EFFECTS OF A COMPLETE DIET ON THE QUALITATIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF EWE MILK AND CHEESE

Fifty-seven East-Friesian ewes, raised in permanent housing, divided into two groups were fed twice a day either a traditional diet (TD) of hay and concentrates, or a complete diet (CD) of maize silage, hay and concentrates from a mixer wagon. The trial started around the third month of lactation and lasted 117 days. There were no significant differences in liveweight, daily milk yield and monthly lactation persistence between the two groups. Dry matter feed intake was about 8% higher (P < 0.05) in the animals receiving the CD. Some qualitative milk characteristics were affected by the different feeding. Milk pH remained steady in the CD group throughout the experiment while it decreased (P < 0.05) in the TD group. Urea nitrogen levels and clostridial spore counts were significantly higher (P < 0.05) for CD animals. Curd formation rate (K20), an index of milk coagulation properties, was higher (P < 0.05) in milk from the CD group (2.27 vs. 2.52 min), as well as cheese yield, measured up to 42 days of ripening (P < 0.01). No significant differences were observed in cheese quality during ripening, except clostridial spore content, which was higher (P < 0.05) in cheeses from the CD group, agreeing with values of the original milk. This, however, did not substantially alter texture and sensorial properties of the cheeses. The results suggest that the CD feeding system may effectively change the traditional form of dairy ewe feeding and management into a more intensive one.