view - Department of Reproduction, Obstetrics and Herd Health

Protein content (g/kg)
Fat content (g/kg)
MILK FAT SATURATION AND REPRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE IN DAIRY CATTLE
RESULTS
DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS AND BULK TANK MILK SAMPLES
During the study period, 35,433 bulk tank milk samples were collected and
analyzed from the participating herds for FAT, PROT and UFA. The overall fat and
protein content was 42.3 ± 2.58 g/kg and 35.0 ± 1.25 g/kg, respectively. The average
UFA percentage was 30.8 ± 1.47 %. This percentage was negatively correlated with both
FAT (r = -0.32, P < 0.0001, Figure 1) and PROT (r = -0.31, P < 0.0001, Figure 2).
55.0
50.0
45.0
40.0
35.0
30.0
20 25 30 35 40 45
UFA (%)
Figure 1. Scatterplot presenting the correlation between the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and
the fat content (g/kg) in bulk tank milk samples (n=35,433) of Belgian herds (n=90) in 2008 and 2009.
40.0
37.5
35.0
32.5
30.0
20 25 30 35 40 45
UFA (%)
Figure 2. Scatterplot presenting the correlation between the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and
the protein content (g/kg) in bulk tank milk samples (n=35,433) of Belgian herds (n=90) in 2008 and 2009.
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