21-02-2019
The latest generation Fossomatic™ 7 analyser for testing somatic cell count in raw milk is now approved by Microval in Europe, certificate number: 2016LR62.
The new approval builds on approvals for the earlier generation Fossomatic™ FC that was the first instrument in the world approved by both Microval in Europe and NCIMS/ FDA in the USA. Microval is a European certification organization for the validation and approval of alternative methods for the microbiological analysis of food and beverages.
Approval of the Fossomatic 7 is based on a thorough evaluation of the instrument’s performance (e.g., stability, repeatability, linearity) and a comparison against Fossomatic FC, which in turn has been proven to be at least equivalent with the reference method for somatic cell counting (ISO 13366-1:2008 – Enumeration of somatic cells - Part 1 Microscopic method). The certificate of compliance as well as the validation report are available on The Microval website. The validation report shows that Fossomatic 7 complies with the criteria defined in the EURL MMP document as well as ISO 13366-1, ISO 13366-2, and ISO 8196-3.
Fighting Mastitis with flow cytometry
The measuring principle of the Fossomatic 7 is based on a technique called flow cytometry. With the technique, a suspension of cells is stained and forced through a capillary tube which is illuminated in front of a sensor. Every passing cell is registered by photo electronics. The Fossomatic 7 analyser can test up to 600 samples in an hour.
Somatic cells are white blood cells (leukocytes) and cells from the udder secretory tissue (epithelial cells). They appear in large numbers to eliminate infections and repair tissue damage done by bacteria. Counting the cells thereby helps to indicate the presence of Mastitis in dairy cattle.
Providing somatic cell count tests is a vital mission for milk testing centres to help farmers avoid the serious consequences of the disease which include unwanted veterinary costs, antibiotics, milk retention, decreased yield, poor quality and reduced payment and culling.
Paving the way for approval of Fossomatic 7 DC
FOSS was the first to develop the Fossomatic somatic count method in the early 1980’s and the introduction of routine testing as part of dairy herd management programs has led to a significant reduction in loss of milk. However, much work remains to be done to improve mastitis management.
To this end, FOSS has recent launched the Fossomatic 7 DC which besides somatic cell count includes the new advanced differential somatic cell count parameter allowing to give a more detailed picture of the actual inflammatory status of the mammary gland. In turn, this opens up the possibility to develop new tools which can help farmers improve mastitis management.
The Microval approval of Fossomatic 7 paves the way for the approval of Fossomatic 7 DC.