Describe the factors that influence milk composition in a dairy cow
Describe the factors that influence milk composition in a dairy cow
The age of the animal -Young animals produce milk with high BFC than older animals – Butter fat content decline with age
Physiological condition of the animal such as emaciation, pregnancy and sickness e g the butter fat content is low at late stages of pregnancy
Stage of lactation and pregnancy – BFC is higher at middle stage of lactation period, while minerals and proteins are high at 2nd stage of lactation period.
Completeness of milking – last drawn milk contains 10% of the total fat % in milk
Time of milking – milk produced in the morning has low fats than that in the evening
Breed of the animal- different breeds produce milk with different composition % e g BFC
Season of the year- fats % increase during the cold season as the other constituents decrease -lactose and protein
Type of feed eaten/nutritional level- animals fed on roughages produce milk rich in lactose, fat and proteins than those fed on grains
Diseases/health of the animal e.g.- mastitis reduce lactose in milk as the bacteria attack sugars and animal under treatment of different drugs produce milk with variable composition.
