Abstract
Understanding the composition of a cow’s diet through the analysis of its milk is very useful in the linking of the product consumed with the systems involved in its production. The aim of this study is to show the diet–milk composition relationship using correspondence analysis and multiple linear regression analysis. This study analyzed 174 tank milk samples taken from 89 commercial farms located in “Green Spain”. Sampling was performed in two different periods: autumn 2016 and spring 2017. The correspondence analysis allowed for study into the general relationships between diet components and their relationship with the composition of milk (chemical composition, fatty acid profile (FA), and fat-soluble antioxidants (FSA)). The model used to estimate the percentage of fresh grass (FG) in the diet had a high predictive power (Raj2 > 0.7), and the explanatory variables included in the model were linolenic acid (C18:3-n3), vaccenic acid (trans11-C18:1), and cis12-C18:1. The regression equation was applied to the 174 tank milk samples individually. To evaluate the equation’s predictive capacity, different thresholds for the dry matter percentage of fresh grass in the ration were marked (15%, 20%, 25%, and 30%), above which milk could be considered “grass-fed milk”, and below which, “not grass-fed milk”. The equation is considered valid when it correctly classifies the sample. The highest percentage of success (89.7%) was obtained by marking a threshold of 25% FG. When analyzing the misclassified milk samples, that is, where the equation did not classify the milk sample well according to its fresh grass composition, it was observed that the majority of cases corresponded to milk samples that came from herds fed with fresh grass above the marked threshold (>25%) but with a high content of concentrate in the ration. The conclusion is that the percentage of concentrate in the diet has a very important influence on the fatty acid profile of milk, particularly with respect to fresh grass. This is in such a way that anywhere above a concentrate content of >30%, the equation’s capacity to estimate the percentage of fresh grass decreases.
Highlights
IntroductionMilk products labeled as “grazing milk” or “grass-fed milk” have been appearing on the market
In view of the sudden increase in products labeled as “grass-fed milk”, the objective of this study is to develop a statistical model to estimate the percentage of fresh grass in the diet of lactating cows by using the analysis of fatty acid (FA) and fat-soluble antioxidants (FSA) in the tank milk of commercial farms
The application of linear regressions to the relationships between diet, fatty acid profile, and fat-soluble antioxidants has allowed us to obtain a model that estimates the percentage of fresh grass in the diet according to its composition in the context of Green
Summary
Milk products labeled as “grazing milk” or “grass-fed milk” have been appearing on the market These products, certified or not, respond to a growing consumer interest in foods that they understand as “natural”, “healthy”, and “respectful of animal welfare and/or environment”. The consumer is not aware of the nutritional benefits that come with including grass in the diet of lactating cows Such benefits are the reduction in the total saturated fatty acid content [1,2], and the increase in the content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, especially vaccenic acid, omega-3 isomers ( linolenic acid), and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in the milk.
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