A somatic cell is a general name given to all other cells in multicellular organisms except for the cells related to reproduction and undifferentiated stem cells. The opposite of somatic cells are gametes. These cells are sexual reproductive cells that provide sexual reproduction.

Somatic cells are mainly white blood cells and epithelial cells of dairy animals. When mastitis or other infection occurs in the udders of these animals, the number of somatic cells in the milk glands and thus in the milk begins to increase. Mastitis is an infection caused by obstruction of the milk ducts. If the number of somatic cells in the milk is high, this is considered to be an indicator of breast inflammation or mastitis in the animal. The more microorganisms are formed in the breast, the white blood cells have succumbed to them. If the number of microorganisms in the breast is low, the number of somatic cells will be low. A small number of somatic cells indicates that mastitis is low, and a large number indicates that mastitis persists and spreads.

This naturally affects the quality of the product negatively. According to the standards, the number of somatic cells should not exceed 1000 100 per ml. Otherwise, the animal has mastitis.

The microscopic method used in somatic cell counting is a standard method of analysis and is preferred for its simplicity, cost and ease. In this method, white blood cell nucleus and epithelial cells are stained with methylene blue in raw milk and somatic cells are counted.

In advanced laboratories, somatic cell counts are performed by microscopic method among microbiological analyzes. These studies are based on standards published by national and international organizations. A few standards considered in this regard are:

 

• Milk - Counting somatic cells - Part 13366: Microscopic method (reference method)
• TS EN ISO 13366-2 / AC Milk - Somatic cell counting - Part 2: Guide for Fluoro-Opto-Electronic counter operations