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Variations in Milk Carotenoids from Jersey Cows fed Pasture versus Total Mixed Ration
Author(s) -
Beliveau Amy Rose,
Smith Jillian M,
Wenzel Adam James,
CurranCelentano Joanne
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.638.1
Subject(s) - pasture , lutein , xanthophyll , zoology , carotenoid , total mixed ration , composition (language) , carotene , food science , chemistry , biology , agronomy , lactation , pregnancy , ice calving , linguistics , genetics , philosophy
Interest in organic dairy production is rising. According to the USDA Certified Organic standards, producers are required to feed their cows on pasture for a minimum of 120 days. Research indicates that factors such as diet have the potential to impact milk composition. The objective of this experiment was to determine the changes in concentrations of milk carotenoids over a pasture season from cows under two different feeding systems. Individual milk samples were collected biweekly from 9 cows fed on pasture at an organic dairy and from 9 cows fed total mixed ration (TMR) at a conventional dairy. Components were extracted from the milk and separated via High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Data were analyzed using SPSS® version 19.0. Results showed that total carotenes, total xanthophylls, lutein, β‐cryptoxanthin, α‐ and β‐carotene and 13 cis β‐carotene were significantly higher in milk from cows fed on pasture. These components also varied significantly over the season. In milk from cows fed TMR, only total xanthophylls and lutein changed significantly over time. Results indicate that pasture feeding affects carotenoid concentration in milk, suggesting that both diet and season can influence milk composition. Potential variations should be reflected in the National Nutrient Database. Grant Funding Source : NH Agriculture Experiment Station