Effects of nutrition and management on the production and composition of milk fat and protein: A review

Abstract

The composition and functional properties of cow's milk are of considerable importance to the dairy farmer, manufacturer, and consumer. Broadly, there are 3 options for altering the composition and/or functional properties of milk: cow nutrition and management, cow genetics, and dairy manufacturing technologies. This review considers the effects of nutrition and management on the composition and production of milk fat and protein, and the relevance of these effects to the feeding systems used in the Australian dairy industry. Dairy cows on herbage-based diets derive fatty acids for milk fat synthesis from the diet/rumen microorganisms (400-450 g/kg), from adipose tissues (<100g/kg), and from..