Sustainable control of total bacterial counts in dairy goat milk

This is a PPS (Privaat-Publieke Samenwerking) with various partners, focusing on the total bacterial count (TBC) in dairy goat milk. The TBC is an important marker of goat milk quality, subject to EU regulations. In Dutch dairy goat farms, the TBC seems to be one of the quality criteria that is most difficult to control. The last of TBC research in Dutch dairy goats has shown that, apart from milk decade management related factors, the direct excretion of bacteria with the milk plays an important role in TBC problems. In part, this is related to mastitis, but an important part of the unexplained goat-related high TBC problems seem to be related to excretion of bacteria that originate in the gut and are actively translocated to the milk through the entero-mammary pathway. This is a new hypothesis, that has strong support from a variety of findings both in goats and in other animals and seems promising as a tool to manage the TBC in a natural way. Moreover, a better understanding of the drivers of this pathway will generate tools with applications for improved health and welfare of goats and their offspring, as well as other mammals and humans. The primary goal of this project is to gain insight into the mechanisms associated with animal related excretion of (gut) bacteria in milk - with in particular the entero-mammary pathway - and create possible interventions, such as feeding strategies to manage the TBC in goat milk.