Detailed comparison between organic and conventional milk from Holstein-Friesian dairy herds in Italy. By Manuelian et al., page 5561. This study compares cow bulk milk composition from similar organic and conventional farms. Organic milk had lower protein and casein content, not observed for any of the individual amino acids, lower C16:1n9 content, and greater amounts of cis-fatty acids in October, not reflected in the total fat content, lower K, Mg, and S, and lower or greater Fe content in some months, no effect on ash content, and greater somatic cell score than conventional milk.

Among the dairy sector's current concerns, the assessment of global animal health status is a complex challenge. Its multidimensionality means that global monitoring tools are rarely considered. Instead, specific disease detection is often studied separately and, due to financial and ethical issues, uses small-scale data sets focusing on few biomarkers. Several studies have already been conducted using milk Fourier transform mid-infrared (FT-MIR) spectroscopy to detect mastitis and lameness or to quantify health-related biomarkers in milk or blood.

Dairy cattle must allocate energy to milk production and reproduction. Therefore, understanding the environmental factors that affect conception rates in nulliparous and primiparous cows is helpful in appropriate feeding management strategies before and after calving. Accordingly, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of environmental factors before and after the first calving on the conception rate, representing the starting point of milk production. The records of the first artificial insemination (AI) from Holstein nulliparous cows (n = 533,672) and primiparous cows (n = 516,710) in Hokkaido, Japan, were analyzed using separate multivariable logistic regression models.

Delayed milk ejection, manifested most often as bimodal milk flow, occurs when the cisternal milk fraction is removed before the alveolar milk reaches the gland cistern. It is thought to be a consequence of not meeting cows' physiological needs, due to insufficient premilking teat stimulation, inadequate timing of milking unit attachment, or both. It has been associated with decreased milking efficiency, reduced milk yield, and impaired teat and udder health. Traditionally, portable electronic milk meters have been used to assess the presence of delayed milk ejection in dairy cows.

The measurement of pH in the reticulorumen in combination with a time–pH threshold has been widely applied in research to diagnose subacute ruminal acidosis. However, other pH metrics also have biological value. In this study, 44 animals were monitored during the transition period using reticuloruminal pH boluses. Traditional and more complex pH characteristics were calculated to characterize the reticuloruminal pH profile: time pH <6, slope of a logistic cumulative pH curve (β0), and deviations [squared error (SqEr)] from pH predictions based on a harmonic static model.

The relationships between dairy cow milk-based energy status (ES) indicators and fertility traits were studied during periods 8 to 21, 22 to 35, 36 to 49, and 50 to 63 d in milk. Commencement of luteal activity (C-LA) and interval from calving to the first heat (CFH), based on frequent measurements of progesterone by the management tool Herd Navigator (DeLaval), were used as fertility traits. Energy status indicator traits were milk β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentration provided by Herd Navigator and milk fat:protein ratio, concentration of C18:1 cis-9, the ratio of fatty acids (FA) C18:1 cis-9 and C10:0 in test-day milk samples, and predicted plasma concentration of nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA) on test days.

Quantifying digestive and fermentative processes within the rumen environment has been the subject of decades of research; however, our existing research methodologies preclude time-sensitive and spatially explicit investigation of this system. To better understand the temporal and spatial dynamics of the rumen environment, real-time and in situ monitoring of various chemical and physical parameters in the rumen through implantable microsensor technologies is a practical solution. Moreover, such sensors could contribute to the next generation of precision livestock farming, provided sufficient wireless data networking and computing systems are incorporated.

Wildfires are particularly prevalent in the Western United States, home to more than 2 million dairy cows that produce more than 25% of the nation's milk. Wildfires emit fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in smoke, which is a known air toxin and is thought to contribute to morbidity in humans by inducing inflammation. The physiological responses of dairy cows to wildfire PM2.5 are unknown. Herein we assessed the immune, metabolic, and production responses of lactating Holstein cows to wildfire PM2.5 inhalation.

The objectives of this study were to examine the effects of pelleted starter diets differing in starch and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content when fed differing levels of milk replacer (MR) on nutrient digestibility, whole gastrointestinal tract fermentation, pH, and inflammatory markers in dairy calves around weaning. Calves were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments (n = 12 per treatment) in a 2 × 2 factorial design based on daily MR allowance and amount of starch in pelleted starter (SPS): 0.691 kg of MR per day [dry matter (DM) basis] with starter containing low or high starch (12.0% and 35.6% starch on DM basis, respectively), and 1.382 kg of MR per day (DM) with starter containing low or high starch.

The aim of this study was to infer the effects of heat stress (HS) of dams during late gestation on direct and maternal genetic parameters for pneumonia (PNEU, 112,563 observations), diarrhea (DIAR, 176,904 observations), and omphalitis (OMPH, 176,872 observations) in Holstein calves kept in large-scale co-operator herds. The genotype dataset included 41,135 SNPs from 19,247 male and female cattle. Temperature-humidity indices (THI) during the last 8 wk of pregnancy were calculated, using the climate data from the nearest public weather station for each herd.

This study was conducted to assess the survival of 2 wild Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli strains (one serotype O157:H7 and one non-O157:H7) in ewe milk stored at different conditions and to examine the fate of the O157 strain during the manufacture and ripening of a Spanish sheep hard variety of raw milk cheese (Zamorano). The strains were selected among a population of 50 isolates, which we obtained from ewe milk, because of their high resistance to 0.3% lactic acid. Both strains were inoculated (approximately 2 log10 cfu/mL) in raw and heat-treated (low-temperature holding, LTH; 63°C/30 min) ewe milk and stored for 5 d at 6, 8, and 10°C and also according to a simulation approach for assessing the effects of failures in the cold chain.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the concentrations of Zn, Cu, Mn, Se, Mo, Co, Li, B, Ti, Cr, Rb, Sr, Cd, and Pb in donkey milk and their distribution in major milk fractions (i.e., fat, casein, whey proteins, and aqueous phase). Individual milk samples were provided by 16 clinically healthy lactating donkeys. Subsequent centrifugation, ultracentrifugation, and ultrafiltration were carried out to remove fat, casein, and whey proteins to obtain skim milk, a supernatant whey fraction, and the aqueous phase of milk, respectively.

Free exopolysaccharide (f-EPS) produced by Streptococcus thermophilus improves the texture and functionality of fermented dairy foods. Our previous study showed a major improvement in f-EPS production of Strep. thermophilus 937 by increasing the concentrations of histidine, isoleucine, and glutamate to 15 mM in an optimized chemically defined medium. The aim of this study was to elucidate the effect of His, Ile, and Glu on the growth, f-EPS biosynthesis pathway, and carbohydrate metabolism profiles of Strep.

Dairy cows are generally calm and compliant, but some management procedures can make cows fearful or stressed. Not only are fearful cattle a threat to human safety, but fear is also detrimental to animal welfare and productivity. This study aimed to test whether fear in small groups of dairy cattle could be attenuated by the presence of a calm and experienced companion. Twenty-seven dairy cows from a Swedish agricultural school participated in the study. The study included a standardized fear-eliciting stimulus, which was 3 sudden, repetitive openings of a red and white umbrella.

Colostrum stimulates gastrointestinal development. Similar to colostrum, transition milk (TM; the first few milkings after colostrum) contains elevated nutrient levels and bioactive components not found in milk replacer (MR), albeit at lower levels than the first colostrum. We hypothesized that feeding neonatal calves TM, compared with MR, for 4 d following colostrum at birth would further stimulate intestinal development. Holstein bull calves were fed 2.8 L of colostrum within 20 min of birth, allocated to 1 of 11 blocks based on birth date and body weight (BW), randomly assigned to MR (n = 12) or TM (n = 11) treatments within block, and fed treatments 3 times per day.

Streptococcus thermophilus is used extensively in the dairy industry and has shown great promise as a chassis cell for the biosynthesis of high-value metabolites. However, metabolic engineering in S. thermophilus lacks effective genetic modification tools to modulate gene expression to relieve metabolic burden and maximize the production of desired compounds. Here, we developed a clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats interference (CRISPRi) system for efficient gene transcriptional modulation in S.