Salty flavors in milk can be attributed to milk from cows infected with which condition?

The presence of salty flavors in milk is often associated with mastitis, which is an infection of the udder tissue in lactating animals, particularly cows. When a cow has mastitis, the infection can lead to an increase in the sodium and chloride concentrations in the milk, resulting in a distinctive salty taste. This alteration in the milk composition occurs due to the inflammatory response triggered by the infection, which alters the normal secretion processes within the mammary gland.

The other conditions listed do not typically produce a salty flavor. Tuberculosis may affect the cow's overall health and milk quality, but it does not lead to a specific change in flavor characteristics such as salinity. Brucellosis can lead to reproductive issues and is a concern for milk safety, but it does not directly influence the taste of milk. Hepatitis is primarily a liver condition and does not directly affect dairy cattle in a way that would alter the flavor of their milk either. Consequently, mastitis stands out as the condition responsible for this particular flavor change in milk.