Cow’s Milk
Milk as a product of the mammary gland characterized by a certain nutritional value, but it also contains a large amount of other bioactive substances that make it an indispensable food for all age categories of people. Humans mostly consume milk from cows in their daily diet (Penny, 1995; Samuel, 1976). Milk is a rich source of all necessary amino acids, fats, some of the necessary vitamins and a very rich source of calcium characterized by easy digestibility and utilization. As a result, today a lot of attention paid to milk production not only in our country, but also in the world, especially in highly developed countries. Milk production in R. Macedonia is decreasing year by year as consequence of the decrease in the number of cows. According to statistical data, in R. Macedonia has total 212,000 cattle, of which about 90,000 are dairy cows. Of them, the largest percentage belong to the black and white (Holstein or Holstein-Friesian) breed of cattle and its hybrids. In our country, about 350,000 tons of milk produced, of which 90% is cow's milk (Trajkovski & Bunevski, 2007; Bunevski, et al., 2018).
Today, the biggest producers of milk are cows, and there are a large number of milk-producing breeds in the world, but the most widespread breed is the Holstein-Friesian breed. In our country, the most cultivated breed is the black and white, which represented in almost all small and large farms. The black and white breed of cows been successfully acclimatized in our country and is bred in all regions of our country. It characterized by good milk yield, but lately, to improve milk yield, it been crossed with Holstein - the Friesian breed.
The quality of milk from the black and white breed is standard. The quality of the milk greatly influenced by the diet of the cows and the use of fodder crops. The quality of the milk also depends on the period of lactation in which the cows are. Cows that are at the beginning of lactation have milk with a lower fat content, and at the end of lactation it increases. The use of coarse fodder for feeding cows increases fat content, while concentrated feed mixes reduce it. The type of forage has little effect on protein content and no influence on lactose content (National Dairy Development Board Annand -3888-001, 2012 and FAO. 2011; Asia-Pacific Region 2000-2010).
High milk production requires quality and properly balanced feed for dairy cows. The coarse roughage used to feed the cows should be of excellent quality, providing about 70% of the required nutrients per day, and 30% should be provide through the forage compounds for dairy cows, India MART, (2014).
With proper nutrition, dairy cows should be provide with all the necessary nutrients, both in quantity and quality. According to numerous studies, the amount of milk per dairy cow is a breed characteristic that largely depends on the rearing conditions (accommodation, roughage quality and the quality of forage compounds for dairy cows). Under normal housing conditions and quality coarse feed, a large production of milk of excellent quality can be expected (Kellems, O. R. & Church, D.C., 2010).
By feeding animals to create nutritionally modified food products or using techniques, i.e., cross-breeding, genetic engineering, and induced genetic mutation, the designer foods are produced to enhance or reduce the presence of particular nutrients and/or to improve them. Designer foods may be to create with a sufficient amount of nutrients, which considered beneficial for health. Several nutrients such as Vitamins C and E, β-carotene, amino acids, L-carnitine, and other phytochemicals been identified to be very effective in preventing issues related to the heart and other vital organs, cancers, and cataract. Many food items created containing a large amount of these beneficial ingredients for the betterment of human health, (Biesalski HK, et al., 1997; Institute of medicine (US), DRI Book, 2000).