Dairy Research Bulletin: Selected Articles from September 2024

Environmental Management and Sustainability

Wastewater Surveillance for Influenza A Virus and H5 Subtype Concurrent with the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5N1) Virus Outbreak in Cattle and Poultry and Associated Human Cases – United States, May 12-July 13, 2024. Louis S, Mark-Carew M, Honein MA, et al. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2024 Sep 19;73(37):804-809.

As part of the response to the highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) virus outbreak in U.S. cattle and poultry and the associated human cases, CDC and partners are monitoring influenza A virus levels and detection of the H5 subtype in wastewater.
Among 48 states and the District of Columbia that performed influenza A testing of wastewater during May 12-July 13, 2024, a weekly average of 309 sites in 38 states had sufficient data for analysis, and 11 sites in four states reported high levels of influenza A virus.
H5 subtype testing was conducted at 203 sites in 41 states, with H5 detections at 24 sites in nine states. For each detection or high level, CDC and state and local health departments evaluated data from other influenza surveillance systems and partnered with wastewater utilities and agriculture departments to investigate potential sources. Among the four states with high influenza A virus levels detected in wastewater, three states had corresponding evidence of human influenza activity from other influenza surveillance systems.
Among the 24 sites with H5 detections, 15 identified animal sources within the sewershed or adjacent county, including eight milk-processing inputs. Data from these early investigations can help health officials optimize the use of wastewater surveillance during the upcoming respiratory illness season.

Deciphering cleaner and sustainable frontiers in scientific cow waste valorization: a review. Kushwaha J, Singh Y, Dhoble AS, et al. Environ Monit Assess. 2024 Sep 30;196(10):988.

The forecasted global population growth is poised to create a greater exigency for livestock-derived food production, leading to a significant waste generation from the industrial-scale livestock operations, which necessitates to develop sustainable waste management solutions.
The heightened demand for livestock and dairy products has driven a surge in cow waste (CW) production. While CW is typically used as organic fertilizer or solid fuel, improper disposal poses potential environmental hazards. Anaerobic digestion and composting transform CW into valuable products, such as biofuels and organic fertilizers, with the potential for electricity and heat generation, biochar production, and advanced friction materials.
The CW contains essential inorganic and organic compounds vital for plant functions, including lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, nitrogen, and minerals such as potassium, sulfur, iron, magnesium, copper, cobalt, and manganese.
Additionally, the rich microbial diversity in cow dung drives the production of bioenergy carriers like biomethane and biohydrogen, promoting cost-effective energy generation and environmental sustainability.
This review employs bibliometric analysis to explore the latest trends in CW applications, with a particular focus on innovative applications such as cellulose extraction, biochar production, microbial fuel cells, and nanoparticle synthesis. It further evaluates the environmental impacts of these technologies and assesses their potential to advance sustainable and cleaner frontiers in the valorization of CW.

Establishment of methanogen bacterial interactions during the preweaning period of dairy cattle. Indugu N, Narayan KS, Hennessy ML, Pitta D. PLoS One. 2024 Sep 20;19(9):e0310648.

Ruminant livestock are major contributors to anthropogenic methane emissions in the United States and worldwide. Enteric methane is generated by methanogenic archaea residing in ruminant digestive tracts. Information on when methanogens colonize the gut and when they begin to interact with bacteria during the early phases of the ruminant life cycle is less explored.
The objectives of this study were (i) to investigate the composition of the methanogenic archaeal community at birth and through the weaning transition and (ii) to determine if and when the methanogenic archaea begin to interact with bacteria in the lower gut of neonatal dairy calves.
Ten female Holstein calves (approximately 45kg birth weight) were enrolled in the study. Fecal samples were collected every two weeks (Weeks 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, and 12) between birth and weaning and analyzed for methanogenic archaeal diversity via 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR).
Estimates of alpha diversity (Observed species, and Shannon diversity index) and beta diversity (weighted and unweighted UniFrac distances) showed significant differences (P < 0.05) between archaeal communities across timepoints.
Both 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and RT-qPCR analyses revealed Methanobrevibacter was the most prevalent genus at Week 2, Week 4, and Week 6, whereas Methanosphaera gradually increased with time and was most abundant at Week 10 and Week 12.
Correlation analysis revealed that Methanobrevibacter and Methanosphaera were inversely correlated with each other and formed distinct cohorts with specific bacterial lineages similar to those reported in the mature rumen, thus revealing that these associations are established during the preweaning period.
Therefore, the preweaning period presents a window of opportunity to interfere with early-life methanogenic colonization with the ultimate goal of reducing enteric methane emissions without perturbing ruminal function later in the life of dairy cattle.

Influence of earthworm population density on the performance of vermifiltration for treating liquid dairy manure. Miito GJ, Alege F, Harrison J, Ndegwa P. J Environ Qual. 2024 Sep 10.

The dairy industry has seen notable changes in the last couple of decades, including increased size of farms and regional concentrations of dairies. This has resulted in substantial manure production in small geographical areas, raising environmental concerns.
Vermifiltration, an emerging low cost and eco-friendly technology for treating wastewater, was evaluated to assess the influence of earthworm population density on the performance of a laboratory-scale vermifilter treating liquid dairy manure.
Researchers monitored the reduction efficiencies of various components, including total nitrogen (TN), ammonium-nitrogen (NH₄⁺-N), nitrate-nitrogen (NO₃ ^–-N), total phosphorus (TP), orthophosphate (ortho-P), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total solids (TS), and total suspended solids (TSS), in treated dairy wastewater.
This evaluation was conducted at 0; 5000; 10,000; and 15,000 earthworm densities per cubic meter (m^-3) of bedding. Reduction efficiencies of 41%-89% (TN), 46%-86% (NH₄⁺-N), 34%-74% (NO₃ ^–-N), 3%-17% (TP), 18%-38% (ortho-P), 35%-66% (COD), 24%-54% (TS), and 50%-87% (TSS) were observed with higher earthworm densities exhibiting greater reduction efficiencies.
Notably, the densities of Eisenia fetida at 10,000 and 15,000 earthworms m^-3showed no significant difference in vermifilter performance. This suggests that increasing the Eisenia fetida density beyond 10,000 earthworms m^-3 may not further improve the vermifilter’s performance in treating dairy wastewater.
This study’s findings indicate that using vermifiltration with an earthworm population density of 10,000 earthworms m^-3could effectively mitigate the negative environmental impact of liquid dairy wastewater at a low cost and sustainably.

Biodiesel Production, calcium Recovery, and adsorbent synthesis using dairy sludge. Baek K, Abeysinghe S, Jeong WG, Kwon EE. Bioresour Technol. 2024 Sep 24:131494.

Dairy sludge (DS) consists of organic compounds such as lipids and valuable inorganic elements. Biodiesel recovery from dairy sludge extract (DSE), using conventional acid (trans)esterification yielded only 16.5 weight%.
In contrast, non-catalytic (trans)esterification generated a substantially higher biodiesel yield of approximately 74.0 weight% due to the method’s tolerance for impurities.
Defatted dairy sludge (DDS) contained a higher Ca concentration than DS. DDS-produced biochar (DDSB) increased its Ca concentration predominantly in the form of CaO.
1% of the Ca was recovered from the DDSB containing Ca. The Ca remaining in the biochar residue (DDSBR) after Ca recovery was in the form of CaCO₃. The porous structure developed as the Ca dissolved, implying that DDSBR could be an effective pollutant adsorbent.
In this study, a method is proposed to maximize the utilization of DS by producing biodiesel, recovering Ca content, and using it as a pollutant adsorbent.

Cattle manure composting driven by a microbial agent: A coupled mechanism involving microbial community succession and organic matter conversion. Zhang Z, Yang H, Linghu M, Li J, Chen C, Wang B. Sci Total Environ. 2024;952:175953.

Aerobic composting has been used as a mainstream treatment technology for agricultural solid waste resourcing.
In the present study, researchers investigated the effects and potential mechanisms of the addition of a microbial agent (LD) prepared by combining Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus paralicheniformis and Irpex lacteus in improving the efficiency of cattle manure composting.
These results showed that addition of 1.5 % LD significantly accelerated compost humification, i.e., the germination index and lignocellulose degradation rate of the final compost product reached values of 92.20 and 42.29 %, respectively.
Metagenomic sequencing results showed that inoculation of cattle manure with LD increased the abundance of functional microorganisms. LD effectively promoted the production of humus precursors, which then underwent reactions through synergistic abiotic and biotic pathways to achieve compost humification.
This research provides a theoretical basis for the study of microbial enhancement strategies and humus formation mechanisms in the composting of livestock manure.

Animal Health and Food Safety

How control and eradication of BVDV at farm level influences the occurrence of calf diseases and antimicrobial usage during the first six months of calf rearing. Dobos A, Dobos V, Kiss I. Ir Vet J. 2024 Sep 28;77(1):19.

Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) is one of the major cattle diseases causing economic losses worldwide. Nowadays the disease manifests mainly as virus-induced immunosuppression and early embryonic death, impacting overall herd performance and contributing to increased antibiotic usage in calf rearing.
In this study researchers investigated the effect of rapid BVDV control measures on calf diseases and antimicrobial usage after weaning on a large industrial dairy farm.
Persistently infected (PI) animals were identified and removed from the herd within a short period of time, and all susceptible animals were vaccinated against BVDV. Recorded herd parameters and antibiotic usage were monitored retrospectively and compared with data collected after starting the BVD control program.
The program began in January 2023 with identifying and eliminating PI animals from the farm. Twenty-one PI animals were found by using RT-qPCR testing of blood sera out of the 1571 animals tested (1.33%). Subsequent testing (January and December 2023) further identified 28 PI animals amongst the 542 calves tested shortly after birth, and all were instantly removed from the farm.
In parallel with the BVDV eradication measures, antibiotic usage dropped by more than 50% compared to previous years. Calf mortality also decreased from 7.45 to 4.38% as the control program progressed. Correspondingly, both the number of respiratory and diarrhea cases decreased dramatically on the farm while the eradication measures were in place.
This study clearly demonstrated the positive effects of BVDV eradication on the improvement of calf health and importantly, a reduction of antibiotic usage, contributing to the One Health perspective of farm animal production.

Bacterial Communities of House Flies from Dairy Farms Highlight Their Role as Reservoirs, Disseminators, and Sentinels of Microbial Threats to Human and Animal Health. Neupane S, Park Y, Watson DW, Trout Fryxell RT, Burgess ER 4th, Nayduch D. Insects. 2024 Sep 22;15(9):730.

Adult house flies (Musca domestica) inhabiting dairy farms not only are nuisance pests but also harbor and disseminate bacteria.
Therefore, researchers examined the bacterial community composition, diversity, environmental sources, and prevalence in individual adult female house flies and cattle manure samples collected monthly from Florida, North Carolina, and Tennessee dairy farms between May and August 2021.
Individual house flies carried diverse bacterial communities, encompassing all bacterial taxa (100%) identified across manure samples, and additional species likely acquired from the animals.
Bacterial community assemblage in house flies and manure samples within farms varied by month. Some taxa were differentially associated with either house flies (Corynebacterium, Acinetobacter, and Staphylococcus) or manure samples (Treponema, Succinivibrio, and Clostridia).
House fly bacterial communities mostly contained specialist species originating from manure, with several taxa (Escherichia, Corynebacterium, Turicibacter) being potential pathogens of livestock and humans.
These findings further support the role of house flies as carriers of cattle-associated bacteria, including pathogens, and their potential for disseminating these microbes among cattle and to neighboring environments. Since their bacterial communities provide a snapshot of their surrounding environment, house flies also serve as effective sentinels in xenosurveillance strategies.

Seeing through the smoke: The effects of wildfire fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) exposure on standing and lying behavior in Holstein heifer calves. Pace A, Mirkin KM, Rezamand P, Skibiel AL.JDS Commun. 2024 Mar 29;5(5):490-494.

Wildfires are burning more acres annually, contributing to air pollution across the United States. Air pollutants, such as particulate matter (PM₅), have health implications for humans and animals, and are known to alter behavior in several species, but effects of wildfire PM_2.5on dairy calf behavior are unknown.
The present study aimed to understand how dairy calf standing and lying behavior is affected by wildfire PM₅. Holstein heifer calves (n = 13) were monitored for the first 90 days of life, concurrent with the 2022 wildfire season.
Hourly PM₅concentrations and meteorological conditions, which were used to calculate temperature-humidity index (THI), were recorded. Wildfire and wind trajectory mapping was used to determine the contribution of wildfires to spikes in PM_2.5.
Calf activity data were recorded every minute using accelerometers and analyzed as total hourly and daily standing and lying times, standing and lying bouts, and duration of bouts. Additionally, the responses of calves to the initial 24-hour period of each of 2 separate exposures to wildfire smoke were assessed.
Wildfire PM₅exposure was associated with reduced daily standing time and bout duration, increased daily total lying time, and increased, albeit not significantly, daily standing bouts. Percent of time standing hourly was increased, whereas percent of time lying hourly was decreased by wildfire PM_2.5.
The initial 24 hours of each smoke exposure was characterized by decreased standing and increased lying time, but there was a greater change in behavior during the first event compared with the second event.
These results indicate that exposure to wildfire PM₅induces a behavioral response, which may diminish with repeated exposures. Future research should aim to understand the health and welfare implications of the behavioral responses to wildfire PM_2.5.

Temperature-Dependent Metabolic Interactions Between Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus in Milk Fermentation: Insights from GC-IMS Metabolomics. Wu T, Guo S, Kwok LY, Zhang H, Wang J. J Dairy Sci. 2024 Sep 27:S0022-0302(24)01156-1.

Streptococcus (S.) thermophilus and Lactobacillus (L.) delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus are widely used as a combined starter culture for milk fermentation, often at temperatures of 37°C and 42°C.
To investigate the metabolic interplay between these 2 species during the fermentation process, this study examined the growth and fermentation characteristics of different S. thermophilus strains cocultured with L. delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus ND02 at these 2 temperature conditions.
Gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS) metabolomics was employed to analyze changes in the milk metabolome during 3 key fermentation stages: initiation (F0, pH 6.50 ± 0.02), curdling (F1, pH 5.20 ± 0.02), and endpoint (F2, pH 4.50 ± 0.02).
The results showed that 42°C fermentation promoted rapid bacterial growth, with significantly reduced fermentation time compared with 37°C.
Interestingly, 37°C fermentation favored the enrichment of volatile fatty acids like 2-methylpropanoic acid, 3-methylbutanoic acid, and ethyl acetate. In contrast, 42°C fermentation led to increased levels of ketones such as acetone, 2-hexanone, 2-pentanone, and 2-heptanone.
Sensory evaluation indicated that the 42°C fermented milk had higher overall scores. Discriminatory flavor metabolites were more abundant during the later fermentation stage (F1 to F2), while the underlying metabolic pathways became increasingly active.
These findings provide insights into the dynamic changes in volatile metabolite profiles of fermented milk produced under different temperature and time conditions using varied starter culture combinations. The results are valuable for optimizing dairy fermentation processes and product quality.

Effects of high temperature short time (HTST) pasteurization on milk and whey during commercial whey protein concentrate production. Haas J, Kim BJ, Atamer Z, Wu C, Dallas DC. J Dairy Sci. 2024 Sep 27:S0022-0302(24)01184-6.

Two pasteurization steps are often used in the preparation of whey protein concentrate (WPC) before evaporation into a dry product. The Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) in the United States requires that raw bovine milk be pasteurized using a process that meets minimum heat treatment requirements to achieve reductions in pertinent microorganisms.
In addition, WPC produced from USDA-approved plants must comply with CFR Subpart B §58.809, which dictates that all fluid whey used in the manufacture of dry whey products shall be pasteurized before being condensed.
These heat treatments are effective at inactivating the most thermally resistant bacterium, such as Coxiella burnetii; however, they can also alter milk proteins-inducing denaturation, aggregation and reduced bioactivity. Though the impact of thermal treatments on whey proteins has been examined, the specific influence of 2 high-temperature-short-time (HTST) pasteurization steps on the retention of proteins in WPC remains unknown.
This study aimed to investigate the effect of commercial-scale HTST pasteurization of both raw milk and the resulting sweet whey on the products’ overall protein profile.
Three distinct batches of raw milk (RM) and corresponding pasteurized milk (PM), the resulting whey (RW) and pasteurized whey (PW) produced at commercial scale were analyzed. Assessments of denaturation were conducted through solubility testing at pH 4.6 and hydrophobicity evaluation via anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonic acid assay (ANS). Additionally, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), PAGE (PAGE) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) were employed to compare the retention of key bioactive proteins before and after each HTST pasteurization step.
The percentage of soluble whey protein decreased from RM to PM and from RW to PW, but no significant differences were observed via hydrophobicity assay. ELISA revealed a significant reduction in key bioactive proteins, such as lactoferrin, immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin M, but not immunoglobulin G, after HTST pasteurization of RM and RW.
PAGE and LC-MS/MS revealed a significant decrease in the retention of lactoferrin and key milk fat globular membrane proteins, such as xanthine dehydrogenase oxidase/xanthine oxidase, lactadherin and fatty acid binding protein. Additionally, xanthine oxidase activity was significantly reduced after HTST pasteurization of milk and whey.
This research helps to identify the limitations of the current processing techniques used in the dairy industry and could lead to innovation in improving the retention of bioactive proteins.

Human Health and Nutrition

Dietary Shifts since COVID-19: A Study of Racial Differences. Monroe-Lord L, Ardakani A, Harrison E, et al. Nutrients. 2024 Sep 19;16(18):3164.

The COVID-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the quality and quantity of people’s food consumption.
This study aimed to explore the dietary shifts among different racial groups resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on changes in consumption across various food categories.
This cross-sectional study included a sample of 10,050 urban residents aged 40-100 years across the United States. Dietary patterns among African American, Asian, Hispanic, and White populations were assessed before and since the pandemic (retrospective condition) using the Dietary Screening Tool (DST). The DST investigates consumption trends in food groups aligned with the MyPlate guidelines, plus fat, sugar, and sweet (FSS) intake and processed meats.
This study found significant shifts in food consumption patterns among racial groups since COVID-19. The data indicate that African American individuals largely reduced their consumption of several food groups compared to White individuals, with a 43% decrease in processed meats, 42% in dairy, 36% in lean protein, 21% in fruit, 17% in grains, and 15% in FSS, although their vegetable consumption did not significantly decrease.
African American individuals also consumed 66% less processed meat, 57% less dairy, and 30% less lean protein in comparison to Asian individuals. Hispanic individuals also showed a tendency to reduce their consumption more than White individuals, with a 34% decrease in dairy, 28% in vegetables, and 24% in fruit. In contrast, Asian individuals consumed 37% less FSS and 34% less grains than White individuals.
Additionally, when compared to Asian individuals, Hispanic individuals consumed 49% less dairy and 47% less processed meat. The findings also revealed that African American individuals were the most nutritionally vulnerable group since the pandemic. Specifically, they were 38% and 35% more likely to be considered at nutritional risk than Asians and White participants, respectively.
These findings illuminate the considerable dietary shifts induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasize the critical need to address the racial disparities in nutritional vulnerability and public health policy.

Assessment of Milk and Beverage Intake Trends During Preschool Age and Modeling the Nutritional Impact of Replacing Nondairy Caloric Beverages with Milk. Ricklefs-Johnson K, Pikosky MA, Cifelli CJ, Fulgoni K, Fulgoni VL 3rd, Agarwal S. Curr Dev Nutr. 2024 Aug 8;8(9):104436.

Milk provides essential crucial public health nutrients, including 3-4 nutrients of public health concern, yet dairy consumption has declined over time, leading most Americans to fall short of meeting Dietary Guidelines recommendations.
The purpose of this study was to investigate milk and beverage consumption trends in preschool-age children, along with nutrient intakes from beverages, and to analyze the potential impact of replacing nondairy beverages with milk through isocaloric substitution.
Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2018 for children aged 1-5 years (n= 4696) were used, and milk and other beverages intakes were estimated from the first 24-hour in-person dietary recall. Nutrient intakes were determined using the United States Department of Agriculture’s food and nutrient database for dietary studies. Changes in nutrient intakes of children aged 2-5 years were modeled assuming isocaloric substitution with milk of all nondairy beverages consumed during lunch and dinner combined.
With the increasing age of children, the intake of milk decreased, whereas the intake of energy, caloric beverages excluding milk, and sugar-sweetened beverages increased. Daily intakes of energy, protein, fat, saturated fatty acids (SFA), calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, vitamin A, folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin D from caloric beverages including milk decreased with age, whereas the daily intake of fiber and added sugar increased with age.
With the isocaloric replacement of nondairy caloric beverages with milk at lunch and dinner among children aged 2-5 years, intake of protein, fat, SFAs, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, vitamin A, folate, vitamin B-12, and vitamin D increased, whereas for intake of carbohydrate, fiber, total sugar, and added sugar decreased.
The current findings indicate that increased efforts are needed to reverse the decrease in milk intake over time and as preschool children age and provide additional evidence to support specific dietary recommendations for milk.

Fermented Dairy Products, Musculoskeletal and Mental Health in Older Adults: is There Evidence to Support Benefits that go Beyond Those of Non-Fermented Dairy Products? Papageorgiou M, Lyrakou M, Kyriacou A, Biver E, Yannakoulia M. Calcif Tissue Int. 2024 Sep 20.

Fermented dairy products have recently gained popularity due to their purported health benefits, nevertheless, their role in ageing remains uncertain.
This narrative review aims to evaluate evidence from observational (prospective) and interventional studies on the potential benefits of fermented dairy product consumption for musculoskeletal and mental health in older adults. Additionally, it seeks to determine whether any observed benefits surpass those of non-fermented dairy products and to identify directions for future research.
Prospective studies support either favorable or neutral associations of fermented dairy products with outcomes of musculoskeletal health or neutral associations with mental health outcomes, whilst it remains unclear if the benefits observed with fermented dairy products go beyond those of the non-fermented dairy foods.
Few interventional studies suggest overall favorable effects of yogurt and cheese on musculoskeletal health in older adults but given their small number (N = 6) and heterogeneity, they do not allow a clear assessment or definitive recommendations for fermented dairy intake. Interventional studies reporting mental health outcomes are largely lacking for this age group (N = 1).
Given the very limited evidence for the effectiveness of fermented dairy products, future well-designed prospective and randomized controlled trials are needed to better understand their benefits (especially compared to those of non-fermented dairy foods), their characteristics and the quantities required to offer protection against musculoskeletal and/or mental health ageing.

The effects of dairy on the gut microbiome and symptoms in gastrointestinal disease cohorts: a systematic review. Ní Chonnacháin C, Feeney EL, Gibney ER, et al. Gut Microbiome (Camb). 2024. 7;5:e5.

Bovine dairy foods provide several essential nutrients. Fermented bovine dairy foods contain additional compounds, increasing their potential to benefit gastrointestinal health.
This review explores the effects of dairy consumption on the gut microbiome and symptoms in gastrointestinal disease cohorts.
Human subjects with common gastrointestinal diseases (functional gastrointestinal disorders and inflammatory bowel disease) or associated symptoms, and equivalent animal models were included.
A systematic literature search was performed using PubMed, Embase and Web of Science. The search yielded 3014 studies in total, with 26 meeting inclusion criteria, including 15 human studies (1550 participants) and 11 animal studies (627 subjects). All test foods were fermented bovine dairy products, primarily fermented milk and yogurt.
Six studies reported increases in gastrointestinal bacterial alpha diversity, with nine studies reporting increases in relative Lactobacillusand Bifidobacterium Six studies reported increases in beneficial short-chain fatty acids, while three reported decreases.
Gastrointestinal symptoms, specifically gut comfort and defecation frequency, improved in 14 human studies. Five animal studies demonstrated reduced colonic damage and improved healing.
This review shows fermented bovine dairy consumption may improve gut microbial characteristics and gastrointestinal symptoms in gastrointestinal disease cohorts. Further human intervention studies are needed, expanding test foods and capturing non-self-reported gastrointestinal measures.

Infant Milk Formula Enriched in Dairy Cream Brings Its Digestibility Closer to Human Milk and Supports Intestinal Health in Pre-Clinical Studies. Kondrashina A, Mamone G, Giblin L, Lane JA. Nutrients. 2024 Sep 11;16(18):3065.

Human breast milk (HBM) is the “gold standard” for infant nutrition. When breast milk is insufficient or unavailable, infant milk formula (IMF) can provide a safe and nutritious alternative. However, IMFs differ considerably from HBM in composition and health function. Researchers compared the digestibility and potential health functions of IMF containing low cream (LC-) or high cream (HC-) with pooled HBM.
After simulated infant digestion of these samples, the bioavailability of key nutrients and immunomodulatory activities were determined via cell-based in vitro
A Caenorhabditis elegansleaky gut model was established to investigate cream effects on gut health.
Distinct differences were observed in peptide diversity and sequences released from HC-IMF compared with LC-IMF during simulated digestion. Higher levels of free fatty acids were absorbed through 21-day differentiated Caco-2/HT-29MTX monolayers from HC-IMF, compared with LC-IMF and HBM.
Furthermore, the immune-modulating properties of HC-IMF appeared to be more similar to HBM than LC-IMF, as observed by comparable secretion of cytokines IL-10 and IL-1β from THP-1 macrophages. HC-IMF also supported intestinal recovery in elegansfollowing distortion versus LC-IMF.
These observations suggest that cream as a lipid source in IMF may provide added nutritional and functional benefits more aligned with HBM.

Innovation, Economics, and Dairy Alternatives

Exploring Social Media to Understand Perceptions of Milk Quality among Farmers, Processors, and Citizen-Consumers. Paleologo M, Castellini G, Bosio AC, Fontana M, Graffigna G. Foods. 2024 Aug 13;13(16):2526.

Milk consumption is crucial for a balanced diet, yet recent trends indicate a decline, especially in Italy. A significant factor in this decline is the altered perception of milk quality among consumers, which has created a communication gap between them and other stakeholders.
This study aimed to explore the discourse on social media and sentiment towards the concept of milk quality among consumers, farmers, and processors.
The research adopted social media analysis to examine online-community messages. A sample of 19,906 Italian comments and posts mentioning keywords “milk”, “quality”, “cow”, and “vaccine” was collected and categorized using term-frequency analysis, correspondence analysis, and sentiment analysis.
Results highlighted gaps in perceptions of milk quality: farmers focused on economic issues, consumers on animal welfare and health, and processors on lactose content.
For farmers, almost all comments were negative, while for processors, nearly all comments were positive. Consumers presented a more mixed picture.
This work contributes to the literature by expanding research on milk quality, using social media as a source of information.
The findings suggest that enhancing communication and understanding among these groups could lead to more effective strategies for addressing consumer concerns, potentially reversing the decline in milk consumption.

Foodprint 2.0: A computational simulation model that estimates the agricultural resource requirements of diet patterns. Conrad Z, Wu S, Love DC, et al. PLoS One. 2024 Sep 4;19(9):e0306097.

Reducing the environmental pressures stemming from food production is central to meeting global sustainability targets. Shifting diets represents one lever for improving food system sustainability, and identifying sustainable diet opportunities requires computational models to represent complex systems and allow users to evaluate counterfactual scenarios.
Despite an increase in the number of food system sustainability models, there remains a lack of transparency of data inputs and mathematical formulas to facilitate replication by researchers and application by diverse stakeholders. Further, many models lack the ability to model multiple geographic scales.
The present study introduces Foodprint 2.0, which fills both gaps. Foodprint 2.0 is an updated biophysical simulation model that estimates the agricultural resource requirements of diet patterns and can be adapted to suit a variety of research purposes.
The objectives of this study are to: 1) describe the new features of Foodprint 2.0, and 2) demonstrate model performance by estimating the agricultural resource requirements of food demand in the United States (US) using nationally representative dietary data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2009-2018.
New features of the model include embedded functions to integrate individual-level dietary data that allow for variance estimation; new data and calculations to account for the resource requirements of food trade and farmed aquatic food; updated user interface; expanded output data for over 200 foods that include the use of fertilizer nutrients, pesticides, and irrigation water; supplementary files that include input data for all parameters on an annual basis from 1999-2018; sample programming code; and step-by-step instructions for users.
This study demonstrates that animal-sourced foods consumed in the US accounted for the greatest share of total land use, fertilizer nutrient use, pesticide use, and irrigation water use, followed by grains, fruits, and vegetables. Greater adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans was associated with lower use of land and fertilizer nutrients, and greater use of pesticides and irrigation water. Foodprint 2.0 is a highly modifiable model that can be a useful resource for informing sustainable diet policy discussions.

A framework for cost-effectiveness analysis of greenhouse gas mitigation measures in dairy industry with an application to dairy farms in China. Li S, Zhang M, Hou L, Gong B, Chen K. J Environ Manage. 2024 Sep 26;370:122521.

The dairy industry is a significant contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Although much effort has been directed to explore the cost-effective measures for many sectors such as electricity, building infrastructure, transportation, research on mitigation measures within dairy industry remains limited. A notable obstacle is the absence of a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) framework to guide decision-makers and practitioners in this sector.
In response, researchers proposed a comprehensive CEA framework tailored to mitigate GHG emissions in the dairy industry.
This conceptual framework consists of six steps: defining the system boundary to determine the activities generating GHG emissions; identifying GHG emission sources within the system boundary; identifying potential mitigation measures; determining methods to quantify GHG emissions; collecting data to estimate both GHG emissions and mitigation costs; and applying general econometric methodologies to analyze the cost-effectiveness of mitigation measures.
The researchers further conducted a case study focusing on dairy farms in China, analyzing three categories of mitigation measures: feed, energy, and manure management.
The results indicate that implementing effective feed and energy measures is a cost-saving strategy, reducing the cost per unit of milk production. Conversely, adopting effective manure management measures may lead to increased costs for dairy farms.
The findings offer strategic recommendations for reducing GHG emissions from dairy production in China and provide analytical insights and strategic references applicable to other developing countries.

Novel Insights in the Application of Probiotic Yeast Saccharomyces boulardii in Dairy Products and Health Promotion. Tomičić Z, Šarić L, Tomičić R. Foods. 2024 Sep 10;13(18):2866.

Probiotic organisms are increasingly being incorporated into foods in order to develop products to prevent and reduce many diseases. Saccharomyces boulardii, a probiotic yeast with unique properties, such as viability over a wide pH range, antibiotic resistance, and the ability to reach a steady state, has an advantage over bacterial probiotics.
The present review highlights the potential application of boulardiiin functional fermented dairy products and the genetic engineering of this probiotic microorganism as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of various infectious diseases.
It was found that probiotic yeast stimulates the growth of lactic acid bacteria in dairy products, creating favorable conditions and positively affecting the product’s sensory characteristics. Moreover, its viability of more than 10⁶cfu/mL at the end of the yogurt shelf life confirms its probiotic effect.
On the other hand, there is a growing interest in the design of probiotic strains to improve their characteristics and fill existing gaps in their spectrum of action such as the inhibition of some bacterial toxins, as well as anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects.
The strengthening of immune functions and effective therapies against various diseases by boulardiiwas confirmed. However, considering this yeast species’ potential, further research is necessary to accurately determine the functional properties in terms of incorporation into food matrices and from the aspect of health and well-being claims.

A systematic review on the impact of plant-based milk consumption on growth and nutrition in children and adolescents. Soczynska I, da Costa BR, O’Connor DL, Jenkins DJA, Birken CS, Keown-Stoneman CDG, D’Hollander C, Calleja S, Maguire JL. J Nutr. 2024 Sep 25:S0022-3166(24)01027-7.

Children are increasingly consuming plant-based milks, yet the impact on their growth and nutrition is unclear.
This systematic review aimed to summarize the available evidence on the impact of plant-based milk consumption on growth and nutrition in children and adolescents.
MEDLINE, Embase (Excerpta Medica Database), EBM Reviews – Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature), Child Development and Adolescent Studies, and Scopus were comprehensively searched from 2000 to 2024 to identify studies evaluating the growth and nutritional effects of plant-based milk consumption in children aged 1-18 years old.
A total of 6 studies were identified: 3 cross-sectional studies, 1 prospective cohort study, and 2 clinical trials (total n = 15,815).
Observational studies found that consumption of plant-based milk was associated with lower childhood BMI, height, and lower serum vitamin D levels compared to cow milk.
No association was found between soy milk consumption and BMI in adolescent girls. Low-quality clinical trials showed minimal effects on growth, and one study found that adolescent girls with low calcium intake who consumed fortified soy milk had higher bone density compared to those who did not consume soy milk.
Available evidence suggests that children who consume plant-based milk may have lower BMI, height, and micronutrient intake compared to those who consume cow milk, while fortified soy milk may support bone health in adolescents who do not drink cow milk.

Substitutive Effects of Milk vs. Vegetable Milk on the Human Gut Microbiota and Implications for Human Health. Mondragon Portocarrero ADC, Lopez-Santamarina A, Lopez PR, Ortega ISI, Duman H, Karav S, Miranda JM. Nutrients. 2024 Sep 14;16(18):3108.

Background: In the last two decades, the consumption of plant-based dairy substitutes in place of animal-based milk has increased in different geographic regions of the world.
Dairy substitutes of vegetable origin have a quantitative composition of macronutrients such as animal milk, although the composition of carbohydrates, proteins and fats, as well as bioactive components, is completely different from that of animal milk.
Many milk components have been shown to have relevant effects on the intestinal microbiota.
Therefore, the aim of this review is to compare the effects obtained by previous works on the composition of the gut microbiota after the ingestion of animal milk and/or vegetable beverages.
In general, the results obtained in the included studies were very positive for animal milk intake. The researchers found an increase in gut microbiota richness and diversity, increase in the production of short-chain fatty acids, and beneficial microbes such as Bifidobacterium, lactobacilli, Akkermansia, Lachnospiraceaeor Blautia.
In other cases, the researchers found a significant decrease in potential harmful bacteria such as Proteobacteria, Erysipelotrichaceae, Desulfovibrionaceaeor Clostridium perfingens after animal-origin milk intake.
Vegetable beverages have also generally produced positive results in the gut microbiota such as the increase in the relative presence of lactobacilli, Bifidobacteriumor Blautia. However, the researchers also found some potential negative results, such as increases in the presence of potential pathogens such as Enterobacteriaceae, Salmonella and Fusobacterium.
From the perspective of their effects on the intestinal microbiota, milks of animal origin appear to be more beneficial for human health than their vegetable substitutes. These different effects on the intestinal microbiota should be considered in those cases where the replacement of animal milks by vegetable substitutes is recommended.

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