Macro- and micromineral composition of milk from purebred Holsteins and four generations of three-breed rotational crossbred cows from Viking Red, Montbeliarde and Holstein sires

This study compared the detailed mineral profiles of milk from purebred Holstein (HO) and four generations (F1 to F4) of crossbred cows (CR) derived from a 3-breed rotational crossbreeding system involving Viking Red (VR) and Montbeliarde (MO) sires. Purebred and CR were kept and fed together in the same herd. Individual milk samples were collected once per cow from 120 multiparous cows (40 HO and 20 for each generation of CR from F1 to F4). The milk samples were analysed for macrominerals (Na, Mg, P, S, K, Ca), essential (Cr, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mo), and environmental microminerals (Li, B, Ba) using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectrometry. The coefficients of variation ranged from 11 to 28% for macrominerals and from 17 to 40% for microminerals. The mineral composition of milk from purebred HO and CR were mostly comparable. Conversely, it differed in different breed combinations of CR: VR-sired cows had the greatest macromineral contents, MO-sired cows the lowest, while HO-sired CR was intermediate. The milk from MO-sired crossbreds had lower contents of some microminerals (Mo, Zn, and Ba), while the milk from HO-sired crossbreds had greater contents (Fe and Mo). We conclude that the mineral profile of milk of CR derived from different combinations of VR, MO and HO breeds was comparable to that of milk from HO cows kept in the same herd, and that the variations in the macro- and micromineral profiles were greater among CR than between purebreds and crossbreds.

Automated summary

This study compared the mineral profiles of milk from purebred Holstein (HO) cows and crossbred cows (CR) derived from different combinations of Viking Red (VR), Montbeliarde (MO), and Holstein (HO) sires. The results showed that the mineral composition of milk from CR varied depending on the breed combination, with MO-sired crossbreds having lower contents of certain microminerals, while HO-sired crossbreds had higher contents of certain minerals. Overall, the mineral profile of milk from CR was comparable to that of milk from HO cows in the same herd, and variations in mineral profiles were greater among CR than between purebreds and crossbreds.