Differences in the microRNAs Levels of Raw Milk from Dairy Cattle Raised under Extensive or Intensive Production Systems
Abou el qassim L, Alonso J, Zhao K, Le Guillou S, Diez J, Vicente F, Fernández-Sanjurjo M, Iglesias-Gutiérrez E, Guan L, Royo LJ · Veterinary Sciences · 2022 November 27
DOI 10.3390/vetsci9120661
Objective
To investigate the differences in microRNA (miRNA) levels in fat and cellular fractions of milk from intensive and extensive dairy production systems, and assess their potential as biomarkers for product traceability and functionality.
Conclusions
The study concludes that miRNA levels, particularly bta-miR-215, are higher in the fat fractions of milk from intensive dairy systems, suggesting that production systems may influence miRNA levels and their potential functionality in agri-food products.
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Insights
The type of dairy production system can influence the overall and specific levels of microRNAs, potentially affecting the functional potential of dairy products.
The research initially observed levels of microRNAs present in fat and cellular components from tank milk collected from farms using both intensive and extensive dairy production models. They commenced by sequencing microRNAs from three different milk samples from each production method. These selected microRNAs, which showed notable variance in both the fat and cellular content between the two production systems, were then further validated by conducting quantitative PCR on tank milk samples procured from an additional twenty different commercial farms.
The team discovered that the differences in the amounts of microRNAs were most significant in the fat portions of the milk. Here, they found that both the overall levels of microRNAs and the levels of specific types were considerably higher in milk from the intensive production system when compared to the extensive system. They also undertook a pathway analysis of the bovine mRNA targets for these specific microRNAs. While the precise reasons for these discrepancies in microRNA levels are yet to be determined, the research strongly indicated that the choice of production system could have a direct impact on both the microRNA content and the potential functionality of dairy and other agri-food products.
