Electrical permittivity based sensor to evaluate fresh-milk somatic cell concentration (SCC)

Mastitis in cows is an inflammation of the mammary gland usually caused by bacterial infection of udder tissues. This disease causes considerable damages to the cattlemen because of the reduction of the quality and quantity of produced milk. An early detection and corrective action can lead to an early cure. Although the universal methods to measure mastitis levels consist in determining the Somatic Cell Concentration (SCC) expressed in thousand-cell/ml of milk, the relative electrical permittivity of milk principle is a rapid test for checking the acceptability of milk to monitor the effects of udder infection. This work presents the design of a low cost sensor and measurement system to evaluate on-line fresh cow's milk SCC.