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Our experiment examined the effect of feeding a protein concentrate supplement on the composition of amino acids in milk from dairy cows managed in an organic farming system. The experiment included two groups of cows. Animals in both groups received an identical basic feed ration composed of maize silage, clover-grass haylage from the first cutting, grass haylage from the first cutting, winter wheat and spring barley. The first group of dairy cows (n = 10) served as a control without the addition of protein concentrate to the feed ration. The second experimental group (n = 10) received in addition to the basic feed ration a protein concentrate composed of soybean, sunflower and linseed cakes at rate 1 kg per head per day. The experiment lasted 30 days. Milk analysed for amino acid content was sampled at 10-day intervals. Addition of the protein concentrate significantly increased milk contents of aspartic acid, proline, threonine, glycine, alanine and glutamic acid. A significant decrease of valine also was recorded in milk from the experimental group. The results of our experiment show that a protein concentrate supplement can affect concentrations of some amino acids in milk from dairy cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the work is to assess the effect of soil contamination of fodder and wilting on the occurrence of fungi in the biomass of alfalfa and subsequently consider the mycotoxin content in alfalfa silage. The alfalfa biomass of Jarka variety, harvested from two experimental plots in different climatic conditions, was evaluated. The total number of microorganisms and fungi were determined in silage biomass and silage. The content of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone in silages was treated with bacterial enzyme inoculant and chemical preservative, which is an acid. The total number of microorganisms was not influenced by the soil contamination of fodder. The occurrence of fungi was increased from 126,807 to 321,992 CFU·g-1. The total number of microorganisms and fungi was raised by wilting. The occurrence of fungi was increased from 113,909 to 334,890 CFU·g-1. Deoxynivalenol (increased from 101.9 to 131.5 ppb) was especially determined in alfalfa silage. The content of zearalenone reached up to 0.5442 ppb. The alfalfa silages, produced from wilted silage, contained lower levels (P < 0.05) of deoxynivalenol and zearalenone than alfalfa silages produced from no-wilted biomass. The content of mycotoxins was affected neither biological nor chemical preservative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rising interest in digestate use as a fertilizer on permanent cultures, there is a need to examine its effects on food and feed quality. This study is focused on the use of digestate in grassland fertilization and its effects on nutritive value parameters such as mycotoxin contamination (deoxynivalenol, aflatoxin, and T-2 toxin) and nutrient content (crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, ash, nitrogen-free extract, digestibility of organic matter, acid detergent fiber, and ash-free neutral detergent fiber). The experiment was carried out in the Czech Republic, and the effects of fertilization regime, year, and harvest date (summer and fall cuts) on nutritive value were observed. An effect of the year on DON, AFB1, and T-2 contamination levels was observed. An effect of the harvest or fertilization regime on mycotoxin contamination was not observed. Significant differences were observed in the content of all nutrients, except ash, depending on the year. Differences were found only in the case of ADF levels, depending on the harvest date, as well; however, no differences were found between fertilization regimes. Our findings suggest that digestate does not negatively affect fodder in terms of nutritive value nor safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]