ABATEMENT OF THE CLOSTRIDIC LOAD IN THE NIPPLES OF LACTATING COWS BY LYSOZYME DERIVED FROM DONKEY MILK

Abstract

The use of a sterilized product for washing udder before milking may be useful to reduce and/or prevent Clostridium tyrobutiricum contamination, the main cause of late blowing in hard and semi-hard cheese. The aim of this research was to evaluate the antibacterial efficacy of an experimental formula containing 15% condensed donkey milk (lysozyme content 825 mg/L). The antimicrobial activity of condensed milk was evaluated primarily in vitro with the disk diffusion method on the following microorganisms: Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus mojavensis, Clavibacter michiganensis and Clostridium tyrobutyricum. This activity was compared with two antibiotics, Ampicillin (100 mg/mL) and Kanamycin (50 mg/ mL), and a commercial pre-dipping. The results showed that the inhibitory activity of lysozyme from donkey milk on all the considered microorganisms were higher than the commercial product and almost similar to the two synthetic antibiotics. Successively, on 48 lactating cows, the formula with lysozyme was compared with a commercial pre-dipping (24 cows for each group). A skin-test was effected on nipples in the phase of pre-dipping. Results showed that the formula with condensed milk significantly reduced the clostridial charge detected both on nipple skin, before cleaning (-55.61% vs -27.99%) and on the bulk milk of each treated group compared to the commercial product (-52.53% vs - 2.42%).

ADDUCI, F., H.S. ELSHAFIE, C. LABELLA, M. MUSTO, P. FRESCHI, R. PAOLINO, M. RAGNI, AND C. COSENTINO. (2019). Abatement of the clostridic load in the nipples of lactating cows by lysozyme derived from donkey milk. Journal of Dairy Science. 102:6750–6755.