New insights into the quality characteristics of milk from Modenese breed compared with Italian Friesian

This study examined the milk quality of the autochthonous cattle breed Modenese (MO) in comparison with Italian Friesian (IF),at peak and mid lactation,with the aim to support the interest in sustainability of the local cattle breeds in Europe. Forty-eight individual milk samples were collected from 11 MO and 14 IF pluriparous cows,housed in a free stall barn under similar conditions of feeding and management,at 8 and 21 weeks post-calving; daily milk yield (MY) and body condition score (BCS) were individually recorded. Breed differences were observed,being MY lower in MO cows,but BCS,titratable acidity,freezing point,casein (MC),total calcium (Ca),total phosphorus (P) and colloidal P contents were higher compared to IF cows. Time affected BCS,MY,milk protein (MP),MC,urea,casein P and the micellar content of colloidal Ca and colloidal inorganic P. A factorial analysis was performed and four common factors were obtained with a cumulative explained variance of 77.7% of the total original. MO milk showed a nutritionally interesting mineral profile and processing properties suitable for the production of typical cheese that could be interesting for improving the interest in the conservation of animal genetic resources.