Phytoestrogens and fatty acids in forage and bovine milk

The overall aims of the studies underlying this thesis were to investigate effects of key factors on the concentrations and composition of phytoestrogens and fatty acids in forage species, and effects of differences in their concentrations and composition in forage on their concentrations in bovine milk. In each of the spring cuts, the total isoflavone concentrations in red clover were higher at Umeå than at Skara. At Umeå, the concentration decreased with later cutting time, but at Skara there were no differences between the cutting times. The most abundant isoflavone found in red clover were formononetin, followed by biochanin A. In the summer cuts, the total isoflavone concentration decreased with a longer regrowth interval at Umeå, but this variable was not affected at Skara. Concentrations of each of the analysed isoflavones were considerably higher in red clover than in birdsfoot trefoil. Secoisolariciresinol was only found in birdsfoot trefoil. Meadow fescue had in general higher concentrations fatty acids than timothy. The concentrations of all fatty acids in the grasses decreased with increasing lateness of cutting time in spring cuts. In general, concentrations of C18:0 and C18:1 were higher and concentrations of C16:0, C18:3 and total fatty acids lower in red clover than in birdsfoot trefoil. The concentration of almost all fatty acids decreased with later cutting time. There were correlations between leaf blade proportions, α-tocopherol, β-carotene and protein concentrations, and the fatty acid concentrations. Two similar silage feeding experiments were conducted in which dairy cows were fed silage mixtures. In both experiments, the concentrations of all isoflavones were higher and those of mammalian lignans lower in milk from cows on the red clover-grass diets than in milk from cows on the birdsfoot trefoil-grass or white clover-grass diets. However, the largest observed difference in milk phytoestrogen contents was in the equol concentration. For the fatty acids, the proportions in the milk and recoveries of C18:2n-6 and C18:3n-3 were higher on the red clover diets than on birdsfoot trefoil-grass or white clover-grass diets. Shortening the regrowth interval increased the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in milk. Supplementation with α-tocopherol increased milk α-tocopherol concentrations but did not affect milk fatty acid composition

PhytoMilk: Effects of botanical composition and harvest system of legume/grass silage on fatty acid, α-tocopherol and β-carotene concentration in organic forage and milk

Red clover and high proportion of forage in dairy cow diet increases the concentration of bioactive substances in milk, e.g. unsaturated fatty acids and antioxidants. In the present experiment twenty-four Swedish Red dairy cows were fed three silages in a Latin Square design to study the effect of silage botanical composition and harvest time on milk fatty acid, α-tocopherol and β-carotene concentration. The silages were red clover/grass silage (mixture of first and second cut), red clover/grass silage (mixture of first, second and third cut) and birdsfoot trefoil/grass silage (mixture of first and second cut). Botanical composition and harvest system affected silage vitamin and fatty acid concentration with higher concentrations of α-linolenic acid, α-tocopherol and β-carotene in red clover/grass silage (mixture of three harvests). Milk linoleic and α-linolenic acid concentration was higher with the two red clover diets but α-tocopherol, β-carotene and retinol concentration was not affected

Ryttarens rotation av bäcken och överliv vid ridning i trav

The aim of this study was to determine the basic movements of the riders' pelvis and upper body when riding in trot seated. The study was preformed at a treadmill with seven high level dressage horses and their riders. The movements of the horse and rider were captured with a motion analysis system (ProReflex®) and also recorded on video. The horses were ridden in collected trot, 3.0 m/s. An experienced dressage teacher evaluated the video recording of the horses and riders. The rotation of the saddles and riders are measured in three directions: rotation around the x-axis, (roll), rotation around the y-axis (pitch) and rotation around the z-axis (yaw). The pelvis of the rider is lowered on the left side during the stance phase of the left diagonal and on the right side on the stance phase of the right diagonal. The rotation of the upper body was asymmetric in the stance phase of the left diagonal for three of the riders. The saddles pitching movement is in accordance with the trunk of the horse. When the withers of the horse are at the lowest position, the saddle is most rotated forward. When the withers are at the highest position at midstance, the saddle is rotated backwards at the most. The pelvis of the rider is rotated backward at the beginning of the stance phase. It rotates forward until the second half of the stance phase and then backwards until the beginning of stance phase of the next diagonal. The upper body of the rider rotates backward during the first half of the stance phase and forward during the second phase and the swing phase. The rider and the saddle rotate to the left during the stance phase of the left diagonal and to the right during the stance phase of the right. The average score for the seat of the riders were 6 when they were evaluated by a dressage teacher. The asymmetries that were seen in the measurements could not be detected on video. The results indicate that the pitching of the rider is a passive movement with purpose to reduce the impact when the horse lands on the ground. Correlations were seen between the roll and yaw of the pelvis, when the pelvis was lowered on one side it was also drawn back on the same side. The evaluation of the video shows the importance of combining modern techniques with the skills of people with long experience of evaluation of riders and horses to get the best results of research.Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka vilka grundläggande rörelser ryttarens bäcken och överliv gör vid ridning i trav vid nedsittning. Försöket utfördes på rullmatta med sju välutbildade dressyrhästar med respektive ryttare. Hästarnas och ryttarnas rörelser registrerades med ett rörelseanalyssystem (ProReflex®) och ekipagen videofilmades även. Hästarna reds i samlad trav, 3,0 m/s. En erfaren dressyrlärare utvärderade videoinspelningen av ekipagen. Rotationen av ryttarnas bäcken och överliv samt sadeln beräknades och vissa jämförelser med hästens rörelser gjordes. Rotationen mättes i tre riktningar: rotation runt x-axeln (roll), rotation runt y-axeln (pitch) och rotation runt z-axeln (yaw). Ryttarens bäcken sänks på vänster sida under vänster diagonals understöd och på höger sida under höger diagonal. Sadeln roterar runt y-axeln i takt med hästens bål. Då hästens manke är som lägst, i samband med starten av understödet för respektive diagonal, är sadeln som mest roterad framåt. Då hästens manke är som högst, under mitten av understödsfasen, är sadeln som mest roterad bakåt. Fasförskjutningar och asymmetrier i hästens rörelser ses även i sadelns rotation. Ryttarens bäcken är som mest roterat bakåt i pitch 5-10 % in i steget. Det roterar sedan framåt till andra halvan av understödet för att sedan rotera bakåt till början av nästa diagonals understöd. Överlivet roterar bakåt under den första halvan av understödet och roterar framåt under den andra halvan och under svävmomentet. Ryttaren och sadeln roterar till vänster i yaw under vänster diagonals understöd och roterar till höger under höger diagonal. Ryttarna fick medelbetyget 6 för sitsen när videoinspelningen utvärderades. De asymmetrier som sågs i mätningarna kunde inte uppfattas på video. Ryttarens pitch verkade vara en passiv rörelse med syfte att dämpa stöten då hästen landar. Det sågs samband mellan bäckenets roll och yaw, då ena höften sänks vrids den även bakåt. Genom att kombinera tekniska hjälpmedel med personer med lång praktisk erfarenhet av att granska ekipage nås den bästa utvärderingen av ryttare och häst

PhytoMilk: Effect of silage botanical composition and harvest system on organic milk composition

The effect of silage botanical composition and harvest system on organic milk composition was studied in a feeding trial. Twenty-four Swedish Red dairy cows in mid lactation were allocated randomly to three treatments in a 3×3 Latin square design with each period of three weeks. The treatments were birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.)/grass silage in two-cut system (B, 16 % birdsfoot trefoil), red clover (Trifolium pratense L.)/grass silage in two-cut system (R2, 42 % red clover) and red clover/grass silage in three-cut system (R3, 38 % red clover). Milk samples from the last week in each period were analyzed for fat and protein concentration. Milk yield was 28.7 ±1.0, 30.3 ±3.2 and 28.6 ±1.4 kg ECM day-1 (mean and SD) for treatment B, R2 and R3 respectively. Milk fat concentration was 5.00 ±0.38, 4.75 ±0.01 and 4.98 ±0.25 g 100 g-1 milk and milk protein concentration was 3.62 ±0.19, 3.54 ±0.08 and 3.57 ±0.09 g 100 g-1 milk for B, R2 and R3 respectively. Harvest system and botanical composition of silage does not seem to affect milk yield or composition

Fytoöstrogener i foder och mjölk – vad påverkar halterna?

Fytoöstrogener är ett samlingsnamn för östrogenliknande ämnen som finns i växter, t ex i baljväxter som klöver och lusern. Inom djurproduktionen beror intresset för fytoöstrogener på de effekter som de kan ha på t ex fertiliteten hos får. Det finns även en stor marknad för humana preparat, ofta baserade på rödklöver, som används som behandling under klimakteriet istället för syntetiska östrogentillskott. Fytoöstrogener delas in i olika grupper baserat på kemisk struktur. De största grupperna är isoflavoner, som finns i vallbaljväxter som rödklöver, och lignaner, som finns i både baljväxter och spannmål. Daidzein och formononetin är exempel på isoflavoner i vallväxter och de kan med hjälp av vommikrober metaboliseras till equol. Secoisolariciresinol och matairesinol är exempel på lignaner som på liknande sätt kan omvandlas till enterodiol och enterolakton i vommen

Epiphytic microbiota in Swedish grass-clover herbage and the effect of silage additives on fermentation profiles and bacterial community compositions of the resulting silages

Aims To investigate the epiphytic microbiota in grass-clover herbage harvested at different sites and occasions and to explore the effect of different silage additives on the resulting silage microbiota.Methods and results Herbage was harvested from grass-clover leys at geographically distributed sites in a long-term field experiment in Sweden, in early and late season of two consecutive years. Different silages were made from the herbage using: (1) no additive, (2) acid-treatment, and (3) inoculation by starter culture. Herbages were analysed for botanical and chemical composition, and the resulting silages for products of fermentation. Bacterial DNA was extracted from herbage and silage samples, followed by sequencing using Illumina 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Herbage microbiota showed no clear correlation to site or harvesting time. Silage additives had a major effect on the ensiling process; inoculation resulted in well fermented silages comprising a homogenous microbiota dominated by the genera Lactobacillus and Pediococcus. A minor effect of harvest time was also observed, with generally a more diverse microbiota in second-harvest silages. Untreated silages showed a higher relative abundance (RA) from non-lactic acid bacteria compared to acid-treated silages. In most silages, only a few bacterial amplicon sequence variants contributed to most of the RA.Conclusions The epiphytic microbiota in grass-clover herbage were found to be random and not dependent on site. From a microbial point of view, the most predictable and preferable silage outcome was obtained by inoculation with a starter culture. Acid-treatment with formic- and propionic acid surprisingly resulted in a less preferable silage. Silage making without additives cannot be recommended based on our results

Use of near-infrared hyperspectral (NIR-HS) imaging to visualize and model the maturity of long-ripening hard cheeses

Spectroscopic measurements and imaging have great potential in rapid prediction of cheese maturity, replacing existing subjective evaluation techniques. In this study, 209 long-ripening hard cheeses were evaluated using a hyperspectral camera and also sensory evaluated by a tasting panel. A total of 425 NIR hyperspectral (NIR-HS) images were obtained during ripening at 14, 16, 18, and 20 months, until final sensorial approval of the cheese. The spectral data were interpreted as possible compositional changes between scanning occasions. Regression modelling by partial least squares (PLS) was used to explain the relationship between average spectra and cheese maturity. The PLS model was evaluated with whole cheeses (average spectrum), but also pixelwise, producing prediction images. Analysis of the images showed an increasing homogeneity of the cheese over the time of storage and ripening. It also suggested that maturation begins at the center and spreads to the outer periphery of the cheese