Grant: Alliance Grants

The Dairy Alliance brings together the Dairy Farmers of Ontario, the Dairy Farmers of Canada, Novalait Inc., Lallemand Inc. and Lactalis Canada towards the common goal of ensuring the quality and functionality of dairy products through better control of microbial ecosystems. Farm management practices have impacts on the types of microbes that are transmitted to milk, which in turn influence processing and the shelf life of the products. The dairy industry seeks to improve sustainability and reduce antimicrobial usage, so new strategies are required on the farm to ensure animal health and dairy product safety. The approach of the Dairy Alliance is thus to integrate knowledge across the value chain, from production to processing, with potential impacts for improving animal and consumer health. The project objectives are based on the four themes of the National Dairy Research Strategy, aiming to improve our knowledge and control of microbial ecosystems across dairy production and processing and support the health functionality of dairy products. Theme 1 is focused on animal nutrition, targeting the sustainability of milk production and feed efficiency through developing new feed ingredients and supporting evidence for mitigating methane emissions which will be tested both in a laboratory setting and in animals. Theme 2 targets animal health and welfare by designing microbial treatments for improving silage, bedding and housing quality. Theme 3 aims to understand the impact of farm management practices on the shelf life and processing streams of milk, providing scientific support for the regional flavour of Canadian cheeses while reducing spoilage and waste of dairy products. Theme 4 will cover strategies to control foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance gene persistence in the gut microbial community. Producers and processors will benefit by improved communication of the constraints all along the value chain with access to advanced genomics data and tools.