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Researches were carried out on 1707 Romanian Spotted cows raised in farms from Hunedoara County that were enrolled in official performance control scheme. According to the number of milking cows (farm size), farms were divided into three categories small (n≤10 cows), middle (n=11 to 25 cows) and large (n>25 cows). The influence of the farm size on the daily milk yield and milk components (fat, protein, casein and lactose) was determined by using ANOVA, and lactation curve was drawn using the gamma incomplete function. Generally, the farm size had a significant influence on all studied milk indices (p<0.01). For the daily milk yield and fat percentage, the highest values were obtained in the small farms (25.50 kg milk with 3.82% fat), followed by the large farms (23.45 kg milk with 3.76% fat) and the middle farms (21.46 kg with 3.69% fat). For protein percentage and casein content, the highest values were obtained in middle farms (3.32% protein and 25.66 g/L casein) followed by small farms (3.27% protein and 25.41 g/L casein) and large farms (3.25% protein and 25.58 g/L casein). The highest values for milk lactose percentage were obtained in large farms (4.81%) followed by middle and small farms (4.78% and 4.76%, respectively). In conclusion, we can state that the farm size had an influence on daily milk yield and its chemical components, due to feeding and housing technologies employed in those farms. Small farms had the highest daily milk yield and fat percentage, middle farms' milk was higher in protein and casein content, while large farms had the highest lactose percentage in the milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bovine mastitis is considered the leading cause of economic losses in dairy farms worldwide due to the associated treatment costs, reduced cow performance, milk quantity, and quality decline, as well as early culling. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between somatic cell count (SCC), and physicochemical milk parameters in Romanian Black and White spotted dairy cows. In the study conducted between March and September of 2022, on a farm from the Northeast Romania, a total of 62 cows, with ages ranging from 3 to 5 years, average days in milk (DIM) 75 +/- 35 days, and milk production 22+/- 1.8 kg (mean +/- SEM and clinical signs of mastitis were enrolled. Cows were clinically examined and milk samples were collected in order to evaluate milk SCC and physicochemical parameters such as fat, protein, lactose, casein, dry matter percentage, and density using the fluorooptic method (Combiscope, Delta Instruments). Statistical analysis was carried out using Graphpad Prism software. A correlation matrix was computed to establish the relationship between the number of somatic cells, and the physicochemical parameters of milk. A very small significant negative relationship was observed between somatic cell score and lactose percentage (r= -0.56), as well as milk fat (r= -0.39) and protein (r= -0.37). In conclusion, bovine mastitis has a negative impact on both milk production and composition, however further studies involving both healthy and cows with mastitis are needed for a more robust evaluation of clinical mastitis effect on milk parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Extensive goat breeding follows principles of sustainable agriculture, and it can be achieved with local breeds because their genome has been shaped by centuries of interaction with the environment in which goats were raised. The Sarda goat is well adapted to the arid environment of Sardinia (Italy). The aim of the present work was to study the variability of the casein genes, the main proteins of milk. We measured milk traits such as protein, fat, lactose, total solids, and milk yield, and performed association analyses with casein gene variants. The variability of the four casein genes was associated with milk protein, fat, total solids, and milk energy. The main finding was that intronic variants of the CSN1S2 gene (encoding the αs2-casein protein) were associated with milk yield and protein and fat content. This information might be used in selection schemes, and in future investigations aiming to disclose the direct link between genotype and phenotype. This work aimed to assess the variability of casein genes in a population of 153 bucks and 825 lactating does of the Sarda breed, and to perform association analysis between polymorphic sites and milk yield and composition traits. To genotype the casein genes, we chose an SNP panel including 44 SNPs mapping to the four casein genes CSN1S1, CSN2, CSN1S2, and CSN3. Genotyping (made by KASP™ genotyping assay, based on competitive allele-specific PCR) revealed the high variability of the Sarda goat, and haplotype analysis revealed linkage disequilibrium (LD) between CSN1S1 and CSN2 genes, in addition to two LD blocks within the CSN1S2 and two LD blocks within the CSN3 gene, in bucks and does. Association analysis revealed that variability at all four casein genes was associated with milk protein content, total solids, and milk energy. The three Ca-sensitive casein genes were associated with lipid content, and CSN1S2 showed a unique pattern, with intron variants associated with milk yield, in addition to milk pH, NaCl, and SCS (Somatic Cell Score). This information might prove useful in selection schemes and in future investigations aiming to better understand the biology of lactation, and the direct link between genotype and phenotype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of two mineral–vitamin premixes on the health status (blood biochemical parameters), milk yield and composition of Holstein–Friesian (HF) cows in Kazakhstan. The study was performed on Holstein–Friesian cows kept on the Bek Plus dairy farm in the village of Korzhynkol, Fyodorovsky District, Kostanay Region. Forty primiparous cows, selected from the herd, were divided by the analogue method into two groups: a control group (C) and an experimental group (E) of 20 animals each. The diets fed to group E cows were supplemented with LI-R 18 PRO and PANTO® Mineral R-77 Premium mineral–vitamin premixes. The premixes positively affected cow productivity and blood biochemical parameters, whose values were higher in group E than in group C. Higher levels of glucose, albumins and globulins exerted a beneficial influence on the health status of cows. No cases of lameness or metabolic diseases were recorded in group E. The yields of milk, protein and fat were higher in group E than in group C. Dietary supplementation with two premixes had no significant effect on the chemical composition of milk, including the values of the following parameters: somatic cell count (SCC), dry matter (DM), lactose (Lse), casein (Cin), acidity (Aty), lactic acid (LA), density (Dty) , free fatty acids (FFAs), glucose (Gse) and urea (Uea). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coleus amboinicus L. leaf (CAL) could reduce the rate of amino acid deamination and protein degradation within the rumen. This phenomenon would hopefully increase the amount of protein that passes through the rumen to the abomasum. Therefore, it might improve the digestibility of the ration and then influence the milk yield and quality. The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of extracted CAL within the ration on the ration digestibility, milk yield, and milk quality of Ettawa crossbred (EC) goats. This study used sixteen EC with an average weight of 32.25 ± 3.31 kg and aged 1.5--2.5 years. Experimental goats were fed diets with different CAL extracts: P0, 0% (control); P1, 2% powdered CAL; P2, 2% ethanol-extracted CAL; and P3, 2% water-extracted CAL. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with four replication blocks. All variables were statistically analyzed with ANOVA and significances were followed by Duncan's test. P3 treatment significantly (p<0.05) increased milk yield and milk quality in comparison with control. Unlike the other treatments, P3 treatment was water-extracted CAL that could affect these variables. P3 treatment showed the best result among the four treatments. In conclusion, P3 treatment, the supplementation of 2% waterextracted CAL within the ration, could improve the milk yield up to 30.24% in comparison with the control ration and also improve milk composition, such as milk protein (4.47%), milk casein (3.99%), milk fat (3.85%), and solid nonfat (SNF) (6.53%). The supplementation of water-extracted CAL within ration could improve the milk yield and milk quality of EC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]