HOW MUCH BACTERIA IS USUALLY FOUND IN THE FRESH MILK?
What would be an average and usual count of the bacteria in the fresh milk as drawn fresh from the cow ?
The popular American magazine The Creamery and MILK PLANT MONTHLY, Year 1929, month December informed American consumers about those standard scientific findings.
The general average group of cows will show a count of bacteria for milk, found right immediately after milking them when into the sterile utensils of about 1,500 or 2,000 per c. c. count.
This count is registered as for the entire milking, as the first few streams of milk in the milk stream will show a much higher count of the bacteriae than in the consequent streams of the milk in the same udder.
This is the practical reason why in dairies which are desirous of very low counts of the first few streams of milk are discarded.
Some cows give milk with enormously high counts of the bacteriae and they are generally termed as high counters, or "seeders". This is normal for the animal and this is not the indicator of the bad quality of milk or the animal being ill. Counts of milk from such cows may run the millions, and this is considered as normal. This condition of high counts may be temporary or permanent in the udder of the cow.