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Protein efficiency in intensive dairy production: a Swedish example
Christian Swensson1, Helena Lindmark-Månsson2,3, Annika Smedman2,4
1Department of Biosystems and Technology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, Sweden.
Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture
|April 8, 2017
Summary
Swedish dairy cows can convert inedible feed protein into high-value milk protein. Optimizing diets to minimize human-edible feed is key for sustainable dairy production and efficient protein conversion.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Animal Nutrition
- Sustainable Food Systems
Background:
- Animal agriculture faces sustainability challenges.
- Dairy cows convert low-quality feed into high-quality protein.
- Assessing protein conversion efficiency requires considering edible feed components.
Purpose of the Study:
- To calculate the edible feed protein conversion ratio (eFPCR) for Swedish dairy cows.
- To evaluate protein conversion efficiency based on realistic feed rations and milk yields.
- To inform the debate on sustainable food systems and diets.
Main Methods:
- Calculated eFPCR for five distinct feed rations.
- Utilized data from Swedish dairy cows in high-yielding systems.
- Analyzed the impact of varying milk yields on eFPCR.
Main Results:
- Most scenarios demonstrated an eFPCR greater than 1, indicating net conversion of edible protein.
- Dairy cows effectively transform human-inedible protein into edible milk protein.
- Increased milk yield correlated with a reduced eFPCR, irrespective of diet composition.
Conclusions:
- Intensive dairy systems can efficiently convert low-value protein into high-value edible protein.
- Minimizing the human-edible fraction of dairy cow diets is crucial for justifying production.
- Findings support previous research on protein conversion efficiency and contribute to sustainable food system discussions.
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