Short communication: Dietary protein restriction and conjugated linoleic acid supplementation in dairy cows affect milk composition, the cheese-making process, and cheese quality

We used 20 mid-lactating Holstein cows, housed in 4 pens according to a Latin square design, to evaluate the effects of dietary protein restriction (crude protein: 12.3 vs. 15.0% dry matter) and conjugated linoleic acid supplementation (CLA: 6.34 g/d of C18:2cis-9,trans-11 and 6.14 g/d of C18:2trans-10,cis-12) on milk composition, coagulation, curd firming and syneresis modeling, and cheese yield and quality (96 small cheeses). Dietary crude protein restriction, suggested as a way to reduce N excretion in farming, caused a reduction in milk protein content (−4%,), milk casein (−3.8%), lactose (−1%), cheese soluble protein (−16.8%), and the cheese maturation index (−15%), and a correlated increase in cheese fat content (+7.5%) and the fat to protein ratio (+18%). A modest reduction (−0.9%) in milk fat recovery in the curd did not affect cheese yield. The addition of CLA to the cows' diet, suggested as a way to improve N use efficiency and the nutritional value of dairy products, caused substantial alterations to the milk composition, cheese-making process, and cheese quality. The CLA reduced the fat (−12.3%), protein (−2%), casein (−2.2%), lactose (−1.0), and total solids (−4%) contents of milk, tended to delay coagulation, and weakened curd firming. The CLA reduced the fresh cheese yield (−7.5%) and cheese solids (−8.2%) because of the lower nutrient content of the milk, but also because of a lower recovery of milk protein in the curd (−0.9%) and lower total solids (−4.5%). It also reduced the fat content in the ripened cheese (−11.8%), as well as the fat to protein ratio (−19.4%) as a result of having increased the protein content (+9.3%). Last, it increased the lightness of the paste of the ripened cheeses (+3.3%), and especially the shear force (+16.3%). Dietary crude protein restriction, and CLA addition in particular, substantially altered the milk composition, cheese-making process, and cheese quality, and therefore needs to be carefully evaluated. Further studies are required to shed light on the causes of these modifications.