Buffalo milk makes up around 15% of the total global milk production, yet it’s crucial for making premium cheeses such as Mozzarella di Bufala Campana.
Buffalo milk beats cow’s milk in terms of fat, protein, solids, calcium and phosphorus and mineral content. It is also naturally abundant in the more digestible A2 protein and doesn’t contain A1 protein.
India is has the largest population of water buffaloes with more than 113 million animals; and Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Thailand are among the Asian countries where herds are found.
In Europe, buffaloes are farmed in Italy (largely concentrated in Campania) and the Balkans, while in South America, Brazil has more recently started to breed different types.
While the nutritional benefits of buffalo milk are clear, not much is known about how seasonality affects its quality.
But researchers from Brazil have completed a 4-year study investigating just that – and the results may influence future management practices.
Why seasons matter for milk production
As part of the multi-year research, the academics evaluated how seasonal changes affected the somatic cell count (SCC) - a quality and safety indicator in milk – and composition of buffalo milk collected in the Minas Gerais region of Brazil.
The team collected more than 2,000 commercial milk samples from three dairy plants and split the samples according to seasons in the period from April 2020 to March 2024.
Daily and hourly climatological data was also collected, then averaged by month.
Brazil experiences winter between May and September and summer – between November and March.
In Brazil, the lowest milk production is during spring and summer and the highest – in the winter.
“Seasonality is an important factor correlated with buffalo milk production and quality, as this species presents polyestrous [having several estrus cycles annually or per season] behavior in short days, with more reproductive activity during fall and winter,” the researchers explained.
In addition, the length of the days (longest in December-January and shortest in June) and the availability of feed are season-dependent and can affect milk composition, the authors added.
The climate in the region where the samples were collected is typical of the tropical highlands, with temperatures ranging from 22°C to 25°C during spring and summer with highs of around 40°C and low rainfall during the final months of the fall and during winter.
So how did seasonality affect components including fat, protein, lactose and solids?
The researchers recorded higher fat, protein, SNF, and TS concentration during the summer and spring while lactose levels were highest during the fall and winter.
The opposite was true for cow’s milk in the region, the authors noted: with the highest concentration for fat, protein, SNF, and TS, and the lowest for lactose during the winter.
Somatic cell count tended to be lower when compared with cow milk – and was inversely correlated with lactose concentration.
“Buffalo milk quality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, was influenced by seasonal and monthly variations, with higher concentration for major components during the summer and spring seasons, except for lactose, which presented the highest concentration during the fall and winter. The trend of the major components curves during the year was inverse to the trend of cow milk components,” the researchers concluded.
“Other studies should be conducted for a better understanding of the financial effect of this oscillation during the year and for milk quality payment, considering the dynamic capture by a dairy industry.”
Source:
Buffalo milk quality: A study of seasonal influence on composition and somatic cell count
Viana, Claudia F. et al.
Journal of Dairy Science, Volume 108, Issue 3, 2215 – 2226
