A Cross-Sectional Study of Risk Factors Affecting Milk Quality in Dairy Cows
Despite years of research devoted to bovine mastitis, the disease remains a serious problem in dairy cattle, causing economic losses to the dairy industry worldwide due to reduced milk yield, lower milk quality, drug costs and early culling of cows. The aim of this study is to determine the importan...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Animals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/22/3470 |
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| author | Marios Moschovas Georgios Pavlatos Zoitsa Basdagianni Georgios Manessis Ioannis Bossis |
| author_facet | Marios Moschovas Georgios Pavlatos Zoitsa Basdagianni Georgios Manessis Ioannis Bossis |
| author_sort | Marios Moschovas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Despite years of research devoted to bovine mastitis, the disease remains a serious problem in dairy cattle, causing economic losses to the dairy industry worldwide due to reduced milk yield, lower milk quality, drug costs and early culling of cows. The aim of this study is to determine the importance of several risk factors affecting milk quality in dairy cows, as well as to highlight proper milking techniques. A cross-sectional study was performed in one Greek dairy farm with the inclusion of a total of 1004 Holstein Friesian cows in the study. The udder and teat traits were recorded for each cow, while individual milk samples were used to estimate the somatic cell count (SCC) and gross milk composition. The traits recorded were examined as potential risk factors affecting milk quality using the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and the algorithm stepAIC to select the best linear regression model which explains the data. Overall, the prevalence of mastitis was ca. 9%. With an increase in the lactation period, the SCC increased (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) while fat (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05), protein (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.001) and lactose (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.001) content decreased. Teat hyperkeratosis increased the SCC (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) and decreased P content (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). Proper husbandry management and milking procedures are considered essential to maintain milk quality of high standards. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:05:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-953dbc013870476f9a658a99462acebf |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2615 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:05:36Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Animals |
| spelling | doaj.art-953dbc013870476f9a658a99462acebf2023-11-24T14:24:38ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152023-11-011322347010.3390/ani13223470A Cross-Sectional Study of Risk Factors Affecting Milk Quality in Dairy CowsMarios Moschovas0Georgios Pavlatos1Zoitsa Basdagianni2Georgios Manessis3Ioannis Bossis4Chrisodima Veterinary Services S.H., Andrea Syngrou Avenue 191, 17121 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Biosciences, Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), Iera Odos 75 Str., 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Animal Husbandry, Department of Agricultural Sciences, School of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceLaboratory of Anatomy and Physiology of Farm Animals, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Biosciences, Agricultural University of Athens (AUA), Iera Odos 75 Str., 11855 Athens, GreeceLaboratory of Animal Husbandry, Department of Agricultural Sciences, School of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH), 54124 Thessaloniki, GreeceDespite years of research devoted to bovine mastitis, the disease remains a serious problem in dairy cattle, causing economic losses to the dairy industry worldwide due to reduced milk yield, lower milk quality, drug costs and early culling of cows. The aim of this study is to determine the importance of several risk factors affecting milk quality in dairy cows, as well as to highlight proper milking techniques. A cross-sectional study was performed in one Greek dairy farm with the inclusion of a total of 1004 Holstein Friesian cows in the study. The udder and teat traits were recorded for each cow, while individual milk samples were used to estimate the somatic cell count (SCC) and gross milk composition. The traits recorded were examined as potential risk factors affecting milk quality using the Akaike information criterion (AIC) and the algorithm stepAIC to select the best linear regression model which explains the data. Overall, the prevalence of mastitis was ca. 9%. With an increase in the lactation period, the SCC increased (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) while fat (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05), protein (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.001) and lactose (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.001) content decreased. Teat hyperkeratosis increased the SCC (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05) and decreased P content (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.05). Proper husbandry management and milking procedures are considered essential to maintain milk quality of high standards.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/22/3470mastitisdairy cowsrisk factorsudder lesionsteat lesionsteat hyperkeratosis |
| spellingShingle | Marios Moschovas Georgios Pavlatos Zoitsa Basdagianni Georgios Manessis Ioannis Bossis A Cross-Sectional Study of Risk Factors Affecting Milk Quality in Dairy Cows Animals mastitis dairy cows risk factors udder lesions teat lesions teat hyperkeratosis |
| title | A Cross-Sectional Study of Risk Factors Affecting Milk Quality in Dairy Cows |
| title_full | A Cross-Sectional Study of Risk Factors Affecting Milk Quality in Dairy Cows |
| title_fullStr | A Cross-Sectional Study of Risk Factors Affecting Milk Quality in Dairy Cows |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Cross-Sectional Study of Risk Factors Affecting Milk Quality in Dairy Cows |
| title_short | A Cross-Sectional Study of Risk Factors Affecting Milk Quality in Dairy Cows |
| title_sort | cross sectional study of risk factors affecting milk quality in dairy cows |
| topic | mastitis dairy cows risk factors udder lesions teat lesions teat hyperkeratosis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/13/22/3470 |
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