Milk flavour starts in the cow pasture

Scientists from the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences (DJF) at University of Aarhus
have worked together with scientists from the Faculty of Life Sciences at
University of Copenhagen (KU-LIFE

) in order to investigate the effects of
different pasture mixtures on the taste of organic milk. One of the goals was to
be able to offer an organic product that differentiates itself from
conventionally produced milk.

Different pasture mixtures
The
scientists have studied the effect of four different pasture mixtures on milk
composition and taste as well as milk yield. In the grazing studies some pasture
mixtures included relatively high levels of various legumes (white clover, red
clover and alfalfa) and chicory. The study was divided into three periods of 14
days in May, June and August.

Different tastes is
possible
Neither milk protein composition, milk fat composition
nor milk yield were significantly affected, but there were taste differences in
milk from different pasture mixtures and different periods. “Although we noticed
that it is possible to produce milk with different tastes, it remains difficult
to predict the results. You can measure aromatic compounds in the crops but that
is not the same as being able to predict what goes into the milk. That is
because the cow is a ruminant”, says senior scientist Troels Kristensen from the
Department
of Agroecology and Environment

at the Faculty of Agricultural
Sciences, University of Aarhus.

Follow up
Observations of
pasture development and cow grazing behaviour were also included in the study.
It was seen that the cows were somewhat picky eaters, which resulted in
selective and heterogenous grazing. The next step is to try and produce a stable
product that is predictable and does not vary according to season. The
scientists will also test if the method can be used under practical conditions
and are therefore carrying out studies on six different practical organic farms
with varying proportions of white clover.

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Related website:
University of Aarhus

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