Introduction
Milk is whole, fresh, clean, lacteal secretion obtained by the complete milking of one or more healthy milch animals, except that obtained within 15 days before or 5 days after parturition or such periods as may be necessary to make the milk practically Colustrum-free and containing the minimum prescribed percentages of milk fat and solids-not-fat. Chemically, milk is a colloidal suspension of fat, lactose, and protein. At present, India ranks first in milk production all over the world. According to the National Dairy Development Board, Government of India, the total milk production in India is about 187.7 million tonnes per annum, of which Uttar Pradesh state has the highest share, which produces about 18 percent of the total country’s milk production. Exotic animal contributes more to milk production with 7.95 kg/day/animal while indigenous animal have a yield of 3.01kg/day which are usually reared in the rural panorama. The daily milk consumption in the country also rose with a high rate of 411gram/ day per person which is far greater than the ICMR recommendation of 280gram/day per person. Uttar Pradesh is the state which is contributing highest to the milk production i.e. 16.3% followed by Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh with milk production of 12.6% and 8.5%. Here we will have a glance regarding the factors affecting the quality as well as quantity of the milk.
Important factors affecting the quality and quantity of milk
Animal Species
The total livestock population in the country is 536.76 million and mostly cattle and buffalo are reared for milk production which contributes 48%, 49% respectively, and the rest 3% is procured from goats. In India, mainly milk is produced by buffaloes and cows; buffalo milk has a higher fat percentage than cow’s milk. Cow’s milk is more yellow in color than buffalo’s milk, mainly due to the beta-carotene present in it.
Animal Breed
According to the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources, 50 breeds of cows and 19 breeds of buffaloes are registered in India. Among Indian breeds, the milk production of Sahiwal, Gir, Red-Sindhi, and Deoni breeds of cows is higher than that of other Indian breeds. Among the 19 breeds of buffalo, the highest milk production is found in the Murrah breed and the highest fat percentage in milk is found in the milk of Bhadavari breed buffalo. And among the 34 registered breeds of goat in the country, mainly the milk production of the Jamunapari breed is more than other Indian breeds.
Individual & genetic characteristics of animals
Differences in heredity or pedigree can lead to differences in the quantity and quality of milk production of two animals of the same species and of the same breed. The condition of udder and milk vein also makes a lot of difference in the milk production of the animals, in the animals having more milk yield, the udder is uniform and larger in size and the milk vein is long and curved.
Lactating stage
There is a change in the quantity and quality of milk throughout the milking period of the animal. For example, the cow, whose milking period is of 305 days, the maximum milk production is found in about 60-90 days after the onset of the milking period.
Parity of cattle
The parity of cattle has a great influence on milk production. The milk production of cows in the second-third parity is much more than any other parity in her whole production life.
Animal age and weight
The milk production of animals varies according to the age and weight of the animal, the milk production of very young and old animals is very less. And only after attaining a proper weight, the animal manifests its maximum milk-producing capacity.
Animal health status
The milk production of sick animals is the lowest among the entire herd of productive animals. Sometimes milk production becomes zero in the condition of some diseases. Examples of some of the main diseases affecting the milk production of cattle are Mastitis, milk fever, ketosis disease, etc.
Environmental Conditions
According to the change in the season, the quantity and quality of milk production of the animals also changes. During the summer season the quantity of milk is less and the fat percentage in milk increases. On the contrary, during the winter season, the percentage of fat in milk is on average less and the quantity of milk increases on average.
Quantity and quality of animal feed
The quantity and quality of animal feed has a profound effect on the quantity and quality of milk production of the animal. If there is a decrease in the quantity and quality of animal feed per day, there is a direct reduction in the milk production of the animal.
Milking methods and the time gap between two consecutive milking
Adopting the wrong process and method of milking (Knuckling) can reduce the milk production of animals and worsen the health condition. The best method of milking by hand is the full hand milking method. For best milk production, a time gap of at least 10-12 hours should be kept between two consecutive milking.
Conclusion
The amount of milk a cow produces depends largely on the environment it’s in. It’s mainly related with comfort and results in higher productivity. For maximum milk production from the animals, completely healthy, second-third parity of cattle should be selected from the breeds like Sahiwal, Gir, Red-Sindhi and for buffalo Murrah, Nili-Ravi, Surti, and Mehsana, etc. breeds should be reared. For proper milk production management, good quality grain and green fodder should be fed daily in optimum quantities and for proper management of animal diseases, the process of deworming and vaccination should be adopted at regular intervals and for milking of animals full hand method or machine method of milking should be done at about 10-12 hours time interval.
Manoj Baghel1, Vandita Mishra2
1 Livestock Production & Management Section, ICAR – Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, U.P. – 243122
2Livestock Products Technology section, ICAR – Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Izatnagar, Bareilly, U.P. – 243122
