Sensing techniques for on-farm analysis of milk components
View Patent ↗A method of analyzing milk components having the steps of collecting a milk sample, ionizing the milk sample, and using an ion mobility spectrometer to detect predetermined components within the ionized milk sample, wherein the ion mobility spectrometer is positioned within a milking system from which the milk sample is taken.
1. A method of analysing milk components having the steps of:
collecting a milk sample;
ionizing the milk sample; and
using an ion mobility spectrometer to detect predetermined components within the ionized milk sample;
wherein the ion mobility spectrometer is positioned within a milking system from which the milk sample is taken.
2. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the milk components comprise one or more of blood, protein, fat, vitamins, progesterone, antibiotics, acetone, ketone bodies, bacterial volatiles, value added proteins, lactose, free-fatty acids, minerals, organic acids, and free sugars.
3. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the milk components indicate diseases and metabolic states comprising one or more of mastitis, estrus, ketogenesis, starvation, breeding value, weighted average productivity, and performance.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the milk sample is collected in gaseous form.
5. A method as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the milk sample is collected from the head space of the milk line.
6. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the milk sample is collected in liquid form.
7. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the milk sample is linked back to an individual animal.
8. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the milk sample is ionized using a soft ionization technique.
9. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the spectrometer operates on the principle of time of flight.
10. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the spectrometer operates on the principle of asymmetric fields.
11. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of using an ion mobility spectrometer to detect the predetermined components within the ionized milk sample is conducted using a whole spectrum analysis.
12. A method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the step of using an ion mobility spectrometer to detect the predetermined components within the ionized milk sample comprises a multivariate analysis.
13. An ion mobility spectrometer configured to operate within a milking system in accordance with the method as claimed in claim 1 .