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Milk Composition Produced from Malawi Zebu‐Friesian Crosses and Susceptibility to Environmental Stress
Author(s) -
Allen Jonathan,
Neba Sopani
Publication year - 2015
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.29.1_supplement.898.11
Subject(s) - zebu , lactose , crossbreed , zoology , population , milking , biology , composition (language) , heat stress , nutrient , camel milk , food science , medicine , ecology , linguistics , philosophy , environmental health
Milk intake in developing countries like Malawi is low, contributing to intake of calcium below recommendations; increasing milk availability from local sources could significantly improve nutrient intake in this population. Government programs promote the use of Friesian cows and cross breeding of traditional Malawi zebu and Friesians to improve the performance of zebu cows and increase milk production. The objective of this study was to compare the milk composition and heat stress response among Malawi zebu (Z), Friesian (F), and cross‐bred (C) cows in Malawi as a component of the effort to increase dairy product intake and economic return to small‐holder dairy farmers. We hypothesized that the crossbred cows would have a heat shock protein (HSP) response similar to zebu that could affect fitness, milk yield, or milk composition in hot environments. Blood and milk samples were collected from randomly selected groups of approximately 20 each F, C and Z lactating cows. HSP‐70 was measured by ELISA. Milk Na and K were measured by ion‐selective electrodes. Lactose, protein and fat were measured chemically. HSP70 concentration in blood, and milk [Na], and [fat] did not differ significantly between breeds although mean HSP 70 was highest in F and lowest in Z. Milk [K] was 1.17±0.08, 1.32±0.06, and 1.42±0.05 g/L in Z, C and F, respectively ( P <.02). Milk [lactose] was 4.59±0.03, 4.43±0.01 and 4.16±0.02 g/dL in Z, C, and F ( P <.001). Milk [protein] was 3.03±0.018, 2.90±0.004, and 2.75±0.009 g/dL in Z, C and F ( P <.001). The trends in milk composition are consistent with lower producing animals having higher lactose and protein concentrations. Efforts to increase milk production in tropical regions may have impacts on milk composition and heat tolerance.