The Research Column

Up to 90% of administrated antibiotics are eliminated from the animal body through the faeces or urine, implying that manure generated from animal production represents a major route of antibiotic transfer to the environment. The presence of antibiotics, even at very low concentrations, can contribute to emergence of antibiotic resistance genes (ARG) and selection of antibiotic resistant bacteria.

The environmental effects of mineral nitrogen are of global concern, and there is growing determination to mitigate its use for agricultural purposes. The replacement of synthetic fertilizer N with N fixed by bacteria (biological N fixation) in association with legumes such as white clover (Trifolium repens L.) offers the potential to lower fertilizer N use, nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions, and energy use.

Below par post-calving health has a negative effect on the performance and survival of dairy cows and occurrence of uterine, metabolic and other health disorders which are risk factors for lower subsequent fertility and milk yield, and higher risk of culling. The interrelationship between loss in body condition score (BCS) and disease prevalence is however complex and establishing cause and effect associations is challenging. Increased risk of milk fever, ketosis, fatty liver, metritis, digestive disorders and mastitis in cows with greater loss of BCS after calving has been shown.

In the study, the effects of homogenization conducted at higher pressure than the conventional (10 megapascal [MPa] for the first stage and 5 MPa for the second stage) on curd structure of set yogurt was investigated, the focus being on the fat globule size. Each yogurt mix was adjusted at the range of fat globule sizes from 0.45 μm to 1.1 μm by a homogenizer and then heated at 95°C for 5 minutes (conventional heat treatment), 120°C for 2 seconds (ESL processing) or 140°C for 2 seconds.