title: Corn silage replacement with barley silage in dairy cows' diet does not change milk quality, cheese quality and yield.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Considering that water availability for agricultural needs is being restricted, an alternative to corn in animal nutrition should be explored in the Po Valley. The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of either a partial (Trial I) or a total (Trial II) corn silage substitution with barley silage in dairy cows' diet on milk yield and composition, its coagulation properties, cheese yield and the sensorial profile of 16-month-aged Grana Padano cheese.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A partial or a total substitution of corn silage with barley silage had no effect on milk yield. Milk fat content in Trial I and milk urea content in both trials were higher with barley silage based diets than in corn silage based diets. No effects were observed concerning the lactodinamographic profile for milk aptitude to cheese-making, cheese yield and its organoleptic traits between feed treatments in Trials I and II. In both trials, hardness, friability and solubility scores were generally lower than reference values, whereas deformability, elasticity and stickiness scores were generally higher than reference values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A partial or a total substitution of corn silage with barley silage in diets for dairy cows did not induce any negative effects on animal performance, nor on milk-quality traits, cheese quality and yield. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.
authors.affiliation: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Via Lombardo, Lodi, Italy.
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Migliorati
authors.affiliation: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Via Lombardo, Lodi, Italy.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Boselli
authors.affiliation: Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Via Lombardo, Lodi, Italy.
authors.forename: Giacomo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pirlo
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food and Nutrition Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense, Piacenza, Italy.
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moschini
authors.affiliation: Institute of Food and Nutrition Sciences, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Via Emilia Parmense, Piacenza, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Masoero
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle / Q000378:metabolism*; D002611:Cheese / Q000032:analysis*; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D001467:Hordeum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D008892:Milk / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D012820:Silage / Q000032:analysis*; D003313:Zea mays / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
keywords: Grana Padano; barley silage; bovine milk; corn silage; milk quality; sensory evaluation