Lactose is a sugar found in the milk of mammals. Most dairy products contain lactose. A high amount of lactose usually results in a lot of milk. To achieve this result, the cows must be healthy, and the energy balance should not be negative. The diet of the dairy cows is balanced. This ensures that a lot of glucose can enter the bloodstream, resulting in the cow producing a lot of milk.

Decrease in lactose content

The lactose percentage decreases in cows that get older. This is usually because the diet is not balanced. Often, there is too little soluble protein available in the rumen because the animals eat too much slow energy, causing rumen digestion to slow down. When this happens, the rumen bacteria cannot function optimally, and lactose production remains too low. The cow then produces less milk per day.

A decrease in lactose can also lead to health problems, reduced feed intake, and decreased lactose production.