Modeling the relationships among technological properties of sheep individual animal factors, milk composition, and minerals using generalized additive mixed models

• DOI: 10.3168/jds.2024-25846
• Publication Date: 2025-03-04T00:27:00Z
• Authors: Giorgia Stocco; Claudio Cipolat-G...; Andrea Summer; Francesco Tiezzi; Simone Blotta; Alessio Negro; Bianca Castiglioni; Stefano Biffani

The dairy sheep industry faces ongoing challenges in optimizing cheese production and enhancing efficiency across different breeds. This study provides crucial insights into how breed-specific factors, lactation stages, parity, milk composition, including mineral concentrations, affect yield nutrients recovery the curd. aims of this were to characterize individual samples for cheesemaking by measuring 3 traits (%CY; fresh curd, TS, water retained) 5 (%REC; fat, protein, lactose, energy) examine these change throughout lactation, considering breeds, parities, variations composition concentrations. A total 760 ewes from Massese Comisana breeds sampled during morning milking at National Association Sheep Breeders nucleus farm (Tuscany, Italy). application generalized additive mixed models (GAMM) was a key element study, enabling more nuanced analysis complex relationships nonlinear trends. GAMM accounted breed which included as parametric terms, well minerals, rennet coagulation time (RCT), sampling day, interactions between DIM (MY), fat casein, Ca P, treated smooth terms. approach provided that would have been difficult capture with traditional linear models. Results evidenced parity-specific variations. Indeed, had overall lower compared ewes, primiparous higher percentages both %CY %REC traits. interaction × MY less significant Massese, notable effects only on protein lactose Comisana. casein also specific affected extent patterns 2 Longer RCT increased retained curd reduced TS rates main components effect P not always Overall, an increase associated %REC, except energy. High Na Cl detrimental process whereas destabilizing K particularly milk. These findings highlight alongside significantly efficiency, important differences Efficient requires careful consideration especially terms Ca, Na, Cl, K, optimize yields