On 18 Aug 2003 10:49:56 GMT, Brian Sandle
posted:

Jim Webster wrote:

"Brian Sandle" wrote in message

Then how about milk differences between grass-silage and corn-silage fed
cows? Taste and keeping/nutritional qualities?

by the time milk has been pasturised, homogenised, standardised, you haven't
a cat in hells chance of telling.
Bigger difference between grass and silage, spring and winter than there is
between various winter feeds. Remember that the nutrition of a high
yielding dairy cow is a serious matter and carefully monitored.


Linkname: Rapport-skabelon
URL: http://www.agrsci.dk/ark/ARK-arsberetning2002_uk.shtml
size: 213 lines

[...]
Over the last couple of years maize has become increasingly popular in
the Danish silage production at the expense of grass because of a
better profitability. Therefore studies have been initiated to
investigate what consequences it has on different quality parameters
of milk to feed dairy cows maize silage instead of grass silage.

Milk from cows in an experiment with two groups of cows fed maize and
grass silage, respectively, in a cross-over experimental design for 2
x 4 weeks was subsequently analysed for:
* fatty acid composition
* content of carotenoids
* content of vitamin E

Furthermore, we have analysed sensory characteristics in fresh and
stored milk from the cows fed maize and grass silage, respectively.

The results of these investigations show, that feeding with maize
silage reduces the amount of the polyunsaturated fatty acid linolenic
acid in the milk, and at the same time the content of vitamin E and
beta-carotene is reduced with approximately 50% and 62%, respectively,
compared to milk from cows fed grass silage. Both vitamin E and
beta-carotene are important antioxidants that preserve the freshness
of milk, and therefore it should be assumed that a great reduction of
these antioxidants will reduce the shelf-life of milk as well as other
dairy products considerably.

The sensory analyses of the milk showed a significant difference
between the taste of milk from cows fed maize silage compared with the
milk from cows fed grass silage. Thus, the sensory panel described the
milk from cows fed maize silage as creamy, sweet and tasting like corn
flakes, which are all perceived as positive descriptors, whereas the
panel used descriptors about the milk from cows fed grass silage that
usually associate with negative tastes.
[...]

And other studies give grass-silage-fed cows as giving milk higher in the
cancer-protective conjugated linolenic acid, and other matters.

This is in many many foods.

I used to notice the varying tastes in milk when I used it (pasteurised).

Blindfolded?

A few years ago I noted that full cream non-homogenised bottled milk had
started to have its top milk turned to butter by the time it was
delivered. In earlier years it was possible to pour off the top milk.
Perhaps corn feeding was increasing here?

And perhaps the bottles were jiggled more in transport.
Or a different breed of cow.

But my point is that if you don't notice any of those differences then
perhaps your perceptivity might not be trusted as to differences between
cows reactions to GM vs non-GM feed.

Hooley Dooley. Show us the scientific evidence.