Variation of lactoferrin and lactoperoxidase in bovine milk and the impact of level of pasture intake

Abstract

Lactoferrin (Lf) and lactoperoxidase (LP) are milk proteins with antimicrobial and im-munomodulatory activities. This study examined the effect of pasture allowance on the production of Lf and activity of LP, as well as the variation in the concentration of Lf and activity of LP in the milk of lactating dairy cows during late lactation. Following a 2-week period where a herd of 20 cows was grazed solely on pasture, two different nutritional regimes were imposed upon the cows. For 4 weeks, 10 cows grazed ad libitum while the other 10 grazed a restricted amount of pasture. Milk samples were collected twice weekly throughout the experiment and were analysed for Lf concentration and LP activity,..