A comprehensive assessment of the quality of raw cow's milk based on somatic cell count and the presence of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms as indicators of the safety and processing properties of raw milk

This study conducted a comparative evaluation of methods for determining the somatic cell count and the number of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (MAFAnM) in raw cow's milk. The aim of the study was to establish the analytical agreement, accuracy, and reproducibility of results obtained by different methods, as well as to justify the feasibility of using the TEMPO® automated system as an alternative method for microbiological control.The study material consisted of 39 samples of raw cow's milk collected in 2025 from clinically healthy Black-and-White and Red dairy cows aged 4–8 years on private farms in various regions of Ukraine. Somatic cell counts were determined using two microscopic methods in accordance with the requirements of ISO 13366-1:2008: by counting cells in smears across fifty fields of view and in ten parallel strips. The number of total aerobic bacteria was determined using two independent methods: an automated fluorometric method using the TEMPO® system and a reference method of deep plating on Plate Count Agar medium in accordance with ISO 4833-1:2013.Statistical analysis of the results was performed using Student's paired t-test and Pearson's correlation analysis. It was found that the mean values of somatic cell counts obtained by different methods were 301,795 and 294,641 cells/cm³, respectively, and for MAFAnM—43,041 and 43,513 CFU/cm³. The calculated t-test values (t = 1.80 for somatic cells and t = –1.32 for MAFAnM) did not exceed critical values (p > 0.05), indicating the absence of statistically significant differences between the methods. The Pearson correlation coefficient was r = 1.0 for somatic cells and r = 0.9996 for MAFAnM (p < 0.05), indicating a strong direct linear relationship and high consistency of results.The research demonstrated that TEMPO® automated system provides results for the detection of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (MAFAnM) in raw milk that are statistically equivalent to the reference method, with high accuracy and reproducibility and minimal human influence. The use of this system is recommended for implementation in production laboratories as a rapid and reliable tool for monitoring the microbiological parameters of raw milk.