Selection for increased milk yield in dairy cattle has led to a decline in fertility due to unfavorable genetic correlation. However, fertility remains crucial in dairy farming for maintaining a regular productive cycle, ensuring continuous milk supply, and reducing costs related to nonproductive cows. For this reason, the aim of this study was to estimate genetic parameters for fertility traits and to assess their genetic correlation with production traits in the Italian Jersey cattle breed. Days open (DO) as a fertility trait, and kg/305-d milk (MY), protein (PY), and fat yields (FY) were considered as production traits, respectively.

This study aimed to investigate the transfer of terpenes from fresh aromatic plants, hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) and savory (Satureja hortensis L.), into cow milk, quantify their transfer efficiency, and explore their dynamics. Six Simmental dairy cows were allocated to a single concurrent 3 × 3 Latin square design with 3 dietary treatments: a TMR as control (CTRL) and the same ration supplemented with fresh hemp (HEMP) or savory (SAV) leaves. Each period lasted 14 d, with herb supplementation administered from d 1 to d 6 at increasing doses (0.2–0.8 kg/d DM).

Single-step GBLUP (ssGBLUP) is becoming the most used method to predict breeding values in livestock, offering several advantages in terms of computational efficiency and simplifying the genetic evaluation process by integrating genomic, pedigree, and phenotypic information in a single step. Genomic information is now available for the Italian Mediterranean Buffalo (IMB), and its inclusion in the genetic evaluation system could increase both evaluation accuracy and genetic progress of the breeding objectives.

This study analyzed monosaccharides in cow and camel milk using GC-MS/MS with full scan mode after freeze-drying, N,O-Bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide derivatization, and SPME extraction. Camel milk exhibited a distinct monosaccharide profile, notably enriched in myo-inositol, a known osmolyte. To evaluate its functional role, BSA and α-Amylase were used as model proteins. Fluorescence spectroscopy and enzymatic assays showed that both camel milk and myo-inositol stabilized BSA under heat (37, 50, and 70°C) and salt stress (1 M NaCl), whereas cow milk led to structural changes.

Whey protein isolates (WPI) are widely used in processed foods for their versatile functional properties. Modifying the structural properties of proteins by assembling them into mesoscale or microscale particles may improve their functionality and broaden their applications. This study aims to manufacture and characterize mesoscale whey protein particles (WPP) derived from WPI. Two types of WPP, WPP1 (0.05 mL/min) and WPP2 (0.25 mL/min), were prepared through a multistep approach involving liquid antisolvent (LAS) precipitation, heat treatment, and microfluidization.

Chinese Simmental cattle serve as an important dual-purpose breed in sustainable livestock systems. Despite their economic value, the genetic architecture underlying milk-production traits in this breed under temperate conditions remains poorly characterized. In this study, we estimated genetic parameters and identified associated genomic loci for 9 milk-production traits in a Chinese Simmental population. Our dataset consisted of 17,556 test-day records from 1,788 cows (parities 1 to 3), including whole-genome sequencing data for 781 individuals.

The partial efficiency of ME used for net energy by growing ruminants is greater when fed alfalfa (ALF) than orchard grass (OG), but is unknown for lactating cows and may be influenced by varying the nonstructural carbohydrate (NSC) grain source. The NSC sources evaluated were corn grain (CG) and barley grain (BG). Individual treatments were ALF-CG, ALF-BG, OG-CG, and OG-BG arranged in a 4 × 4 Latin square having a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of forage (FOR) and NSC sources. Four multiparous lactating Holstein dairy cows (milk = 33.8 ± 4.5 kg/d; BW = 599 ± 25.8 kg; DIM = 82 ± 20 d) were selected to measure whole-body energy balance via calorimetry.

The UK's climate and topography enables multiple different calving patterns to operate within the same market, facilitated by industry infrastructure that allows for a variety of milk purchasing arrangements. All year round (AYR) calving is most common, and with current labor challenges spring block (SB), autumn block (AB) and twin block (TB) calving systems could potentially become more popular, but research comparing the efficiency of AYR with block calving systems operating within the same market conditions is limited.

Neonatal calf diarrhea remains a major issue in terms of mortality, economic, and animal welfare losses. In addition to different infectious and pathogenic causes, nonpathogenic factors, particularly stress and nutritional and management practices, also contribute significantly to the incidence of diarrhea in calves. This study aimed to investigate changes in blood metabolites and fecal parameters (pH value, short-chain fatty acids, and triglyceride content) preceding the onset of diarrhea signs in neonatal calves.