Lactose is a sugar that occurs 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 must 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 are getting older. This is usually because the diet is not balanced. Often there is too little soluble protein available in the rumen because the animals consume too much slow energy, causing the rumen digestion to proceed slowly. When this happens, the rumen bacteria will not be able to function optimally and the production of lactose remains too low. The cow then produces less milk per day.

A decrease in lactose can also result in health problems, reduced feed intake, and a decreased production of lactose.