A Somatic Cell Count Sensor for the Dairy Industry

This Phase I SBIR project will evaluate the feasibility of utilizing mid-infrared absorption spectroscopy for continuously monitoring the somatic cell count in milk. The somatic cell count in milk is widely used as a predictor of the health of a cow. If the somatic cell counts could be monitored on a daily basis, the onset of mastitis can be identified and the effective treatment for the sick cows started immediately. The two innovative features of the proposed technique are (1) a high frequency lead selenide array to obtain the mid-infrared absorption coefficients of milk at multiple wavelengths, and (2) a deconvolution algorithm to quantify the somatic cell count in milk in the presence of interference from other constituents. During the Phase I project, mid-infrared absorption signature will be obtained for a period of two weeks from calibrated milk obtained from many cows. These will be used to develop and evaluate a chemometrics algorithm that can quantify the somatic cell count. A multi-wavelength sensor will be designed and evaluated during the Phase II project. At the conclusion of the Phase I and Phase II project, a reliable somatic cell sensor will be developed for immediate commercialization.