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.

Investigating the Effects of Intrinsic Motivation and Emotional Appeals Into the Link Between Organic Appeals Advertisement and Purchase Intention Toward Organic Milk

Consumers care about healthy food. Thus, several firms use organic appeals advertising to change consumer attitudes and persuade them to purchase organic food. Organic appeals advertisement often presents content that provides information and knowledge about organic elements of a food product (e.g., health, safety, a lack of chemicals, and rich nutrition). In contrast, non-organic appeals advertisement does not present information about organic elements of a food product. This study aims to clarify the effect of organic appeals advertisement on consumer motivations and behavior. It uses the stimuli-organism-response model and self-determination motivation theory to investigate the relationship between organic appeals advertisement and purchase intention toward organic milk considering the mediating role of intrinsic motivation and the moderating role of emotional appeals. Two experimental designs are used to test the hypotheses. Results show that consumers receiving organic appeals advertisement have a higher intention to purchase organic milk than those receiving non-organic appeals advertisement. Furthermore, intrinsic motivation is found to have a mediating role in the link between organic appeals advertisement and purchase intention. In other words, when consumers receive advertisements of an organic milk product, they have higher intrinsic motivation and hold higher intention to purchase organic milk products. Furthermore, emotional appeals have a moderating effect on the relationship between organic appeals advertisement and intrinsic motivation. The influence of organic appeals advertisement on intrinsic motivation is stronger when emotional appeals are positive and weaker when emotional appeals are negative.

Organic versus Conventional Raw Cow Milk as Material for Processing

Milk, as one of the basic raw materials of animal origin, must be of adequate hygienic and physicochemical quality for processing. The aim of the article was to compare the quality of raw milk from three production systems, intensive, traditional (together referred to as conventional), and organic, as material for processing, as well as the quality of products made from it. Particular attention was focused on hygienic quality (somatic cell count and total bacterial count), physical characteristics (acidity), basic nutritional value (content of dry matter, total protein, casein, fat, and lactose), content of health-promoting substances (whey proteins, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals), and technological parameters (rennet clotting time, heat stability, and protein-to-fat ratio). Research assessing the quality of organic milk and dairy products is significantly less extensive (if available at all) than for milk from conventional production (intensive and traditional). The available reports indicate that raw milk from organic farms is more valuable, especially in terms of the content of health-promoting compounds, including vitamins, fatty acids, whey proteins, and minerals. This applies to organic dairy products as well, mainly cheese and yoghurt. This is explained by the fact that organic farming requires that animals are kept in the pasture. However, the hygienic quality of the raw milk, and often the products as well, raises some concerns; for this reason, organic milk producers should be supported in this regard, e.g., through consultancy and training in Good Hygienic Practices. Importantly, milk production in the traditional and organic systems is in line with the concept of the European Green Deal.

THE EFFICIENCY OF INDEX SELECTION OF SIMMENTAL LIVESTOCK HERDS IN ORGANIC AND CONVENTIONAL MILK PRODUCTION

The article highlights the results of studies of the effectiveness of index selection in herds of Simmental cattle in organic and conventional milk production using the selection index of R. Teinber, indicating the feasibility of its use, because the indicators of dairy productivity of animals of different groups are significantly different. The improvement of the quantitative indicators of milk productivity of cows in the herd of the Simmental breed, both in conventional and organic dairy production, largely depends on the value of the selection index. The strength of the influence of the selection index in the herd of Miroslavel-Agro on milk yield for 305 days of lactation of cows was 67%, milk fat – 88, milk protein – 77, total production of fat and protein – 86%, in the herd of "Galeks-Agro", respectively: 71, 87, 74 and 84% (P < 0.001). The first-calf cows of the Simmental breed under the conditions of organic milk production were somewhat dominated by animals of the conventional herd in terms of milk productivity - in terms of milk yield per 305 days of lactation per 114 kg, with an insignificant difference. First-calf cows under conditions of organic milk production had worse reproduction parameters (service period – 136 days, reproductive rate – 0.89), compared to conventional milk production (127 days and 0.91), which is associated with the prohibition of the use of artificial vitamins, hormonal veterinary drugs to stimulate hunting, and shorten the duration of biological periods. The lowest milk productivity among the experimental groups were characterized by animals of the fifth group of both herds – their yield for 305 days of the first lactation amounted to 5042 and 4912 kg of milk, fat milk 4.08 and 4.11%, protein milk 3.37 and 3.46%. With a decrease in the selection index in animals has been established a decrease in dairy yield from 6767 (first group) to 5452 kg (fifth group), milk fat – from 290.7 to 204.8, milk protein – from 244.4 to 177.8 kg in the herd "Myroslavel-Agro" and from 7170 (first group) to 4912 kg (fifth group), milk fat – from 303.5 to 201.3, milk protein – from 252.8 to 169.5 kg in stage of "Halex-Agro". We recommend to use for repair of a herd of cows whose referred to the first two groups with the value of the selection index not lower than +23.0 (for "Myroslavel-Agro") and +26.3 (for "Galex-Agro"). The worst in terms of milk productivity, with the lowest value of the selection index (respectively: -44.9 and -51.7), it is desirable to sell to subsidiaries or other farms. It was found that when selecting animals according to the Tainber`s index, animals in organic and conventional herds are characterized by a lack of harmonious interaction with their habitat - cows are characterized by high dairy yields with simultaneous deterioration of their reproductive capacity, which confirms the well-known inverse relationship between these traits. The first-calf cows of the Simmental breed in the conditions of organic milk production slightly outnumber the animals of the conventional herd in terms of dairy productivity - in terms of milk yield for 305 days of lactation by 114 kg (P > 0.05). The first-calf cows in the conditions of organic milk production had worse reproduction parameters (service period – 136 days, reproductive rate – 0.89), compared to conventional milk production (127 days and 0.91). In our opinion, this is due to the peculiarities of the dairy industry in organic milk production and the ban on the use of artificial vitamins, hormonal veterinary drugs to stimulate hunting and reduce the duration of biological periods of reproduction.