{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,10]],"date-time":"2025-10-10T01:26:08Z","timestamp":1760059568118,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":42,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,22]],"date-time":"2025-06-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1750550400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001871","name":"National Funds through FCT\u2014Foundation for Science and Technology","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["CECAV UIDB\/00772\/2020","MED UIDB\/05183","CISAS UIDP\/05937\/2020","UI\/BD\/150834\/2021"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["CECAV UIDB\/00772\/2020","MED UIDB\/05183","CISAS UIDP\/05937\/2020","UI\/BD\/150834\/2021"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001871","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Ruminants"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study aimed to evaluate the microbiological quality of colostrum on three dairy farms with different colostrum management hygiene practices and to compare it with the current colostrum quality guidelines. On farm A, colostrum was fed raw, while on farms B and C it was heat treated. On farms A and B, the feeding equipment was cleaned manually, while on farm C, an automated cleaning system was used. Samples were collected from the calf-feeding equipment and submitted for microbial culture: total plate count (TPC); total coliform count (TCC); and E. coli, enterobacteria (ENTB), staphylococci (STAP), and lactic acid bacteria counts. In addition, pH, water activity (aW), and Brix were analyzed. Colostrum quality was defined as follows: good quality (GQ)\u2014TPC &lt; 100,000, TCC &lt; 10,000, STAP &lt; 50,000 cfu\/mL, and Brix \u2265 22%; excellent quality (EQ)\u2014TPC &lt; 20,000, TCC &lt; 100, STAP &lt; 5000 cfu\/mL, and Brix \u2265 25%. Mean concentrations were as follows: TPC was 3.99 \u00d7 105 cfu\/mL (min: 40.00, max: 1.32 \u00d7 107 cfu\/mL); TCC was 1.17 \u00d7 104 cfu\/mL (min: &lt;detection limit, max: 6.37 \u00d7 105 cfu\/mL); and STAP was 1.77 \u00d7 104 cfu\/mL (min: &lt;detection limit, max: 3.50 \u00d7 105 cfu\/mL). Approximately 54% (GQ) and 32% (EQ) of samples met the defined criteria. Farm C consistently showed lower microbial counts across all culture types. Colostrum from farm B had lower TCC, LAB, and E. coli counts than farm A but not TPC, STAP, and ENTB. These results showed that a considerable proportion of calves were fed colostrum with suboptimal quality, especially when less rigorous hygiene practices were implemented.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ruminants5030028","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,23]],"date-time":"2025-06-23T04:50:05Z","timestamp":1750654205000},"page":"28","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["An Observational Study of the Microbiological Quality of Bovine Colostrum Fed to Calves on Three Dairy Farms"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"5","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4218-498X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Fl\u00e1vio G.","family":"Silva","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Research Centre & Al4AnimalS, Department of Animal Science, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE\u2014Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de \u00c9vora, P\u00f3lo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 \u00c9vora, Portugal"},{"name":"Centre for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability, Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo\u2014Agrarian School of Ponte de Lima, Rua D. Mendo Afonso, 147 Ref\u00f3ios do Lima, 4990-706 Ponte de Lima, Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Medicina Veterin\u00e1ria, Escola de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7006-554 \u00c9vora, Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Zootecnia, Escola de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7006-554 \u00c9vora, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3900-5592","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta","family":"Laranjo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE\u2014Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de \u00c9vora, P\u00f3lo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 \u00c9vora, Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Medicina Veterin\u00e1ria, Escola de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7006-554 \u00c9vora, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7045-2075","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Severiano R.","family":"Silva","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Research Centre & Al4AnimalS, Department of Animal Science, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4118-3283","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristina","family":"Concei\u00e7\u00e3o","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"MED-Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development and CHANGE\u2014Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Universidade de \u00c9vora, P\u00f3lo da Mitra, Ap. 94, 7006-554 \u00c9vora, Portugal"},{"name":"Departamento de Zootecnia, Escola de Ci\u00eancias e Tecnologia, Universidade de \u00c9vora, 7006-554 \u00c9vora, Portugal"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0022-2749","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Joaquim L.","family":"Cerqueira","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Veterinary and Animal Research Centre & Al4AnimalS, Department of Animal Science, University of Tr\u00e1s-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal"},{"name":"Centre for Research and Development in Agrifood Systems and Sustainability, Polytechnic Institute of Viana do Castelo\u2014Agrarian School of Ponte de Lima, Rua D. Mendo Afonso, 147 Ref\u00f3ios do Lima, 4990-706 Ponte de Lima, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,6,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2359","DOI":"10.1039\/C6MB00217J","article-title":"The Bovine Milk Microbiota: Insights and Perspectives from -Omics Studies","volume":"12","author":"Addis","year":"2016","journal-title":"Mol. Biosyst."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3031","DOI":"10.3168\/jds.2016-11604","article-title":"The Bovine Colostrum Microbiome and Its Association with Clinical Mastitis","volume":"100","author":"Lima","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Dairy Sci."},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2571","DOI":"10.3168\/jds.S0022-0302(05)72933-7","article-title":"Preventing Bacterial Contamination and Proliferation during the Harvest, Storage, and Feeding of Fresh Bovine Colostrum","volume":"88","author":"Stewart","year":"2005","journal-title":"J. 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