Effect of Forage Type on Milk Production and Quality of Greek Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)

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1 Effect of Forage Type on Milk Production and Quality of Greek Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Ioannis Mitsopoulos 1, Vladimiros Christodoulou 2, Basil Skapetas 1, Eleonora Nistor 3, Dimosthenis Nitas 1, Vasileios A. Bampidis 1* 1 Division of Animal Production, Department of Agricultural Technology, School of Agricultural Technology, Food Technology and Nutrition, Alexander Technological Educational Institute of Thessaloniki (ATEITHE), Thessaloniki, Greece 2 Animal Research Institute, Hellenic Agricultural Organization (HAO) Demeter, Giannitsa, Greece 3 Banat s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine King Michael I of Romania from Timişoara, Faculty of Horticulture and Forestry, Timişoara,Calea Aradului, 119, Romania Abstract In an experiment with twenty four lactating Greek buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) cows, effects of total replacement of alfalfa hay (AH) with corn silage (CS) on productivity and milk composition were determined. In the experiment, which started on week 10 postpartum, buffalo cows were allocated, after equal distribution relative to milk yield and lactation number (i.e., 2 or 3), into 2 treatments being AH and CS of 12 buffalo cows each. For a period of 8 weeks (i.e., weeks postpartum), buffalo cows were individually fed a concentrate mixture (7.3 kg dry matter DM/buffalo cow/day), wheat straw (1.8 kg DM/buffalo cow/day) and alfalfa hay (treatment AH; 5.4 kg DM/buffalo cow/day) or corn silage (treatment CS; 5.6 kg DM/buffalo cow/day). In the 8-week experimental period, there were no differences (P>0.05) between AH and CS treatments in milk fat (81.0 g/kg), protein (46.1 g/kg), lactose (51.2 g/kg) or ash (8.1 g/kg) contents, as well as in somatic cell counts (SSC; SSC/ml) and colony forming units (CFU; CFU/ml) of milk. Moreover, average milk yield (5.8 kg/day), and fat (0.47 kg/day), protein (0.26 kg/day), lactose (0.29 kg/day) and ash (0.047 kg/day) yields, was not affected (P>0.05). Thus, total replacement of alfalfa hay with corn silage as the main forage source in diets of lactating Greek buffalo cows resulted in similar productive performance. Keywords: Alfalfa hay, Corn silage, Greek buffalo cow, Milk yield, Milk quality 1. Introduction The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations [1] refers to the Greek buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) population as a separate breed named Ellinikos vouvalos (Greek buffalo), and characterizes this population as endangeredmaintained. The Greek buffalo is part of biodiversity of many Greek wetlands, thereby enriching ecosystems with its aesthetic value. Moreover, the Greek buffalo, as a food producing * Corresponding author: V.A. Bampidis Tel.: ; Fax: bampidis@ap.teithe.gr animal, provides valuable products, thus increasing the interest in breeding this particular species in Greece; current population is approximately head [2]. Chatziolos [3] reported that milk production of the Greek buffalo was up to 4-8 kg/day ( kg/year). In a recent study, Bampidis et al. [4] reported that milk production and quality of Greek buffalo was generally satisfactory up to week 30 postpartum and that milk yield, as well as fat-, protein-, lactose-, and ash- yield, was affected by parity (1 to 3 vs. 4 to 6), but not by calf birth month (June vs. August). Specifically, Greek buffalo cows with parity 4 to 6 produced daily 21

2 higher quantities of milk and milk constituents compared to buffalo cows with parity 1 to 3. Buffalo cows in Greece are fed on roughages such as alfalfa hay and corn silage. As there is no information on the nutritional value of alfalfa hay and corn silage for Greek buffaloes, the objective of this study was to evaluate alfalfa hay and corn silage supplementation in diets of lactating Greek buffalo cows, relative to performance and chemical composition of milk. 2. Materials and methods 2.1. Experiment: Lactating buffalo cows Twenty four lactating Greek buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) cows were used to determine effects of total replacement of alfalfa hay (AH) with corn silage (CS) on productivity and milk composition. All animals used in the experiment were cared for according to applicable recommendations of the U.S. National Research Council [5]. Milk yield of the buffalo cows was recorded immediately before the commencement of the study. The mean milk yield at the beginning of the experiment was 6.7 ± 0.42 kg/day. In the experiment, which started on week 10 postpartum, buffalo cows were allocated, after equal distribution relative to milk yield and lactation number (i.e., 2 or 3), into 2 treatments (AH and CS) of 12 buffalo cows each and housed in separate floor pens. For a period of 8 weeks (i.e., weeks postpartum), buffalo cows were individually fed a concentrate mixture (7.3 kg dry matter DM/buffalo cow/day; corn 790 g/kg, soybean meal 190 g/kg and vitamin and mineral premix 20 g/kg), wheat straw (1.8 kg DM/buffalo cow/day) and alfalfa hay (treatment AH; 5.4 kg DM/buffalo cow/day) or corn silage (treatment CS; 5.6 kg DM/buffalo cow/day; Table 1) to meet their nutrient requirements as given by Terramoccia et al. [6]. Buffalo cows were machine milked twice daily at 07:00 and 18:00 h with an individual Alpha Laval (Thessaloniki, Greece) milking machine. During the experimental period, the health status and behavior of all buffalo cows was monitored on weekly basis. Milk yield was recorded weekly on a morning and afternoon milking. Milking was conducted at a vacuum level of 50 kpa, pulsation rate of 60 min -1 and pulsation ratio of 50/50. Each week, during 9 morning and afternoon milkings (i.e., 10 th to 18 th week postpartum), samples, approximately 60 ml each, were collected from each buffalo cow, after cleaning the teats. The morning and afternoon milk samples of each buffalo cow, taken in proportion to the different yield, were finally pooled and kept refrigerated (+4 C) until chemical analysis Analyses Feed chemical analyses The alfalfa hay, corn silage, wheat straw and concentrate were analyzed for DM by drying at 102 C for 16 h in a forced air oven, and for crude protein, crude fat, acid detergent fiber (ADFom), and ash according to methods , , , and , respectively, of AOAC [7]. Neutral detergent fiber (NDFom) was determined according to Van Soest et al. [8]. NDF was analyzed without sodium sulfite or a-amylase, and NDF and ADF were expressed without residual ash Milk chemical analyses Milk samples were analyzed for fat, protein, lactose and solid-not-fat (SNF) with IR spectroscopy (Milkoscan 4000; FOSS, Denmark) according to method of the AOAC [7]. Ash was calculated as SNF minus protein and lactose. Milk samples were also analyzed for somatic cell counts (SCC) using a Fossomatic 400 cell counter (FOSS, Denmark), and for colony forming units (CFU) using a BactoScan FC (FOSS, Denmark) Statistical analysis Performance and milk composition of Greek buffalo cows were analyzed using analysis of variance procedures with linear effect of treatment, time, and treatment by time interactions included in the model [9]. For all tests, a probability level of <0.05 was accepted as significant. Statistical analysis used the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences [10]. 3. Results and discussion The chemical composition of the alfalfa hay, corn silage, wheat straw, and concentrate is in Table 1, and that of the alfalfa hay and corn silage is consistent with NRC [11] values. All buffalo cows remained healthy until the end of the experiment without altering their behavior. Feed consumption 22

3 of the alfalfa hay, corn silage, wheat straw, and concentrate was the same between treatments for the whole 8-week experimental period (Table 2). Buffalo cows in AH and CS treatments declined in milk production as the study progressed (Figure 1). During the experiment (Table 3), there were no differences (P>0.05) between AH and CS treatments in milk fat (81.0 g/kg), protein (46.1 g/kg), lactose (51.2 g/kg) or ash (8.1 g/kg) contents, as well as in SSC ( SSC/ml) and CFU ( CFU/ml) of milk. Moreover, average milk yield (5.8 kg/day), and fat (0.47 kg/day), protein (0.26 kg/day), lactose (0.29 kg/day) and ash (0.047 kg/day) yields, was not affected (P>0.05). There was a time effect (P<0.05) for all response parameters, except for ash content and yield, SSC and CFU (P>0.05), and no treatment by time interaction (P>0.05) for any response parameter. Table 1. Chemical composition a (g/kg) of concentrate, wheat straw, alfalfa hay and corn silage (per dry matter DM basis except as noted) Alfalfa hay Corn silage Wheat straw Concentrate Dry matter (as fed) Crude protein Crude fat Neutral detergent fibre(om) Acid detergent fibre(om) Ash a Values represent duplicate assays of two samples for each material Table 2. Dry matter (DM) intake of lactating Greek buffalo cows during the experiment (week 10 to 18 postpartum) Treatment a SEM Significance level b AH CS Treatment Time Treatment Time DM intake (kg/day) Forage (AH or CS) Wheat straw Concentrate Total a AH=treatment with alfalfa hay, CS=treatment with corn silage. b Numbers are probability values. Figure 1. Lactation curves of Greek buffalo cows as influenced by forage type (alfalfa hay or corn silage) during the experiment (week 10 to 18 postpartum); ( ) AH, ( ) CS (overall SEM=0.205 kg/day) 23

4 Table 3. Average milk yield, composition, somatic cells and colony forming units of lactating Greek buffalo cows during the experiment (week 10 to 18 postpartum) Treatment a SEM Significance level b AH CS Treatment Time Treatment Time Yield (kg/day) Milk < Fat < Protein < Lactose Ash Milk content (g/kg) Fat < Protein < Lactose < Ash SCC c ( 1000/ml) CFU d ( 1000/ml) a AH=treatment with alfalfa hay, CS=treatment with corn silage. b Numbers are probability values. Treatment Time interactions for milk yield are illustrated in Figure 1. c Somatic cell counts. d Colony forming units. Lactation curves of Greek buffalo cows that resulted from our study were similar to those lactation curves observed in Greek [4] and Italian [12] buffaloes. Moioli et al. [13] reported that the Greek buffalo populations have a relatively low degree of genetic differentiation from those of the Italian buffalo. The lactation period of Greek buffalo cows, studied in a previous experiment, lasted at least 210 days with average milk yield of 4.7 kg/day [4]. In the present study, values for milk fat, protein, lactose and ash contents, as well as SCC and CFU, were similar to those reported by Bampidis et al. [4]. When Bartocci et al. [14] used 258 buffalo cows to study milk production and quality of the Italian buffalo, they found that average daily milk yield was 9.3 kg/head/day, while the content of milk fat was 86.9 g/kg and that of milk protein 47.7 g/kg. In Greek buffalo milk samples, SCC and CFU showed very low values throughout the experiment, although samples were collected from each buffalo cow only after cleaning with water, but not disinfecting, the teats. This indicates a good level of animal health and that buffalo cows were free from clinical and subclinical mastitis throughout the duration of the experiment. Bartocci et al. [14] found that average SCC was /ml in the milk of 258 Italian buffalo cows. Moreover, Tripaldi [15] reported that European Union has established a limit of SCC/ml and of CFU/ml for buffalo milk. 4. Conclusions Total replacement of alfalfa hay with corn silage as the main forage source in diets of lactating Greek buffalo cows resulted in similar productive performance. Acknowledgements This research has been co-financed by the European Union (European Social Fund ESF) and Greek national funds through the Operational Program "Education and Lifelong Learning" of the National Strategic Reference Framework (NSRF) Research Funding Program: ARCHIMEDES III. Investing in knowledge society through the European Social Fund. The authors thank Mr. A. Andreadis, Vice-President of the Greek Buffalo Breeders Cooperation (GBBC, Vironia, Serres, Greece), for providing the facilities and the animals, as well as the staff of the Laboratory of Milk Quality Control, Hellenic Agricultural Organization Demeter (Giannitsa, Greece) for milk sample analysis. References 1. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Breeds currently recorded in the Global Databank for Animal Genetic Resources. Rome, Italy, 2007, pp Greek Buffalo Breeders Cooperation (GBBC), Data concerning the Greek buffalo population. Vironia, Serres, Greece, 2015, Personal communication. 24

5 3. Chatziolos, Β., Livestock Production in Greece, The Greek Publications Co., Athens, Greece, 1941, pp Bampidis, V. A., Nistor, E., Skapetas, B., Christodoulou, V., Chatziplis, D., Mitsopoulos, I., Lagka, V., Effect of parity and calving month on milk production and quality of Greek buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), Scientific Papers: Animal Science and Biotechnologies, 2012, 45 (2), National Research Council (NRC), Guide for the care and use of laboratory animals, National Academy Press, Washington, D.C., USA, Terramoccia, S., Bartocci, S., Borghese, A., Nutritional requirements in buffalo cows and heifers. In: Borghese, A. (Ed.), Buffalo Production and Research, FAO Inter-Regional Cooperative Research Network on Buffalo, REU Technical Series 67, FAO, Rome, Italy, 2005, pp Association of Official Analytical Chemists (AOAC), Official Methods of Analysis of the AOAC. Helrich, K. (Ed.), 15th ed. Arlington, Virginia, USA, Van Soest, P.J., Robertson, J.B., Lewis, B.A., Methods for dietary fiber, neutral detergent fiber, and nonstarch polysaccharides in relation to animal nutrition. Journal of Dairy Science, 1991, 74, Steel, R. G. D., Torrie, J. H., Principles and Procedures of Statistics. A Biometrical Approach. 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, New York, USA, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Release SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA, National Research Council (NRC), Nutrient Requirements of Dairy Cattle. 7th rev. ed. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, USA, Macciotta, N. P. P., Dimauro, C., Catillo, G., Coletta, A., Cappio-Borlino, A., Factors affecting individual lactation curve shape in Italian river buffaloes. Livestock Science, 2006, 104, Moioli, B., Georgoudis, A., Napolitano, F., Catillo, G., Giubilei, E., Ligda, Ch., Hassanane, M., Genetic diversity between Italian, Greek and Egyptian buffalo populations. Livestock Production Science, 2001, 70, Bartocci, S., Tripaldi, C., Terramoccia, S., Characteristics of foodstuffs and diets, and the quantiqualitative milk parameters of Mediterranean buffaloes bred in Italy using the intensive system. An estimate of the nutritional requirements of buffalo herds lactating or dry. Livestock Production Science, 2002, 77, Tripaldi, C., Buffalo milk quality. In: Borghese, A. (Ed.), Buffalo Production and Research, FAO Inter- Regional Cooperative Research Network on Buffalo, REU Technical Series 67, FAO, Rome, Italy, 2005, pp