Pumpkin (Cucurbita maxima D.) Silage as a Feed that Improves Nutritional Properties of Cow's Milk

The study was performed with 40 Simmental cows divided into four groups (treatments). The group I received diet with grass silage, maize silage, and concentrate. Group II was fed similar as group I plus 400 mg d(-1) cow(-1) of beta-carotene. In group III, 40% maize silage DM was replaced with pumpkin silage to ensure a 400 mg higher beta-carotene intake compared to the group I. In group IV, 60% of maize silage DM was replaced with pumpkin silage without balancing beta-carotene. Milk samples were collected at 4 and 8 weeks of experiment. The milk was analyzed for the basic composition, carotenoids, Total Antioxidant Status (TAS), and composition of fatty acids. In both measurements, the highest content of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, violaxanthin were in the milk of group IV, and the lowest in group I. In the milk groups III and IV, higher content of PUFA, including n-3 PUFA, was found in successive samplings. In all samplings, milk TAS in group I was significantly lower compared to groups III and IV.