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Effects of stevia (stevia rebaudiana) and hemp by-products (cannabis sativa) on milk yield, fatty acid profile, and oxidative stability in dairy cows

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 July 2025

Konstantinos Kalaitsidis ,
Zoi Parissi ,
Alexandros Theodoridis ,
Soumela Savvidou ,
Basiliki Kotsampasi ,
Konstantina Vasilopoulou ,
Stella Dokou ,
Paraskevi Chantzi ,
Eleni Tsaliki  and
Diamanto Lazari
...Show all authors
Konstantinos Kalaitsidis
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Nutrition, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Zoi Parissi
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Range Science (236), School of Forestry and Natural Environment, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Alexandros Theodoridis
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Livestock Production Economics, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece
Soumela Savvidou
Affiliation:
Research Institute of Animal Science, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation-DEMETER, Paralimni Giannitsa, Greece
Basiliki Kotsampasi
Affiliation:
Research Institute of Animal Science, Hellenic Agricultural Organisation-DEMETER, Paralimni Giannitsa, Greece
Konstantina Vasilopoulou
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Nutrition, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Stella Dokou
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Nutrition, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Paraskevi Chantzi
Affiliation:
InterBalkan Environment Center (i-BEC), Lagadas, Greece
Eleni Tsaliki
Affiliation:
Institute of Plant Breeding and Genetic Resources, Hellenic Agricultural Organization DIMITRA (ELGO-DIMITRA), Thermi, Greece
Diamanto Lazari
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Pharmacognosy, Department of Pharmacy, School of Health Science, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Georgios E. Valergakis
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
Ilias Giannenas*
Affiliation:
Laboratory of Nutrition, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
*
Corresponding author: Ilias Giannenas; Email: igiannenas@vet.auth.gr
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Abstract

This experiment assessed the effects of adding hemp (seeds or hay) and stevia by-products to dairy cow diets on milk yield and on the fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of the milk. Additional analyses included composition, total phenolic content and total antioxidant capacity of milk samples as well as blood serum parameters. Thirty-five Holstein dairy cows were involved for 60 days, divided into five groups: control, hemp seed, hemp hay, stevia and a combination of hemp seeds and stevia leaves. No significant changes were observed in milk yield or composition. While monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) content did not differ significantly between control and experimental diets, milk from cows fed hemp seeds had higher MUFA compared to those fed hemp hay. Further research is recommended to determine the optimal proportion of these by-products in cow diets.

Keywords

Cannabis sativafatty acid profilemilk yieldoxidative stabilitystevia rebaudiana

Information

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Dairy Research , First View , pp. 1 - 6
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Hannah Dairy Research Foundation.

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