SLU news
Red clover can give healthier milk
Published: 05 October 2012
By having red clover in the silage and by harvesting early in the season the content of phytoestrogens in milk can be increased. That's what Annika Höjer at the Department of Northern Agricultural Science, SLU concluded in her doctoral work.
On September 28 Annika Höjer defended her thesis "Phytoestrogens and fatty acids in forage and bovine milk". The work was part of the Core Organic project "PhytoMilk".
Annika found that there are great opportunities to increase the content of phytoestrogens in milk by having red clover in the silage and by harvesting early in the season. Also the fatty acid composition in the milk was affected, but the differences were smaller. The composition of both phytoestrogens and fatty acids in milk may affect human health.