Farm Milk Research Articles

Identification of Buffalo Breeds Using Self-Activated-Based Improved Convolutional Neural Networks

The livestock of Pakistan includes different animal breeds utilized for milk farming and exporting worldwide. Buffalo have a high milk production rate, and Pakistan is the third-largest milk-producing country, and its production is increasing over time. Hence, it is essential to recognize the best Buffalo breed for a high milk- and meat yield to meet the world’s demands and breed production. Pakistan has the second-largest number of buffalos among countries worldwide, where the Neli-Ravi breed is the most common. The extensive demand for Neli and Ravi breeds resulted in the new cross-breed “Neli-Ravi” in the 1960s. Identifying and segregating the Neli-Ravi breed from other buffalo breeds is the most crucial concern for Pakistan’s dairy-production centers. Therefore, the automatic detection and classification of buffalo breeds are required. In this research, a computer-vision-based recognition framework is proposed to identify and classify the Neli-Ravi breed from other buffalo breeds. The proposed framework employs self-activated-based improved convolutional neural networks (CNN) combined with self-transfer learning. Moreover, feature maps extracted from CNN are further transferred to obtain rich feature vectors. Different machine learning (Ml) classifiers are adopted to classify the feature vectors. The proposed framework is evaluated on two buffalo breeds, namely, Neli-Ravi and Khundi, and one additional target class contains different buffalo breeds collectively called Mix. The proposed research achieves a maximum of 93% accuracy using SVM and more than 85% accuracy employing recent variants.

World Allergy Organization (WAO) Diagnosis and Rationale for Action against Cow's Milk Allergy (DRACMA) Guidelines update - III - Cow's milk allergens and mechanisms triggering immune activation

BackgroundThe immunopathogenesis of cow's milk protein allergy (CMPA) is based on different mechanisms related to immune recognition of protein epitopes, which are affected by industrial processing. PurposeThe purpose of this WAO DRACMA paper is to: (i) give a comprehensive overview of milk protein allergens, (ii) to review their immunogenicity and allergenicity in the context of industrial processing, and (iii) to review the milk-related immune mechanisms triggering IgE-mediated immediate type hypersensitivity reactions, mixed reactions and non-IgE mediated hypersensitivities. ResultsThe main cow’s milk allergens – α-lactalbumin, β-lactoglobulin, serum albumin, caseins, bovine serum albumins, and others – may determine allergic reactions through a range of mechanisms. All marketed milk and milk products have undergone industrial processing that involves heating, filtration, and defatting. Milk processing results in structural changes of immunomodulatory proteins, leads to a loss of lipophilic compounds in the matrix, and hence to a higher allergenicity of industrially processed milk products. Thereby, the tolerogenic capacity of raw farm milk, associated with the whey proteins α-lactalbumin and β-lactoglobulin and their lipophilic ligands, is lost. ConclusionThe spectrum of immunopathogenic mechanisms underlying cow's milk allergy (CMA) is wide. Unprocessed, fresh cow's milk, like human breast milk, contains various tolerogenic factors that are impaired by industrial processing. Further studies focusing on the immunological consequences of milk processing are warranted to understand on a molecular basis to what extent processing procedures make single milk compounds into allergens.

Heat risks in Swiss milk production

AbstractHeat stress can affect milk production in several ways. We here quantify overall farm‐level heat effects on annual milk revenues, veterinary expenses, and feed purchases in Swiss agriculture. We combine farm‐level accountancy panel data from 1314 representative Swiss milk producers and covering 13 years with high‐quality weather data in a reduced‐form two‐way fixed effect model. Although we find that Swiss milk producers frequently encounter heat stress, we find no significant heat effects on annual milk revenues, veterinary expenses, or feed purchases. This finding implies that Swiss milk farms are on average robust to current heat exposure.

The prevalence and characteristics of extended-spectrum β-lactamase Escherichia coli in raw milk and dairy farms in Northern Xinjiang, China

In this study, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL) Escherichia coli were isolated from five dairy farms in three areas of northern Xinjiang, China. Molecular biological techniques were used to systematically analyze drug resistance phenotypes and genotypes, virulence genes, phylogenetics, biofilm formation (BF), and pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing of isolated ESBL E. coli strains. A total of 766 samples were collected from five dairy farms in Shihezi, Urumqi and Yili, from which 149 (19.5 %, 95 % CI: 16.65 %–22.25 %) ESBL E. coli strains were isolated. Their distribution and contamination levels varied from region to region, with 16.2 % (68/419) in Urumqi, 22.4 % (60/268) in Shihezi, and 26.6 % (21/79) in Yili. The majority of isolates (97.3 %, 145/149) harbored the β-lactamase blaCTX-M gene; while blaCTX-M-1 was the dominant phylogenetic group. The analysis of 21 resistance genes and the susceptibility to 13 different antibiotics showed that 91.3 % (136/149) of strains were resistant to three or more antibiotics. Thirty-six strains (24.2 %) belonged to extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC), and phylogenetic typing results were mainly grouped A (50.3 %) and B1 (37.6 %). Also, the biofilm assay revealed that 112 strains (75.2 %) could form biofilms. PFGE results showed that the 49 isolates revealed 21 major pulsotypes (P1–P21) and 28 subtypes with 80 % similarity, indicating the overall genetic diversity in the distribution area and sources of the samples.

Coliform bacteria screening and evaluating chemical composition of raw milkfrom dairy farms of Sylhet Sadar, Bangladesh

The study aims screening of coliform bacteria and evaluates chemical constituents of farm supplied raw milk at Sylhet sadar, Bangladesh. A total of 50 milk samples (5 samples from each farm) were collected from randomly selected 10 different farms. Samples were diluted (1:1000000) and bacteria cultures were done in EMB (Eosin methylene blue) agar. Further, Indole test, Methyl red test, Voges-Proskauer were done to differentiate environmental and fecal coliform (Escherichia coli). Chemical analysis of milk was done using automatic milk-analyzer. Total coliform count (TCC) was found to be ranged between 0.6 × 106 to 7.8 × 106 colony forming unit/ml (cfu/ml) and the biochemical tests showed negative results for Indole and Methyl red test and positive for Voges-Proskauer test, respectively confirming the absence of fecal coliform (Escherichia coli) and presence of environmental coliforms. Mean values of Chemical constituents were found to be fat% (4.48%), Solid-Not-Fat% (8.55%), Protein% (3.20%), Lactose% (4.66%) and Mineral% (0.68%). Adulteration with added water in milk was also found with a mean of 0.89%. This study will help to generate an idea about coliform contamination scenario and quality of farm milk found at the particular study area.

Estimating the economics and adoption potential of agrivoltaics in Germany using a farm-level bottom-up approach

This article presents the first bottom-up assessment of the economics and adoption potential of agrivoltaics (AV) using national farm accountancy data in Germany. A recently developed framework for the economic assessment of dual land-use systems is applied to estimate a national AV electricity supply curve. The estimation accounts for economies-of-scale, regional variation in solar radiation, and farm-specific agronomic effects. The results demonstrate that solar radiation and investment costs are key determinants. Agronomic costs from crop shading and land losses have a small impact, but differences between farm-type and regions can be observed. Accounting for economies-of-scale favors farms endowed with large arable land area, which are predominantly specialist field crop and other livestock farm types found in Eastern Germany. In absence of economies-of-scale, early adopters are largely specialist milk or other livestock farm types located in Southern Germany. In presence of economies-of-scale and at an electricity price of 8.3 EUR-cents kWh−1, the 10% most cost-efficient farms could meet 8.8% of Germany's total electricity demand on about 1% of arable land. The results show that substantial policy-support is required to make AV competitive with ground-mounted photovoltaics, particularly if economies-of-scale cannot be realized. Adequate policy designs are needed to safeguard AV's land-efficiency advantage, as most farmers would be incentivized to abandon farming beneath the AV system.

Farklı Çiftliklerden Elde Edilen Keçi Sütlerinde Sütün Bileşimi ve Mikrobiyolojik Özelliklerinin Belirlenmesi

Goat milk has a great importance for human nutrition considering its nutrient content. In addition, the demand for goat milk and products derived from goat milk has increased in recent years. However, the microbiological properties of milk can directly affect human health. In this study, it was aimed to determine the nutrient content and some microbiological properties of goat milk obtained from different farms. In the study, hand milking farms were determined. After milking, a sufficient amount of milk sample was taken and brought to the laboratory at +4°C. In the milk samples, the composition of the milk, the total number of aerobic mesophilic bacteria, the number of yeast-mold and coliform bacteria were determined. The highest protein, lactose and solids ratio (%) was obtained in milk samples taken from farms 2 and 4. The highest fat content in milk was determined in the sample taken from farm 4. It was observed that the milks of farms 2, 3 and 4 had similar mineral substance amounts. Total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (PCA) count (191×104), yeast-mold (PDA) count (42×103) and coliform bacteria (VRBA) count (710×102) were determined in farm 2. As a result, in terms of some milk components were determined statistical differences between farms. The main difference is in terms of milk hygiene. However, it was determined that the milk showed significant changes in terms of microbiological properties according to the farms from which they were obtained. It can also be said that these changes may affect the health of people who directly or indirectly consume these milks.

Automatic Milking in Greece: First Insight into Udder Health of Dairy Cows

Udder health is a key factor for dairy cows’ productivity and welfare. This study presents the first insight into dairy cows’ udder health after the introduction of automatic milking systems in Greece. Four farms with Holstein dairy cows and automatic milking systems enrolled in the study. Data from their milking records were utilized, from January 2020 to December 2021. Variables employed in the assessment were cow daily milk yield (DMY), number of daily milkings / cow, individual cow somatic cell count (SCC), proportion of cows with elevated somatic cell count (ELSCC) / month, proportion of cows with chronically ELSCC (ChrELSCC) / month and number of new ELSCC (NewELSCC) cases per 100 cows / month. Two years’ mean milking frequency was 2.72 milkings / cow / day, ranged from 2.47 to 2.98, and decreased from 2020 to 2021. Mean cow SCC was 193,000 cells/mL, ranged from 70,000 to 260,000 cells/mL, and increased from 2020 to 2021. Mean cow DMY was 37.2 kg, ranged from 29.6 to 43.6 kg. Heifers had lower mean SCC than cows and mean SCC increased from early to late lactation stages. On a monthly basis, 37.06 % and 40.06 % of the cows were ELSCC in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and most of them were chronic. The highest ELSCC was observed in late lactation stage. Fresh cows presented the highest number of NewELSCC / 100 cows / month, both years of the study. Overall udder health in the four automatic milking farms of this study was better than conventional farms in Greece. Precision dairy farming should utilize daily milking data for data-driven management, monitoring of chronically ELSCC, and early detection, treatment and prevention of new infections.

Biomarkers of Development of Immunity and Allergic Diseases in Farming and Non-farming Lifestyle Infants: Design, Methods and 1 Year Outcomes in the "Zooming in to Old Order Mennonites" Birth Cohort Study.

Traditional farming lifestyle has been shown to be protective against asthma and allergic diseases. The individual factors that appear to be associated with this “farm-life effect” include consumption of unpasteurized farm milk and exposure to farm animals and stables. However, the biomarkers of the protective immunity and those associated with early development of allergic diseases in infancy remain unclear. The “Zooming in to Old Order Mennonites (ZOOM)” study was designed to assess the differences in the lifestyle and the development of the microbiome, systemic and mucosal immunity between infants born to traditional farming lifestyle at low risk for allergic diseases and those born to urban/suburban atopic families with a high risk for allergic diseases in order to identify biomarkers of development of allergic diseases in infancy. 190 mothers and their infants born to Old Order Mennonite population protected from or in Rochester families at high risk for allergic diseases were recruited before birth from the Finger Lakes Region of New York State. Questionnaires and samples are collected from mothers during pregnancy and after delivery and from infants at birth and at 1–2 weeks, 6 weeks, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months, with 3-, 4-, and 5-year follow-up ongoing. Samples collected include maternal blood, stool, saliva, nasal and skin swabs and urine during pregnancy; breast milk postnatally; infant blood, stool, saliva, nasal and skin swabs. Signs and symptoms of allergic diseases are assessed at every visit and serum specific IgE is measured at 1 and 2 years of age. Allergic diseases are diagnosed by clinical history, exam, and sensitization by skin prick test and/or serum specific IgE. By the end of the first year of life, the prevalence of food allergy and atopic dermatitis were higher in ROC infants compared to the rates observed in OOM infants as was the number of infants sensitized to foods. These studies of immune system development in a population protected from and in those at risk for allergic diseases will provide critical new knowledge about the development of the mucosal and systemic immunity and lay the groundwork for future studies of prevention of allergic diseases.

Ağrı İli Süt Sığırcılığı İşletmelerinin Yapısal Özellikleri: Sağım Yönetimi Uygulamaları

Objective: In this study, it was aimed to determine the current situation of milking management practices of the dairy cattle enterprises in the central county of Ağrı province and to propose some solutions in consideration of the revealed problems. Material and Method: Survey data obtained from 400 dairy cattle enterprises in the central county of Ağrı province constituted the material of the study. Results: It was determined that in 25.2% of the surveyed enterprises udder cleaning is not performed, and in 93.5% of them the milking is done by hand. The average milk yield of 85.0% of dairy cattle enterprises was between 6-10 liters per animal and only 17.5% of the produced milk was sold. A significant proportion of this milk (95.7%) was marketed as raw milk, and milk in 4.3% of the enterprises was sold after processing into different products such as cheese, yogurt and butter. It was also found out that milk produced in 1.8% of the dairy cattle farms was stored in the cooling tank after milking. 13.6% of the farm owners fed their animals after milking, while 86.3% of them fed them prior to milking. It was also revealed that the calving occurs usually in the winter season and the lactation period of the cows varies between 5-6 months in 57.5% of the enterprises.Conclusion: In order to produce high quality and clean milk in the dairy cattle farms in the central county of Ağrı province, udder cleaning has to be performed properly as well as machine milking should be made widespread. It is necessary to increase the genetic capacity of cows and improve the milking practices of the dairy farms located in the central county of Ağrı province.

Identifikasi Kualitas Kesegaran Susu Kambing Melalui Pengolahan Citra Digital Menggunakan Metode Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ)

Goat milk is milk produced by female goats after giving birth. Goat's milk contains many vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, chemical elements, enzymes, proteins, and fatty acids that are good for body health. The number of people's interest in goat's milk, makes goat's milk farmers to produce goat's milk in various ways for the sake of profit. For example, by reducing the level of purity and freshness of goat's milk by mixing other ingredients other than the original pure goat's milk. The identification process using imagery requires a method that can identify fresh and not fresh goat's milk. There are several methods that can be applied in digital image processing, one of which is using the Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) method. LVQ is a single layer net with each input layer connected directly to the output neurons. Both are associated with a weight consisting of xi is the input, wii is the weight and yi is the output. Analysis of this calculation is used which becomes the initial value. Learning Rate (α) = 0.05, with a reduction of 0.1 * , and maximum epoch (MaxEpoch) = 1. The results of the analysis of the smallest distance on the 1st weight, so that the input image of the goat's milk test belongs to class 2. Thus, the image data of the goat's milk test is identified as mixed goat's milk.
 Keywords: Goat's Milk, Digital Image, Learning Vector Quantization

Identifikasi Kualitas Kesegaran Susu Kambing Melalui Pengolahan Citra Digital Menggunakan Metode Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ)

Goat milk is milk produced by female goats after giving birth. Goat's milk contains many vitamins, minerals, electrolytes, chemical elements, enzymes, proteins, and fatty acids that are good for body health. The number of people's interest in goat's milk, makes goat's milk farmers to produce goat's milk in various ways for the sake of profit. For example, by reducing the level of purity and freshness of goat's milk by mixing other ingredients other than the original pure goat's milk. The identification process using imagery requires a method that can identify fresh and not fresh goat's milk. There are several methods that can be applied in digital image processing, one of which is using the Learning Vector Quantization (LVQ) method. LVQ is a single layer net with each input layer connected directly to the output neurons. Both are associated with a weight consisting of xi is the input, wii is the weight and yi is the output. Analysis of this calculation is used which becomes the initial value. Learning Rate (α) = 0.05, with a reduction of 0.1 * , and maximum epoch (MaxEpoch) = 1. The results of the analysis of the smallest distance on the 1st weight, so that the input image of the goat's milk test belongs to class 2. Thus, the image data of the goat's milk test is identified as mixed goat's milk.
 Keywords: Goat's Milk, Digital Image, Learning Vector Quantization

Determination of Some Physicochemical Properties of Milk Procured from Dairy Farms and Different Milk Collectors in Susurluk Region

In this study, the physicochemical properties of 65 different milk samples produced and brought to the Vocational School laboratories for some basic analysis in Susurluk Region of Balikesir Province; in winter, spring, summer and autumn seasons were compared. In this context, 40 of the all milk samples were supplied from different milk collectors in the Susurluk region and the remaining 25 were supplied from milk production farms around Susurluk. Some analyzes were made to determine which are the pH and total acidity (%lactic acid), dry matter (%), fat (%), protein (%) and density (g ml-1) values ​​of the milk samples obtained. The analysis results are in line with the results of studies conducted in similar scope and the values ​​specified in the Turkish Food Codex

Environmental influences on childhood allergies and asthma - The Farm effect.

Asthma and allergies are major health problems and exert an enormous socioeconomic burden. Besides genetic predisposition, environmental factors play a crucial role in the development of these diseases in childhood. Multiple worldwide epidemiological studies have shown that children growing up on farms are immune to allergic diseases and asthma. Farm‐related exposures shape children's immune homeostasis, via mediators such as N‐glycolylneuraminic acid or arabinogalactan, or by diverse environmental microbes. Moreover, nutritional factors, such as breastfeeding or farm milk and food diversity, inducing short‐chain fatty acids‐producing bacteria in the intestine, contribute to farm‐related effects. All farm‐related exposures induce an anti‐inflammatory response of the innate immunity and increase the differentiation of regulatory T cells and T helper cell type 1. A better understanding of the components of the farm environment, that are protective to the development of allergy and asthma, and their underlying mechanisms, will help to develop new strategies for the prevention of allergy and asthma.

Associations of Some Milking Traits with Milk Production in Anatolian Buffaloes: A Case of Bafra District of Samsun Province

This study was conducted to determine the associations of some milking traits and milk yield in water buffalo farms located in Bafra district of Samsun province. In total, 37 Anatolian Buffalo farms enrolled to Buffalo Breeders Association (BBA) were evaluated by applying face to face survey on the current milking practices and farm characteristics in February 2020. Number of milking cows (NM), number of workers (NW), age of the milker (AM), experience of the milker (EM), education of the farm owner (EO) and hygiene score of the milking parlor (HM) were evaluated as the farm traits affecting daily milk yield (dMY). Milking type (MT), milking frequency (MF), udder cleaning pre-milking (UC1), udder cleaning post-milking (UC2), giving feed after milking (GF) and milking duration (MD) were selected as the milking practices affecting dMY. It was concluded that dMY was significantly affected by AM, EM, EO and MD.

Coupling Material Flow Analysis and Network DEA for the evaluation of eco-efficiency and circularity on dairy farms

Society is facing different challenges such as resource scarcity, climate change, and food security. Thus, proposing methodologies to assess the sustainability of promoted circular systems is essential to balance economic benefits and the preservation of nature. The eco-efficiency concept seeks to achieve sustainable management and production, creating more value and reducing resource consumption and environmental impacts. This paper proposes a new method for eco-efficiency and circularity assessment through a combined input-output oriented approach of Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and network Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). Overall, the definition of boundaries and the quantification of inputs and outputs of the system are carried out, and then, the DEA assessment establishes eco-efficiency levels and targets for inefficient systems. The composite method was applied to evaluate the eco-efficiency and circularity of 50 dairy farms located in Galicia, Spain. To do this, a two-stage network structure is considered, evaluating the stages of feed crop (first stage) and milk farming (second stage), where cattle manure is valorised as organic fertilizer to feed crop farming, closing the loop. The results indicate that the first stage presents the lowest efficiency indexes. In this sense, the main reductions should be focused on pesticides and fertilizers as improvement actions to be implemented. Moreover, on average, efficient dairy farms present a higher level of circularity than inefficient ones. In this context, this method seeks to be useful to inform decision makers about their eco-efficiency performance to achieve sustainable and efficient circular systems.

Comparative diagnosis of bovine tuberculosis using single intradermal cervical tuberculin technique, conventional methods, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and the gamma-interferon assay.

Background and Aim:Bovine tuberculosis (TB) is a zoonotic disease that causes huge economic losses. This study aimed to compare the result obtained from the single intradermal test, conventional methods (culture and microscopy), gamma-interferon (IFN-γ) assay, and indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to diagnose bovine TB.Materials and Methods:This study evaluated 2913 animals from milk farms in Cairo, El-Sharkia, and El-Qalyubia Governorates by single intradermal cervical tuberculin technique (SICTT), ELISA, and IFN-γ assay.Results:Of the 2913 dairy cows surveyed, 3.7% yielded positive results. Culture prepared samples on Lowenstein-Jensen and Middlebrook 7H10 agar media yielded 52 (1.85%) isolates of Mycobacterium spp. from 2805 milk samples that yielded negative tuberculin reactions and 56 (51.85%) isolates of Mycobacterium spp. were recovered from 108 lymph node samples from positive cases. ELISA analysis of the sera of 108 positive SICTT reactors revealed that 94 (87.03%) and 97 (89.81%) animals were positive for bovine purified protein derivative (PPD-B) antigen and commercial polypeptide antigen, respectively. IFN-γ assays were performed on whole blood samples collected from positive SICTT reactors and showed that 103 (95.37%) animals were positive.Conclusion:M. tuberculosis complex may be isolated from raw milk and not all infected animals shed mycobacterial bacilli in their milk. The use of polypeptide antigen in ELISA provides better diagnostic efficacy than PPD-B antigen. The IFN-γ assay is more sensitive than both SICTT and ELISA. It should be used in parallel with SICTT to allow the detection of more positive animals before they become a source of infection to other animals and humans.

Evaluación de la obtención de leche bovina en el municipio de Três Corações, Minas Gerais

The present study aimed to evaluate the functioning of mechanical milking equipment and procedures for obtaining milk in dairy farms in the Minas Gerais municipality of Três Corações. General aspects of milk production were evaluated; the procedure and cleaning of the milking machines; education, behavior and knowledge of employees of 20 randomly chosen properties. Of the properties visited, 65% were classified as large milk producers; the average total milk production was 1,114 liters/day and the average number of lactating cows was 60 animals. Of the milking machines, all were mechanized and of these, 55% were bucket-to-foot type and 45% channeled. Of the employees, 75% had high school education, 10% had some type of training and all were unaware of current legislation. As for milking, high vacuum pressures, incorrect handling in the milk extraction procedure and in the cleaning process were found. As for the other procedures; such as mastitis treatment, milking line and dry cow therapy, all were empirically performed by the properties. At the end of the research, it was observed that the lack of information and training regarding the quality in the handling and hygiene of milking is a reality in the properties of Três Corações.

Antimicrobial resistance profile of Staphylococcus spp. isolates in cattle herds from Western Amazon

Staphylococcus is one of the most frequent etiological agents of bovine mastitis, causing economic losses to milk farming. This study aimed to describe the milk production and management practices in 15 herds located in three microregions of the State of Rondônia and to identify the antimicrobial resistance profile of 97 isolates of the genus Staphylococcus from these herds. The isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility tests using the agar diffusion method. Twenty-nine S. aureus isolates were selected to determine their minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). In the farms studied, the breeding system was semi-intensive, with the Girolando breed being predominant. Milking was performed predominantly using a mechanical milking system (86.7%), twice a day (66.7%), in the presence of the calf (53.8%). The average number of lactating cows in the farms was 24, with an average milk production of 204.9 L d-1 and a milk productivity of 10.2 L animal-1 d-1. The use of antimicrobials for the treatment and prevention of bovine mastitis was reported for all properties, and therapy for dry cows was adopted in 80% of the herds. The percent susceptibility to antimicrobials ranged from 85.5% to 100% for S. aureus, 22.2% to 88.9% for coagulase-positive staphylococci (CPS), and 69.2% to 100% for coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), with the highest resistance frequencies for penicillin, ampicillin, and tetracycline. Among the S. aureus isolates, 100% susceptibility to oxacillin, cefalexin, and gentamicin was observed, and among the CNS isolates, 100% susceptibility to gentamicin was observed. None of the antimicrobials tested showed 100% in vitro effectiveness for CPS. CPS and CNS presented lower percentages of susceptibility to penicillin, ampicillin, and tetracycline than the S. aureus isolates. Twelve resistance patterns were detected, six of which were multiresistance patterns. The most prevalent resistance patterns were penicillin and ampicillin (PEN-AMP) and penicillin, ampicillin, and tetracycline (PEN-AMP-TET). Results of the MIC assay revealed that all 29 S. aureus isolates were susceptible to cephalothin, cefoxitin, tetracycline, and erythromycin, whereas 25 (86.2%) were susceptible to penicillin.

VARIABILITY AND INHERITANCE OF FAT MILK IN SIMMENTAL COWS

The aim of the research was to analyze the influence of Simmental breed on the quality of cow's milk in farms of Ukraine, mainly in Kharkiv region. The research was performed on the basis of breeding records in agricultural farms with Simmental cows. According to the results of research, the fat content in the milk was higher in the crossbreed cows in comparison to purebred Simmentals cows S1/4+ H1/4+М1/2 (4.0%), and S1/4+H1/4+А1/2 (4.0%), S1/4+М3/4 (4.0%), S1/4+М1/4+А1/2 (3.9%), S1/4+А1/4+H1/2 (3.9%), S1/4+А1/4+М1/2 (3.9%), S1/4+А3/4 (3.9%). The highest yield of milk fat was observed in the following genetic groups: S1/4+H1/4+А1/2 (σ=58.0 k), S1/4+М1/4+А1/2 (σ=56.0 kg). The influence of Simmental crossbreeds has a significant effect (P>0.999) on the fat content in cow’s milk (η2 = 0.029) and on the yield of milk fat (η2 = 0.049) with a high degree of reliability (P> 0.999).