Urea, the compound present in blood, urine and milk, is the main form of nitrogen excretion in mammals. Detecting the level of urea in dairy cows helps scientists and farmers understand how nitrogen in feed is effectively used in dairy cows. It is important to farmers in terms of feed cost, physiological effects on dairy cows (such as reproductive performance), and the impact of excretion on the environment. The economic significance of nitrogen in cow manure. Therefore, the accuracy of the detection of urea levels in dairy cows is crucial. Since the 1990s, mid-infrared detection of milk urea nitrogen (MUN) has been the most effective and least invasive method used to measure nitrogen in large quantities of dairy cows. In a recent article published in the Journal of Dairy Science, researchers at Cornell University reported on the development of a powerful set of new MUN calibration reference samples to improve the accuracy of MUN measurements.
“When a set of these samples is run on a milk analyzer, the data can be used to detect specific defects in the MUN prediction quality, and the user of the instrument or the manufacturer of the milk analyzer may correct these defects,” explained senior author David. Dr. M. Barbano, Northeast Dairy Research Center, Department of Food Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, USA. Accurate and timely MUN concentration information “is very important for dairy herd feeding and breeding management,” Barbano added.
Given the increasing global scrutiny of the environmental impact of large-scale agriculture and the economic challenges faced by farmers, the need to accurately understand the use of nitrogen in the dairy industry may never have been so urgent. This improvement in milk composition testing marks further progress towards healthier and more sustainable agricultural and food production practices, which will benefit both producers and consumers. See Portnoy M et al. Infrared milk analyzer: milk urea nitrogen calibration. J. Dairy Science. April 1, 2021, in press. doi: 10.3168/jds.2020-18772 This article is reproduced from the following materials. Note: The material may have been edited for length and content. For more information, please contact the cited source.
Post time: Jul-05-2021