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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Performance and milk quality parameters of Jersey crossbreds in low-input dairy systems
Scientific reports, Vol.12(1), pp.1-17
09/05/2022
PMID: 35534492
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Abstract
Previous work has demonstrated some benefit from alternative breeds in low-input dairying, although there has been no systematic analysis of the simultaneous effect of Jersey crossbreeding on productivity, health, fertility parameters or milk nutritional quality. This work aimed to understand the effects of, and interactions/interrelations between, dairy cow genotypes (Holstein-Friesian (HF), Holstein-Friesian × Jersey crossbreds (HF × J)) and season (spring, summer, autumn) on milk yield; basic composition; feed efficiency, health, and fertility parameters; and milk fatty acid (FA) profiles. Milk samples (n = 219) and breed/diet data were collected from 74 cows in four UK low-input dairy farms between March and October 2012. HF × J cows produced milk with more fat (+ 3.2 g/kg milk), protein (+ 2.9 g/kg milk) and casein (+ 2.7 g/kg milk); and showed higher feed, fat, and protein efficiency (expressed as milk, fat and protein outputs per kg DMI) than HF cows. Milk from HF × J cows contained more C4:0 (+ 2.6 g/kg FA), C6:0 (+ 1.9 g/kg FA), C8:0 (+ 1.3 g/kg FA), C10:0 (+ 3.0 g/kg FA), C12:0 (+ 3.7 g/kg FA), C14:0 (+ 4.6 g/kg FA) and saturated FA (SFA; + 27.3 g/kg milk) and less monounsaturated FA (MUFA; -23.7 g/kg milk) and polyunsaturated FA (− 22.3 g/kg milk). There was no significant difference for most health and fertility parameters, but HF × J cows had shorter calving interval (by 39 days). The superior feed, fat and protein efficiency of HF × J cows, as well as shorter calving interval can be considered beneficial for the financial sustainability of low-input dairy farms; and using such alternative breeds in crossbreeding schemes may be recommended. Although statistically significant, it is difficult to determine if differences observed between HF and HF × J cows in fat composition are likely to impact human health, considering average population dairy fat intakes and the relatively small difference. Thus, the HF × J cow could be used in low-input dairying to improve efficiency and productivity without impacting milk nutritional properties.
Details
- Title
- Performance and milk quality parameters of Jersey crossbreds in low-input dairy systems
- Creators
- Sabrina Ormston - Department of Animal Sciences, School of Agriculture, Policy and Development, University of Reading, New Agriculture Building, Earley Gate, Reading, RG6 6EU, UKHannah Davis - Newcastle University (Newcastle Upon Tyne)Gillian Butler - Newcastle University (Newcastle Upon Tyne)Eleni Chatzidimitriou - Marie CurieAlan W Gordon - Agri Food and Biosciences InstituteKaterina Theodoridou - Queen's University BelfastSharon Huws - Queen's University BelfastTianhai Yan - Agri Food and Biosciences InstituteCarlo Leifert - Southern Cross UniversitySokratis Stergiadis - University of Reading
- Publication Details
- Scientific reports, Vol.12(1), pp.1-17
- Publisher
- Nature Publishing Group
- Grant note
- LowInputBreeds (222623) / FP7 European Community for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities Doctoral Training Partnership FoodBioSystems: biological processes across the Agri-Food system from pre-farm to post-fork (BB/T008776/1) / Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
- Identifiers
- 991013036352602368
- Copyright
- Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article