Cooling,Storing and Quality of Raw Milk

Abstract

Full-scale experiments with cooling of raw milk of good initial quality from a herd of 70 dairy cows have been performed under practical farm conditions, with different cooling and storage conditions, including instant cooling in a continuous process versus normal cooling in a batch process. During each milking, the milk was divided equally and successively for different cooling procedures. Quality evaluations (number of bacteria, acidity and oxidation of fat, sensoric quality) indicated that instant cooling/continuous process compared with normal cooling/batch process over 2.5 hours, both to 4°C, resulted in a slightly slower bacterial growth and a slightly slower hydrolysis and oxidation of milk fat. Instant raw milk cooled and stored at 2.5°C maintained a good quality for about one to two days more than when normal cooling over 1.5 hours and storing at 4°C was used.     

SPN: A model for the study of soil-plant nitrogen fluxes in silage maize cultivation

The aim of this study was to adapt the Soil-Plant-Nitrogen (SPN) model to silage maize, as an explorative tool for evaluating the possibility of expanding maize cultivation to regions which historically have been too cold for maize production, and for estimating the effects of management practices as fertiliser and manure application on C and N fluxes. The model was validated using data from a 5-year maize experiment conducted in northern Germany. Available observations included shoot biomass and N yield, soil mineral N (0–90 cm) sampled in spring and autumn, and nitrate in the soil solution during winter; occasionally also the soil water content and ground water level were recorded. The SPN crop module, originally developed for barley production in Norway, was successfully adapted to maize. The strategy adopted was to assess the maize-specific algorithms for the radiation use efficiency (RUE) and the leaf area index (LAI) by statistical analysis of selected subsets of the available observations. In addition, parameters were modified with respect to crops characteristics. The baseline mineralisation of the SPN soil module was inspected with respect to the ability to predict both the observed plant N uptake and soil mineral N of the unfertilised plots. In order to predict the time course of plant N uptake it was necessary to incorporate a ploughing effect, as a transient mineralisation burst. The modified SPN was evaluated with respect to the whole range of mineral N and cattle slurry treatments. Nitrogen and biomass yields were successfully predicted. The dynamicity of the soil mineral N prediction was reasonable, but a statistical analysis of the model performance was hampered by the selective timing of the soil samples. The good fit of the time course of the plant N uptake under contrasting fertiliser treatments suggests that the predictions of soil N immobilisation and losses can also be assumed to be reasonable. The SPN model seems a suitable tool for the prediction of the effects of climate and management on the yield and on the soil-plant N economy of silage maize. However, under extreme combination of high radiation and low temperature or vice-versa, RUE estimation may be a source of uncertainty and more empirical studies are recommended.     

Housing system and herd size interactions in Norwegian dairy herds; associations with performance and disease incidence

Background

According to the Norwegian animal welfare regulations, it has been forbidden to build new tie-stall barns since the end of 2004. Previous studies have shown that cow performance and health differ between housing systems. The interaction between housing system and herd size with respect to performance and disease incidence has not been evaluated.

Methods

Cow performance and health in 620 herds housed in free-stall barns were compared with in 192 herds housed in tie-stall barns based on a mail survey and data from the Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording and Cattle Health Systems. The housing systems herds were comparable with respect to herd size (15-55 cows). Associations between performance/disease incidence and housing system, herd size and year of building the cow barn were tested in general linear models, and values for fixed herd size of 20 and 50 cows were calculated. On the individual cow level mixed models were run to test the effect of among others housing system and herd size on test-day milk yield, and to evaluate lactation curves in different parities. All cows were of the Norwegian Red Breed.

Results

Average milk production per cow-year was 134 kg lower in free-stall herd than in tie-stall herds, but in the range 27-45 cows there was no significant difference in yields between the herd categories. In herds with less than 27 cows there were increasingly lower yields in free-stalls, particularly in first parity, whereas the yields were increasingly higher in free-stalls with more than 45 cows.In free-stalls fertility was better, calving interval shorter, and the incidence rate of teat injuries, ketosis, indigestions, anoestrus and cystic ovaries was lower than in tie-stalls. All of these factors were more favourable in estimated 50-cow herds as compared to 20-cow herds. In the larger herd category, bulk milk somatic cell counts were higher, and the incidence rate of mastitis (all cases) and all diseases was lower.

Conclusion

This study has shown that there is an interaction between housing system and herd size, and that performance and health is not universally better in small free-stalls than in tie-stalls.     

Potential disease interaction reinforced: double-virus-infected escaped farmed Atlantic salmon,Salmo salar L., recaptured in a nearby river

The role of escaped farmed salmon in spreading infectious agents from aquaculture to wild salmonid populations is largely unknown. This is a case study of potential disease interaction between escaped farmed and wild fish populations. In summer 2012, significant numbers of farmed Atlantic salmon were captured in the Hardangerfjord and in a local river. Genetic analyses of 59 of the escaped salmon and samples collected from six local salmon farms pointed out the most likely source farm, but two other farms had an overlapping genetic profile. The escapees were also analysed for three viruses that are prevalent in fish farming in Norway. Almost all the escaped salmon were infected with salmon alphavirus (SAV) and piscine reovirus (PRV). To use the infection profile to assist genetic methods in identifying the likely farm of origin, samples from the farms were also tested for these viruses. However, in the current case, all the three farms had an infection profile that was similar to that of the escapees. We have shown that double-virus-infected escaped salmon ascend a river close to the likely source farms, reinforcing the potential for spread of viruses to wild salmonids.     

Antioxidant and 15-lipoxygenase inhibitory activity of rotenoids, isoflavones and phenolic glycosides from Sarcolobus globosus

From Sarcolobus globosus, two rotenoids (villosinol and 6-oxo-6a,12a-dehydrodeguelin), one isoflavone (genistin) and four phenolic glycosides (vanillic acid 4-O-beta-d-glucoside, glucosyringic acid, tachioside and isotachioside) were identified for the first time from this species. Extracts and compounds from S. globosus were evaluated for their DPPH radical scavenging and 15-lipoxygenase (15-LO) inhibitory activities. All tested rotenoids were found to inhibit 15-LO, while they lacked DPPH radical scavenging effect.     

Outside enclosure and additional enrichment for dairy goats – a preliminary study

Background

Dairy goats are commonly housed at a space allowance of 0.7 – 0.8 m²/goat in commercial Norwegian goat herds, which is very low compared to regulations and recommendations in other European countries. One easy and cheap way to increase space allowance is to allow the animals’ access to outdoor area. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of access to an outside enclosure and environmental enrichment for dairy goats kept in slatted floor pens with low space allowance on their activity pattern and social behaviour.

Methods

A group of 82 dairy goats on a commercial Norwegian dairy farm were kept inside during the winter period from October to April. In April the goats were given access to an outside enclosure for 8 hours per day. After having access to the enclosure for another for two days, enrichment (branches) was provided, and after 19 days the enrichment were removed. The goats were observed for 5 hours per day for the two last days before they got access to the outside enclosure, the two days in the enclosure, the two first and the two last days with enrichment and for the following two days without enrichment by two trained observers.

Results

When allowed access to the enclosure, the goats spent nearly 50% of the time outside, and later the time spent outside was reduced to less than 40% (P < 0.0001), but there was no clear effect of enrichment. All the goats appeared to have a regular use of the enclosure. Time spent resting decreased 59.2% to only 25.2% when the goats first got access to the enclosure, but then started to increase again (P < 0.0001). Initially time spent exploring and chewing the branches was 20%, but this was reduced to around 12% in the last part of the ENRICH period (P < 0.0001). Number of aggressive interactions tended to increase when the goats were allowed access to the outdoor enclosure whereas play behaviour was only observed in the outside enclosure (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

In conclusion, the goats preferred to use the outside enclosure when being active, and branches were perceived as an attractive enrichment.     

Tissue tropism of nervous necrosis virus (NNV) in Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., after intraperitoneal challenge with a virus isolate from diseased Atlantic halibut, Hippoglossus hippoglossus (L.)

Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua , averaging 100 g, were experimentally challenged by intraperitoneal injection of nervous necrosis virus (NNV) originating from Atlantic halibut. Cod tissues, including blood, gill, pectoral fin, barbel, ventricle, atrium, spleen, liver, lateral line (including muscle tissue), eye (retina) and brain, were sampled at day 25 and 130 and investigated by real-time RT-PCR for the presence of NNV. Relative quantifications at day 130 were calculated using the 2^−ΔΔCt method. Immunosuppression by injection of prednisolone-acetate was introduced for a 30-day period, and tissue sampled at day 180 and relative quantification estimated. No mortality or clinical signs of disease were observed in the challenged group. The challenge resulted in detection of NNV in blood, spleen, kidney, liver, heart atrium and heart ventricle at day 25, and by the end of the experiment NNV showed a clear increase in brain and retina, suggesting these to be the primary tissues for viral replication. There was no increase in the relative amount of NNV in blood, atrium, ventricle, spleen, liver and kidney. Corticosteroid implants resulted in a weak increase in virus RNA in spleen, kidney, liver and brain. These findings suggest that Atlantic cod is susceptible to infection with NNV from halibut. The observed tissue tropism patterns suggest an initial viraemic phase, followed by neurotrophy. Head-kidney is the best tissue identified for possible NNV detection by non-lethal biopsy, but detection was not possible in all injected fish.     

Performance of pedotransfer functions in predicting soil water characteristics of soils in Norway

Abstract

Pedotransfer functions (PTFs), predicting the soil water retention curve (SWRC) from basic soil physical properties, need to be validated on arable soils in Norway. In this study we compared the performance of PTFs developed by Riley (1996), Rawls and Brakensiek (1989), Vereecken et al. (1989), Wösten et al. (1999) and Schaap et al. (2001). We compared SWRCs calculated using textural composition, organic matter content (SOM) and bulk density as input to these PTFs to pairs of measured water content and matric potential. The measured SWRCs and PTF input data were from 540 soil horizons on agricultural land in Norway. We used various statistical indicators to evaluate the PTFs, including an integrated index by Donatelli et al. (2004). The Riley PTFs showed good overall performance. The soil specific version of Riley is preferred over the layer specific, as the latter may introduce a negative change in water content with increasing matric potential (h). Among the parameter PTFs, Wösten's continuous PTF showed the overall best performance, closely followed by Rawls&B and Vereecken. The ANN-based continuous PTF of Schaap showed poorer performance than its regression based counterparts. Systematic errors related to both particle size and SOM caused the class PTFs to perform poorly; these PTFs do not use SOM as input, and are therefore inappropriate for soils in Norway, being highly variable in SOM. The PTF performance showed little difference between soil groups. Water contents in the dry range of the SWRC were generally better predicted than water contents in the wet range. Pedotransfer functions that included both SOM and measured bulk density as input, i.e. Wösten, Vereecken and Rawls&B, performed best in the wet range.     

Real-time PCR detection of Parvicapsula pseudobranchicola (Myxozoa: Myxosporea) in wild salmonids in Norway

The myxozoan genus Parvicapsula contains 14 species infecting fish, some of which are known to cause severe disease in farmed and wild salmonids. Parvicapsula pseudobranchicola infections were first reported from seawater-reared Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, in Norway in 2002 and have since then been an increasing problem. The present study describes a Taqman real-time PCR assay for specific detection of P. pseudobranchicola. The Taqman assay targets the 18S rRNA gene of P. pseudobranchicola and is able to detect as few as ten copies of the target sequence. Using the described assay, P. pseudobranchicola was detected in both farmed and wild salmonids, indicating that wild Atlantic salmon, sea trout, Salmo trutta, and Arctic char, Salvelinus alpinus, may be natural hosts of the parasite. Parvicapsula pseudobranchicola was found in samples from wild salmonids in the far south and the far north of Norway, displaying a wide geographic range of the parasite. Farmed salmonids showed P. pseudobranchicola infection levels many folds higher than that observed for wild sea trout, indicating that farmed Atlantic salmon are subjected to an elevated infection pressure compared with wild salmonids.     

Variation in free water intake in lactating ewes

The aim of this study was to investigate individual free water intake (FWI) in lactating ewes, with two suckling lambs. Eighteen ewes were housed in single experimental pens from the time of lambing to two weeks after lambing. The ewes had free access to water from a drinking bowl and water meters were used to record the daily FWI. On average, the FWI for the ewes was 14.42?l/day. The variation between individuals was large (CV 27.6%) and varied between 8.16 and 21.88?l/day. It was also large variation within individuals (CV 19.2%). Hay DM intake were the factor that affected the FWI the most. Due to the large variation between and within ewes, FWI are not a stable individual characteristic. This study is useful for farmers to understand water supply needed for lactating ewes.