A frothy problem identified by Starbucks baristas in British Columbia does not have a simple solution.
Elevated levels of free fatty acids in milk can result in cheese coagulation issues, milk with poor taste and shorter shelf life, and a lack of frothing ability, which is the big concern for coffee chains.
Why it matters: Consumer concerns with product can sometimes have management fixes, which can help maintain or increase product demand.
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When the problem was identified, it was thought to be connected to robotic milking systems and the constant flow of new milking into a bulk tank. Those systems are popular and are the only recent major change in milk production.
However, University of Guelph PhD student Hannah Woodhouse found that free fatty acid levels in milk can be associated with both tie stall and robotic milking herds. The presence of free fatty acids can also be tied to the age of the cow, longer lactations and likely genetics. Parlour-milked herds generally had lower levels. Tie stall farms were more of a concern than robotic milking systems.
But not all tie stall and robotic farms had issues. Woodhouse says farmers don’t need to change their systems, but they might want to look at how they manage them because there are quick and easy fixes.
Her research poster on free fatty acids was chosen as the best amongst 90 other students at the recent International Dairy Federation’s World Forum in Chicago last month.
At the Dairy at Guelph research symposium in Elora, Ont., she explained that the concern with robotic milking was supported by research in the Netherlands on the same issue, but her research found the problem was much more complex.
Ontario started testing free fatty acid levels in milk in 2018. British Columbia is also testing, and the data from the two provinces gave Woodhouse information to work with.
Over the past few years, Woodhouse says her research shows about 10 per cent of Ontario farms have elevated free fatty acid levels.
“I’m finding that season also plays a role and FFAs tend to be higher in the late summer and fall months compared to the spring and winter,” she says.
In her search for answers, Woodhouse and her colleagues visited 300 farms, mostly in Ontario, but some in British Columbia. They looked at everything from feed to milking systems.
“We were measuring pipelines, looking at any turns or elevated sections of the pipeline.”
They then correlated farm practices with farms that had higher levels of free fatty acids.
Changes in herd management can address the problem, they found.
On a farm that milks with robots, for example, late lactation cows could be limited in visits to the robot or dried off earlier. More frequent milking means the milk produced in the cow doesn’t always have enough time to form a membrane before the next milking occurs.
During fall incentive days, which encourage farmers to produce more milk in preparation for the holiday and winter season, Woodhouse also found increased free fatty acid production. The increase might be tied to greater use of fat supplements during that period to keep cows healthier as they are pushed to produce more milk.
On tie-stall farms in particular, lack of a plate cooler, which quickly pre-chills the milk as it goes into the bulk tank cooling system, is tied to higher fatty acid levels.
Another simple management change is to change the milk filter at every milking. This was found to be a factor in higher volatile fatty acids.
There are also relationships between high fat and low protein in milk with free fatty acids and with organic and grass-fed herds.
That all gives Woodhouse plenty to look at in her research.
“We’re just trying to get this research out to dairy farms across Ontario because as a supply managed dairy industry, consumer satisfaction of dairy products is one of our main concerns.”
