Immunomodulant feed supplement to support dairy cows health and milk quality evaluated in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production

The effects of an immunomodulant feed supplement (OmniGen-AF®) were evaluated on cow health, composition and quality of milk produced for Parmigiano Reggiano cheese production. One hundred-ninety primiparous and multiparous Holstein and Crossbred dairy cows were randomly assigned to either a control (CTR, n = 95) or a group fed 55 g/h/d of the supplement (TRT, n = 95), from dry off to 150 days in milk (DIM). Individual milk yield (MY) was recorded daily, and individual milk quality was analyzed monthly. Health events and involuntary culling were recorded. Daily feeding of the supplement did not produce any negative effect on composition and cheese making properties of milk used to produce Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Casein content in the milk of primiparous TRT cows increased after 90 DIM, and milk cheese-making properties, like coagulation time (LDG, r') and aptitude (LDG, type) of cows fed the supplement were enhanced. TRT cows had fewer health related events (−21%) compared to CTR group, and multiparous TRT cows tended to have a lower somatic cell score (SCS) in the first 60 DIM than CTR (−0.6 pts). The incidence of clinical mastitis was observed to be lower in the TRT Holsteins cows than CTR (4 vs 11 cases). Involuntary culling was reduced in TRT group: supplemented cows had a lower culling rate within 60 DIM (1% TRT vs 7.4% CTR) and time of culling (DIM) occurred later (102.6 and 57 DIM for TRT and CTR, respectively). These results suggest that cow health and milk quality can be improved through an appropriate nutritional strategy and the use of an immunomodulator supplement like OmniGen-AF®. This combined nutritional strategy could have important implications for strictly regulated products like Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, other PDO cheese or organic products. This strategy may provide a feeding option to better control animal health that is fundamental to satisfy the uprising consumer's expectations in minimizing the utilization of antimicrobials.