Work

B-vitamin concentrations in raw milk from dairy cows receiving diets with different forages and grassland contents and the resulting fermented milk products (cheese and yogurt)

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Dairy products are major dietary sources of B vitamins. However, the impact of cow diet and dairy processing techniques on B vitamin concentrations remains unclear. This study investigated the effects of diet composition on B-vitamin content in raw milk and, in yogurt, and Cantal-type cheese produced therefrom. Forty Holstein and Montbéliarde-breed cows were assigned to either a grass-based agroecological system or a corn-based intensive system for 19 weeks. Vitamins B1, B2, B5, and B6 were quantified by liquid chromatography, and B9 and B12 by chemiluminescence. Milk from the agroecological system contained higher vitamin B2, and lower vitamin B5 concentrations than milk from the intensive system. This same pattern was also observed in cheese, but not in yogurt, showing impacts of technological processing. Adding probiotics into yogurts increased pyridoxal (B6) concentration. This study highlighted diet-related differences in B vitamin concentrations in raw milk, and these differences transferred to cheese but not to yogurt.

Source: International Dairy Journal

DOI: 10.1016/j.idairyj.2026.106840