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The Effects of Breed Characteristics and Stages of Lactation on the Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) Content of Cow's Milk¹

One Figure

Department of Agricultural and Biological Chemistry

A. O. Shaw, R. C. Welch and S. I. Bechdel

Department of Dairy Husbandry, Pennsylvania State College

A study has been made concerning the effects of breed characteristics and stages of lactation on the ascorbic acid content of cow's milk. As a result of these studies, the following conclusions are drawn:

1. Cows of the same breed, while receiving similar diets, may produce milks which show wide variations in their ascorbic acid content. Such variations in ascorbic acid content are thought to be due, in part at least, to differences in stages of lactation.

2. Cows of different breeds, while receiving similar diets, produced milks which differed somewhat in their average ascorbic acid values. Of the five breeds studied, the Brown Swiss cows produced milks of the highest ascorbic acid content, while the Holstein cows produced milks of the lowest ascorbic acid value.

3. Stage of lactation appeared to have a more definite effect upon the ascorbic acid content of milk than did breed differences. The ascorbic acid content of milk was found to be relatively high during the early stages of lactation, but decreased to a minimum after about 2 months of lactation, and then increased to a maximum in the later stages of lactation.

Manuscript received 20 January 1936.