Fine milk composition phenotyping and genotyping: French research and dairy industries invest for the future

Abstract

Thanks to PhenoFinlait program many knowledge and applications were developed regarding fine milk composition analysis, links between milk composition and farming systems, genetic determinism of milk fatty acids and proteins. Those results are based on a large scale data collection covering about 1,500 commercial farms. French dairy cattle, sheep and goat industries have now access to estimation equations for fatty acids and proteins based on mid infra-red spectra (MIR); very precise qualitative and quantitative analyzing method for milk proteins; references and tools to control milk composition by monitoring dairy females and animal feeding; reference populations for genomic selection and knowledge on genetic determinism of milk fatty acids and proteins profiles. Moreover, thanks to PhenoFinlait program, French research and dairy industries get a huge experience on MIR spectral data; large data-base and sample banks (milk and DNA) available for new developments both to go further on fine milk composition, or to investigate new topics (milk production traceability, animal health and reproduction monitoring, enteric methane emission…). Appropriation and valorization by the different French dairy industries stakeholders is going on, but a lot of work and efforts still has to be done for accompanying field actors in relevant implementation improving competitiveness of their process. Besides, many new research projects come directly from PhenoFinlait program or are partially based on its data, samples and know-how. It is very likely that it will generate new knowledge, references and applications of interest for French researchers, farmers and dairy industries.