Effect of lambing season on ewe’s colostrum composition

Abstract

Colostrum provides newborns with nutrients and immunoglobulins that play a major role in the immune system. In this survey, the immunoglobulin G (IgG) content, gross composition, mineral content, and fatty acid composition were determined in the colostrum of Valle del Belice ewes with the aim of evaluating the effect of lambing of season. In total, we analysed 60 bulk tank colostrum samples taken after lambing during two seasons (summer and winter). The IgG content and Brix mean values were 40.35 g/L and 21.02%, respectively. The colostrum fat, protein, casein, and lactose percentages were 8.01, 12.10, 8.51, and 3.13%, respectively. The lambing season significantly influenced the pH and somatic cell count, with higher values observed in winter than in summer. The most common fatty acids were palmitic (27.75 vs. 24.84 g/100 g), oleic (24.57 vs. 18.15 g/100 g), myristic (12.55 vs. 12.16 g/100 g) and stearic (7.02 vs. 6.16 g/100 g) detected in the summer and winter seasons, respectively. The winter season significantly increased the polyunsaturated fatty acid values (11.18 vs. 6.41). Additionally, the lambing season determined different mineral composition levels in the colostrum, particularly copper (8.50 vs. 5.35 µmol L⁻¹) and manganese (3.35 vs. 0.80 µmol L⁻¹), which were higher in the summer. Based on IgG content, the quality of the colostrum was excellent.

Keywords:

• Colostrum composition
• dairy ewes
• lambing season
• immunoglobulins
• fatty acids

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s). The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Palermo, fund FFR 2022 (PJ_GEST_FFR), Prof. Massimo Todaro.