Comparison of milk production of dairy cows kept in cold and warm loose-housing systems

A retrospective cohort study was conducted to test whether the lactation curves of cows kept in cold loose-housing systems (CLHs) were the same as for cows in warm loose-housing systems (WLHs) in the Nordic countries. Approximately 40000 test-day records from 5366 Ayrshire or Black and White cows kept on 38 CLHs and 166 WLHs in Finland during 1996 and 1997 were used. Analysis used a random-coefficient model (correcting for parity, breed and calving-year-season and the correlation-structure between test-days of the same cow and cows of the same herd). Cows in a CLH produced up to 1l less milk per test-day, but this difference was not statistically significant. Surprisingly, the difference in milk yield was not affected by calving-year-season, parity or breed.

Induced lactation with a dopamine antagonist in mares: different responses between ovariectomized and intact mares

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of treatment with repeated injections of sulpiride (a dopamine D2 antagonist) on prolactin secretion and induced lactation in ovariectomized and intact adult mares and to verify if this induction was possible at the beginning and at the end of the birth season. Two experiments were carried out in September [experiment (expt) 1], and in March (expt 2), in France (48 degrees N). In expt 1, three groups of five mares were tested: intact-control, intact-treated and ovariectomized-treated mares. In expt 2, mares previously subjected to artificial photoperiod were assigned in two groups: four intact-control and five intact-treated mares. The cyclicity of intact mares was previously synchronized with PGF2alpha injections, then all the mares were in the follicular phase at the beginning of treatment. Sulpiride was intramuscularly injected (0.5 mg/kg of BW), twice a day. Mares were milked at 7:30, 11:45, 16:00 and 20:15 hours. Blood samples were collected every day during the treatment for progesterone, total oestrogen and prolactin assays. In the two experiments, only treated intact mares produced milk, with a large inter-animal variability. Prolactin increase after sulpiride treatment was not so great in the ovariectomized-treated mares as in the intact-treated mares. The total correlations between prolactin, progesterone, oestrogen plasma concentrations and daily milk production were significant (0.57, 0.25, 0.17 respectively). This induction of lactation can be performed during the entire birth season in intact mares, but not in ovariectomized mares, indicating that steroids are necessary for this induction in mares treated by dopamine D2 antagonist.

[Correlation between the organ blood flow, substrate absorption from blood, the activity of transport into mammary gland secretory cells and formation milk components in cow]

Epithelial cells of mammary alveoles may he considered as a bioreactor that works being monitored by regulatory system maintaining balance between blood substrate supply and rate of macromolecular synthesis. In the trial performed on lactating cows assigned to feeding regimen with temporally altered level of nutrition, functioning of this system in the course of a transition period was studied. The earliest sign of adaptation was a decrease in volume blood flow through mammary gland provoking decline in uptake of water soluble substrates (glucose, amino N, P-hydroxybutyrate) with increase in arterio-venous difference across mammary gland and extraction efficiency. At the end of deprivation period, an activity of transport into the cell decreased for amino N from 7.5 to 4.5; l/min (p < 0.05), for P-hydroxyhutyrate from 16.0 to 13.8 l/min; activity of glucose transport was not changed. The data obtained indicate existence of defined points in the system monitoring organ blood supply and transport of substrates into the cell being adjusted during adaptation to alteration in the level of nutrition.

Meeting the energy demands of reproduction in female koalas, Phascolarctos cinereus: evidence for energetic compensation

Koalas are generally considered to be limited by their ability to acquire energy from their diet of Eucalyptus foliage and have the lowest mass-specific peak lactational energy output measured in any mammal to date. This study considered the energetics and sources of energy utilised for reproduction in free-ranging female koalas. Energy requirements and foliage intake were greater in both lactating and non-lactating females in winter than summer, presumably due to demands of thermoregulation. Koalas met the peak energy requirements of lactation primarily by a 36% increase in their intake of foliage. Metabolic energy expenditure (field metabolic rate, 1778 kJ.day(-1) for a 6.25-kg female at the time of peak lactation) was not elevated during lactation. This was due to compensation for part of their lactational demands by reduction of another, non-reproductive, component of their energy budget. The observed energetic compensation was probably due primarily to substitution of the waste heat from the metabolic costs of milk production and increased heat increment of feeding for thermoregulatory energy expenditure. There may also have been energetic compensation by reduction of some aspect of maintenance metabolism. Such energetic compensation, together with the strategy of spreading lactation over a long period, minimises the magnitude of lactational energy demands on koalas, and thus the increase in daily food intake required during lactation. As the nutritional requirements of females at peak lactation are the highest of any members of the population, low reproductive requirements effectively increase the types and amount of habitat able to support koala populations.

Binding of host glycosaminoglycans and milk proteins: possible role in the pathogenesis of Streptococcus uberis mastitis

The role of indirect binding of host proteins through glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) on adherence and internalization of Streptococcus uberis to bovine mammary epithelial cells was evaluated. Preincubation of S. uberis with GAGs followed by incubation with fetal bovine serum (FBS), bovine milk or milk proteins resulted in greater adherence to and internalization of S. uberis into mammary epithelial cells than observed in untreated controls. Highest values were detected, when final incubation was done with milk. Greater adherence to and internalization into mammary epithelial cells were observed when heparin sulfate (HEP) and milk were used compared with any other GAG and FBS. When individual milk proteins were used, greatest adherence and internalization were observed when S. uberis strains were pretreated with HEP followed by treatment with beta-casein. The findings of this study illustrate a pathogenic strategy of S. uberis that may occur during the very early stages of infection.

Insemination time and dilution rate of cooled and chilled ram semen affects fertility

Adult Merino ewes (n=448) were apportioned into two groups and inseminated with: extended at 30 degrees C with skim milk and stored for 6h at 15 degrees C (cooled semen) or extended with skim milk-citrate trisodium with egg yolk and stored for 24h at 5 degrees C (chilled semen). Each group was further subdivided according to the time of cervical insemination at 42, 46 and 50h after pessary (MAP-60 mg) removal and according to the dilution of the semen (120 x 10(6) spermatozoa in 0.05, 0.1 and 0.2 ml). The pregnancy rate after insemination with cooled semen was 50% better than that after chilled semen (56.7 vs. 37.5%; P<0.001). Pregnancy rate was not affected by the volume of insemination; however, there was a tendency of increased lambing rate with an insemination dose of 0.1 cc (1:2, dilution), especially when the ewes were inseminated with cooled semen. The effect of time on insemination was significant only in ewes inseminated with chilled semen at 5 degrees C (P<0.01). Insemination carried out 46 h after pessary removal resulted in higher pregnancy and lambing rate (36.5, 31.1; 52.0, 45.3; and 24.0, 20.0 at 42, 46 and 50h, respectively). Pregnancy of ewes inseminated with chilled semen at 46 h after pessary removal was similar to that obtained using cooled semen (52.0 vs. 56.7%). From this study, it is concluded that advancing the time of insemination with chilled semen at 5 degrees C improves pregnancy and that the lambing obtained under these conditions is similar to the one obtained with cooled semen.

Novel function of bovine milk-derived lactoferrin on antinociception mediated by mu-opioid receptor in the rat spinal cord

Lactoferrin (LF) is a multifunctional protein that is found in milk, neutrophils, and other biological fluids. Although LF and the LF receptor have been identified in the central nervous system (CNS), the physiological role of LF remains unknown. We found that bovine milk-derived LF (BLF) reduces nociception in various pain models, as shown by the formalin test, hot plate test, and acetic acid writhing test in rats. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of BLF significantly inhibited nociception in these pain models. These antinociceptive effects were also confirmed in BLF-fed rats. The antinociceptive effects of BLF were blocked by naloxone treatment, even though prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) production in the ascites fluid that accumulated during the writhing test was not affected by BLF. Intrathecal (i.t.) application of BLF caused marked antinociceptive effects that were reversed by co-administration of a specific mu-opioid receptor antagonist, D-Phe-Cys-Tyr-D-Trp-Orn-Thr-NH(2) (CTOP), or by naloxone during the formalin test. We conclude that LF possesses mu-opioid receptor-mediated antinociceptive activity in the spinal cord.

Effect of controlled kappa-casein hydrolysis on rheological properties of acid milk gels

An experimental method based on the controlled chymosin-induced kappa-casein hydrolysis of milk was proposed to modify micellar reactivity. Milk samples with a degree of kappa-casein hydrolysis of 19, 35, and 51% were obtained. The physicochemical properties of partially converted casein micelles were determined. The net negative charge of casein micelles was reduced with increasing degree of kappa-casein hydrolysis and a small but significant decrease in hydrodynamic diameter and micellar hydration were noted. Dynamic low amplitude oscillatory rheology was used to monitor the rheological properties of acid milk gels (GDL) made with partially chymosin-hydrolyzed milks in comparison with those of strictly acid and rennet gels. An increase in the gelation pH value was observed with increasing the degree of kappa-casein hydrolysis. The moduli values (G' and G'') reached 2 h after the point of gel were, for all degrees of hydrolysis tested, significantly higher than those of strictly rennet and acid gels. Comparison of changes in delta G'/delta t with time indicated differences in gel formation that could be related to the increased values of G' obtained for acid gel made with chymosin-treated milk. At a given time after gelation (2 h), increasing the degree of kappa-casein hydrolysis in milk led also to an increase in the loss tangent and the serum holding capacity of acid milk gels suggesting a correlation between these two parameters.

Human periodontal ligament cell viability in milk and milk substitutes

The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of several milk substitutes compared to whole milk in maintaining the viability of human periodontal ligament (PDL) cells on avulsed teeth. PDL cells were obtained from freshly extracted, healthy third molars and cultured in Eagle's minimal essential media (EMEM). The cells were plated onto 24-well culture plates and allowed to attach for 24 h. EMEM was replaced with refrigerated whole milk (positive control), reconstituted powdered milk, evaporated milk, or one of two baby formulas (Similac or Enfamil). Tap water served as the negative control. Tissue culture plates were incubated with the experimental media at 37 degrees C for 1, 2, 4, or 8 h. Cell viability was determined by a cell proliferation assay (CellTiter 96 AQ Assay), with absorbance read at 450 nM. A two-way ANOVA (p < 0.001) indicated that at 1 h there was no difference in the effect on PDL cell viability between any of the materials and whole milk. At 2 h, Enfamil and Similac performed significantly better than whole milk, whereas evaporated milk performed worse. At 4 h, Enfamil performed better than whole milk, whereas all other milk substitutes performed worse. At 8 h, all substitutes performed worse than whole milk. These results suggest that Enfamil, which is supplied in powder form that does not require special storage and has a shelf life of 18 months, is a more effective storage medium for avulsed teeth than pasteurized milk for at least 4 h.

Leptin--from a signal of adiposity to a hormonal mediator in peripheral tissues

The biology of leptin has been studied most extensively in the central nervous system for the regulation of food intake and energy balance. In recent years, a growing number of publications have reported several activities of this adipose-secreted protein in different organs. These effects appear to be independent of the regulation of food intake or at least not directly correlated to it, but rather related to the hormonal regulation of these particular tissues. Thus leptin is now also considered to be a hormonal factor that informs several hormonal circuits and biological peripheral functions of the nutrition status of the organism. Different systems are involved in leptin activity, such as the pituitary, male and female reproductive organs, the mammary gland, the immune system, the gut, the kidney and the lung. Functional leptin receptors and/or leptin protein have been shown to be expressed in these tissues. Furthermore, interesting interactions have been reported with classical hormones involved in the regulation of activities in such organs. These observations give more detailed evidence of the relationship between nutrition and tissue differentiation in peripheral sites, possibly mediated by classical hormonal circuits. This work aims to review the most important functional findings on leptin's effects in these peripheral sites, and potential future studies are suggested, based on currently available data.

Bioactive components in milk

Milk is the only biomaterial that evolved under the Darwinian selective pressure to nourish growing mammals. The purpose of this article is to review the scientific research that is using new techniques of integrating biological sequence, structure and function, to understand the innovative biology underlying the products of that evolutionary pressure. As it emerges that milk is actively communicating between the maternal mammary epithelia and the infant's gastrointestinal system, actively directing and educating the immune, metabolic and microflora systems within the infant, enhancing nutrient absorption and delivery, and conferring multiple means of protection, nutritionists are gaining a host of new molecular targets towards which to build scientific strategies for future foods and clinical applications. As new components and functions are being discovered in milk by using traditional methods and modern genomic tools, the complexities of demonstrating, and particularly in humans, the functional mechanisms behind milk's newly observed physiological benefits are becoming the next challenge of this rapidly growing field.

The sialylated fraction of milk oligosaccharides is partially responsible for binding to enterotoxigenic and uropathogenic Escherichia coli human strains

Milk oligosaccharides can act as soluble receptors that block bacterial adhesion to the different epithelia. Colonization factor antigens (CFA)/I- and CFA/II-expressing enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) strains constitute one of the main causes of diarrhea in infants. Here, the inhibition of hemagglutination mediated by these strains by milk oligosaccharides was tested. Human milk oligosaccharides showed a strong inhibitory capacity, which decreased when the oligosaccharides were desialylated. Because milk oligosaccharides also are present in the urine of neonates receiving mothers' milk, their ability to bind two uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC) strains was also examined. UPEC strains expressing P (Pap) and P-like (Prs) fimbriae are responsible for infections of the urinary tract such as pyelonephritis and cystitis. The hemagglutination mediated by these strains was inhibited by human milk oligosaccharides. The sialylated fraction was partially responsible for this inhibition in the case of the UPEC expressing the P-like fimbria because differences were found after desialylation. Although bovine milk oligosaccharides were less efficient at inhibiting the hemagglutination of ETEC strains, they were still quite good inhibitors of UPEC strains.

Sows' milk attenuates dexamethasone-induced reductions in liver docosahexaenoic acid

The objective was to determine the effects of dexamethasone (Dex) on growth and arachidonic (AA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acid status. Piglets were randomized to suckling or formula feeding plus Dex or placebo treatment for 15 days. Weight and length at the beginning and end of study was used to assess growth. After 15 days, AA and DHA in phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylcholine (PC) were measured in liver and plasma and total AA and DHA in forebrain and brainstem. Dex treatment significantly reduced weight and length. Dex reduced liver PC and PE DHA in the formula group, but the reduction in the suckled group was not significant. PC AA and DHA were positively related in liver and plasma. A main effect of Dex to reduce AA and DHA was observed in forebrain but not in brainstem. Sows' milk attenuated the Dex-induced reduction in liver DHA but not forebrain AA and DHA or somatic growth.

Effects of weaning by surrogate mothers (ACI) on tumor development in SD rats treated with methylnitrosourea (MNU) and/or N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG)

In this experiment, methylnitrosourea (MNU) was administered, followed by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), to assess effects of surrogate mothering on tumor. One or two day old male SD pups were treated with or without 30 mg/kg body weight of MNU and nursed by SD or ACI surrogate mothers for 5 weeks. When 6-weeks-old they were then treated with 100 ppm MNNG or tap water for 16 weeks. The tumor incidence in the MNNG alone group was significantly lower than with MNU alone or MNU+MNNG (p < 0.01). Kidney or nerve tumors mainly developed in the MNU group, gastric tumors in the MNNG group, and the two combined in the MNU+MNNG group. The incidence and mean number of tumors did not significantly differ between the two weaning groups. However, mean survival time with the ACI surrogate mothers after treatment with MNU was increased as compared with the SD mother group. Cumulative development of tumors in the ACI surrogate mother group was also delayed (p < 0.05). Similar results were obtained with MNU+MNNG and MNNG alone. The present experiment suggested that tumor induction might be effected by components of the mother's milk.

Indomethacin, dexamethasone, and intestinal damage in infant rats

BACKGROUND

Indomethacin is commonly used in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to induce closure of the patent ductus arteriosus and to prevent intraventricular hemorrhage. It is known that indomethacin causes intestinal ulceration in adults, but its effect in infants is less clear. In a preliminary experiment, it was found that the administration of 10 mg/kg/d of indomethacin, a dose that damages the adult rat intestine, had no detrimental effects on newborn suckling rats whereas dexamethasone at 0.25 mg/kg/d caused significant growth failure and villous blunting. It was then hypothesized that the lack of intestinal damage with indomethacin in infants was related to protection given by mother's milk.

METHODS

Subsequent experiments were performed wherein 10 mg/kg/d of indomethacin was provided to infant mother-reared, infant artificially fed, and adult rats. The expression of intestinal cyclooxygenases in the prostaglandin synthetic pathway of control rats was examined to initiate an exploration into a mechanism for the developmental response to indomethacin.

RESULTS

Mother-reared and artificially fed infant rats demonstrated resistance to the ulcerogenic effects of indomethacin, in contrast to the adults. A differential presence of cyclooxygenase-1 and cyclooxygenase-2 was not distinctly seen between infancy and adulthood.

CONCLUSIONS

The results indicate that a varying response to the damaging effects of indomethacin on the intestine occurs during development with the infant being less susceptible than the adult. This differed from the effects of dexamethasone administration, which caused significant intestinal atrophy in the infant rats. The intestinal protection to the effects of indomethacin in infants is not dependent on mother's milk or a developmental difference in the prostaglandin biosynthetic pathway.

Quantitative and qualitative assessment of milk production after pharmaceutical induction of lactation in the mare

The induction of lactation is performed in ruminants by steroidogenic impregnation, followed by drugs intended to increase prolactin secretion. The aim of this study was to induce lactation in barren mares and to evaluate milk production. Five treated and 5 control mares were used in June and September in year 1, and 12 mares were used in year 2. Mares were administered a vaginal pessary (500 mg altrenogest and 50 mg estradiol benzoate) for 1 week. The 2nd week, another sponge with 100 mg estradiol benzoate was administered, together with 50 mg/100 kg body weight (BW) sulpiride in oil (IM q12h). All mares were milked by hand. Drug treatment was stopped after I L was obtained. Milk production and composition and plasma prolactin concentration were measured. In year 2, the same steroid treatment was applied, but mares received sulpiride (n = 6) or domperidone (1.1 mg/kg PO q12h) (n = 6). A milking machine and oxytocin injections 1 minute before the start of milking were used. In year 1, all treated mares started milking within 1-5 days after sulpiride treatment. Mean daily milk production was 0.88 +/- 0.52 L/500 kg BW. Milk immunoglobulin G (IgG) contents increased in all mares (IgG concentration range, 14-92 g/L). Plasma prolactin increased during sulpiride treatment (range. 27.7 +/- 2.9 to 43.7 +/- 6.7 ng/mL [before] to 289.0 +/- 7.8 ng/mL during treatment, P < .001). In year 2, results were similar to those in year 1, with peak IgG concentrations ranging from 4.2 to 106.7 g/L and a larger daily milk production (3.13 +/- 0.75 with sulpiride and 3.45 +/- 0.51 L/500 kg BW with domperidone). In conclusion, lactation can be induced in mares within 2 weeks, and some mares produce good-quality colostrum.

Whey components: millennia of evolution create functionalities for mammalian nutrition: what we know and what we may be overlooking

Nutrition is undergoing a revolution owing to the recognition that some foods contain trophic, health-promoting factors distinct from essential nutrients. In this revolution, whey is increasingly being viewed as more than a source of proteins with a particularly nutritious composition of essential amino acids. Milk evolved under continuous Darwinian selection pressure to nourish mammalian neonates. Evolutionary pressure appears to have led to the elaboration of a complex food that contains proteins, peptides, complex lipids, and oligosaccharides that act as growth factors, toxin-binding factors, antimicrobial peptides, prebiotics, and immune regulatory factors within the mammalian intestine. Importantly, these trophic macromolecules are not essential, although the health benefits that their biological activities within the intestine provide likely contributed to neonatal survival. Human and bovine milks contain many homologous components, and bovine whey may prove to be a source for molecules capable of providing biological activities to humans when consumed as food ingredients. To approach this potential, food and nutrition research must move beyond the description of food ingredients as delivering only essential nutrients and develop a mechanistic understanding of the interactions between dietary components and the metabolic and physiological properties of the intestine.

A low-fat diet but not food restriction improves lactational performance in obese rats

Rats fed a high-fat diet before and during lactation have difficulty initiating lactation and have high pup mortality rates, low milk production and, consequently, poor pup growth. To determine if these adverse outcomes can be mitigated with dietary changes made after delivery, obese Sprague-Dawley rats (who had previously been fed a high-fat diet [AIN-93M, modified to contain 35% fat, w/w]) were assigned at parturition to continue to be fed this diet (HF) or switched to free access to a corresponding low-fat (LF) diet (AIN-93M, 4% fat w/w) or switched to the LF diet and restricted to consuming only 75% of ad libitum intake (LF/R). Dams lost weight during lactation, but weight loss was much less in the LF group (19g) than in the other two groups (47 and 59g, HF and LF/R, respectively). There was no appreciable change in body water; body fat decreased by about half in all groups, but most substantially in the LF/R group. Compared with the HF group, milk production was 50% higher in the LF group and 12% lower in the LF/R group. Milk lipid concentration tended to be higher and milk water concentration lower in the HF compared with the other two groups. Growth of the litters of the LF dams was significantly higher than both HF and LF/R dams. These results indicate that switching to a low-fat diet mitigates the negative effects of obesity and continued high-fat feeding on lactational performance and pup growth. Consumption of restricted quantities of a low-fat diet negatively affected milk production and failed to improve pup growth, despite the dams' mobilization of body fat in support of lactation.

Evaluation of measurements of the conductivity of quarter milk samples for the early diagnosis of mastitis

Measurements of the conductivity of quarter milk samples were made in 31 cows in a 70-cow herd in southeast England, for a period of 15 weeks. Over this period, 42 per cent of cow-weeks and 20 per cent of quarter-weeks had an increase in quarter milk conductivity of 10 per cent of more compared with the mean conductivity of the previous 14 milkings. Fourteen per cent of quarter-weeks had an increase in conductivity of 15 per cent or more. The geometric mean somatic cell count (cell count) was higher in quarter-weeks with a 10 per cent or greater increase in conductivity than in quarter-weeks with a conductivity change of less than 10 per cent. At a conductivity threshold of 10 or 15 per cent and a cell count threshold of 200,000 or 400,000 cells/ml the specificity of this system was estimated to be 85 to 92 per cent, the sensitivity 40 to 54 per cent, the negative predictive value 87 to 93 per cent and the positive predictive value 33 to 55 per cent. The positive predictive value of the individual quarter milk conductivity was insufficiently accurate to be used as the sole criterion for the selection of quarters for early antibiotic treatment.

The resistance to heat of thermo-resistant streptococci attached to stainless steel in the presence of milk

Skim milk residues had a significant impact on the sensitivity to heat of a dairy isolate of the thermo-resistant, Streptococcus thermophilus. Cells of S. thermophilus (H) suspended in water or in milk had D values at 60 degrees C of 2.0 and 14 min, respectively. Cells of S. thermophilus (H) attached to stainless steel in the presence of water or milk had D values at 60 degrees C of 2.2 and 8.1 min, respectively. The attached cells in both experiments were heat-treated in the presence of water. The increase in heat resistance could not be fully attributed to individual components (caseinate or whey) in the milk. The potential for thermo-resistant streptococci to survive heat treatment in a dairy manufacturing plant is therefore greater than may be expected for the organism in less complex environments.

Increased hypothalamic neuropeptide Y expression in deprived preweanling rats is reversed by intragastric infusion of milk

Lean, preweanling Zucker rat pups increase neuropeptide Y (NPY) expression in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus in response to a 24-h deprivation of food, water, and maternal interaction as early as postnatal day 2 (P2). In this study, we examined if replacing nutritive or tactile aspects of maternal behavior to deprived rat pups could block the increased expression of hypothalamic NPY measured by in situ hybridization. On P2, P12, or P15, littermates were assigned to one of four treatment groups: (1) left with the dam for 24 h, (2) deprived of the dam for 24 h and given tactile stimulation in the form of periodic anogenital stroking to elicit urination and defecation, (3) deprived of the dam and given periodic anogenital stroking plus continuous gastric infusion of milk for 24 h, or (4) deprived of the dam and given periodic anogenital stroking plus continuous infusion of water for 24 h. We found that gastric infusions of milk normalized NPY expression at all three ages, gastric infusions of water did not on P2 and P15, and anogenital stroking alone had no effect. We suggest that the lack of milk is the major cause of increased hypothalamic NPY expression during maternal deprivation in lean Zucker pups.

Advances in cooled semen technology

In the horse industry, milk or milk-based extenders are used routinely for dilution and storage of semen cooled to 4-8 degrees C. Although artificial insemination (AI) with chilled and transported semen has been in use for several years, pregnancy rates are still low and variable related to variable semen quality of stallions. Over the years, a variety of extenders have been proposed for cooling, storage and transport of stallion semen. Fractionation of milk by microfiltration, ultrafiltration, diafiltration and freeze-drying techniques has allowed preparation of purified milk fractions in order to test them on stallion sperm survival. Finally, a high protective fraction, native phosphocaseinate (NPPC), was identified. A new extender, INRA96, based on modified Hanks' salts, supplemented with NPPC was then developed for use with cooled/stored semen. Four experiments were conducted to compare INRA96 and milk-based extenders under various conditions of storage. The diluted semen was maintained under aerobic conditions when stored at 15 degrees C, and anaerobic conditions when stored at 4 degrees C. In experiment 1, split ejaculates from 13 stallions were diluted either in INRA96 extender then stored at 15 degrees C or diluted in Kenney or INRA82 extenders and then stored at 4 degrees C for 24h, until insemination. In experiment 2, semen from two stallions was extended in INRA96 then inseminated immediately or stored at 15 degrees C for 3 days until insemination. In experiment 3, semen from three stallions was diluted in INRA96 then stored at 15 or 4 degrees C for 24h until insemination, finally, in experiment 4, split ejaculates from four stallions were diluted in INRA96 or E-Z Mixin extenders then stored at 4 degrees C for 24h until insemination. Experiment 1 demonstrated that at 15 degrees C, INRA96 extender significantly improved pregnancy rate per cycle compared to Kenney or INRA82 extenders at 4 degrees C after 24h of storage (57%, n=178 versus 40%, n=171, respectively; P<0.01). Experiment 2 showed that semen stored at 15 degrees C for 3 days can achieve pregnancy at a fertility rate per cycle of 48% (n=52) compared to 68% (n=50, immediate insemination, P=0.06). Experiment 3 demonstrated that INRA96 extender can be as efficient at 15 degrees C (54%, n=37) as at 4 degrees C (54%, n=35) after 24h of storage. Finally, experiment 4 showed that INRA96 extender used at 4 degrees C (59%, n=39) seems to improve fertility per cycle compared to E-Z Mixin at 4 degrees C (49%, n=39, P=0.25), but this result has to be confirmed. These results demonstrate that semen diluted in INRA96 extender and stored at 15 degrees C can be an alternative to semen diluted in milk-based extenders and stored at 4 degrees C for "poor cooler" stallions. Furthermore, INRA96 extender can be as efficient at 15 degrees C as at 4 degrees C, for preserving sperm motility and fertility.