title: Role of somatic cells on dairy processes and products: a review.
abstract: Somatic cells are an important component naturally present in milk, and somatic cell count is used as an indicator of udder health and milk quality. The role of somatic cells in dairy processes and products is ill-defined in most studies because the role of these cells combines also the concomitance of physicochemical modifications of milk, bacterial count, and the udder inflammation in the presence of high somatic cell count. The aim of this review is to focus on the role of somatic cells themselves and of endogenous enzymes from somatic cells in milk, in dairy transformation processes, and in characteristics of final products overcoming biases due to other factors. The immune function of somatic cells in the udder defense and their protective role in milk will be primarily considered. Different characteristics of milk induced by various somatic cell counts, types, and their endogenous enzymes influencing directly the technological properties of milk and the final quality of dairy products will be discussed as well. By comparing methods used in other studies and eliminating biases due to other factors not considered in these studies, a new approach has been suggested to evaluate the effective role of somatic cells on dairy processes and products. In addition, this new approach allows the characterization of somatic cells and their endogenous enzymes and, in future research, will allow the clarification of mechanisms involved in the release of these components from somatic cells during dairy processes, particularly in cheese technologies.
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1253, Science et Technologie du Lait et de l'Œuf, 65 rue de Saint Brieuc, F-35042 Rennes, France ; Agrocampus Ouest, UMR 1253, Science et Technologie du Lait et de l'Œuf, 65 rue de Saint Brieuc, 35042 Rennes, France ; Actalia, BP 50915, 35009 Rennes, Cedex France.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Actalia, BP 50915, 35009 Rennes, Cedex France.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Richoux
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1348, Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d'Élevage, 35590 Saint Gilles, France ; Agrocampus Ouest, UMR 1348, Physiologie, Environnement et Génétique pour l'Animal et les Systèmes d'Élevage, 35590 Saint Gilles, France.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boutinaud
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France ; AgroParisTech, UMR 1313, Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative, 78350 Jouy-en-Josas, France.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.affiliation: INRA, UMR 1253, Science et Technologie du Lait et de l'Œuf, 65 rue de Saint Brieuc, F-35042 Rennes, France ; Agrocampus Ouest, UMR 1253, Science et Technologie du Lait et de l'Œuf, 65 rue de Saint Brieuc, 35042 Rennes, France.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gagnaire
keywords: Cathepsin D; Cheese; Enzymes; Milk; Somatic cells