Abstract
Acquisition of high quality colostrum is an important factor influencing neonatal calf health. Many methods have been used to assess the Ig concentration of colostrum; however, improved, validated evaluation tools are needed. The aims of this study were to evaluate both optical and digital Brix refractometer instruments for the measurement of Ig concentration of colostrum as compared with the gold standard radial immunodiffusion assay laboratory assessment and to determine the correlation between Ig measurements taken from fresh and frozen colostrum samples for both Brix refractometer instruments. This research was completed using 288 colostrum samples from 3 different farms. It was concluded that the optical and digital Brix refractometers were highly correlated for both fresh and frozen samples (r = 0.98 and r = 0.97, respectively). Correlation between both refractometer instruments for fresh and frozen samples and the gold standard radial immunodiffusion assay were determined to be very similar, with a correlation coefficient between 0.71 and 0.74. Both instruments exhibited excellent test characteristics, indicating an appropriate cut-off point of 22% Brix score for the identification of good quality colostrum.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3713-3721 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Dairy Science |
| Volume | 93 |
| Issue number | 8 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Aug 2010 |
Keywords
- Brix refractometer
- Colostrum quality
- Failure of passive transfer
- Immunoglobulin