Have a personal or library account? Click to login
Seasonal Variation in Milk Composition and Physiological Indicators in Dairy Cows: A One-Year Study from Eastern Slovakia Cover

Seasonal Variation in Milk Composition and Physiological Indicators in Dairy Cows: A One-Year Study from Eastern Slovakia

Open Access
|Mar 2026

References

  1. 1. Parmar, P., Lopez-Villalobos, N., Tobin, J. T., Murphy, E., McDonagh, A., Crowley, S. V., Kelly, A. L., Shalloo, L., 2020: The effect of compositional changes due to seasonal variation on milk density and the determination of season-based density conversion factors for use in the dairy industry. Foods, 9, 8, 1004. DOI: 10.3390/foods9081004
  2. 2. Zacometti, C., Tata, A., Massaro, A., Riuzzi, G., Bragolusi, M., Cozzi, G., Piro, R., Khazzar, S., Gerardi, G., Gottardo, F., Segato, S., 2023: Seasonal variation in raw milk VOC profile within intensive feeding systems. Foods, 12, 9, 1871. DOI: 10.3390/foods12091871
  3. 3. Dimovska, L., Trajkovska, B., Veljanovska, L., Gagacheva, B., Dimovska, N., 2024: Seasonal variations in somatic cell count and their impact on the physicochemical composition of raw cow milk. Int. J. Food Technol. Nutr., 7, 13–14, 104–109.
  4. 4. Zahumensk á, J., Zigo, F., Kov áč ov á, M., Ondra š ovi č ov á, S., Hisira, V., Mihok, T., V ý rostkov á, J., Farka š ov á, Z., 2024: Influence of different milking methods on milk quality based on somatic cell count and basic composition. Ann. Agric. Environ. Med., 31, 2, 198–204. DOI: 10.26444/aaem/187170
  5. 5. Heck, J. M. L., van Valenberg, H. J. F., Dijkstra, J., van Hooijdonk, A. C. M., 2009: Seasonal variation in the Dutch bovine raw milk composition. J. Dairy Sci., 92, 10, 4745–4755. DOI: 10.3168/jds.2009-2146
  6. 6. Zhao, X., Xu, Z., Guo, L., Tang, Y., 2025: Seasonal nitrogen metabolism and milk urea nitrogen response in dairy cattle under varying feeding conditions. Anim. Nutr., 14, 203–211.
  7. 7. Alhussien, M. N., Dang, A. K., 2018: Milk somatic cells, factors influencing their release, future prospects, and practical utility in dairy animals: An overview. Vet. World, 11, 5, 562–577. DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2018.562-577
  8. 8. Musayeva, A., Fedorova, T., Belik, N., 2016: Effect of seasonal factors on milk composition and somatic cell count. J. Anim. Sci., 94, 6, 2341–2348.
  9. 9. Spek, J. W., Dijkstra, J., van Duinkerken, G., Hendriks, W. H., Bannink, A., 2013: Prediction of urinary nitrogen and urinary urea nitrogen excretion by lactating dairy cattle in northwestern Europe and North America: a meta-analysis. J. Dairy Sci., 96, 7, 4310–4322. DOI: 10.3168/jds.2012-6265
  10. 10. Superti, F., 2020: Lactoferrin from bovine milk: A protective companion for life. Nutrients, 12, 9, 2562. DOI: 10.3390/nu12092562
  11. 11. Slovakia – Geography and Climate. (n.d.). Working Abroad. Available at: https://www.workingabroad.com/travel/slovakia-geography-and-climate/, [accessed 15 Jan 2026].
  12. 12. Slovakia Climate Guide – Climate and Average Weather. (n.d.). Weather Atlas. Available at: https://www.weather-atlas.com/en/slovakia-climate, [accessed 15 Jan 2026].
  13. 13. Slovakia Country Guide – Climate Overview. (n.d.). Global Relocate. Available at: https://global-relocate.com/slovakia, [accessed 15 Jan 2026].
  14. 14. ISO 21543:2020. Milk and milk products — Determination of lactoferrin content — Reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography method. International Organization for Standardization, Geneva, Switzerland, 2020. Journal of Dairy Science, 91, 3, 970–976.
  15. 15. STN EN ISO 13366-2:2010. Milk — Enumeration of somatic cells — Part 2: Guidance on the operation of fluoro-opto-electronic counters. Slovenský ústav technickej normalizácie (SÚTN), Bratislava, 2010.
  16. 16. ISO/IEC 17025:2005. General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories. International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Geneva, 2005.
  17. 17. Cheng, J. B., Wang, J. Q., Bu, D. P., Liu, G. L., Zhang, C. G., Wei, H. Y., Zhou, L. Y., Wang, J. Z., 2008: Factors affecting the lactoferrin concentration in bovine milk. J. Dairy Sci., 91, 3, 970–976. DOI: 10.3168/jds.2007-0689
  18. 18. Ke š ki ć, T., Miloradovi ć, Z., Band ž ov, V., Gavri ć, M., Pu đ a, P., Mio č inovi ć, J., 2016: Five years study of seasonal variations of milk composition. In: Proceedings of III International Congress, “Food Technology, Quality and Safety ”. University of Novi Sad, Institute of Food Technology, pp. 455–459.
  19. 19. Czy ż ak-Runowska, G., W ó jtowski, J., Bieli ń ska-Nowak, S., Wojtczak, J., Markiewicz-K ę szycka, M., 2020: Seasonal variation in the quality parameters of milk from an extensive, small family farm. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 19, 3, 63–70. DOI: 10.21005/asp.2020.19.3.08
  20. 20. Kocsis, R., S ü le, J., Nagy, P., G á l, J., Tardy, E., Cs á sz á r, G., R á cz, B., 2022: Annual and seasonal trends in cow’s milk quality determined by FT-MIR spectroscopy in Hungary between 2011 and 2020. Acta Vet. Hung., 70, 3, 207–214, DOI: 10.1556/004.2022.00019
  21. 21. Oravcov á, M., Č obirka, M., Ma č uhov á, L., Uhrin č a ť, M., Tan č in, V., 2024: Relationships between and variation of cows’ somatic cell score and milk traits. Acta Fytotechn. Zootechn., 27, 1, 1–7. DOI: 10.15414/afz.2024.27.01.1-7
  22. 22. Li, N., Richoux, R., Boutinaud, M., Martin, P., Gagnaire, V., 2014: Role of somatic cells on dairy processes and products: a review. Dairy Sci. Technol., 94, 517–538. DOI: 10.1007/s13594-014-0176-3
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/fv-2026-0010 | Journal eISSN: 2453-7837 | Journal ISSN: 0015-5748
Language: English
Page range: 106 - 115
Submitted on: Dec 1, 2025
|
Accepted on: Jan 14, 2025
|
Published on: Mar 21, 2026
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Publication frequency: 4 issues per year

© 2026 Silvia Ondrašovičová, Jana Zahumenská, František Zigo, Ewa Pecka-Kielb, published by The University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.