Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Buffer and Application of Herbal Teat Dip on the Milk Composition of Lactating Rathi Cattle

Background: Nowadays, there is an increasing demand among the consumers for clean milk or superior quality milk and milk products. The current scenario of dairy sector in India showcases a low productivity among the indigenous dairy breeds which requires the employment of nutritional and managemental interventions to improve the milk quality as well as performance of lactating cattle. The use of buffers like trisodium citrate and herbal post milking herbal teat dip are part of such interventions. The current study is aimed at evaluating the effect of such interventions on the milk quality of lactating Rathi cattle. Methods: Twenty-four cattle were selected at LRS, Bikaner and divided into four treatment groups consisting of six cattle each. The experiment was conducted for 60 days, where T1 group was used as control, T2 group was given the basal diet along with oral supplementation of buffer trisodium citrate @ 30 mg/kg body weight, T3 group received the basal diet along with the topical application of herbal teat dip (aloe vera, turmeric, lemon extract and castor oil) and T4 group was given the basal diet along with a combination of oral supplementation of trisodium citrate @ 30 mg/kg body weight as well as the topical application. The milk samples of the experimental animals were examined for milk fat per cent, milk SNF per cent, milk lactose per cent and milk protein per cent. Result: The results of the study revealed that there was a significant effect (P less than 0.05) of buffer supplementation and application of herbal teat dip on milk fat per cent, whereas it was highly significant (P less than 0.01) for milk SNF per cent between the control and treatment groups. There was no significant effect observed in milk lactose percent or milk protein per cent.