MILK PRODUCTIVITY AND MILK COMPOSITION OF COWS WITH DIFFERENT TONE OF THE AUTONOMOUS NERVOUS SYSTEM UNDER CHRONIC HEAT STRESS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37406/2706-9052-2025-4.38Keywords:
raw milk, chronic heat stress, fatty acidsAbstract
To determine the specifics of the impact of chronic heat stress on milk production of Ukrainian black-and-white cows with different tones of the autonomic nervous system, an experiment was conducted in the village of Kalynia, Kamianets-Podilskyi district, Khmelnytskyi region. The farm keeps cattle, free-range on deep litter. Access to feed and water is free. The average productivity on the farm is 7–8 thousand liters of milk per lactation. In the conditions of the farm, three groups of cows were selected according to the tone of the autonomic nervous system (normotonic, sympathotonic and vagotonic) with 10 animals in each group with a productivity of 20–25 liters of milk per day. The tone of the autonomic nervous system was determined by the Baevsky method. Chronic heat stress of lactating cows was studied in July after prolonged heat stress on animals (20 days) determination of temperature-humidity index (THI) was carried out daily. The material for the studies was milk samples obtained from animals of the experimental groups. Physico-chemical parameters of raw milk were determined on the EKOMILK M MILK ANALYZER MILKANA KAM98-2A device. To determine the fatty acid composition of milk, fat was isolated using the Folch method. Analysis of fatty acid methyl esters was carried out on a Trace GC Ultra gas chromatograph (USA) with a flame ionization detector according to DSTU ISO 5509-2002. Chromatography conditions: column temperature 140–240ºС, detector temperature 260ºС. Milk productivity of cows and their adaptive ability to excessive heat stress depend on the tone of the autonomic nervous system. Lactating cows from the normotonic group have the highest level of milk productivity, the lowest – in vagotonics, and the animals of this experimental group were the most sensitive to chronic heat stress. Sympathotonics tolerated heat stress the most easily. The intensity of secretion by the mammary gland of total lipids and individual fatty acids in cows with chronic heat stress depends on the tone of the nervous system, in particular, normotonics are characterized by the maximum relative content of unsaturated fatty acids: C4:0, C18:2n6c and the lowest – C11:0; vagotonics have the maximum relative content of unsaturated fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids: C18:3n3, the lowest content in milk C4:0, C8:0, C18:2n6c, C4:0–C10:0; sympathotonics were characterized by the highest content of C8:0, C11:0, C14:0, C6:0–C11:0 and the lowest C18:3n3.
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