/ml. The results indicate that the monoclonal antibody based direct ELISA has excellent potential in the detection and determination of bovine mastitis.

The hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic insulin clamp technique was used to study the effect of insulin on the arterio-venous concentration differences of glucose and amino acids across the mammary gland in dairy goats. Insulin was given in conjunction with K to prevent insulin hypokalaemia. Appropriate amino acid infusion was used to blunt insulin-induced hypoaminoacidaemia or to create hyperaminoacidaemia and maintain this state under insulin treatment. Hyper-aminoacidaemia alone only stimulated mammary leucine uptake but did not significantly modify the net metabolism of other amino acids and glucose. Insulin infusion at physiological level in conjunction with glucose, KCl-NaCl and amino acids failed to alter mammary uptake of glucose and essential amino acids; occasional increase in arginine extraction and decrease in tyrosine extraction were exceptions. Thus these new experimental conditions did not reveal any galactopoietic effect of insulin.

Teat and gland cistern of the mammary glands of five dairy cows, five goats and five sheep were scanned in a water bath during α- and β-adrenergic agonist and oxytocin administration. A 5 MHz linear array scanner was used to create vertical cut pictures with the scan plane longitudinally through the teat channel. The i.v. injection of the α-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine (30 μg/kg) induced diminution of the section area through teat and gland cistern by 38±17% on average within 1 min in all three species. In contrast, the i.v. injection of the β-adrenergic agonist isoproterenol (1 μg/kg) did not change the cisternal areas. The i.v. injection of oxytocin (2·0 × 10−3 i.u./kg) elicited an enlargement of teat and gland cistern area by 48±12% on average. Ultrasonography proved to be a valuable system for visualizing changes of the cisternal volume. Smooth muscle contractions in response to phenylephrine administration are thought to cause area reduction, whereas an expected smooth muscle relaxation after injection of isoproterenol could not be observed by ultrasonography. Milk ejection as induced by oxytocin administration caused dramatic enlargement of the cistern area in all three species.

The onset of copious milk secretion (lactogenesis II) in women occurs between 1 and 3 d after birth, and during this period the composition of breast milk changes. During the first 5 d of lactation we measured the concentrations of total, diffusible and ionized Ca (Catot, Cad, Ca2+), diffusible phosphate (Pid), diffusible citrate (Citd) and lactose in the breast milk. On day 1 after birth the concentrations (mean ± SEM) were Catot, 5·71±0·30 mM; Cad, 2·66±0·19 mM; Ca2+, 2·90 ±0·18 mM; Pid, 0·26±0·16 mM; Citd, 0·25±0·03 mai and lactose, 76±11 mM. Between day 1 and day 4 the concentration of Catot increased 1·7-fold to 9·56 ±0·39 mai, Cad increased 1·8-fold to 4·75±0·26 mM, Ca2+ decreased by 20% to 2·33 ± 0·13 mM, Pid increased 6·6-fold to 1·69±0·11 mM, Citd increased 20-fold to 5·06±0·21 mM, and lactose increased 2·3-fold to 173±4 mM. A high correlation has been found between [Cad] and [Citd] in the milk of both ruminant and non-ruminant species, which show a wide range in concentrations of [Cad] and [Citd], and the data fit a simple physicochemical model of ion equilibria in the aqueous phase of milk. The results of the present study confirm the relationship between [Cad] and [Citd] in human milk, even during lactogenesis II when the composition of the milk is changing very rapidly.

Lysozyme (LZ), lactoferrin (LF), lactoperoxidase (LP), immunoglobulin G and secretory immunoglobulin A were extracted from camel milk. The activity of these protective proteins was assayed against Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella typhimurium and rotavirus. Comparative activities of egg white LZ, bovine LZ and bovine LF are also presented. The antibacterial activity spectrum of camel milk LZ was similar to that of egg white LZ, and differed from bovine milk LZ. Bovine and camel milk LF antibacterial activity spectra were similar. The camel milk LP was bacteriostatic against the Gram-positive strains and was bactericidal against Gram-negative cultures. The immunoglobulins had little effect against the bacteria but high titres of antibodies against rotavirus were found in camel milk. The LP system was ineffective against rotavirus.

Two types of lecithin, namely egg and soya lecithin, were investigated as potential stabilizers of recombined milk. They were incorporated into recombined milk both before and after homogenization (20·7 MPa; 60 °C). Their presence at homogenization changed neither mineral equilibria nor homogenization efficiency. However, heat stability varied significantly irrespective of batch of low-heat skim milk powder used in recombined milk. The variation in heat stability depended on type of lecithin. Soya lecithin proved to be a very effective stabilizer. It improved heat stability over a wide pH range (6·3–7·1) and the effect occurred even when the lecithin was added after homogenization. In contrast, egg lecithin destabilized the system to heat at pH < 6·7 by converting a Type A into a Type B heat coagulation time-pH profile if it was incorporated before homogenization; after homogenization it had no effect. The effects of both egg and soya lecithin on the heat stability of recombined milk strongly suggest that interactions occur between phospholipids and milk protein.

Heating raw milk at 80 °C for 2·5–20 min was found to result in compositional changes in the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM). The yield of protein material increased with the duration of heating, owing to incorporation of skim milk proteins, predominantly β-lactoglobulin, into the membrane. Lipid components of the MFGM were also affected, with losses of triacylglycerols on heating.

Acid-set milk gels containing up to 30 mM added hexametaphosphate, oxalate, citrate, EDTA or orthophosphate were prepared using gluconic acid-δ-lactone and their properties investigated. Increases in the apparent shear modulus were observed in the gels containing hexametaphosphate, oxalate, citrate and EDTA. The effect was maximum for hexametaphosphate-containing gels at ˜ 8 mM. Increases were also observed in the force required to break the gels, and for added hexametaphosphate the effect peaked at ˜ 5 niM. The ability of the gels to resist syneresis was investigated by a cut, tip and drain type test and by a centrifugation method. In both tests, resistance to syneresis was increased by added hexametaphosphate, oxalate, citrate and EDTA. The additions of anions were shown to cause disintegration of the micelles and release caseins to the serum. It is suggested that the improved homogeneity of casein distribution that results allows greater opportunity for protein-protein interaction during gel formation and leads to improved properties. Controlled micelle disintegration would therefore appear to offer promise for the development of improved or novel products.

Plasmin (EC 3.4.21.7) was added to cheese milk to assess its contribution to Cheddar cheese ripening; the activity of plasmin in the cheese was increased by levels ranging from 1·5 to 6 times that in the control cheeses. Even at the highest level of added plasmin, no activity was found in the whey. β-Casein was degraded faster in the experimental cheeses than in the controls, and the concentration of γ-caseins increased concomitantly. The total N in the water-soluble extract was up to ˜ 20% higher in the experimental than in the control cheeses but phosphotungstic acid-soluble N was not affected by the plasmin activity in the cheese. Several differences were apparent in the gel electropherograms of the water-soluble extracts of the experimental and control cheeses; some peptides were present at higher concentrations in the former, others in the latter, suggesting that plasmin contributes to both the formation and degradation of water-soluble peptides in cheese. The organoleptic quality of the plasmin-enriched cheeses was judged superior to that of the controls and ripening was considerably accelerated; a plasmin level 3–4 times the indigenous value appeared to be optimal. No bitterness was detected in any of the cheeses.

A new method for monitoring the terminal stages of proteolysis in cheese, i.e. the formation of free amino acids, using the Cd-ninhydrin reagent is reported. The assay was very specific for free amino acids and may be performed on citrate-soluble, water-soluble or phosphotungstic acid-soluble fractions of cheese, but not on trichloroacetic acid-soluble extracts; water-soluble extracts were chosen for routine analysis. Application of the assay to several experimental cheeses showed almost linear increases in free amino acids during ripening for up to 12 months with a slightly faster rate of formation during the later stages of ripening.