By Dr Jolly Kabirizi
Producing a high-quality food product begins at the farm level, and prevention is the only way to ensure milk is of good quality and flavour.
Sometimes certain nutrition programs or management practices on the farm can cause off-flavor problems in milk. This can have long-term ramifications for consumers because of a poor-tasting product.
This can undermine consumer confidence in dairy products. Therefore, it is in everyone’s interest to prevent these occurrences from happening regardless of the source.
Feed flavour
All feed flavours are absorbed through the cow’s system rather directly into the milk. Cows impart an odour and taste within 30 minutes of eating or breathing silage.
It is strongest after about one hour. The odour and taste of grass or corn silage, legume hay, and brewer’s grains are the ingredients causing most of the problems. Do not feed legumes such as fresh lablab when you are about to milk the cows.
The two methods by which odour can be transferred to milk are:
- Nose or mouth → lungs → blood → milk
- Mouth → digestive tract → blood → milk
Dr Jolly Kabirizi is a Livestock consultant/dairy farmer/Forage agronomist
