Sheep Milk Components

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  • Metabolic & Nutritional Needs of High-Producing Dairy Animals – 2019 – Butch Cargile, DVM, MS.  A presentation highlighting ways to improve profit through feed costs of dairy animals, overviewing common metabolic disorders, and discussing milk components (casein and butterfat), all as related to nutrition.

  • Forages and Flavor: How diet can influence the sensory qualities of dairy products – 2019 – Thomas G. Pyne, Partner and Farm Manager at Twenty Paces Sheep Dairy & Creamery.  A presentation on how dietary management changes milk characteristics, and how that might affect the flavor profile of dairy products.  It delves particularly into milk fat composition and its relation to this topic.

  • Using the numbers: How performance recording contributes to genetic gain and economic opportunities in sheep dairying - 2018 - One of the world’s leading sheep geneticists explains the principles of genetic selection, and how performance records can become tools for genetic improvement in dairy sheep operations.  How the heritabilities of desirable traits in dairy sheep, such as milk yield, fat and protein percentages, somatic cell counts, and lactational persistence, can be used to generate EBVs (Estimate Breeding Values).  The correlation between changes in milk yield and changes in component percentage.  How to understand, interpret, and apply an individual animal’s genetic evaluation from Genovis.

  • Dairy Sheep genetic improvement project - 2018 - DSANA provide members with performance testing and genetic analysis for their flocks, via milk yield measurements and component sampling, through Genovis’ genetic evaluation service.

  • Current trends of the Spanish Assaf Sheep / Genetic Improvement Program - 2018 - These Assaf lambs have a low survivability rate, making producers less likely to choose to milk them The ASSAF is trying to improve the breed.These sheep have higher components and a lower SCS on average. The breed association is trying to develop extensions to make the breed more profitable.  

  • Relating Dairy Sheep nutrition to Dairy Cattle Nutrition: are we feeding small cows, or are we feeding sheep? - 2018 - This talks about how feeding them differently can change production and keep the lambs alive better. Also talks about what is needed in a ration to feed them more efficiently.

  • Creating Artisanal Cheeses: A Mix of Art & Science - 2012 - Sidney M. Cook, Carr Valley Cheese Co. A look at what cheesemakers desire in sheep milk and how to create quality milk for cheese making.

  • The Art in the Science of Sheep Cheese Making - 2012 - Dan Huebner, Grafton Village Cheese. A look at the compositional differences in Sheep, Cow & Goat milks and how the unique make-up of Sheep milk affects the cheese making process.

  • Properties of Sheep Milk for the Manufacture of Cheese and Yogurt, 2011, Nana Y. Farkye, Ph.D. A small study of the composition of sheep milk and why it is ideal for cheese and yogurt making, as well as freezing.

  • UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF SHEEP MILK - 2010 - Ivan Larcher. Overview on why sheep milk is unique for cheesemaking

  • CHEESE MAKERS FACE THE CHALLENGE OF SYNCHRONIZED LACTATION - 2010 - Robert L. Wills, Cedar Grove Cheese. Overview of the challenges faced by cheesemakers with seasonal milk and how sheep milk changes during lactation

  • EFFECT OF SUPPLEMENTATION AND STAGE OF LACTATION O PERFORMANCE OF GRAZING DAIRY EWES - 2006 - Claire M. Mikolayunas1,2, David L. Thomas1, Kenneth A. Albrecht2, David K. Combs3, and Yves M. Berger4. Department of Animal Sciences, 2 Department of Agronomy, 3 Department of Dairy Science, 4 Spooner Agricultural Research Station, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Summarizes trials conducted at UW-Madison connecting pasture intake with stage of lactation and supplementation 

  • EFFECT OF PREPARTUM PHOTOPERIOD ON PROLACTIN AND MILK PRODUCTION OF DAIRY EWES - 2006 - Claire M. Mikolayunas1, David L. Thomas1, Yves M. Berger2 T. F. Gressley3, and G. E. Dahl3 Department of Animal Sciences, 2 Spooner Agricultural Research Station, University of Wisconsin-Madison and Department of Animal Science, University of Illinois. Research conducted to determine the effect of prepartum photoperiod on milk production, milk composition, and prolactin levels of 22 dairy ewes as compared to dairy cows

  • Milk fat synthesis and its regulation in dairy sheep - 2005 - Lock. Fat is an important milk component from a nutritional perspective and also for processing. This article reviews the biology of how milk fat is made by ruminants, and how to alter the fat and fatty acid content of sheep milk via the diet.

  • Milk composition and cheese yield from hard and soft cheese manufactured from sheep milk - 2004 - Jaeggi. Milk composition has a big impact on cheese yield. The authors studies how composition changes with season so yield can be better calculated and predicted.

  • The effect of feedstuff on milk flavor - 2004 - Kurka. The authors give an insight into milk flavor composition, the compounds that influence flavor, and the effect of feedstuffs on flavor

  • To produce milk that the transformers want - 2003 - Lemelin. This article (in French with summary in English) covers what producers can do to ensure they produce milk that cheesemakers desire. As well as making decisions about breed, nutrition, and other important farm management aspects, producers ideally find out what the people who buy their milk want. It covers milk quality, hygiene, cheese yield, cheesemaker preferences, and other factors.

  • Factors affecting the quality of ewe's milk - 2001 - Bencini. In this comprehensive article, the author defines milk quality, factors that affect quality.

  • Milk storage within the udder of East Friesian dairy ewes over a 24-hour period - 2001 - McKusick. Ideally, milking ruminants store milk in the cistern between milkings to minimise the negative feedback caused by distended mammary glandular tissue. This study reports how milk is stored in the udders of dairy ewes between milkings, and the quality (somatic cell count, fat and protein content) of alveolar and cisternal milk fractions, and the impact of milking frequency on where milk is stored and how much is yielded at milking.

  • Influence of somatic cell count on ewe's milk composition, cheese yield and cheese quality - 2000 - Pirisi This study reports the impact of three different bulk milk somatic cell counts (SCC) on milk composition, cheese chemical composition, and cheese physical composition. High-SCC milk had higher pH, so some of the effectsof high SCC can be mitigated with pH standardisation. Low-SCC milk was more efficient for cheese making from a protein recovery perspective, but the quality of the final product did not appear to be affected by SCC.