Risk factors associated with mastitis and raw milk quality in small farms of Texcoco, México

Objective: to determine the nutritional and physicochemical quality, and the presenceof aflatoxins in raw milk, as well as risk factors for developing mastitis in 20 family farmsin the region of Texcoco, Mexico.Methods: MilkoSCan FT1 was used for nutritional and physicochemical analysis ofmilk. Somatic cells were quantified and the cow’s health status was tested usingSomaticell; furthermore, the presence of Aflatoxin M1 was determined using lateral flowimmunochromatography.Results: the milk evaluated in this study reported normal nutritional values according toNMX-F-700-COFOCALEC-2012, which guarantees its quality for human consumption.The pH ranged from 5.0 to 8.4, which indicates deficient temperature control in somefarms, leading to problems with acidity. The logistical analysis showed that adequateudder cleaning during milking is important to avoid it being a risk factor for an increasein somatic cells and degree of mastitis, although not the milking technique or teatsealing. The presence of aflatoxin AFM1 was not reported in raw milk.Study implications: the Somaticell® technique renders a qualitative and efficientdiagnosis of clinical mastitis. Conclusions: raw milk quality from this region guarantees consumers with a safe andapt product for human consumption or transformation into dairy byproducts.