Evaluation of Additional Acetone and Urea Analyses, and of the Fat‐Lactose‐Quotient in Cow Milk Samples in the Herd Recording System in Norway

Abstract

S u m m a r y The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of additional acetone and urea analyses to the established herd recording system (protein, fat, lactose, and somatic cell count) in cow milk samples every second month. Samples were obtained from 43/82 herds (800/1368 cows) in a lowland/highland area. Acetone concentrations (mmol/l) were classified into acetone classes 1 (c0.7); 2 (0.7-1.4); and 3 (>1.4). There was an association between increasing acetone class and increasing ketosis incidence in herd (Kendall's Tau-b = 0.13). The highest percentage frequencies of acetone classes 2 and 3 were in weeks 4-6 postpartum. Milk yield, urea, and lactose were significantly lower; milk protein not different, and milk fat was significantly higher in herds with high ketosis incidence and in cows in acetone classes 2 and 3. General linear models, obtained by backward elimination of non-significant variables, showed that milk protein was negatively associated to milk yield and positively associated to milk fat. Milk yield decreased, and milk fat concentration increased with increasing acetone level. Milk fat and milk lactose were negatively associated, and a fat-lactose-quotient might be promising in a model to rule out subclinical ketosis cows.

A Comparison of Result Reliability for Investigation of Milk Composition by Alternative Analytical Methods in Czech Republic

“…Especially, there are so called majority components: fat (F); protein (P); lactose (L); somatic cell count (SCC). These values and their combinations could be important for control of prevention of subclinical forms of production disorders such as mastitis during whole lactation (milk yield, conductivity, L and SCC; Hanuš et al, 1992;Pyorälä, 2003;Katz, 2007;Karp and Petersson Wolfe, 2010) and ketosis in early lactation (milk yield, F/P and F/L; Steen et al, 1996;Geishauser et al, 1997;Duffi eld, 2000;Katz, 2007;Duffi eld et al, 2009;Siebert and Pallauf, 2010;van der Dri et al, 2012;Hanuš et al, 2013). Milk in contrast to blood or urine off ers easy sampling, which is routinely mastered including cold transport into laboratory.…”

Metaanalysis of ketosis milk indicators in terms of their threshold estimation

“…Ketones in milk (acetone and betahydroxybutyrate) are suitable for confi dent noninvasive monitoring and control of dairy cow (Říha and Hanuš, 1999;Hanuš et al, 2004) nutrition and health state. During ketosis (lack of energy, it means blood glucose defi ciency) milk fat content is increased due to body fat destroying and at the same time on the contrary the protein content is decreased (Diekmann, 1987;Geishauser and Ziebell, 1995;Steen et al, 1996;Hansen, 1999;Gasteiner, 2000;Hana et al, 2007;Siebert and Pallauf, 2010;van Knegsel et al, 2010;van der Dri et al, 2012). The possibilities for identifi cation of subclinical ketosis are better step by step in dairy herds.…”

“…Next possibility is investigation of milk ketones by stable tests Hanuš et al, 1999;Carrier et al, 2004). Also changes in ratios of main milk components are usable in subclinical ketosis monitoring by calculation of ketosis milk quotients (fat/crude protein and fat/ lactose; Geishauser and Ziebell, 1995;Duffi eld et al, 1997;Steen et al, 1996;Gasteiner, 2000;Reist et al, 2002;van Knegsel et al, 2010;Siebert and Pallauf, 2010;Hanuš et al, b, 2013Manzenreiter et al, 2013). These components are regularly monthly investigated during milk recording in laboratories with MIR and MIR-FT technology.…”

Cross validation of cut-off limit estimations for milk indicators of subclinical ketosis

“…Breeders can know milk composition regularly (Mottram et al, 2002). According to literature sources the milk indicators such as acetone content and fat/crude protein (F/CP) and fat/lactose (F/L) quotient could be successfuly used in the SK diagnosis (Duffi eld et al, 1997;Geishauser and Ziebell, 1995;Steen et al, 1996;Geishauser et al, 1997;Heuer et al, 2001;Reist et al, 2002;Van Knegsel et al, 2010;Siebert and Pallauf, 2010;Manzenreiter et al, 2013;Hanuš et al, 2013). In this sense the fi rst third of lactation period is important (Januš and Borkowska, 2013) as Manzenreiter et al (2013) found 80% of ketosis cases occurrence in 1 st 50 days and 35% of the positive diagnoses in 1 st 10 days of lactation.…”