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

Abstract

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.