Careful communication of results is integral to dairy research. However, many published studies contain misinterpretation of the results of statistical analysis, which can lead to conclusions being drawn which are not consistent with the data. Many of these interpretations have arisen because of a focus on P-values rather than on the potential range of effects that are compatible with the study data. This review focuses on 3 misinterpretations: the use of levels of statistical significance to compare results between or within studies, overinterpretation of nonsignificant results, and the use of “trend” to describe results that are “close” to a significance threshold. All of these misinterpretations can be avoided by paying more attention to the range of effects that are compatible with the data. Such a focus will have many benefits—not least, making it clearer when studies have insufficient power to accurately characterize their outcomes. Focusing on compatible effects is not a panacea but will improve statistical inference and provide more thoughtful descriptions of study outcomes.
{"title":"Common misinterpretations of statistical significance and P-values in dairy research","authors":"R. Laven , D.A. Yang","doi":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0835","DOIUrl":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0835","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Careful communication of results is integral to dairy research. However, many published studies contain misinterpretation of the results of statistical analysis, which can lead to conclusions being drawn which are not consistent with the data. Many of these interpretations have arisen because of a focus on <em>P-</em>values rather than on the potential range of effects that are compatible with the study data. This review focuses on 3 misinterpretations: the use of levels of statistical significance to compare results between or within studies, overinterpretation of nonsignificant results, and the use of “trend” to describe results that are “close” to a significance threshold. All of these misinterpretations can be avoided by paying more attention to the range of effects that are compatible with the data. Such a focus will have many benefits—not least, making it clearer when studies have insufficient power to accurately characterize their outcomes. Focusing on compatible effects is not a panacea but will improve statistical inference and provide more thoughtful descriptions of study outcomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94061,"journal":{"name":"JDS communications","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 721-726"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145371186","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Feed efficiency (FE) is an indicator of overall farm nutritional efficiency, helping farmers to identify any critical points in nutritional management. Particularly, FE is a measure of the ability of animals to convert feed into milk and it can be influenced by genetic, health, management, and nutritional factors. Higher FE allows results in reduced feed and maintenance costs and contributes to improved economic and environmental efficiency of dairy farms. This study aimed to develop and compare 2 predictive models for estimating FE in dairy cattle using data derived from the TMR: one based on its chemical composition and the other on near-infrared (NIR) spectral data. A total of 144 TMR samples were collected from farms in Po Valley from 2021 to 2024 and analyzed with an Fourier-transform NIR spectrometer. The spectral data were processed with chemometric techniques, including least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, in order to build a predictive model of FE. The model based on chemical composition showed strong calibration performance (R2 = 0.80, SE of cross-validation [SECV] = 0.13) but decreased in external validation (R2 = 0.64, SE of prediction [SEP] = 0.11), indicating the presence of systematic bias. Conversely, the NIR-based model maintained more stable performance between calibration (R2 = 0.73, SECV = 0.16) and external validation (R2 = 0.70, SEP = 0.09), with lower slope distortion and offset. The results suggest that although chemical data offer high accuracy in controlled conditions, the NIR model may be more robust and generalizable for practical, on-farm prediction of FE, offering potential decision support. However, further improvements in calibration are needed to reduce systematic errors and increase the accuracy of the model.
{"title":"Application of multivariate techniques for estimating herd feed efficiency using chemical and near-infrared calibration models in dairy cattle","authors":"Valentina Novara , Mattia Masseroni , Maddalena Canossa , Antonio Gallo","doi":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0829","DOIUrl":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0829","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Feed efficiency (FE) is an indicator of overall farm nutritional efficiency, helping farmers to identify any critical points in nutritional management. Particularly, FE is a measure of the ability of animals to convert feed into milk and it can be influenced by genetic, health, management, and nutritional factors. Higher FE allows results in reduced feed and maintenance costs and contributes to improved economic and environmental efficiency of dairy farms. This study aimed to develop and compare 2 predictive models for estimating FE in dairy cattle using data derived from the TMR: one based on its chemical composition and the other on near-infrared (NIR) spectral data. A total of 144 TMR samples were collected from farms in Po Valley from 2021 to 2024 and analyzed with an Fourier-transform NIR spectrometer. The spectral data were processed with chemometric techniques, including least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression, in order to build a predictive model of FE. The model based on chemical composition showed strong calibration performance (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.80, SE of cross-validation [SECV] = 0.13) but decreased in external validation (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.64, SE of prediction [SEP] = 0.11), indicating the presence of systematic bias. Conversely, the NIR-based model maintained more stable performance between calibration (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.73, SECV = 0.16) and external validation (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.70, SEP = 0.09), with lower slope distortion and offset. The results suggest that although chemical data offer high accuracy in controlled conditions, the NIR model may be more robust and generalizable for practical, on-farm prediction of FE, offering potential decision support. However, further improvements in calibration are needed to reduce systematic errors and increase the accuracy of the model.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94061,"journal":{"name":"JDS communications","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 781-785"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145371244","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alicia Rihn , Nama Raj Bhusal , Caitlin Zaring Weir , Elizabeth Eckelkamp
The highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (HPAI) has recently been identified in the dairy industry in the United States. Research has addressed consumer behavior in the context of HPAI among poultry products and birds, but fewer studies have addressed consumer awareness in the dairy context. Given recent HPAI infections in dairy herds and viral loads in fluid milk, a better understanding of consumer awareness and concern could aid in future efforts to inform the public. An online survey of 9 states in the southeastern US was conducted to elicit consumer awareness of HPAI and concern in the context of dairy products. Whether HPAI influenced purchasing behavior of dairy products was also assessed. A total of 5,290 respondents were surveyed with 14.7% (n = 775) having heard of HPAI in the dairy industry. Binary and ordered probit models were used to analyze the data. People who had young children (<12 yr old), farm backgrounds, higher incomes, or lived in metropolitan areas, suburbs, or small towns were more likely to be aware of HPAI than individuals without these attributes. Females were less likely to be aware relative to other genders. Concern over HPAI in dairy products was heightened for participants with young children, with farm backgrounds, or those who live in metropolitan areas (relative to rural areas). Among aware participants, females exhibited a decreased dairy product purchase likelihood in the context of HPAI.
{"title":"Sociodemographic characteristics that impact southeastern US consumers' awareness and concern about highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy products","authors":"Alicia Rihn , Nama Raj Bhusal , Caitlin Zaring Weir , Elizabeth Eckelkamp","doi":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0849","DOIUrl":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0849","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 (HPAI) has recently been identified in the dairy industry in the United States. Research has addressed consumer behavior in the context of HPAI among poultry products and birds, but fewer studies have addressed consumer awareness in the dairy context. Given recent HPAI infections in dairy herds and viral loads in fluid milk, a better understanding of consumer awareness and concern could aid in future efforts to inform the public. An online survey of 9 states in the southeastern US was conducted to elicit consumer awareness of HPAI and concern in the context of dairy products. Whether HPAI influenced purchasing behavior of dairy products was also assessed. A total of 5,290 respondents were surveyed with 14.7% (n = 775) having heard of HPAI in the dairy industry. Binary and ordered probit models were used to analyze the data. People who had young children (<12 yr old), farm backgrounds, higher incomes, or lived in metropolitan areas, suburbs, or small towns were more likely to be aware of HPAI than individuals without these attributes. Females were less likely to be aware relative to other genders. Concern over HPAI in dairy products was heightened for participants with young children, with farm backgrounds, or those who live in metropolitan areas (relative to rural areas). Among aware participants, females exhibited a decreased dairy product purchase likelihood in the context of HPAI.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94061,"journal":{"name":"JDS communications","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 738-743"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145371188","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aljoša Trmčić, Rachel L. Evanowski, Sriya Sunil, Martin Wiedmann, Nicole H. Martin
Udder health in dairy cows is routinely monitored (for example, through determination of SCC) to help identify and control mastitis and other infectious diseases. Another parameter used to both assess udder health and milking machine performance is the teat-end condition, typically assessed at the herd level using a 4-point scoring system. Recently, the teat-end score has been suggested as a factor associated with the levels of bacterial spores in raw milk. Spores of cold-tolerant sporeforming bacteria present in raw milk can survive pasteurization and contribute to the spoilage of fluid milk. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine whether the condition of individual teat-ends (specifically, optimal versus suboptimal teat-end scores) affects the spore levels in raw milk obtained from these teats. A total of 102 raw milk samples were collected from 102 individual teats from cows on a single dairy farm, and tested for mesophilic spores, with 51 samples each from teats scored as either 1 (optimal) or 4 (suboptimal). A significantly lower mesophilic spore count was found in the raw milk samples collected from teats with a teat-end score of 1 compared with samples collected from teats with score of 4. The observed difference in mesophilic spore counts suggests that maintaining optimal teat-end condition through good udder health and milking machine management may help reduce spore levels in raw milk. Although the observed difference in mesophilic spore counts is expected to result in minimal improvement of fluid milk shelf-life and other quality parameters, interventions targeting teat-end status or farm management practices that aim to improve the same can still be an important incremental contributor to the overall improvement of these parameters as part of a comprehensive, multipronged approach to raw milk quality management.
{"title":"Raw milk from individual teats with an optimal teat-end score has lower spore levels compared with teats with a suboptimal teat-end score","authors":"Aljoša Trmčić, Rachel L. Evanowski, Sriya Sunil, Martin Wiedmann, Nicole H. Martin","doi":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0802","DOIUrl":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0802","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Udder health in dairy cows is routinely monitored (for example, through determination of SCC) to help identify and control mastitis and other infectious diseases. Another parameter used to both assess udder health and milking machine performance is the teat-end condition, typically assessed at the herd level using a 4-point scoring system. Recently, the teat-end score has been suggested as a factor associated with the levels of bacterial spores in raw milk. Spores of cold-tolerant sporeforming bacteria present in raw milk can survive pasteurization and contribute to the spoilage of fluid milk. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine whether the condition of individual teat-ends (specifically, optimal versus suboptimal teat-end scores) affects the spore levels in raw milk obtained from these teats. A total of 102 raw milk samples were collected from 102 individual teats from cows on a single dairy farm, and tested for mesophilic spores, with 51 samples each from teats scored as either 1 (optimal) or 4 (suboptimal). A significantly lower mesophilic spore count was found in the raw milk samples collected from teats with a teat-end score of 1 compared with samples collected from teats with score of 4. The observed difference in mesophilic spore counts suggests that maintaining optimal teat-end condition through good udder health and milking machine management may help reduce spore levels in raw milk. Although the observed difference in mesophilic spore counts is expected to result in minimal improvement of fluid milk shelf-life and other quality parameters, interventions targeting teat-end status or farm management practices that aim to improve the same can still be an important incremental contributor to the overall improvement of these parameters as part of a comprehensive, multipronged approach to raw milk quality management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94061,"journal":{"name":"JDS communications","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 733-737"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145371237","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
M. Arif , B.A. Harsch , C. Matamoros , I.J. Salfer , R. Shepardson , K.J. Harvatine
Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFA) are a novel class of bioactive lipids with demonstrated antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties in rodent models and humans but have not been investigated in cows. The major FAHFA are synthesized from palmitic (PA), stearic (SA), and oleic acid. The PA can be esterified to hydroxy fatty acids, such as hydroxy PA or hydroxy SA, or SA can be esterified to hydroxy SA, forming PAHPA, PAHSA, or SAHSA, respectively. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of increasing intake of PA, SA, or both PA and SA on nonesterified FAHFA in the plasma and milk of dairy cows. We hypothesized that increasing PA and SA in the diet would increase PA and SA containing FAHFA in plasma and milk. Samples were analyzed from a previous experiment that used 12 multiparous Holstein cows in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Treatments were a no-fat supplement control (CON) and fat supplements that were high in PA (91% C16:0), high in SA (92.6% C18:0), or contained a blend of PA and SA (PA/SA; 45.3% C16:0 and 49.1% C18:0) at 1.95% of diet DM. The concentrations of nonesterified FAHFA in plasma and milk fat were quantified using liquid chromatography tandem MS, and data were analyzed using a mixed model that included treatment as a fixed effect and cow and period as random effects. The relationship between plasma FAHFA and milk production variables were analyzed using regression analysis. Five nonesterified FAHFA (9-PAHPA, 5-PAHSA, 9-PAHSA, 10-PAHSA, and 9-SAHSA) were quantified in plasma and all were affected by treatment. Plasma concentration of 9-PAHPA was increased 2.9-fold by PA compared with CON, whereas 9-SAHSA was increased 2.7-fold by SA compared with CON. The concentrations of 5-PAHSA, 9-PAHSA, and 10-PAHSA were highest with PA/SA. In milk, 8 nonesterified FAHFA were quantified, and only 12-PAHSA was increased by SA and 12-PAHPA tended to be increased by PA. Plasma 9-PAHPA was positively associated with milk fat yield and mixed FA and negatively associated with milk preformed FA, de novo FA, and odd- and branched-chain fatty acids, whereas plasma 9-SAHSA was positively associated with milk preformed FA. Overall, FA supplements affected nonesterified FAHFA concentration in plasma, demonstrating a direct effect of dietary FA on this emerging regulator of metabolism. There were limited effects of FA supplements on nonesterified FAHFA in milk fat. Functional roles for these lipids require further exploration.
{"title":"The effects of saturated fatty acid supplements on plasma and milk concentration of fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids in dairy cows","authors":"M. Arif , B.A. Harsch , C. Matamoros , I.J. Salfer , R. Shepardson , K.J. Harvatine","doi":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0813","DOIUrl":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0813","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids (FAHFA) are a novel class of bioactive lipids with demonstrated antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory properties in rodent models and humans but have not been investigated in cows. The major FAHFA are synthesized from palmitic (PA), stearic (SA), and oleic acid. The PA can be esterified to hydroxy fatty acids, such as hydroxy PA or hydroxy SA, or SA can be esterified to hydroxy SA, forming PAHPA, PAHSA, or SAHSA, respectively. The objective of the current study was to determine the effect of increasing intake of PA, SA, or both PA and SA on nonesterified FAHFA in the plasma and milk of dairy cows. We hypothesized that increasing PA and SA in the diet would increase PA and SA containing FAHFA in plasma and milk. Samples were analyzed from a previous experiment that used 12 multiparous Holstein cows in a 4 × 4 Latin square design. Treatments were a no-fat supplement control (CON) and fat supplements that were high in PA (91% C16:0), high in SA (92.6% C18:0), or contained a blend of PA and SA (PA/SA; 45.3% C16:0 and 49.1% C18:0) at 1.95% of diet DM. The concentrations of nonesterified FAHFA in plasma and milk fat were quantified using liquid chromatography tandem MS, and data were analyzed using a mixed model that included treatment as a fixed effect and cow and period as random effects. The relationship between plasma FAHFA and milk production variables were analyzed using regression analysis. Five nonesterified FAHFA (9-PAHPA, 5-PAHSA, 9-PAHSA, 10-PAHSA, and 9-SAHSA) were quantified in plasma and all were affected by treatment. Plasma concentration of 9-PAHPA was increased 2.9-fold by PA compared with CON, whereas 9-SAHSA was increased 2.7-fold by SA compared with CON. The concentrations of 5-PAHSA, 9-PAHSA, and 10-PAHSA were highest with PA/SA. In milk, 8 nonesterified FAHFA were quantified, and only 12-PAHSA was increased by SA and 12-PAHPA tended to be increased by PA. Plasma 9-PAHPA was positively associated with milk fat yield and mixed FA and negatively associated with milk preformed FA, de novo FA, and odd- and branched-chain fatty acids, whereas plasma 9-SAHSA was positively associated with milk preformed FA. Overall, FA supplements affected nonesterified FAHFA concentration in plasma, demonstrating a direct effect of dietary FA on this emerging regulator of metabolism. There were limited effects of FA supplements on nonesterified FAHFA in milk fat. Functional roles for these lipids require further exploration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94061,"journal":{"name":"JDS communications","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 766-772"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145371319","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Y.A. Adeniji, C. Matamoros , R.E. Walker , K.J. Harvatine
Altered rumen biohydrogenation of UFA is central to the current understanding of diet-induced milk fat depression (MFD) in dairy cows, and associations with numerous trans fatty acids (FA) have been characterized. Although some specific CLA isomers have been demonstrated to be antilipogenic, they fail to account for the full decrease in milk fat synthesis during diet-induced MFD, indicating that other undiscovered bioactive causative actors likely exist. Microbial FA metabolism also results in synthesis of oxy and hydroxy FA and the objective of the current study was to quantify changes in these during diet-induced MFD. We hypothesized that 10-oxo-stearic and 10-hydroxy-stearic acid (10-O-18:0 and 10-OH-18:0) would be increased in milk fat during diet-induced MFD. Milk fat samples from 2 experiments that fed diets resulting in MFD were analyzed. In the first experiment (n = 24), diet-induced MFD increased milk fat concentration of 10-O-18:0 from 0.04% to 0.14% of FA and 10-OH-18:0 from 0.07% to 0.21% of FA, whereas milk fat concentration was decreased 43% and milk fat trans-10 18:1 increased from 0.04% to 12.0% of FA. A second experiment that resulted in varying degrees of MFD between the cows was combined to create a dataset for regression analysis (n = 96; trans-10 18:1 ranged from 0.27% to 6.69% of FA). In this dataset, 10-O-18:0 and 10-OH-18:0 were quadratically related to trans-10 18:1 and ratio of trans-10 18:1 to trans-11 18:1 in milk fat but not trans-11 18:1. These results indicate an association of the oxygenated FA 10-O-18:0 and 10-OH-18:0 with diet-induced MFD. Their causative roles in the physiology of MFD warrant further investigation.
{"title":"Relationship between oxygenated fatty acid and milk fat concentration during diet-induced milk fat depression in dairy cows","authors":"Y.A. Adeniji, C. Matamoros , R.E. Walker , K.J. Harvatine","doi":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0812","DOIUrl":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0812","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Altered rumen biohydrogenation of UFA is central to the current understanding of diet-induced milk fat depression (MFD) in dairy cows, and associations with numerous <em>trans</em> fatty acids (FA) have been characterized. Although some specific CLA isomers have been demonstrated to be antilipogenic, they fail to account for the full decrease in milk fat synthesis during diet-induced MFD, indicating that other undiscovered bioactive causative actors likely exist. Microbial FA metabolism also results in synthesis of oxy and hydroxy FA and the objective of the current study was to quantify changes in these during diet-induced MFD. We hypothesized that 10-oxo-stearic and 10-hydroxy-stearic acid (10-O-18:0 and 10-OH-18:0) would be increased in milk fat during diet-induced MFD. Milk fat samples from 2 experiments that fed diets resulting in MFD were analyzed. In the first experiment (n = 24), diet-induced MFD increased milk fat concentration of 10-O-18:0 from 0.04% to 0.14% of FA and 10-OH-18:0 from 0.07% to 0.21% of FA, whereas milk fat concentration was decreased 43% and milk fat <em>trans-</em>10 18:1 increased from 0.04% to 12.0% of FA. A second experiment that resulted in varying degrees of MFD between the cows was combined to create a dataset for regression analysis (n = 96; <em>trans-</em>10 18:1 ranged from 0.27% to 6.69% of FA). In this dataset, 10-O-18:0 and 10-OH-18:0 were quadratically related to <em>trans-</em>10 18:1 and ratio of <em>trans</em>-10 18:1 to <em>trans-</em>11 18:1 in milk fat but not <em>trans-</em>11 18:1. These results indicate an association of the oxygenated FA 10-O-18:0 and 10-OH-18:0 with diet-induced MFD. Their causative roles in the physiology of MFD warrant further investigation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94061,"journal":{"name":"JDS communications","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 761-765"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145371241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize the nonenzymatic antioxidant activity of individual bovine milk samples using 2 assays: ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and (2) investigate the effects of animal (DIM, parity, and daily milk yield [DMY; kg/d]) and environmental factors (temperature-humidity index [THI], season, ventilation, feeding, and altitude) on these traits. Milk samples were collected once during evening milking from 1,060 Brown Swiss cows across 53 herds in Northern Italy. Antioxidant activity was expressed as micromolar ascorbic acid equivalents per milliliter of milk for the FRAP and as a percentage of DPPH inhibition. Both traits in milk were influenced by a range of animal-related and environmental factors, with varying degrees of impact. The FRAP values were highest in primiparous cows and decreased with increasing parity. In contrast, DPPH inhibition was greatest in tertiparous cows, followed by primiparous and secondiparous cows. Days in milk had a significant effect on DPPH, which declined as lactation progressed. A positive association was observed between DMY and FRAP values, with FRAP increasing up to approximately 25 kg/d, beyond which it plateaued. Among the environmental factors, the lowest FRAP values were observed in summer and in herds fed a dry TMR. Furthermore, milk from herds equipped with ventilation systems showed slightly higher DPPH inhibition compared with those without such systems. These findings offer valuable insights into factors affecting antioxidant properties in bovine milk and underscore the need for further research into other nonenzymatic antioxidants and their concentrations. Future studies should investigate the genetic basis of milk antioxidant properties, examine their relationship with milk composition, and evaluate the consequences for animal health and product quality.
{"title":"Impact of animal and herd factors on the nonenzymatic antioxidant potential in milk from individual Brown Swiss cows","authors":"Irene Tedeschi , Giorgia Stocco , Michela Ablondi , Andrea Summer , Georgios Anagnostou , Alexandros Mavrommatis , Eleni Tsiplakou , Massimo Malacarne , Claudio Cipolat-Gotet","doi":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0863","DOIUrl":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0863","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objectives of this study were to (1) characterize the nonenzymatic antioxidant activity of individual bovine milk samples using 2 assays: ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), and (2) investigate the effects of animal (DIM, parity, and daily milk yield [DMY; kg/d]) and environmental factors (temperature-humidity index [THI], season, ventilation, feeding, and altitude) on these traits. Milk samples were collected once during evening milking from 1,060 Brown Swiss cows across 53 herds in Northern Italy. Antioxidant activity was expressed as micromolar ascorbic acid equivalents per milliliter of milk for the FRAP and as a percentage of DPPH inhibition. Both traits in milk were influenced by a range of animal-related and environmental factors, with varying degrees of impact. The FRAP values were highest in primiparous cows and decreased with increasing parity. In contrast, DPPH inhibition was greatest in tertiparous cows, followed by primiparous and secondiparous cows. Days in milk had a significant effect on DPPH, which declined as lactation progressed. A positive association was observed between DMY and FRAP values, with FRAP increasing up to approximately 25 kg/d, beyond which it plateaued. Among the environmental factors, the lowest FRAP values were observed in summer and in herds fed a dry TMR. Furthermore, milk from herds equipped with ventilation systems showed slightly higher DPPH inhibition compared with those without such systems. These findings offer valuable insights into factors affecting antioxidant properties in bovine milk and underscore the need for further research into other nonenzymatic antioxidants and their concentrations. Future studies should investigate the genetic basis of milk antioxidant properties, examine their relationship with milk composition, and evaluate the consequences for animal health and product quality.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94061,"journal":{"name":"JDS communications","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 744-749"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145371238","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fungal spoilage in cultured dairy products causes consumer dissatisfaction, food waste, and financial losses. This study aimed to identify and characterize fungi responsible for spoilage in cultured dairy products by amplifying the ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 ribosomal DNA (rDNA) region. A total of 200 isolates collected from 154 spoiled dairy products, including yogurt, cottage cheese, and sour cream. The most common genera identified were Penicillium (46.5% of isolates), Mucor (15% of isolates), and Yarrowia (12.5% of isolates). Penicillium remained the most frequently isolated fungal genus regardless of the inclusion of preservatives in the dairy products. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences from this collection and ITS sequences from an additional 483 fungal isolates from cultured dairy downloaded from FoodMicrobeTracker were aligned to assess sequence diversity in their 5.8S rRNA regions. All isolates in more than half (9/15) of the genera did not differ by an SNP in their highly conserved 5.8S region. However, the aligned 5.8S rDNA region from 182 Penicillium isolates revealed 5 unique SNPs, and those from 37 Mucor isolates had 11 SNP differences. The most sequence diversity was observed in Candida with 36 SNPs among 78 aligned 5.8S rDNA regions, demonstrating that variation within this region varies depending on the genus.
{"title":"The predominance of Penicillium, Mucor, and Yarrowia among spoilage fungi in cultured dairy products produced by 3 manufacturers, as revealed by amplicon sequencing","authors":"Xiaoxuan Shi, Katerina Roth, Abigail B. Snyder","doi":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0796","DOIUrl":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0796","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fungal spoilage in cultured dairy products causes consumer dissatisfaction, food waste, and financial losses. This study aimed to identify and characterize fungi responsible for spoilage in cultured dairy products by amplifying the ITS1–5.8S–ITS2 ribosomal DNA (rDNA) region. A total of 200 isolates collected from 154 spoiled dairy products, including yogurt, cottage cheese, and sour cream. The most common genera identified were <em>Penicillium</em> (46.5% of isolates), <em>Mucor</em> (15% of isolates), and <em>Yarrowia</em> (12.5% of isolates). <em>Penicillium</em> remained the most frequently isolated fungal genus regardless of the inclusion of preservatives in the dairy products. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequences from this collection and ITS sequences from an additional 483 fungal isolates from cultured dairy downloaded from FoodMicrobeTracker were aligned to assess sequence diversity in their 5.8S rRNA regions. All isolates in more than half (9/15) of the genera did not differ by an SNP in their highly conserved 5.8S region. However, the aligned 5.8S rDNA region from 182 <em>Penicillium</em> isolates revealed 5 unique SNPs, and those from 37 <em>Mucor</em> isolates had 11 SNP differences. The most sequence diversity was observed in <em>Candida</em> with 36 SNPs among 78 aligned 5.8S rDNA regions, demonstrating that variation within this region varies depending on the genus.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94061,"journal":{"name":"JDS communications","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 727-732"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145371187","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Noninvasive sampling of milk fat for isolation of RNA is an alternative technique to assess the mammary transcriptome. However, contamination of RNA from milk fat with nonmammary sources of RNA may complicate the interpretation of results. We measured transcript abundance of 8 genes in RNA from milk fat, milk somatic cells, mammary tissue, and blood leukocytes to determine how the transcript abundance of selected genes compares between RNA sources. Samples from 8 healthy cows were harvested immediately after slaughter. Blood was collected during exsanguination. Milk and mammary tissue were collected from the same mammary gland. Mammary tissue was frozen immediately, and fluids were centrifuged to collect the buffy coat from blood, and the fat layer and cell pellet from milk. The RNA isolated from all tissue sources was prepared for reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. Relative transcript abundance for each gene was determined by normalizing the abundance of the target gene against the abundance of reference genes (RPL4 and RPS23). Differences in relative transcript abundance were determined per gene by Friedman tests and per subsets of genes by correlations. For the selected 8 genes, correlations were modest and tended to show positive relationships between RNA from milk fat, milk somatic cells, and mammary tissue, depending on the function of the gene. The 4 milk-related genes encoding milk proteins (CSN2, LALBA) and enzymes involved in fat metabolism (FASN, LPIN1) were most highly expressed in RNA isolated from milk fat and mammary tissue. The remaining 4 genes (ITGB2, CD68, NFKBIA, and HK1) were related to immune function and were mainly expressed in RNA from milk somatic cells, with fewer transcripts from milk fat and few to no transcripts from mammary tissue or blood leukocytes. Relative transcript abundance in RNA from milk fat was comparable to transcript abundance in RNA from mammary tissue for milk-related genes, but for immune-related genes, it was more similar to RNA from milk somatic cells than from mammary tissue or blood leukocytes. Thus, transcript abundance of the assessed genes was uniquely controlled between each of the 4 tissue sources. Using RNA from milk fat may be beneficial for studies investigating lactational and immunological responses of the mammary gland based on its similar transcript abundance patterns compared with RNA from both mammary tissue and milk somatic cells.
{"title":"Comparison of 4 different RNA sources from lactating dairy cows to assess the mammary transcript abundance","authors":"E.M. Shangraw, M.C. Lucy, T.B. McFadden","doi":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0768","DOIUrl":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0768","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Noninvasive sampling of milk fat for isolation of RNA is an alternative technique to assess the mammary transcriptome. However, contamination of RNA from milk fat with nonmammary sources of RNA may complicate the interpretation of results. We measured transcript abundance of 8 genes in RNA from milk fat, milk somatic cells, mammary tissue, and blood leukocytes to determine how the transcript abundance of selected genes compares between RNA sources. Samples from 8 healthy cows were harvested immediately after slaughter. Blood was collected during exsanguination. Milk and mammary tissue were collected from the same mammary gland. Mammary tissue was frozen immediately, and fluids were centrifuged to collect the buffy coat from blood, and the fat layer and cell pellet from milk. The RNA isolated from all tissue sources was prepared for reverse-transcription quantitative PCR. Relative transcript abundance for each gene was determined by normalizing the abundance of the target gene against the abundance of reference genes (<em>RPL4</em> and <em>RPS23</em>). Differences in relative transcript abundance were determined per gene by Friedman tests and per subsets of genes by correlations. For the selected 8 genes, correlations were modest and tended to show positive relationships between RNA from milk fat, milk somatic cells, and mammary tissue, depending on the function of the gene. The 4 milk-related genes encoding milk proteins (<em>CSN2</em>, <em>LALBA</em>) and enzymes involved in fat metabolism (<em>FASN</em>, <em>LPIN1</em>) were most highly expressed in RNA isolated from milk fat and mammary tissue. The remaining 4 genes (<em>ITGB2</em>, <em>CD68</em>, <em>NFKBIA</em>, and <em>HK1</em>) were related to immune function and were mainly expressed in RNA from milk somatic cells, with fewer transcripts from milk fat and few to no transcripts from mammary tissue or blood leukocytes. Relative transcript abundance in RNA from milk fat was comparable to transcript abundance in RNA from mammary tissue for milk-related genes, but for immune-related genes, it was more similar to RNA from milk somatic cells than from mammary tissue or blood leukocytes. Thus, transcript abundance of the assessed genes was uniquely controlled between each of the 4 tissue sources. Using RNA from milk fat may be beneficial for studies investigating lactational and immunological responses of the mammary gland based on its similar transcript abundance patterns compared with RNA from both mammary tissue and milk somatic cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94061,"journal":{"name":"JDS communications","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 822-826"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145371317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alyssa Leslie , Victor E. Gomez-Leon , Michael D. Kleinhenz , Mikaela Weeder , Ian Batey , Kennedy Kats , Bailey Fritz , Misty Bear , Scott Nordstrom , Serena Schotanus , Andrew Curtis , Santiago Paez Hurtado , Andreia Ferreira , Johann Coetzee
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a needle-free injection system for the intramuscular delivery of cloprostenol in lactating dairy cows. Twenty-six lactating Holstein dairy cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: (1) a single needle-free injection of 2 mL (0.5 mg) cloprostenol i.m. (NFI-PG; n = 10); (2) a single conventional needle injection of 2 mL (0.5 mg) cloprostenol i.m. (NDL-PG; n = 10); or (3) a needle-free injection of 2 mL physiological saline i.m. (CNTL, n = 6). Outcome measurements included corpus luteum (CL) size and blood flow via ovarian ultrasound, as well as progesterone (P4) and plasma cortisol (CORT) concentrations, all assessed at predetermined time points. Data were analyzed using a mixed model with the cow as the experimental unit, and fixed effects of group, day, and the group-by-day interaction. No significant differences were observed in P4 and CL outcome measures between the NFI-PG and NDL-PG groups. Both NFI-PG and NDL-PG cows exhibited similar decreases in P4 across all time points. In contrast, no significant changes in P4 concentrations and CL measures were observed in the CNTL group. Thus, the CNTL cows exhibited significantly higher P4 concentrations from 8 to 92 h compared with the NFI-PG and NDL-PG groups. Regression of CL, as indicated by a decrease in CL volume, blood flow, and P4 concentrations, was observed following both NDL-PG and NFI-PG injections, but not in the CNTL group. The NFI-PG cows had significantly lower CORT levels throughout the entire time period compared with both CNTL and NDL-PG cows. In conclusion, the use of a needle-free injection system for cloprostenol delivery resulted in similar outcomes to conventional needle injections, with comparable decreases in P4 and CL measures in lactating dairy cows and lower CORT concentrations.
本研究的目的是评估使用无针注射系统在泌乳奶牛肌肉内给药氯前列醇的有效性。选取泌乳期荷斯坦奶牛26头，随机分为3个处理：(1)无单针注射氯前列醇2ml (0.5 mg) i.m (NFI-PG, n = 10)；(2)常规单针注射氯前列醇2ml (0.5 mg) i.m (NDL-PG, n = 10)；(3)无针注射生理盐水2ml i.m （CNTL, n = 6）。结果测量包括黄体（CL）大小和卵巢超声血流，以及孕酮（P4）和血浆皮质醇（CORT）浓度，所有这些都在预定的时间点进行评估。数据采用以奶牛为实验单位的混合模型进行分析，固定组、日、组间交互作用效应。NFI-PG组和NDL-PG组的P4和CL指标无显著差异。NFI-PG和NDL-PG奶牛的P4在所有时间点都表现出相似的下降。相比之下，CNTL组P4浓度和CL值无明显变化。因此，与NFI-PG和NDL-PG组相比，CNTL奶牛在8 ~ 92 h的P4浓度显著高于NFI-PG组。注射NDL-PG和NFI-PG后，观察到CL体积、血流量和P4浓度的减少，CL的消退，但CNTL组没有。与CNTL和NDL-PG奶牛相比，NFI-PG奶牛在整个时间段内的CORT水平显著降低。综上所述，使用无针注射系统给药氯前列醇的结果与传统针注射相似，泌乳奶牛的P4和CL水平均有相当的降低，CORT浓度也有降低。
{"title":"Needle-free injection device for administration of cloprostenol to induce luteolysis in lactating dairy cows","authors":"Alyssa Leslie , Victor E. Gomez-Leon , Michael D. Kleinhenz , Mikaela Weeder , Ian Batey , Kennedy Kats , Bailey Fritz , Misty Bear , Scott Nordstrom , Serena Schotanus , Andrew Curtis , Santiago Paez Hurtado , Andreia Ferreira , Johann Coetzee","doi":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0820","DOIUrl":"10.3168/jdsc.2025-0820","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using a needle-free injection system for the intramuscular delivery of cloprostenol in lactating dairy cows. Twenty-six lactating Holstein dairy cows were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 treatments: (1) a single needle-free injection of 2 mL (0.5 mg) cloprostenol i.m. (NFI-PG; n = 10); (2) a single conventional needle injection of 2 mL (0.5 mg) cloprostenol i.m. (NDL-PG; n = 10); or (3) a needle-free injection of 2 mL physiological saline i.m. (CNTL, n = 6). Outcome measurements included corpus luteum (CL) size and blood flow via ovarian ultrasound, as well as progesterone (P4) and plasma cortisol (CORT) concentrations, all assessed at predetermined time points. Data were analyzed using a mixed model with the cow as the experimental unit, and fixed effects of group, day, and the group-by-day interaction. No significant differences were observed in P4 and CL outcome measures between the NFI-PG and NDL-PG groups. Both NFI-PG and NDL-PG cows exhibited similar decreases in P4 across all time points. In contrast, no significant changes in P4 concentrations and CL measures were observed in the CNTL group. Thus, the CNTL cows exhibited significantly higher P4 concentrations from 8 to 92 h compared with the NFI-PG and NDL-PG groups. Regression of CL, as indicated by a decrease in CL volume, blood flow, and P4 concentrations, was observed following both NDL-PG and NFI-PG injections, but not in the CNTL group. The NFI-PG cows had significantly lower CORT levels throughout the entire time period compared with both CNTL and NDL-PG cows. In conclusion, the use of a needle-free injection system for cloprostenol delivery resulted in similar outcomes to conventional needle injections, with comparable decreases in P4 and CL measures in lactating dairy cows and lower CORT concentrations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":94061,"journal":{"name":"JDS communications","volume":"6 6","pages":"Pages 827-831"},"PeriodicalIF":2.2,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145371318","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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