Dairy Alliance: Microbial ecosystems from feed to product quality

Project overview

The project brings together Dairy Farmers of Ontario, Dairy Farmers of Canada, Novalait Inc., Lallemand Inc. and Lactalis Canada towards the common goal of ensuring the quality and functionality of dairy products through better control of microbial ecosystems. Microbes from the farm environment that are transmitted to milk can influence processing and the shelf life of the products. The dairy industry seeks to improve sustainability and reduce antimicrobial usage, so new strategies are required on the farm to ensure animal health and dairy product safety. 

The main objective of the project is to enable knowledge transfer between dairy production and processing to reduce contamination and spoilage of milk along the entire value chain, building upon a multidisciplinary approach that leverages the latest molecular science and technologies.

Producers and processors will benefit by improved communication of the constraints all along the value chain with access to advanced genomics data and tools.

What Will the Research Team Do?

The research team will use state-of-the-art molecular technologies to track the composition of microbial communities in response to treatments applied to feed, bedding and milk processing (biocontrol agents, sanitation practices) as well as gut ecology. 

The objectives of the project are divided into four themes:

Theme 1 (Animal Nutrition Targeting Feed Efficiency) is focused on animal nutrition, targeting the sustainability of milk production and feed efficiency through developing new feed ingredients and supporting evidence for improving feed digestibility which will be tested both in a laboratory setting and in animals. 

Theme 2 (Animal Health and Welfare) targets animal health and welfare by designing microbial treatments for improving silage, bedding and housing quality. 

Theme 3 (Milk Quality and Safety) aims to understand the impact of farm microbiota on the shelf life and processing streams of milk, providing scientific support for the regional flavour of Canadian cheeses while reducing spoilage and waste of dairy products. 

Theme 4 (Milk and Gut Microbiota) will cover strategies to control foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance gene persistence in the gut microbial community.