# Early Postpartum Change in Lactoferrin in Bovine Colostrum During the First 12 h Postpartum and Its Relationship with On-Farm Quality Indicators

## TL;DR

This study shows that lactoferrin, an important immune protein in cow colostrum, decreases rapidly in the first 12 hours after calving and may not be fully captured by standard on-farm quality tests.

## Contribution

The study reveals new insights into lactoferrin dynamics in bovine colostrum and its partial relationship with traditional quality indicators.

## Key findings

- Lactoferrin concentration in bovine colostrum significantly decreases within the first 12 hours after calving.
- Colostrum specific gravity and % Brix values also decline significantly during the same period.
- Positive but non-significant relationships were observed between lactoferrin and on-farm quality indicators.

## Abstract

Colostrum is essential for immune protection in newborn calves. Farm-based tests are widely used to assess colostrum quality, but they mainly reflect antibody levels and may not capture other important immune proteins. This study examined how lactoferrin concentration in bovine colostrum changes during the first 12 h after calving and how it relates to common farm quality indicators. Lactoferrin levels decreased rapidly over this period and showed positive but non-significant relationships with standard colostrum quality measures. These results suggest that lactoferrin reflects additional aspects of colostrum immune quality not fully captured by routine farm tests.

This pilot study aimed to evaluate the early postpartum dynamics of lactoferrin concentration in bovine colostrum and to investigate its relationship with rapid on-farm quality indicators during the first 12 h after calving. Colostrum samples were collected from six multiparous cows immediately after calving (0 h) and again 12 h later. Colostrum specific gravity and % Brix values were measured on-farm, and lactoferrin concentration was determined using LC–MS/MS analysis. Temporal changes were assessed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and relationships between variables were evaluated using linear regression and Spearman correlation analysis. Lactoferrin concentration decreased significantly between 0 and 12 h after calving (median: 3.350 vs. 2.175 mg/mL; p = 0.031). In parallel, statistically significant decreases were observed in both colostrum specific gravity and % Brix values over the same period (p = 0.031 for both indicators). Linear regression analyses showed positive slopes between lactoferrin concentration and specific gravity and between lactoferrin concentration and % Brix at both 0 and 12 h after calving; however, these relationships did not reach statistical significance (p > 0.05 for all models), with explained variance ranging from R2 = 0.156 to 0.409. Spearman correlation analysis also revealed moderate positive correlation coefficients (p > 0.05), although none of the correlations reached statistical significance. These results indicate a rapid decline in lactoferrin concentration during the first 12 h after calving, occurring in parallel with significant decreases in widely used on-farm colostrum quality indicators. Despite the lack of statistically significant associations, the observed positive relationships indicate that lactoferrin may represent an additional component of colostrum composition that is not directly reflected by refractometric and density-based indicators.