Content
Many farmers face the fact that a cow’s milk tastes bitter in any season of the year. There can be many reasons for the appearance of bitterness in milk secretions. Most often, dairy cow owners attribute this fact to eating special plants with a specific taste. However, there are more serious and dangerous reasons that cause this problem.
List of reasons why cow's milk is bitter
A cow's milk can taste bitter for various reasons. The list of factors that adversely affect the quality of milk can be divided into two groups.
The first includes the following:
- physical and physiological condition of the dairy cow;
- pregnancy period;
- quality of feeding and composition of the cattle diet;
- conditions for keeping livestock.
The second group includes reasons associated with improper storage of already received products, which begin to taste bitter.
Pregnancy
Changes in the organoleptic characteristics of milk secretion during pregnancy occur approximately 1-2 months before calving. The fetus formed in the female’s body requires a large amount of nutrients - the body of a pregnant cow is reconstructed, and most of the energy is spent on the growth and development of the calf. It is during this period that the cow is started (milking is gradually stopped, the diet is changed) and prepared for calving.
If the mandatory start-up period for a pregnant cow is delayed or absent, the milk obtained from the animal begins to taste bitter. The unpleasant taste is due to the increased content of hormones and leukocytes. In the secretion formed, there is an excess of sodium salts over calcium salts, as well as an increase in the fat and protein content in the product.
A cow's milk may taste bitter after calving. In the first 7-10 days, the nutrient secretion produced (colostrum) may have a salty or bitter taste.
Poor nutrition
The quality of feeding and the composition of the animal’s diet directly affect the properties of milk. Often the product may taste bitter after being eaten by a dairy animal:
- rotten, moldy hay or straw (oat, barley);
- rancid cake;
- flax meal;
- feed with added yeast;
- poisonous crops.
An unpleasant taste may also occur when eating raw potatoes, beets or tops.
Bitter herbs
One of the reasons that milk begins to taste bitter is eating bitter herbs. Ruminant animals readily consume such plants.
Herbs that, when eaten, can cause an off-flavor in milk:
- sagebrush;
- lupine;
- wild onion;
- yarrow;
- dill;
- garlic;
- caraway;
- tansy;
- horsetail;
- Avran officinalis;
- sweet clover;
- chamomile;
- field mustard.
Also, bitterness in milk secretion sometimes appears when dairy animals eat cabbage, turnips, radishes, rutabaga and other plants of the Cruciferous family.
Bitter herbs stimulate appetite and have a beneficial effect on digestion
Breast injury
Any injury to the mammary gland, just like mastitis, leads to a change in the quality of the secretion and a decrease in its quantity. Milk may acquire a bitter taste and change consistency and color.
In case of injury to the mammary gland, you must immediately seek help from a veterinarian
Mineral deficiency
The reason for the appearance of bitterness in a cow's milk in winter may be an unbalanced diet, namely a lack or excess of vitamins, micro- and macroelements.
The unpleasant taste of milk secretion in the absence of other reasons is often associated with a deficiency of cobalt in the diet of dairy animals. The cow has a perverted appetite, which manifests itself in the form of licking objects, walls, and eating the ground. A decrease in milk yield and milk fat content is also possible.
Worms
A very common reason why milk turns bitter is infestations. One of the most severe diseases is fascioliasis.Fasciola affects the animal's body, causing acute or chronic inflammation of the liver and bile ducts, indigestion, and acute intoxication.
Parasites destroy liver tissue, clog bile ducts, causing stagnation of bile
This type of invasion is typical for damp and swampy areas. Infection with fascioliasis occurs more often in the second half of June when cows are on pasture.
Hunting period
The composition and quality of the secretion is influenced by the period of the animal's sexual heat. Milk yield and fat content of milk decrease slightly, and its organoleptic properties also change. The product may acquire a salty taste, taste bitter and have a different consistency.
Diseases
The appearance of bitterness in the milk secretion of a dairy animal is very often associated with the presence of:
- liver diseases;
- helminthiases;
- mastitis;
- ketosis;
- infectious diseases.
Mastitis
When the mammary gland of a dairy animal is affected by mastitis, a change in the consistency and taste of the secretion is observed. Watery, low-fat milk with flakes or curdled clots, a bitter or salty taste occurs with purulent catarrhal and purulent mastitis.
With these forms of inflammation of the mammary gland in cows, an increase in udder volume and local temperature is observed. The animal loses its appetite and is in a depressed state. With the purulent-catarrhal form, soreness and hyperemia of the affected part of the udder are also noted.
Due to impurities of pus and blood, the milk secretion acquires a yellowish or reddish tint.
Ketosis
Another reason why milk begins to taste bitter may be a violation of protein-carbohydrate metabolism in the body of a dairy cow. Ketosis in cattle is characterized by an increase in the content of ketone bodies in the blood of the animal (acetone, beta-hydroxybutyric and acetoacetic acid).
This pathological condition most often occurs when there is an excess of protein in the diet of cows, for example, feeding a large amount of concentrated feed, as well as silage and pulp. Substances accumulate in various tissues and biological fluids of the body, including milk.
Liver or gallbladder dysfunction
The fact that milk begins to taste bitter is often caused by congenital and acquired diseases of the liver and gall bladder. Serious disturbances in the functioning of these organs immediately make themselves felt in changes in the properties of milk secretion. Deformation of the gallbladder and a decrease in the lumen of the ducts cause stagnation of bile in the body. The milk becomes bitter and acquires a yellowish tint.
If there is a congenital anomaly of the digestive system, the product will always have a bitter taste.
Infectious diseases
Infectious diseases also negatively affect the organoleptic properties of milk. Leptospirosis is one of the most common natural focal infections, caused by bacteria of the genus Leptospira. At the beginning, the disease is asymptomatic; as the liver, kidneys, and capillaries are damaged, fever appears.Sick individuals lose weight, productivity decreases sharply, and milk, due to stagnation of bilirubin, acquires a yellowish tint and a bitter taste.
The secretion can also become bitter-salty with a very dangerous infectious disease - udder tuberculosis.
It is strictly prohibited to consume milk obtained from a cow with udder tuberculosis.
Violation of sanitary standards
In autumn and winter, a cow’s milk may taste bitter for the following reasons:
- violation of sanitary standards;
- poor hygiene during the milking process;
- using dirty containers to collect milk;
- the use of stale water and dirty napkins when washing and wiping the udder.
A large number of bacteria entering milk negatively affect its organoleptic properties. To eliminate unfavorable factors that contribute to the appearance of bitterness in milk secretions, you must:
- clean and disinfect the room where the dairy cow is located in a timely manner, and also maintain a favorable microclimate in it;
- feeders and drinking bowls should be sanitized regularly;
- change old dirty bedding daily, since it often causes illness not only in farm animals, but also in contamination of finished products.
Before milking, it is necessary to thoroughly wash the cow's udder with clean water and dry it. The container for collecting milk must be clean, without any residues of the product milked last time. Detergents used when processing the container can also lead to bitterness in the milk.
Personal hygiene rules should be observed. The farmer's hands and clothes must be clean.
It is better to express the first streams of milk into a separate container or pour it out
Violation of milk storage rules
If the storage rules for the resulting product are violated, the milk may taste bitter if:
- exposed to direct sunlight (oxidation of milk fat, proteins);
- the product is kept in a metal container (iron or copper);
- the storage container is not handled correctly;
- do not comply with the temperature regime in the room;
- mix different batches of the product (morning and evening).
Shelf life of raw milk at different temperatures:
- +1… +2 ° C – two days;
- +3… +4 ° C – 36 hours;
- +6… +8 ° C – up to 18 hours;
- +8… +10 ° C – up to 12 hours.
Purchased milk may taste bitter due to improper transportation and storage.
What to do if a cow's milk is bitter
If a cow's milk is bitter, the problem can be corrected, but first of all, it is necessary to identify the cause of this phenomenon.
First of all, it is important to review the diet and living conditions of the dairy cow. The diet should be balanced in terms of the amount of proteins, fats, carbohydrates, macro- and microelements, as well as vitamins. You should avoid consuming large amounts of bitter herbs.
If your stomach has high acidity, you can buy salt lick with soda. Also, do not forget about an important component - water. The norm for an adult dairy cow is approximately 70-80 liters. This indicator depends on milk yield and ambient temperature.
Sometimes untreated milk does not turn sour, but becomes bitter.This phenomenon is due to the effect of antibiotics in the animal’s body after treatment of diseases.
To remove the unpleasant bitter taste from fresh milk, you can heat it in a water bath to 40 ° C and cool it
How to treat a cow if its milk is bitter
If a cow's milk begins to taste bitter, the first step is to take blood tests to identify diseases. You should also carefully analyze the diet and living conditions of the animal.
Treatment of fascioliasis is carried out using drugs with the active substance closantel:
- "Klozaverm";
- "Rolenol";
- "Brontel".
Injections are administered once at a rate of 10 ml per 200 kg of animal weight.
To treat fascioliasis, drugs in powder form are also used, the active ingredients of which are fenbendazole, fenzol, etc. These are Brovadazole and Albendazole.
Powdered anthelmintics are given twice at an interval of 10-14 days during morning feeding.
If there is a cobalt deficiency, it is necessary to introduce cobalt chloride into the diet of a milking animal. The course is two tablets per day for 30 days.
In the treatment of leptospirosis, polyvalent hyperimmune serum is used. The drug is administered subcutaneously in an amount of 0.4 ml per 1 kg of the body of an adult animal. The protective properties remain for 25 days after administration.
If you suspect liver disease, mastitis, or infection, you should immediately seek help from a veterinarian. Self-treatment or the use of folk remedies can lead to complications or death of the animal.
When treating mastitis (purulent and purulent-catarrhal), daily single use of drugs is recommended:
- "Masticide";
- "Mamifort";
- "Antimast Forte".
To wash the mammary gland, antiseptic solutions are used: furatsilin, potassium permanganate, ichthyol and other agents. Any liquids are introduced into the cow's udder very carefully, without creating a lot of pressure.
Is it possible to drink milk if it is bitter?
It is not recommended to drink milk that is bitter, since it is unknown for what reasons it acquired an unpleasant aftertaste. A bitter product purchased secondhand from private households may be contaminated or contain medicinal substances, including antibiotics.
Prevention measures
To prevent the occurrence of diseases that negatively affect the organoleptic properties of milk, the following measures should be carried out in a timely manner:
- vaccination against infectious diseases;
- carefully monitor the physical condition of the dairy animal;
- comply with hygiene standards.
Conclusion
If a cow's milk tastes bitter, this is a serious reason to think about the health of the animal. The sudden appearance of such a taste often indicates serious liver diseases, infectious and inflammatory processes. If all unfavorable factors are excluded, then the owner needs to seek help from a specialist to identify the true cause.
