Quantitative Estimation of Residual Milk in Bovine Udders–A Methodological Study

Abstract

Residual milk in the dairy cow is the milk left in the udder after as complete an udder evacuation as is possible in practise by machine or hand milking. In the former case the residual milk quantity is to a large extent influenced by the milking machine and the way the machine is used. Maximum milk yield–over day, lactation period and lifetime–requires, among other things, that this quantity is kept at a low level. A new method for quantifying the residual milk is presented here. It concerns udders of machine-milked cows slaughtered after their final milking and is based on quantitative determinations in the udder tissues of lactose, the concentration of which in normal milk is more stabile than that of other major milk constituents. The method may be useful in testing machine milking systems/machine components and milking techniques for their ability to evacuate the udder.