Nation-Wide Evaluation of Colostrum Quality

TL;DRAbstract

Samples of maternal colostrum (MC) were collected from 67 farms in 12 states between June and October, 2010 to determine IgG concentration and bacterial contamination. Samples were identified by breed, lactation, and if the sample was fresh, refrigerated or frozen prior to collection. Concentration of IgG in MC ranged from < 1 to 200 mg/ml, with a mean IgG concentration of 68.8 mg/ml. Nearly 30% of MC contained < 50 mg of IgG/ml. The IgG concentration increased with parity (42.4, 68.6, 95.9 mg/ml in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd and later lactations, respectively). No differences in IgG concentration were observed among breeds or storage method, however, IgG was highest in samples collected in the Midwest and lowest in samples collected in the Southwest (79.7 vs. 64.3 mg/ml). Total plate count (TPC) of samples ranged from 3.0 to 6.8 Log10 cfu/ml with a mean of 4.9 Log10 cfu/ml (SD = 0.9) and was greater in samples collected in the Southeast compared with other regions of the country. Pooled sample

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