Effect of body condition score on oxidative stress and milk quality in healthy Anatolian buffaloes

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The study comprised four groups as Group 1 (n = 12; BCS values ≤ 2.5), Group 2 (n = 15; BCS 2.5–3), Group 3 (n = 17; BCS 3–3.5) and Group 4 (n = 13; BCS ≥ 3.5). Milk samples were collected under aseptic conditions from all groups. California mastitis test (CMT) test and microbiological analyzes were performed on milk samples. If the CMT results were negative and there was no pathogen isolation, milk samples were considered healthy and included in the study. The milk samples were analyzed for Somatic cell count (SCC), total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS). Milk serum oxidative stress index (OSI) was also calculated. TOS, OSI, SCC values differed significantly between the groups (P < 0.05). TOS level was higher in Group 1 compared to other groups ( P < 0.01; P < 0.05). OSI level decreased in Group 3 compared to Group 1 ( P < 0.01). While there was no difference in terms of SCC between all groups, it was higher in Group 1 than Group 2 and Group 3 ( P < 0.05). In conclusion, decreased and increased BCS value significantly affected oxidative stress parameters and SCC value. It is suggested that oxidative stress occurred as a result of accelerated fat mobilization and thus milk quality was negatively affected. Body condition score Milk Somatic cell count Oxidative stress Buffalo Figures Figure 1 Figure 2 Introduction The importance of buffalo breeding is increasing throughout the World (Aranganoor Kannan et al. 2025). It is also known that the main purpose of buffalo breeding is milk production. Although their milk yield is relatively lower than that of cows, it is known that they are superior in terms of milk quality. Moreover, although buffalo milk production is only about 2–3% of total cow milk yield, buffalo breeding is of critical importance in many areas of the dairy industry. Due to the limited production of buffalo milk, the amount of milk produced has difficulty in meeting the consumption demand. For this reason, since the continuity of this limited production is important, milk yield in buffalos is tried to be kept at the optimum level. It is well known that udder health is the primary factor affecting milk quality and quantity. In addition, buffalo milk quality is one of the most critical issues for the dairy industry as it directly affects the technological properties and processability of milk (Manuelian et al. 2017 ; Costa et al. 2020 ). Therefore, even in healthy buffalos in terms of udder health, milk quality affects the desirability of buffalo milk (Costa et al. 2020 ). Milk somatic cell count (SCC) value is closely related to udder health and is accepted as a standard tool at international level for assessing milk quality (Galiero and Morena 2010; Ramos et al. 2021 ). Moreover, pathogen contamination and antioxidant and oxidant levels of milk are considered in the evaluation of milk quality, including in healthy animals (Kurt et al. 2021 ). Oxidative stress occurs when antioxidant levels decrease to levels where they can no longer combat the oxidants produced (Sordillo and Aitken 2009 ; Kurt et al. 2023 ). Oxidative stress can affect general health and udder health in a multifactorial way (Sordillo and Aitken 2009 ; Turk et al. 2017 ). Many factors, especially antioxidant deficiencies, are effective in the formation of oxidative stress (Sordillo and Aitken 2009 ). It is suggested that body condition score (BCS) may have an effect on oxidative stress parameters in cows (Bernabucci et al. 2005 ; Khaled et al. 2020 ). It has also been stated that there is a positive relationship between BCS score and oxidative stress (Khaled et al. 2020 ). This effect is thought to be due to differences in lipolysis metabolism during BCS gain or loss (Younis et al. 2021 ). Similarly, previous studies have reported increased oxidative stress levels in obese cows or cows experiencing BCS loss. (Younis et al. 2021 ; Wu et al. 2020 ). On the other hand, Sharma et al ( 2007 ) reported that the level of oxidative stress has a direct effect on udder health. Overproduction of oxidant substances inhibits protein function at the cellular level, causes lipid peroxidation, and can react with DNA, leading to cell death (Turk et al. 2017 ). Oxidative stress can also lead to a weakened immune system (Sordillo and Aitken 2009 ) and impaired phagocytic cell function (Rakip et al. 2020). Therefore, it is associated with an increase in milk SCC and udder infections (Tyagi et al. 2020 ). Although many studies conducted on cows have stated that there is a relationship between BCS and OSI (Schulz et al. 2014 ; Khaled et al. 2020 ; Wu et al. 2020 ), it has not been clearly detailed whether BCS level has a direct effect on milk quality. The hypothesis of this study is that BCS level may affect milk quality by changing the milk OSI level in healthy water buffalos. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the effect of BCS score on milk SCC value and oxidative stress parameters including total antioxidan status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) and thus on milk quality in buffalos. Materıal and Methods Animals and management The presented study was carried out on 57 female Anatolian buffalo during early lactation period. The buffalo had a similar milk yield, number of lactations and period, age and parity. They were managed under identical conditions and had free access to water. Before the study, the health status of the animals was evaluated based on the anamnesis information and all animals were clinically healthy. In addition, all animals used in the study were included in the study if the CMT result was negative and there was no bacterial isolation from their milk. CMT and microbiological analyzes are detailed below. Groups The buffaloes used in the study were divided into 4 groups in terms of Body Condition Score (BCS) values as follows. BCS identification was performed as previously described (Anitha et al. 2011). • Group 1 (n=12): Those with a BCS values £ 2.5 • Group 2 (n=15): Those with a BCS value between 2.5-3 • Group 3 (n=17): Those with a BCS value between 3-3.5 • Group 4 (n=13): Those with a BCS value ³ 3.5 Udder examination and milk samples Before starting the study, palpation and examination examinations were first performed to evaluate the udder health of the animals. After this preliminary examination, california mastitis test (CMT) was applied to the animals thought to be healthy. CMT was performed for each quarter of all animals as previously described (Schalm et al., 1971) and these results were classified as negative (-), trace, (+), (++), and (+++). If a negative result was obtained, the milk sample was considered healthy. After CMT analysis, two samples per animal, milk samples were collected equally from all mammary lobes into a sterile falcon tube (15-20 ml) under aseptic conditions after routine disinfection procedures. One of the milk samples was used in milk somatic cell count (SCC) count and microbiological analysis. Other milk samples were centrifuged at 4.000 × g for 15 minutes, their serum was harvested, and stored at -20 °C for total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) analysis. Microbiological analysis Pathogen isolation was performed according to National Mastitis Council (Hogan et al. 1999) standards. In brief, 10 μl milk sample was taken and prepared for inoculation with appropriate procedures, and then the milk sample was inoculated onto blood agar (Oxoid, CM0055), MacConkey agar (Oxoid, CM0007), and sabouraud dextrose agar (Merck, 105438) using streaking method (Figure 1). After this procedure, these samples were incubated for 24 to 48 h at 37℃. However, inoculations made to SDA were incubated at room temperature. MacConkey agar and blood agar were used for bacteriological isolation, SDA agar was used for fungal isolation. Finally, these primary cultures were examined for the morphological characteristics of the microorganisms. When any pathogen isolation was observed, that milk sample was not included in the study. Somatic cell count determination The SCC values of all milk samples were measured with an automated somatic cell counting device (DCC®, DeLaval International AB, Tumba, Sweden) using commercial counting cassettes (Delaval Cell Counter Cassettes: 92865881). All steps of the SCC measurement were performed taking into account the manufacturer's instructions. TAS and TOS analysis in milk samples TAS and TOS analyzes of blood and milk serums were performed by colorimetric method using commercial kits (Rel Assay Diagnostics®, Gaziantep, Turkey). Calculation of oxidative stress index (OSI) The milk serum OSI value is defined as the ratio of TOS to TAS. Initially the resulting TAS unit (mmol Trolox eq/L) was converted to μmol Trolox eq/L and the OSI value was calculated as described in a previous study with the specified formula: OSI = TOS (μmol H2O2 Eq/L) / TAS (mmol Trolox Eq/ L) × 100 (Eşki et al. 2021). Statistical analysis The obtained datasets are considered statistically with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. For that purpose, parametric One-Way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. The statistically significance among the groups were determined with post-hoc Tukey test. The results are expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) and p 0.05). TOS, OSI, SCC values differed significantly between the groups (P < 0.05). TOS level was higher in Group 1 compared to other groups (P < 0.01; P 0.05). The OSI findings of Group 1 and Group 3 were similar to Group 2 and Group 4 (p > 0.05), although the OSI level decreased in Group 3 compared to Group 1 ( P < 0.01). While there was no difference in terms of SCC between all groups, it was higher in Group 1 than Group 2 and Group 3 (P < 0.05). TAS, TOS, OSI, and SCC results are presented in detailed in Table 1 and Fig. 2 . Table 1 Statistical analysis results of TAS, TOS, OSI and SHS in G1, G2, G3 and G4 groups. TAS TOS OSI SCC (x10 3 cells/ml) G1 1,19 ± 0,22 a 48,73 ± 15,52 c 4,23 ± 1,76 a 93,17 ± 22,46 a G2 1,16 ± 0,11 a 33,93 ± 16,80 a 2,98 ± 1,58 a,b 70,13 ± 15,62 c G3 1,28 ± 0,24 a 30,61 ± 8,71 a,b 2,49 ± 0,9 b 64,88 ± 13,02 b,c G4 1,21 ± 0,21 a 35,01 ± 14,59 a 2,89 ± 1,02 a,b 78,23 ± 22,55 a,b,c Exitence of similar superscripts demonstrate statistical similarity. The different upper symbols indicate statistical difference. a−b P < 0.01, a−c P < 0.05, b−c P < 0.01. TAS: Total antioxidant status, TOS: Total oxidant status, OSI: Oxidative stress index, SCC: Somatic cell count. Discussion This study suggested that BCS values may affect redox balance and milk quality. For this reason, different study groups were created, including buffalos with lean and obese BCS values. Determining the BCS value is a practical application used to estimate the energy status of animalsn (Saqib et al. 2022 ; Soliman et al. 2024 ). Therefore, the BCS value can also be used to estimate the health and nutritional status of animals (Soliman et al. 2024 ). Moreover, previous research has indicated that BCS value affects oxidative stress parameters (Khaled et al. 2020 ). This is directly related to the storage of body fat, or lipolysis (Younis et al. 2021 ). Previous studies have reported that oxidative stress levels increase in cows that are obese and experience BCS loss due to energy deficiency (Younis et al. 2021 ; Wu et al. 2020 ). Similarly, it is known that the incidence of oxidative stress may increase in dairy cows with high BCS (Jamali Emam Gheise et al. 2017 ). Another study reported that milk yield, lipid metabolism, and oxidative status were associated with BCS loss in Holstein cows (Zhao et al. 2019 ). Wu et al ( 2020 ) stated that the acceptable BCS value for dairy cows is between 3.0 and 3.5 on a 5-point scale. They also stated that cows with low or high BCS are prone to several metabolic diseases, and that cows with high BCS values have less antioxidant potantiel than cows with low and medium BCS values. Therefore, cows with high BCS suffer from oxidative stress and its resulting disorders (Wu et al. 2020 ). According to these statements, it was expected that there would be significant differences in oxidative stress parameters between the groups in this study. However, it was found that milk TAS values were similar in all groups. It is thought that the reason for this is that the buffalos received sufficient antioxidant substances from the natural vegetation of the region, and therefore the TAS values the groups were similar. During BCS loss, ROS are released due to the mobilization of adipose tissue (Saqib et al. 2022 ). In this process, the body's antioxidant reserves are used to neutralize these released oxidants (Lykkesfeldt and Svendsen 2007 ; Sordillo and Aitken 2009 ). The rapidity of this process is thought to sharply reduce TAS levels. In the presented study, it is hypothesized that the rate of BSC loss in Groups 1 and 2 may have slowed over time, and therefore, the resulting ROS levels may have resulted in a moderate consumption of an antioxidant substance over time. However, this assumption contradicts the TOS result of Group 1. To clarify this hypothesis, future studies should investigate the different stages of BSC loss and include blood parameters. To clarify this hypothesis, further studies should be conducted including different stages of BSC loss and blood parameters. While there was no difference between Groups 2, 3 and 4 in terms of TOS level, it was higher in Group 1 than the other groups. During body weight loss, the mobilization of adipose tissue occurs (Zhao et al., 2019 ). In this case, the production of oxidant substances increases due to various metabolic activities (Puppel et al. 2015 ; Zhao et al. 2019 ). Thus, the TOS value of Group 1 is supported by these statements. However, some studies have reported that high BCS has an effect on the production of oxidant substances (Afshar-Hamidi et al. 2019 ; Zhao et al. 2019 ). Accordingly, an increase in the TOS level can be expected in Group 4. However, in our study, obesity did not affect the TOS level. This may be related to the ratio of antioxidants to oxidants in the groups. For a clearer conclusion, the OSI level should be examined. Previous studies have reported a relationship between BCS and OSI (Schulz et al. 2014 ; Khaled et al. 2020 ; Wu et al. 2020 ). In our study, while the OSI level was similar between Group 3, 3 and 4, it increased significantly in Group 1 compared to group 3. In other words, milk OSI levels increased in those with low BCS. This is thought to be due to increased oxidant production as a result of BCS loss (Zhao et al., 2019 ). Moreover, according to many studies (Afshar-Hamidi et al. 2019 ; Zhao et al. 2019 ), an increase in OSI was also expected in the obese group (Group 4). However, the group 4 was similar to all groups in terms of OSI level. It was thought that this might be due to the gradual acquisition of BCS and a balanced diet in terms of antioxidants substances. As a result, when the above inferences are evaluated as a whole, it is understood that the BCS value may affect the oxidative stress parameters. On the other hand, it has been reported that oxidative stress affects udder health (Lykkesfeldt and Svendsen 2007 ; Sharma et al. 2007 ). It is known that one of the reasons for this situation is that oxidative stress causes dysfunction in phagocytic cells, causing an increase in SCC levels in milk (Rakip et al. 2020). Similarly, many studies conducted on cows have reported that oxidative stress is associated with udder infections (Sordillo and Aitken 2009 ; Turk et al. 2017 ) and increased SCC (Ali et al. 2022 ). However, since our study was conducted on healthy animals, only SCC changes were followed between groups. According to The European Union Directives (92/46CEE and 94/71 CEE), the raw buffalo milk to be used in production must have an SCC value of less than 400,000 cells/ml (Janmeda et al. 2017 ). However, it is also stated that raw buffalo milk does not have standard ranges of SCC value (Viana et al. 2025 ). Another study reported that the SCC threshold for predicting the presence of inflammation was 200x10 3 cells/ml (Tripaldi et al. 2010 ). In a previous study, the SCC value of raw milk in healthy buffalos was determined as 83.50x10 3 cells/mL (Eşki et al. 2022 ). On the other hand, it has been stated that buffalo milk is generally considered healthy if it has an SCC rate of less than 100x10 3 cells/ml (Eşki et al. 2022 ). The presented study is supported by this information because the highest SCC value in the groups was determined as 93,17x10 3 cells/mL. This shows that the milk of all the buffalos in our study is of high quality. Already, Fig. 1 shows extreme values within the group in terms of SCC. It is known that high SCC values in buffalo negatively affect milk yield and lactose value (Cerón-Muñoz et al. 2002 ). On the other hand, even if buffalo milk is within healthy limits in terms of SCC, reduced SCC can improve the quality of milk and dairy products such as cheese (Eşki et al. 2022 ). Therefore, it is understood that the presented study has economic importance. BCS is associated with milk yield and udder health (Singh and Bhakat 2022 ). In this study, it was observed that the SCC value was higher in Group 1 than in the other groups, but there was no difference between Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4. Thus, it can be estimated that milk quality is negatively affected in buffalos with low BCS values. However, the increased BCS value did not affect the SCC value as well as the TOS and OSI parameters. Singh and Bhakat ( 2022 ) stated that increased BCS values altered the SCC level in cows. In the presented study, the fact that increased BCS did not affect SCC may be related to the BCS acquisition time. Therefore, detailed studies should be conducted in which BCS changes are also monitored in future research. Conclusion In conclusion, BCS significantly affected milk quality with TOS and OSI, which are oxidative stress parameters. Decreased BCS value significantly increased the milk SCC rate. On the other hand, since the antioxidant content and oxidant level of milk also affect the nutritional value of milk, BCS affected the milk quality in this respect. Buffaloes with a BCS value between 3 and 3.5 were determined as the ideal group in terms of milk quality and oxidative stress level. Only milk samples were used in this study. However, we believe that including blood samples in future studies will yield clearer results. Declarations Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest. Ethical approval Ethical approval was obtained from the Local Ethics Committee of Ceyhan Veterinary Faculty, Cukurova University, Turkey (Approval number 04/02 and 16.05.2022). Author contributions All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Funda Eşki and Serdal Kurt. Funda Eşki and Serdal Kurt wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors commented on previous versions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. Acknowledgements This study was as a poster presented in 58th Annual Conference on Physiology & Pathology of Reproduction and 50th Joint Conference of Veterinary and Human Reproductive Medicine, p.8, 26th-28th February, Leipzig, Germany, 2025. Data availability The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. 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13:39:22","extension":"html","order_by":10,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"acdc-reference","size":83466,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"earlyproof.html","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8103525/v1/6e44ae3ca4142070763b86ac.html"},{"id":97451200,"identity":"55bba6b5-91d7-461c-94ee-9ca9a7f7ba2e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-04 13:39:22","extension":"png","order_by":1,"title":"Figure 1","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":454783,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003ePathogen isolations made by the streak method.\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage1.png","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8103525/v1/7a29a2543a61b407a38549a2.png"},{"id":97451199,"identity":"1c85db8f-a31b-43aa-bc97-f944b97bfa05","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-04 13:39:22","extension":"jpeg","order_by":2,"title":"Figure 2","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"figure","size":97314,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"\u003cp\u003eGraphical demonstration of the TAS, TOS, OSI and SCC among the groups. The existing symbols between the groups indicate statistical significance. *p\u0026lt;0.05, **p\u0026lt;0.01\u003c/p\u003e","description":"","filename":"floatimage2.jpeg","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8103525/v1/52619153afaff0fbe880b2ea.jpeg"},{"id":97677601,"identity":"fcdd1135-e3bb-4d81-960f-d05ec74e69cd","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2025-12-08 09:53:40","extension":"pdf","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1090557,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8103525/v1/5f30b24d-8ee8-4b7f-b009-12891e61e126.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"","formattedTitle":"Effect of body condition score on oxidative stress and milk quality in healthy Anatolian buffaloes","fulltext":[{"header":"Introduction","content":"\u003cp\u003eThe importance of buffalo breeding is increasing throughout the World (Aranganoor Kannan et al. 2025). It is also known that the main purpose of buffalo breeding is milk production. Although their milk yield is relatively lower than that of cows, it is known that they are superior in terms of milk quality. Moreover, although buffalo milk production is only about 2\u0026ndash;3% of total cow milk yield, buffalo breeding is of critical importance in many areas of the dairy industry. Due to the limited production of buffalo milk, the amount of milk produced has difficulty in meeting the consumption demand. For this reason, since the continuity of this limited production is important, milk yield in buffalos is tried to be kept at the optimum level. It is well known that udder health is the primary factor affecting milk quality and quantity. In addition, buffalo milk quality is one of the most critical issues for the dairy industry as it directly affects the technological properties and processability of milk (Manuelian et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR16\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e; Costa et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Therefore, even in healthy buffalos in terms of udder health, milk quality affects the desirability of buffalo milk (Costa et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR7\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e).\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMilk somatic cell count (SCC) value is closely related to udder health and is accepted as a standard tool at international level for assessing milk quality (Galiero and Morena 2010; Ramos et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR18\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Moreover, pathogen contamination and antioxidant and oxidant levels of milk are considered in the evaluation of milk quality, including in healthy animals (Kurt et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR22\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Oxidative stress occurs when antioxidant levels decrease to levels where they can no longer combat the oxidants produced (Sordillo and Aitken \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; Kurt et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR14\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2023\u003c/span\u003e). Oxidative stress can affect general health and udder health in a multifactorial way (Sordillo and Aitken \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; Turk et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Many factors, especially antioxidant deficiencies, are effective in the formation of oxidative stress (Sordillo and Aitken \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). It is suggested that body condition score (BCS) may have an effect on oxidative stress parameters in cows (Bernabucci et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR5\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2005\u003c/span\u003e; Khaled et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). It has also been stated that there is a positive relationship between BCS score and oxidative stress (Khaled et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). This effect is thought to be due to differences in lipolysis metabolism during BCS gain or loss (Younis et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Similarly, previous studies have reported increased oxidative stress levels in obese cows or cows experiencing BCS loss. (Younis et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Wu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). On the other hand, Sharma et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e) reported that the level of oxidative stress has a direct effect on udder health. Overproduction of oxidant substances inhibits protein function at the cellular level, causes lipid peroxidation, and can react with DNA, leading to cell death (Turk et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Oxidative stress can also lead to a weakened immune system (Sordillo and Aitken \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e) and impaired phagocytic cell function (Rakip et al. 2020). Therefore, it is associated with an increase in milk SCC and udder infections (Tyagi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR29\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Although many studies conducted on cows have stated that there is a relationship between BCS and OSI (Schulz et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Khaled et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Wu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e), it has not been clearly detailed whether BCS level has a direct effect on milk quality.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe hypothesis of this study is that BCS level may affect milk quality by changing the milk OSI level in healthy water buffalos. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the effect of BCS score on milk SCC value and oxidative stress parameters including total antioxidan status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) and thus on milk quality in buffalos.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Materıal and Methods","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAnimals and management\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe presented study was carried out on 57 female Anatolian buffalo during early lactation period. The buffalo had a similar milk yield, number of lactations and period, age and parity. They were managed under identical conditions and had free access to water. Before the study, the health status of the animals was evaluated based on the anamnesis information and all animals were clinically healthy. In addition, all animals used in the study were included in the study if the CMT result was negative and there was no bacterial isolation from their milk. CMT and microbiological analyzes are detailed below.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGroups\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe buffaloes used in the study were divided into 4 groups in terms of Body Condition Score (BCS) values as follows. BCS identification was performed as previously described (Anitha et al. 2011).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026bull; Group 1 (n=12):\u003c/strong\u003e Those with a BCS values \u0026pound; 2.5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026bull; Group 2 (n=15):\u003c/strong\u003e Those with a BCS value between 2.5-3\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026bull; Group 3 (n=17):\u003c/strong\u003e Those with a BCS value between 3-3.5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u0026bull; Group 4 (n=13):\u003c/strong\u003e Those with a BCS value \u0026sup3; 3.5\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUdder examination and milk samples\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBefore starting the study, palpation and examination examinations were first performed to evaluate the udder health of the animals. After this preliminary examination, california mastitis test (CMT) was applied to the animals thought to be healthy. CMT was performed for each quarter of all animals as previously described (Schalm et al., 1971) and these results were classified as negative (-), trace, (+), (++), and (+++). If a negative result was obtained, the milk sample was considered healthy. After CMT analysis, two samples per animal, milk samples were collected equally from all mammary lobes into a sterile falcon tube (15-20 ml) under aseptic conditions after routine disinfection procedures. One of the milk samples was used in milk somatic cell count (SCC) count and microbiological analysis. Other milk samples were centrifuged at 4.000 \u0026times; g for 15 minutes, their serum was harvested, and stored at -20 \u0026deg;C for total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS) analysis.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMicrobiological analysis\u003c/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePathogen isolation was performed according to National Mastitis Council (Hogan et al. 1999) standards. In brief, 10 \u0026mu;l milk sample was taken and prepared for inoculation with appropriate procedures, and then the milk sample was inoculated onto blood agar (Oxoid, CM0055), MacConkey agar (Oxoid, CM0007), and sabouraud dextrose agar (Merck, 105438) using streaking method (Figure 1). After this procedure, these samples were incubated for 24 to 48 h at 37℃. However, inoculations made to SDA were incubated at room temperature. MacConkey agar and blood agar were used for bacteriological isolation, SDA agar was used for fungal isolation. Finally, these primary cultures were examined for the morphological characteristics of the microorganisms. When any pathogen isolation was observed, that milk sample was not included in the study.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSomatic cell count determination\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe SCC values of all milk samples were measured with an automated somatic cell counting device (DCC\u0026reg;, DeLaval International AB, Tumba, Sweden) using commercial counting cassettes (Delaval Cell Counter Cassettes: 92865881). All steps of the SCC measurement were performed taking into account the manufacturer\u0026apos;s instructions.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTAS and TOS analysis in milk samples\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTAS and TOS analyzes of blood and milk serums were performed by colorimetric method using commercial kits (Rel Assay Diagnostics\u0026reg;, Gaziantep, Turkey).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCalculation of oxidative stress index (OSI)\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe milk serum OSI value is defined as the ratio of TOS to TAS. Initially the resulting TAS unit (mmol Trolox eq/L) was converted to \u0026mu;mol Trolox eq/L and the OSI value was calculated as described in a previous study with the specified formula: OSI = TOS (\u0026mu;mol H2O2 Eq/L) / TAS (mmol Trolox Eq/ L) \u0026times; 100 (Eşki et al. 2021).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStatistical analysis\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe obtained datasets are considered statistically with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24.0. For that purpose, parametric One-Way Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used. The statistically significance among the groups were determined with post-hoc Tukey test. The results are expressed as mean \u0026plusmn; standard deviation (SD) and p\u0026lt;0.05 was considered as significant.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Results","content":"\u003cp\u003eNo significant difference was found between the groups in terms of TAS values (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). TOS, OSI, SCC values differed significantly between the groups (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). TOS level was higher in Group 1 compared to other groups (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01; P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). However, TOS levels were similar in Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4 (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). The OSI findings of Group 1 and Group 3 were similar to Group 2 and Group 4 (p\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;0.05), although the OSI level decreased in Group 3 compared to Group 1 (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). While there was no difference in terms of SCC between all groups, it was higher in Group 1 than Group 2 and Group 3 (P\u0026thinsp;\u003cem\u003e\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05). TAS, TOS, OSI, and SCC results are presented in detailed in Table\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Tab1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e and Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig2\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e2\u003c/span\u003e.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"gridtable\"\u003e\u003ctable float=\"Yes\" id=\"Tab1\" border=\"1\"\u003e\u003ccaption language=\"En\"\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionNumber\"\u003eTable 1\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"CaptionContent\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eStatistical analysis results of TAS, TOS, OSI and SHS in G1, G2, G3 and G4 groups.\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/caption\u003e\u003ccolgroup cols=\"6\"\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c1\" colnum=\"1\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c2\" colnum=\"2\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c3\" colnum=\"3\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c4\" colnum=\"4\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c5\" colnum=\"5\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cdiv align=\"left\" class=\"colspec\" colname=\"c6\" colnum=\"6\"\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003cthead\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTAS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eTOS\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eOSI\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003cth align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eSCC (x10\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e cells/ml)\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/th\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/thead\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eG1\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1,19\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0,22\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e48,73\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15,52\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e4,23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1,76\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e93,17\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;22,46\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eG2\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1,16\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0,11\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e33,93\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;16,80\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2,98\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1,58\u003csup\u003ea,b\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e70,13\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;15,62\u003csup\u003ec\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eG3\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1,28\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0,24\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e30,61\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;8,71\u003csup\u003ea,b\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2,49\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0,9\u003csup\u003eb\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e64,88\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;13,02\u003csup\u003eb,c\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003ctr\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c1\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eG4\u003c/b\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c2\"\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e1,21\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;0,21\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c4\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e35,01\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;14,59\u003csup\u003ea\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c5\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e2,89\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;1,02\u003csup\u003ea,b\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003ctd align=\"left\" colname=\"c6\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e78,23\u0026thinsp;\u0026plusmn;\u0026thinsp;22,55\u003csup\u003ea,b,c\u003c/sup\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003c/td\u003e\u003c/tr\u003e\u003c/tbody\u003e\u003c/colgroup\u003e\u003c/table\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExitence of similar superscripts demonstrate statistical similarity. The different upper symbols indicate statistical difference. \u003csup\u003ea\u0026minus;b\u003c/sup\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01, \u003csup\u003ea\u0026minus;c\u003c/sup\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05, \u003csup\u003eb\u0026minus;c\u003c/sup\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01. TAS: Total antioxidant status, TOS: Total oxidant status, OSI: Oxidative stress index, SCC: Somatic cell count.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Discussion","content":"\u003cp\u003eThis study suggested that BCS values may affect redox balance and milk quality. For this reason, different study groups were created, including buffalos with lean and obese BCS values.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDetermining the BCS value is a practical application used to estimate the energy status of animalsn (Saqib et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e; Soliman et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Therefore, the BCS value can also be used to estimate the health and nutritional status of animals (Soliman et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR25\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2024\u003c/span\u003e). Moreover, previous research has indicated that BCS value affects oxidative stress parameters (Khaled et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). This is directly related to the storage of body fat, or lipolysis (Younis et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e). Previous studies have reported that oxidative stress levels increase in cows that are obese and experience BCS loss due to energy deficiency (Younis et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR32\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2021\u003c/span\u003e; Wu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). Similarly, it is known that the incidence of oxidative stress may increase in dairy cows with high BCS (Jamali Emam Gheise et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR11\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). Another study reported that milk yield, lipid metabolism, and oxidative status were associated with BCS loss in Holstein cows (Zhao et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Wu et al (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e) stated that the acceptable BCS value for dairy cows is between 3.0 and 3.5 on a 5-point scale. They also stated that cows with low or high BCS are prone to several metabolic diseases, and that cows with high BCS values have less antioxidant potantiel than cows with low and medium BCS values. Therefore, cows with high BCS suffer from oxidative stress and its resulting disorders (Wu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). According to these statements, it was expected that there would be significant differences in oxidative stress parameters between the groups in this study. However, it was found that milk TAS values were similar in all groups. It is thought that the reason for this is that the buffalos received sufficient antioxidant substances from the natural vegetation of the region, and therefore the TAS values the groups were similar. During BCS loss, ROS are released due to the mobilization of adipose tissue (Saqib et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR19\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). In this process, the body's antioxidant reserves are used to neutralize these released oxidants (Lykkesfeldt and Svendsen \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e; Sordillo and Aitken \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e). The rapidity of this process is thought to sharply reduce TAS levels. In the presented study, it is hypothesized that the rate of BSC loss in Groups 1 and 2 may have slowed over time, and therefore, the resulting ROS levels may have resulted in a moderate consumption of an antioxidant substance over time. However, this assumption contradicts the TOS result of Group 1. To clarify this hypothesis, future studies should investigate the different stages of BSC loss and include blood parameters. To clarify this hypothesis, further studies should be conducted including different stages of BSC loss and blood parameters. While there was no difference between Groups 2, 3 and 4 in terms of TOS level, it was higher in Group 1 than the other groups. During body weight loss, the mobilization of adipose tissue occurs (Zhao et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). In this case, the production of oxidant substances increases due to various metabolic activities (Puppel et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR17\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2015\u003c/span\u003e; Zhao et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Thus, the TOS value of Group 1 is supported by these statements. However, some studies have reported that high BCS has an effect on the production of oxidant substances (Afshar-Hamidi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Zhao et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Accordingly, an increase in the TOS level can be expected in Group 4. However, in our study, obesity did not affect the TOS level. This may be related to the ratio of antioxidants to oxidants in the groups. For a clearer conclusion, the OSI level should be examined. Previous studies have reported a relationship between BCS and OSI (Schulz et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR21\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2014\u003c/span\u003e; Khaled et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR13\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e; Wu et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR31\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2020\u003c/span\u003e). In our study, while the OSI level was similar between Group 3, 3 and 4, it increased significantly in Group 1 compared to group 3. In other words, milk OSI levels increased in those with low BCS. This is thought to be due to increased oxidant production as a result of BCS loss (Zhao et al., \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e). Moreover, according to many studies (Afshar-Hamidi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR1\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e; Zhao et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR33\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2019\u003c/span\u003e), an increase in OSI was also expected in the obese group (Group 4). However, the group 4 was similar to all groups in terms of OSI level. It was thought that this might be due to the gradual acquisition of BCS and a balanced diet in terms of antioxidants substances. As a result, when the above inferences are evaluated as a whole, it is understood that the BCS value may affect the oxidative stress parameters. On the other hand, it has been reported that oxidative stress affects udder health (Lykkesfeldt and Svendsen \u003cspan citationid=\"CR15\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e; Sharma et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR23\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2007\u003c/span\u003e). It is known that one of the reasons for this situation is that oxidative stress causes dysfunction in phagocytic cells, causing an increase in SCC levels in milk (Rakip et al. 2020). Similarly, many studies conducted on cows have reported that oxidative stress is associated with udder infections (Sordillo and Aitken \u003cspan citationid=\"CR26\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2009\u003c/span\u003e; Turk et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR28\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e) and increased SCC (Ali et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR2\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). However, since our study was conducted on healthy animals, only SCC changes were followed between groups. According to The European Union Directives (92/46CEE and 94/71 CEE), the raw buffalo milk to be used in production must have an SCC value of less than 400,000 cells/ml (Janmeda et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR12\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2017\u003c/span\u003e). However, it is also stated that raw buffalo milk does not have standard ranges of SCC value (Viana et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR30\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2025\u003c/span\u003e). Another study reported that the SCC threshold for predicting the presence of inflammation was 200x10\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e cells/ml (Tripaldi et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR27\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2010\u003c/span\u003e). In a previous study, the SCC value of raw milk in healthy buffalos was determined as 83.50x10\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e cells/mL (Eşki et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). On the other hand, it has been stated that buffalo milk is generally considered healthy if it has an SCC rate of less than 100x10\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e cells/ml (Eşki et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). The presented study is supported by this information because the highest SCC value in the groups was determined as 93,17x10\u003csup\u003e3\u003c/sup\u003e cells/mL. This shows that the milk of all the buffalos in our study is of high quality. Already, Fig.\u0026nbsp;\u003cspan refid=\"Fig1\" class=\"InternalRef\"\u003e1\u003c/span\u003e shows extreme values within the group in terms of SCC. It is known that high SCC values in buffalo negatively affect milk yield and lactose value (Cer\u0026oacute;n-Mu\u0026ntilde;oz et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR6\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2002\u003c/span\u003e). On the other hand, even if buffalo milk is within healthy limits in terms of SCC, reduced SCC can improve the quality of milk and dairy products such as cheese (Eşki et al. \u003cspan citationid=\"CR8\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). Therefore, it is understood that the presented study has economic importance. BCS is associated with milk yield and udder health (Singh and Bhakat \u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e). In this study, it was observed that the SCC value was higher in Group 1 than in the other groups, but there was no difference between Group 2, Group 3 and Group 4. Thus, it can be estimated that milk quality is negatively affected in buffalos with low BCS values. However, the increased BCS value did not affect the SCC value as well as the TOS and OSI parameters. Singh and Bhakat (\u003cspan citationid=\"CR24\" class=\"CitationRef\"\u003e2022\u003c/span\u003e) stated that increased BCS values altered the SCC level in cows. In the presented study, the fact that increased BCS did not affect SCC may be related to the BCS acquisition time. Therefore, detailed studies should be conducted in which BCS changes are also monitored in future research.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Conclusion","content":"\u003cp\u003eIn conclusion, BCS significantly affected milk quality with TOS and OSI, which are oxidative stress parameters. Decreased BCS value significantly increased the milk SCC rate. On the other hand, since the antioxidant content and oxidant level of milk also affect the nutritional value of milk, BCS affected the milk quality in this respect. Buffaloes with a BCS value between 3 and 3.5 were determined as the ideal group in terms of milk quality and oxidative stress level. Only milk samples were used in this study. However, we believe that including blood samples in future studies will yield clearer results.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"Declarations","content":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eConflict of interest\u003c/strong\u003e The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEthical approval\u003c/strong\u003e Ethical approval was obtained from the Local Ethics Committee of Ceyhan Veterinary Faculty, Cukurova University, Turkey (Approval number 04/02 and 16.05.2022).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor contributions\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003eAll authors contributed to the study\u0026rsquo;s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Funda Eşki and Serdal Kurt. Funda Eşki and Serdal Kurt wrote the first draft of the manuscript, and all authors commented on previous versions. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAcknowledgements\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis study was as a poster presented in 58th Annual Conference on Physiology \u0026amp; Pathology of Reproduction and 50th Joint Conference of Veterinary and Human Reproductive Medicine, p.8, 26th-28th February, Leipzig, Germany, 2025.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eData availability\u0026nbsp;\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eStatement of informed consent\u003c/strong\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis article will not be published elsewhere in the same form, in English or in any other language, including electronically without the written consent of the copyright holder.\u003c/p\u003e"},{"header":"References","content":"\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAfshar-Hamidi B, Maheri-Sis N, Sadegipanah A, Asri-Rezaei S, Gorbani A (2019) Effects of body condition score and parity on oxidative stress indicators of periparturient Iranian dairy buffaloes. 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Asian-Australas J Anim Sci 32(12):1889-1896.\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e"}],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":true,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":false,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":false,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"Body condition score, Milk, Somatic cell count, Oxidative stress, Buffalo","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8103525/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8103525/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe aim of the present study was to investigate whether body condition score (BCS) affects oxidative stress and milk quality in healthy Anatolian buffalos. The study comprised four groups as Group 1 (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;12; BCS values \u0026le; 2.5), Group 2 (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;15; BCS 2.5\u0026ndash;3), Group 3 (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;17; BCS 3\u0026ndash;3.5) and Group 4 (n\u0026thinsp;=\u0026thinsp;13; BCS \u0026ge; 3.5). Milk samples were collected under aseptic conditions from all groups. California mastitis test (CMT) test and microbiological analyzes were performed on milk samples. If the CMT results were negative and there was no pathogen isolation, milk samples were considered healthy and included in the study. The milk samples were analyzed for Somatic cell count (SCC), total antioxidant status (TAS) and total oxidant status (TOS). Milk serum oxidative stress index (OSI) was also calculated. TOS, OSI, SCC values differed significantly between the groups (P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). TOS level was higher in Group 1 compared to other groups (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01; P\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05). OSI level decreased in Group 3 compared to Group 1 (\u003cem\u003eP\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.01). While there was no difference in terms of SCC between all groups, it was higher in Group 1 than Group 2 and Group 3 (\u003cem\u003eP\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u003c/em\u003e\u0026thinsp;0.05). In conclusion, decreased and increased BCS value significantly affected oxidative stress parameters and SCC value. It is suggested that oxidative stress occurred as a result of accelerated fat mobilization and thus milk quality was negatively affected.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Effect of body condition score on oxidative stress and milk quality in healthy Anatolian buffaloes","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-12-04 13:39:17","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8103525/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"3316539f-eb3c-41bb-bb94-826753d7b09d","owner":[],"postedDate":"December 4th, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-12-06T08:20:38+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-12-04 13:39:17","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8103525","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8103525","identity":"rs-8103525","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}