Effect of increasing tannic acid addition to the diet on milk quality in the semiarid region

Abstract The study aimed to evaluate the effect of adding tannic acid to the diet on the milk quality of cows. The five primiparous crossbred cows (Holstein x Zebu) were used, with about four years old, the average body weight of 420 ± 30 kg, 100 days of lactation initial average production of 18 ± 4 kg of milk/cow/day. The treatments consisted of increasing tannic acid (0; 1.3; 2.6; 3.9 and 5.2%) to replace corn bran in the diet, based on dry matter. The sensory attributes of odor had a significant effect (P < 0.05) of the inclusion of tannic acid in the diet. The odor attributes showed a lower average for the control treatment, and these attributes also showed orthogonal contrast, except the characteristic cow, that is, the control group differed from the treatments as the tannin was introduced, the attribute value became higher compared to the control group. The inclusion of 5.2% tannic acid in dairy cows’ diet promoted a slight variation in the taste of milk. However, it did not alter the quality or acceptance of this milk by consumers.