Farm factors associated with increased free fatty acids in bulk tank milk
ABSTRACT: Elevated concentrations of free fatty acids (FFA) in bulk tank milk are a milk quality concern in the dairy industry. Hydrolysis of triacylglycerols (TAG) yields FFA, and milk with ≥1.20 mmol FFA/100 g of milk fat is associated with undesirable characteristics, such as off-flavor, rancidit...
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Elsevier
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Journal of Dairy Science |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002203022401292X |
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| author | Hannah M. Woodhouse Stephen J. LeBlanc Trevor J. DeVries Karen J. Hand David F. Kelton |
| author_facet | Hannah M. Woodhouse Stephen J. LeBlanc Trevor J. DeVries Karen J. Hand David F. Kelton |
| author_sort | Hannah M. Woodhouse |
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| description | ABSTRACT: Elevated concentrations of free fatty acids (FFA) in bulk tank milk are a milk quality concern in the dairy industry. Hydrolysis of triacylglycerols (TAG) yields FFA, and milk with ≥1.20 mmol FFA/100 g of milk fat is associated with undesirable characteristics, such as off-flavor, rancidity, reduced foam stability, and inhibited cheese-milk coagulation. Research on FFA is limited and absent in North America, but research out of European regions indicates that high FFA are multifactorial. This study aimed to identify farm-level FFA risk factors in Canadian dairy herds. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 293 Canadian dairy farms in Ontario (n = 238) and British Columbia (n = 55). Over 2 yr, selected farms were visited once to complete a survey, assess milking systems, and gather data on the diet of lactating cows. Bulk tank FFA values for each farm 15 d before and 15 d after the research visit were obtained from the corresponding province's milk marketing board. Using these values, a monthly FFA average was calculated for each farm and used as the outcome variable. Seventy-one farms were tiestall, 109 were freestall with milking parlors, and 113 were freestall with automated milking systems (AMS). The mean bulk tank FFA was 0.84 mmol/100 g of fat (SD = 0.40, range 0.26 to 3.67), and 10% (n = 29) of herds had an elevated monthly average FFA (≥1.20 mmol/100 g of fat). In the final multivariable linear regression model, milking frequency ≥3×/d (times per day) compared with <3×/d was associated with a greater FFA concentration in AMS (β = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.41) and tiestall milking systems (β = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.76–1.59). Regardless of milking frequency, none of the parlor farms visited had FFA ≥1.20 mmol/100 g of fat. For farms milking ≥3×/d, not changing the milk filter at least 2×/d was associated with greater FFA concentrations (β = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.44). The absence of pre-cooling was also associated with higher FFA levels (β = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.3). The final model adjusted R2 of 29% indicates that more factors associated with bulk tank milk FFA still need to be identified, which may include seasonal, milk composition, and individual cow factors. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
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| spelling | doaj-art-80e280a81f1d4c988b499539f394b3db2025-01-23T05:25:16ZengElsevierJournal of Dairy Science0022-03022025-02-01108216251633Farm factors associated with increased free fatty acids in bulk tank milkHannah M. Woodhouse0Stephen J. LeBlanc1Trevor J. DeVries2Karen J. Hand3David F. Kelton4Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G2W1; Corresponding authorDepartment of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G2W1Department of Animal Biosciences, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G2W1Precision Strategic Solutions, Puslinch, Ontario, Canada N0B2J0Department of Population Medicine, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G2W1ABSTRACT: Elevated concentrations of free fatty acids (FFA) in bulk tank milk are a milk quality concern in the dairy industry. Hydrolysis of triacylglycerols (TAG) yields FFA, and milk with ≥1.20 mmol FFA/100 g of milk fat is associated with undesirable characteristics, such as off-flavor, rancidity, reduced foam stability, and inhibited cheese-milk coagulation. Research on FFA is limited and absent in North America, but research out of European regions indicates that high FFA are multifactorial. This study aimed to identify farm-level FFA risk factors in Canadian dairy herds. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 293 Canadian dairy farms in Ontario (n = 238) and British Columbia (n = 55). Over 2 yr, selected farms were visited once to complete a survey, assess milking systems, and gather data on the diet of lactating cows. Bulk tank FFA values for each farm 15 d before and 15 d after the research visit were obtained from the corresponding province's milk marketing board. Using these values, a monthly FFA average was calculated for each farm and used as the outcome variable. Seventy-one farms were tiestall, 109 were freestall with milking parlors, and 113 were freestall with automated milking systems (AMS). The mean bulk tank FFA was 0.84 mmol/100 g of fat (SD = 0.40, range 0.26 to 3.67), and 10% (n = 29) of herds had an elevated monthly average FFA (≥1.20 mmol/100 g of fat). In the final multivariable linear regression model, milking frequency ≥3×/d (times per day) compared with <3×/d was associated with a greater FFA concentration in AMS (β = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.12, 0.41) and tiestall milking systems (β = 1.17, 95% CI: 0.76–1.59). Regardless of milking frequency, none of the parlor farms visited had FFA ≥1.20 mmol/100 g of fat. For farms milking ≥3×/d, not changing the milk filter at least 2×/d was associated with greater FFA concentrations (β = 0.27, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.44). The absence of pre-cooling was also associated with higher FFA levels (β = 0.16, 95% CI: 0.02, 0.3). The final model adjusted R2 of 29% indicates that more factors associated with bulk tank milk FFA still need to be identified, which may include seasonal, milk composition, and individual cow factors.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002203022401292Xlipolysismilk fatproductionmilk quality |
| spellingShingle | Hannah M. Woodhouse Stephen J. LeBlanc Trevor J. DeVries Karen J. Hand David F. Kelton Farm factors associated with increased free fatty acids in bulk tank milk Journal of Dairy Science lipolysis milk fat production milk quality |
| title | Farm factors associated with increased free fatty acids in bulk tank milk |
| title_full | Farm factors associated with increased free fatty acids in bulk tank milk |
| title_fullStr | Farm factors associated with increased free fatty acids in bulk tank milk |
| title_full_unstemmed | Farm factors associated with increased free fatty acids in bulk tank milk |
| title_short | Farm factors associated with increased free fatty acids in bulk tank milk |
| title_sort | farm factors associated with increased free fatty acids in bulk tank milk |
| topic | lipolysis milk fat production milk quality |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S002203022401292X |
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