Milk quality is a crescent concern in Brazil and the Goiás State does not have any current studies on this subject, although it is among the major producers in the country. The aim of this survey was to verify the relationship between somatic cell count (SCC) and milk composition (fat, protein, lactose and total solids content) and the influence of year period in SCC in Goiás State, Brazil. Data were obtained from October 2002, to September 2003 in the Laboratory of Milk Quality of the Center of Food Research in the Veterinary School of the Federal University of Goiás. SCC was analyzed through flow citometry and milk composition by infrared differential absorption. The year period was divided in two seasons: a rainy season, from November to April, and a dry season, from May to October. Protein, lactose and total solids content decreased as SCC elevated. Environmental temperature showed positive and significant correlation to score of somatic cells, and the highest averages of SCC occurred in the dry season.
Goiás; mastitis; milk quality; somatic cell
