The Effect of Pre-milking Stimulation on Teat Morphological Parameters and Milk Traits in the Italian Water Buffalo
Water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are very sensitive to environmental stimulus before and during milking, and this explains why disrupted milk ejections due to blood oxytocin level instability are frequent in this species. According to the literature, the manual stimulation (MS) of teats before milk...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2020-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.572422/full |
| _version_ | 1818919568920281088 |
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| author | Angela Costa Massimo De Marchi Giulio Visentin Maria Concetta Campagna Antonio Borghese Carlo Boselli |
| author_facet | Angela Costa Massimo De Marchi Giulio Visentin Maria Concetta Campagna Antonio Borghese Carlo Boselli |
| author_sort | Angela Costa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are very sensitive to environmental stimulus before and during milking, and this explains why disrupted milk ejections due to blood oxytocin level instability are frequent in this species. According to the literature, the manual stimulation (MS) of teats before milking promotes oxytocin release and allows milk ejection to start within 2–3 min. However, the pre-milking stimulation of teats is not always part of the milking routine in Italian buffalo farms; moreover, buffaloes with unstable milk let-down are sometimes treated with exogenous oxytocin (OX). Different types of pre-milking stimulation can impact differently on the mammary gland epithelium and structures and, therefore, on milk yield. In this study, we observed the changes in teat morphological traits before and after the application of three types of stimuli, i.e., no manual stimulation (NS), MS, and OX, in buffaloes reared in an Italian dairy farm. In particular, measurements were available for 23 and 21 buffaloes for front and rear teats, respectively. Subsequently, the effect of the pre-milking stimulation type was estimated on teat morphological characteristics and on milk traits recorded after the application of stimuli. The results showed that the teat canal length was shorter (P < 0.05) after stimulation in the case of MS and OX compared to NS. Cistern diameter was overall greater for MS and lower for OX. On the contrary, teat wall thickness was greater and lower for OX and MS, respectively. Milk yield and quality (fat, protein, and somatic cell score) were similar across the three types of pre-milking stimulation. In perspective, the impact of these types of pre-milking stimulation should be evaluated on a large scale, and the focus might be put on mammary gland epithelium integrity, mastitis incidence, and other udder health indicators in milk, e.g., electrical conductivity, differential somatic cell count, lactose content, and sodium and chloride concentration. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-20T01:07:56Z |
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| issn | 2297-1769 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-20T01:07:56Z |
| publishDate | 2020-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Veterinary Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-e873d71ee5144161b5253f13ec7146bb2022-12-21T19:58:47ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Veterinary Science2297-17692020-12-01710.3389/fvets.2020.572422572422The Effect of Pre-milking Stimulation on Teat Morphological Parameters and Milk Traits in the Italian Water BuffaloAngela Costa0Massimo De Marchi1Giulio Visentin2Maria Concetta Campagna3Antonio Borghese4Carlo Boselli5Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Legnaro, ItalyDepartment of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment (DAFNAE), University of Padova, Legnaro, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medical Sciences (DIMEVET), University of Bologna, Bologna, ItalyExperimental Zooprophylactic Institute Lazio and Toscana “Mariano Aleandri”, Rome, ItalyInternational Buffalo Federation, Rome, ItalyExperimental Zooprophylactic Institute Lazio and Toscana “Mariano Aleandri”, Rome, ItalyWater buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis) are very sensitive to environmental stimulus before and during milking, and this explains why disrupted milk ejections due to blood oxytocin level instability are frequent in this species. According to the literature, the manual stimulation (MS) of teats before milking promotes oxytocin release and allows milk ejection to start within 2–3 min. However, the pre-milking stimulation of teats is not always part of the milking routine in Italian buffalo farms; moreover, buffaloes with unstable milk let-down are sometimes treated with exogenous oxytocin (OX). Different types of pre-milking stimulation can impact differently on the mammary gland epithelium and structures and, therefore, on milk yield. In this study, we observed the changes in teat morphological traits before and after the application of three types of stimuli, i.e., no manual stimulation (NS), MS, and OX, in buffaloes reared in an Italian dairy farm. In particular, measurements were available for 23 and 21 buffaloes for front and rear teats, respectively. Subsequently, the effect of the pre-milking stimulation type was estimated on teat morphological characteristics and on milk traits recorded after the application of stimuli. The results showed that the teat canal length was shorter (P < 0.05) after stimulation in the case of MS and OX compared to NS. Cistern diameter was overall greater for MS and lower for OX. On the contrary, teat wall thickness was greater and lower for OX and MS, respectively. Milk yield and quality (fat, protein, and somatic cell score) were similar across the three types of pre-milking stimulation. In perspective, the impact of these types of pre-milking stimulation should be evaluated on a large scale, and the focus might be put on mammary gland epithelium integrity, mastitis incidence, and other udder health indicators in milk, e.g., electrical conductivity, differential somatic cell count, lactose content, and sodium and chloride concentration.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.572422/fullteat morphologymanual stimulationoxytocindairy buffaloudder health |
| spellingShingle | Angela Costa Massimo De Marchi Giulio Visentin Maria Concetta Campagna Antonio Borghese Carlo Boselli The Effect of Pre-milking Stimulation on Teat Morphological Parameters and Milk Traits in the Italian Water Buffalo Frontiers in Veterinary Science teat morphology manual stimulation oxytocin dairy buffalo udder health |
| title | The Effect of Pre-milking Stimulation on Teat Morphological Parameters and Milk Traits in the Italian Water Buffalo |
| title_full | The Effect of Pre-milking Stimulation on Teat Morphological Parameters and Milk Traits in the Italian Water Buffalo |
| title_fullStr | The Effect of Pre-milking Stimulation on Teat Morphological Parameters and Milk Traits in the Italian Water Buffalo |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Effect of Pre-milking Stimulation on Teat Morphological Parameters and Milk Traits in the Italian Water Buffalo |
| title_short | The Effect of Pre-milking Stimulation on Teat Morphological Parameters and Milk Traits in the Italian Water Buffalo |
| title_sort | effect of pre milking stimulation on teat morphological parameters and milk traits in the italian water buffalo |
| topic | teat morphology manual stimulation oxytocin dairy buffalo udder health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fvets.2020.572422/full |
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