Year: 2006
Type: book
Abstract: Changing societal drivers and consumer demands request systems that provide desired products through improved, sustainable production processes.In this paper dairy product suppy chains were analysed, with emphasis on milk quality in relation to feed.Milk fatty acids were analysed in milk produced in different regions, various seasons, and with different feeding systems and also in forages and concentrates.A rapid screening method for conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in milk fat was developed.Milk from cows on fresh green forage, especially grazed grass, had a much higher unsaturated:saturated fat proportion with more poly-unsaturated FA (beneficial for heart diseases) and more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA isomer rumenic acid, C18:2 c9,t11, possible anti-cancer effects) than milk from silage-fed cows.The FA composition of milk has recently become less favorable than before, e.g., in the 1960s, due to different feeding practices and nobody is aware because it was never monitored, but essential FA and CLA levels have dropped substantially.With lowfat dairy products, human intake of these is declining even further, as ruminant products are the main source of CLA intake.Farmers from some dairy cooperatives in The Netherlands that produce milk from grazed grass now receive a premium on top of their milk price, so compared with farmers that keep their cows indoors year-round, these primary producers benefit from the higher market value at the end of the production chain.
Authors: A. Elgersma, A.C. Wever, T. Nalescz-Tarwacka
Language: English
Subfield: Animal Science and Zoology
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W764946378