Impact of US Brown Swiss genetics on milk quality from low-input herds in Switzerland: Interactions with season. (15th June 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Stergiadis, Sokratis; Bieber, Anna; Chatzidimitriou, Eleni; Franceschin, Enrica; Isensee, Anne; Rempelos, Leonidas; Baranski, Marcin; Maurer, Veronika; Cozzi, Giulio; Bapst, Beat; Butler, Gillian; Leifert, Carlo
• Is Part Of: Food chemistry. Volume 251(2018)
• Page Start: 93
• Page End: 102
• Publication Date: 2018-06-15
• Subjects: Milk -- Fatty acid -- Low-input -- Season -- Brown Swiss -- Original Braunvieh; Food -- Analysis -- Periodicals; Food -- Composition -- Periodicals; 664
• DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2018.01.077
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0308-8146

Abstract

Highlights: Breeding by season interactions in milk quality were assessed on low-input farms. Crossbreeding with Original Braunvieh (OB) reduced milk yield during winter. Cows with more OB genetics produced milk with improved fatty acid profile. Desirable effect of OB genetics on milk fatty acid profile was higher in summer. Improvement of milk quality should account for genetics by diet interaction. Abstract: This study investigated the effect of, and interactions between, US Brown Swiss (BS) genetics and season on milk yield, basic composition and fatty acid profiles, from cows on low-input farms in Switzerland. Milk samples (n = 1, 976) were collected from 1, 220 crossbreed cows with differing proportions of BS, Braunvieh and Original Braunvieh genetics on 40 farms during winter-housing and summer-grazing. Cows with more BS genetics produced more milk in winter but not in summer, possibly because of underfeeding potentially high-yielding cows on low-input pasture-based diets. Cows with more Original Braunvieh genetics produced milk with more (i) nutritionally desirable eicosapentaenoic and docosapentaenoic acids, throughout the year, and (ii) vaccenic and α-linolenic acids, total omega-3 fatty acid concentrations and a higher omega-3/omega-6 ratio only during summer-grazing. This suggests that overall milk quality could be improved by re-focussing breeding strategies on cows' ability to respond to local dietary environments and seasonal dietary changes.