Effect of Marine Algae Supplementation on Somatic Cell Count, Prevalence of Udder Pathogens, and Fatty Acid Profile of Dairy Goats’ Milk

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Schizochytrium limacinum marine algae on the milk composition and fatty acid profile, somatic cell count, and prevalence of pathogen bacteria in the raw milk of multiparous Alpine goats. Twenty-eight dairy goats were randomly allocated to two groups: control group (C)—fed with 1500 g alfalfa hay and 600 g concentrate; experimental group (MA)—received the same forages and concentrate supplemented with 10 g/head/day marine algae. The goats were housed indoors, while the experiment lasted five weeks, and the milk samples were taken every week. Marine algae feeding had no negative effect on milk composition. The marine algae inclusion significantly decreased the milk somatic cell count and the presence of udder pathogens in the MA group. Mean somatic cell count and presence of udder pathogens were 5.73 log cells/mL and 31%, respectively, in the C group, while these values were 5.34 log cells/mL and 10%, respectively, in the MA group. The marine algae supplementation significantly increased DHA and rumenic acid concentration in the milk of the MA group (0.32 and 0.99 g/100 g of fatty acids, respectively) compared to the C group (0.04 and 0.65 g/100 g of fatty acids, respectively). It can be concluded that a diet supplemented with marine algae significantly improves the udder health of goats and the concentrations of health-promoting fatty acids in milk.

The influence of grazing and indoor systems on goat milk, brined cheese and whey quality

“…Conversely, milk from confined goats had a higher ratio of n-6/n-3 fatty acids, and a higher ratio of LA/ALA, but the differences were not statistically significant (p<0.05). Data from the literature also indicate that goat grazing significantly reduces the AI and TI in milk and increases the content of n-3 fatty acids (Bodnár et al, 2021;Pajor et al, 2021). A comparison of the values of these indices in the current study with data from the literature shows that both goat husbandry systems studied tend to have lower and more favourable values than those found in the aforementioned literature.…”

Alternative and Unconventional Feeds in Dairy Diets and Their Effect on Fatty Acid Profile and Health Properties of Milk Fat

“…A low content of MUFAs was observed after feeding with the combination of oregano plants, macroalgae Acophyllum nodosum [ 188 ], Spirulina platensis [ 8 ], and Schizochytrium spp., as reported in [ 86 ] ( Table 3 ). Feeding all four of these feeds resulted in a lower content of oleic acid (C18:1c9), suggesting lower desaturation from C18:0 [ 189 ] (see Table 2 ). The highest content of PUFAs in milk fat from all reviewed feeds was found in Schizochytrium spp., at 9.82 g/100 g FA, mainly due to high contents of DHA, ALA, and LA [ 86 ].…”

“…In the case of AI, and inversely HPI, the calculation includes only selected SFAs (C12:0, C14:0 and C16:0) which were thought to be hypercholesterolaemic [ 31 ], and the sum of n3 and n6 PUFAs and MUFAs. Some dietary interventions, such as supplementing the diet with feeds rich in long-chain n3 PUFAs, inhibit the saturation of PUFAs and various isomers of C18:1 to C18:0 in the rumen, resulting in a subsequent decrease in C18:1c9, the main MUFA, in milk, which is produced during the desaturation process in the mammary gland from the above-mentioned substrate FA (C18:0) [ 189 ], and thus provides a misleading AI value. Because the usage of AI persists in recent publications, e.g., [ 168 , 189 ], it is necessary to interpret and evaluate AI values with regards to biohydrogenation processes in the rumen.…”

“…Furthemore, dietary DHA inhibits the final step in the rumen biohydrogenation process, which results in the accumulation of trans-C18:1 FAs, such as C18:1t11 and C18:1t10 [ 190 ]. The accumulated trans-C18:1 FA can inhibit specific bacteria that convert C18:1 into C18:0 [ 190 ]; thus, the content of C18:1t11 in milk can be increased, as well as the content of C18:2c9t11, which is converted from the C18:1t11 during the desaturation process in the mammary gland [ 189 ]. Elevated contents of C18:2c9t11 were also observed in our review in algal feeds that were rich in DHA.…”

Effect of short-term nutritional supplementation of green microalgae on some reproductive indicators of Anglo-Nubian crossbred goats

“…In ruminants, the authors described several types of supplementation regimens with microalgae or marine algae. Their results indicated the beneficial action of PUFAs on the quality of milk [10][11][12] and meat [13,14]. In tropical regions, the value of microalgae as a supplement in animal nutrition is widely recognized as a growth promoter [15] and a milk quality improver [16].…”