The Rural Voice, 1996-12, Page 15Scrap Book
Now, a
breathalyser
for cows
Diseases in cows can be
detected much earlier with the
development of a new variant of
the "electronic nose".
British scientists have prod-
uced a variety of so-called
generic electronic noses that are
able to analyse and detect any
unwanted content of substances.
The best known example is the
breath-alyser used on motorists
to detect the level of alcohol by
analysing a person's breath.
Researchers at Warwick and
Southampton universities have
just completed the first year of a
three-year project funded by the
UK Biotechnology and Biolog-
ical Sciences Research Council
to construct a special breath-
alyser to detect diseases in
cows. They have engineered an
electronic nose to sample the
acetone levels in a cow's breath
to detect ketosis. This disease
can lead to coma and death, and
develops when the concentration
of protein in feed is too high.
When a cow has advanced
ketosis, vets and herdspeople
can smell acetone on the breath.
The new machine will be able to
detect this much earlier in the
cycle of disease and with greater
accuracy than a trained human
nose. The breathalyser needs to
sample around half a Litre of
cow's breath — not a problem
because cows exhale up to four
litres with every breath. The
device does not measure the
absolute level of acetone, but
measures the effect of each
cow's breath on a series of
electronic sensors and compares
the results with those of healthy
animals.
The machine may have other
uses. There are plans to use it in
an automated milking parlour to
detect if a cow's teats are ciean.0
— Source: British Industrial
' and Technology News
From all of us to you and yours,
thanks and best wishes for the
Holiday Season.
RADFORD'S FARM
EQUIPMENT LTD.
Londesboro 519-523-4519
lirritagr
BUILDERS LTD.
would like to Congratulate
Albadon Farms Ltd.
Dave, Joyce, Rodney, Thomas, Nicholas,
Mark, Debbie, Adam and Josh Ireland
on the opening of their new
123 cow freestall dairy barn at Teeswater, Ontario.
This barn has slatted floors, under barn manure storage, natural
ventilation, BouMatic double eight parallel milking parlour and
automatic bunk feeding.
Congratulations to the Irelands and Thank You
for choosing us as your General Contractor
Iteritagr BUILDERS LTD.
• Residential • Commercial • Agricultural
Clifford, Ontario (519) 327-8840 Mildmay, Ontario (519) 367-2922
DECEMBER 1996 11