Propolis in the control of bacterial bovine mastitis: a tool for the production of organic milk

Bovine mastitis is one of the main causes of economic damage in dairy farms. Therefore, the control and prevention of microorganisms involved in this disease, mainly Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Streptococcus agalactiae, are essential. One of the most important steps for the prevention of the disease is the use of antiseptic products before and after the milking process to avoid bacteria from infecting the udder of the animal. Currently, the most used antiseptic product in dairy farms is iodine-based, and organic dairy farms, which follow several strict regulations, including the use of natural products whenever possible, are often forced to adopt non-natural antiseptic products, such as iodine-based ones, because of the lack of natural alternatives. Propolis, a natural substance produced by honeybees, has been extensively studied for its various properties, one of which is antimicrobial activity. Therefore, a new natural antiseptic product containing 1% propolis in 10% hydroalcoholic solution for the pre-dipping, and 10% glycerol solution added with 0.2% citronella oil for the post-dipping was analyzed for its capacity to reduce bacteria in vivo in order to prevent bovine mastitis, allowing its use on organic dairy farms. A total of 128 samples were analyzed in terms of bacterial growth for Enterobacteriaceae and Staphylococcus spp. using the spreadplate technique. The reduction in the bacterial concentration after the application of the products was compared between two antiseptic solutions, an iodine-based solution as the control and a propolis-based one as the natural alternative. The results obtained show a similar efficiency for both products in terms of total bacterial reduction, indicating considerable antimicrobial activity against bacteria most commonly associated with bovine mastitis. Molecular analysis was carried out for the identification of Streptococcus agalactiae; the PCR results were negative for the presence of S. agalactiae in all samples, indicating that the animals most likely did not have any form of the disease. The efficiency of the natural antiseptic was satisfactory, indicating an important find facilitating organic milk production worldwide, showcasing a natural antiseptic solution with efficient antimicrobial activity.

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Development of Organic Milk Production in Poland on the Background of the EU

Agriculture ◽

10.3390/agriculture11040323 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 323

Author(s):

Piotr Bórawski ◽

Marek Bartłomiej Bórawski ◽

Andrzej Parzonko ◽

Ludwik Wicki ◽

Tomasz Rokicki ◽

...

Keyword(s):

European Union ◽

Milk Production ◽

Dairy Farms ◽

Organic Production ◽

The European Union ◽

Organic Milk ◽

Organic Dairy ◽

Organic Dairy Farms ◽

Organic Milk Production ◽

The Eu

Organic milk production is an environmentally friendly production system based on local forage and a ban on using chemical fertilizers and certain other rules. Organic milk is considered to be healthier and is gaining attention worldwide. The market for organic products is increasing. The aim of the paper was to analyze changes in the development of organic dairy production in Poland in the context of the EU. We analyzed the changes on the European Union (EU) level and the Poland level. To analyze the changes in organic milk production on European Union level, we used the autoregressive integrated moving average model (ARIMA). Our results show that both organic milk production and the farm area used for organic production will increase. Moreover, we analyzed the organic dairy farms running rural accountancy within the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) in Poland in the years 2007–2018. We used tabular and graphic methods to present the data. In the analysis the methods of correlation and regression were used. Germany, France, Austria, and Great Britain are the countries with the largest numbers of organic dairy cows. Our prognosis examined the development of organic milk production in the European Union (EU). The number of cows on dairy organic farms will increase in most countries in the EU. Then, we analyzed the impact of the chosen factors on three dependent variables: organic milk production, total production of organic dairy farms, and income from family farms. The most important independent variables were cow numbers, the value of fixed assets, the value of current assets, long-term debt, and short-term debt.

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