Refractometer Measurement of colostrum quality

The functional principle: density determination using a refractometer, directly on the basis of colostrum.  The higher the value of the antibodies, the higher the optical density of the liquid.

Colostrum quality: New test method - temperature-independent and accurate


Calf diarrhoea is still the number one cause of losses in young cattle, and - in most cases - preventable. Why? Because the colostrum quality is only checked on average in every 5th farm and calves in particular are not supplied with enough good colostrum in situations of increased infection pressure (calving season!).

When farmers are asked about methods for assessing fresh colostrum in a reasonably objective way, one tool is mentioned again and again: The colostrum spindle, or colostrometer; a mouth-blown, intricately balanced and slightly fragile glass apparatus that floats - similar to a buoy; depending on the density of the milk present (the more antibodies, the higher!) it has different buoyancy. This behaviour is used to estimate the density.

The accuracy is almost 80% (and therefore much better than with colostrometers); these special BRIX colostrometers (which have a different scale to the usual refractometers) also work independently of temperature, i.e. frozen-thawed milk can be determined with convincing accuracy, as can fresh milk at body temperature.

According to the latest scientific findings (principles of so-called metabolic programming), calves optimally supplied with antibodies fall ill significantly less and definitely become better and longer-lived dairy cows.