Milk contains several components that are important for human nutrition and health. To date, studies on organic and conventional milk have focused on their gross composition and fatty acid content, but little attention has been paid to the differences between other minor components such as sterols and vitamins which may have functional actions. The aim of this study was to investigate the nutritional differences between 3 types of milk from a dairy plant: conventional, high quality (D.M. 185/1991), and organic (in compliance with European Regulations), focusing on minor components such as sterols of animal and plant origin (phytosterols), tocopherols, and bioactive fatty acids. Cholesterol ranged from 271.37 mg/100g of fat in conventional milk to 278.76 mg/100g of fat in organic milk. Lanosterol was the main minor animal sterol in cow's milk (ranging from 3.41 to 4.37 mg/100g of fat), followed by desmosterol. The amount of total plant sterols in the analyzed milk ranged from 4.43 mg/100 g of fat in organic to 4.71 mg/100g of fat in high quality milk. Brassicasterol was the main sterol of plant origin which varied from 2.6 mg/100 g of fat in conventional and organic milk, to 2.93 mg/100g of fat in high quality milk. The second most present phytosterol was β-sitosterol, which ranged from 0.86 mg/100 g of fat in conventional to 0.97 mg/ 100 g of fat in high quality and organic milk. The results of the study showed that there were no significant differences in gross, and sterol composition between the 3 types of milk. However, the only significant difference found was in the fatty acid profile, with a higher omega-3 content found in high-quality milk than in conventional and organic milk. These findings suggest that the investigated product categories and labels have minimal effect on the sterol and fatty acid profile of commercial cow's milk.

The dairy sheep sector is an important sector in semiarid and arid areas. So far, the environmental impact of sheep milk production in these areas is scarcely known. This study aimed to assess the environmental impact of milk production on three farms that differ in the breed reared, namely Sarda (S), Lacaune (L) and Massese (M), in Tuscany (a Mediterranean region in central Italy). The Life Cycle Assessment methodology was applied to calculate the environmental performance of the farms, and the following impact categories were studied: climate change, freshwater, marine and terrestrial eutrophication, acidification, water use and land use. The L farm showed the lowest values for most impact categories and the M farm the highest. These results can be attributed to the greater productivity and efficiency of the L breed compared to the other two. Only for water use did the M farm cause a lower impact, underscoring the importance of applying characterization factors at the sub-watershed level.

The aim of this paper is to review the literature on the environmental impacts of pasture-based dairy cattle systems, focusing on the factors affecting the main impact categories. This paper also aimed at comparing data of the literature on environmental impacts in pasture-based vs. confined systems. The environmental impact of pasture-based dairy cattle systems appears to be highly influenced by several input factors. Life cycle assessments have shown significant variability in methodological approaches, which complicates the comparison of results across studies. The different variables affecting environmental impacts make it challenging to draw universally valid conclusions regarding the comparison of pasture-based and confined dairy systems on a global scale. In addition, the analysis of the variables highlights the considerable potential to reduce the environmental impact of milk production in both systems by adopting productivity-enhancing activities, low inputs and best management practices. Further aspects such as geographical factors, carbon sequestration, animal health and welfare, toxicological aspects due to the use of drugs and antimicrobials in animals and the maintenance of local animal breeds should be incorporated into LCAs for a full comprehensive understanding of the environmental impacts of dairy farms.

The objective of the present work was to categorize the risks in the on-farm welfare of dairy sheep in semi-extensive systems in order to highlight if risks in welfare vary according to the farm size. To the best of our knowledge, this study constitutes one of the few categorizations of the risks in the welfare of dairy sheep reared semi-extensively. The survey was conducted on 12 semi-extensive dairy sheep farms in Tuscany (Central Italy), which were classified according to flock size: 1000. The results showed an adequate rating for all the farms included in the study. The most critical issues concerned the ratio between the number of stockpersons and the number of animals within the farms, the small decubitus areas, the lack of udder cleaning procedures during milking operations, and, in terms of biosecurity, the lack of prevention, control, and eradication plans for the most important infectious ovine diseases. The results show that different items in the five areas evaluated, including the assessments of management of the flock, the number of daily inspections, and the hygiene of the water supplies are associated with the farm size. In large farms, the assessment of management of the flock was better, but the number of daily inspections and the hygiene of the water supplies were worse.

Despite their inability to reproduce naturally, mules can host embryos and be surrogate dams. The aim of this investigation was to increase our knowledge of the qualitative composition of mule’s milk and its variations throughout the whole lactation period—namely, from 6 h after foaling to 180 days in milk (DIM). Milk was obtained from a mule dam that had foaled after receiving a mule embryo transfer. For each sample, the gross, mineral, and fatty acid composition was evaluated. The average quality of the mule milk was as follows: protein 1.97 g 100 mL⁻¹, fat 0.90 g 100 mL⁻¹, and ash 0.39 g 100 mL⁻¹. Saturated fatty acids made up, on average, 50.00 g 100 g⁻¹ of fat. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids made up half of the total fatty acid content (31.80 g 100 g⁻¹ and 18.2 g 100 g⁻¹ of fat, respectively). Linoleic acid and linolenic acid were the main polyunsaturated fatty acids in the milk. The milk composition changed throughout lactation. Dry matter, protein, fat, and ash decreased significantly from early lactation (6 h to 14 DIM). The n3 polyunsaturated fatty acids decreased at the end of lactation. The changes in milk composition throughout lactation are probably due to adaptations to the growth requirements of the foal.

In sheep farming, gastrointestinal parasites can be responsible for significant reductions in animal health and production. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) fecal excretions are the main determining factors for N₂O emissions from manure management and may pose other environmental problems, such as the acidification and eutrophication of natural habitats. By using the Mini-FLOTAC technique on fecal samples from sheep of different ages and physiological status from 19 dairy sheep farms in Tuscany (central Italy), gastrointestinal parasite infections were evaluated. The animal N and P fecal contents were also assessed, with the aim of evaluating possible relationships between the identified parasites and the environmental sustainability of the examined farms. The obtained results showed that Eimeria spp. (86.36%) and gastrointestinal strongyle (54.55%) infections are prevalent in the examined farms. Moreover, significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) P and Eimeria oocyst/gram-of-feces (OPG) values were found in fecal samples from animals < 1 year of age, and a significant (p ≤ 0.05) positive correlation resulted between N content and Eimeria OPG in fecal samples from animals in the first month of lactation. The findings from this study suggest for the first time that Eimeria spp. infections may have an impact on the environmental sustainability of sheep farming.