Why New Zealand Colostrum Is The Best Colostrum?

New Zealand is the world leader in grazing production systems,Some US producers are hanging their hopes on a modified New Zealand system to help them become efficient enough to stay in business. Pasture-based, seasonal milk-production systems used in New Zealand are being modified for the Missouri Ozarks.

New Zealand dairies are held to some of the most stringent standards in the world. In New Zealand, the Dairy and Plant Products Group (a division of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry-MAF) provides assurance to consumers, both domestic and international, that New Zealand’s dairy products are safe and true to label. And, the government mandates that all dairy products (colostrum included) must be free of antibiotics, chemical residues and hormones (rbST is illegal in New Zealand).

Key differences between colostrum produced in the U.S. and New Zealand:
New Zealand United States Feeding practices

(1) Free-grazing pastures Confined feed lots
Climate

(2) Mild temperate temperatures Subject to extreme temperatures Regulations/ GMPs

(3) Controlled by MAF None currently mandated
Certification

(4) Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry None required
Calf birthing

(5) Once per year (July-September) Calving intervals of 2 months Storage

(6) Refrigerated vats Frozen Fat content

(7) Defatted Full fatPasteurization

(8) Flash Pasteurized (161°F for 15 sec.) Mostly High Heat Pasteurized Antibiotic use

(9) Illegal in NZ Practiced on most dairy farms Hormones

(10) Illegal in NZ Currently allowed Penalties for contamination infractions

(11) Fines up to $100,000 possible Considered misdemeanor / no fines

Grazing practices, the treatment of cattle, collection and storage methods, and processing all affect the quality of colostrum. When choosing a colostrum supplement, it is important to keep these points in mind.

(1) Pasture fed cattle are exposed to a wide variety of soil-based pathogens, which means they will naturally develop more antibodies. Healthy green grass also provides beneficial enzymes, some of which end up in the colostrum, aiding in its assimilation. Intensively managed, year-round pastures in New Zealand furnish nearly 100% of herd feed requirements, so the cows need little or no supplemental grain. In New Zealand-style grazing systems, the animals are rotated frequently to fresh, small pastures and produce more milk per acre. A 1993 survey determined that greater than 40% of United States dairy heifer calves had serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) concentrations of less than 10 mg/ml. The Journal of Dairy Sciences reports, “U.S. society will soon demand that agriculture back off, at least to some extent, from confinement and pay greater attention to agricultural animal comfort and happiness.”

(2) In New Zealand, dairy farmer Brian Thompson states,” We have high-quality ryegrass and white clover pasture virtually year round. Our climate is mild with only four or five frosts and no hard freezes in winter." In the US, extreme cold temperatures or windchills will increase the cow's energy needs. If this energy is not fed in the diet, the cow will take nutrients from its body to meet energy demands. Likewise, extremely hot weather often results in low colostrum production.

(3) In New Zealand, the MAF Dairy and Plant Products Group convenes twice a year to review the MAF standards relating to colostrum. Colostrum production, storage and transportation must be in accordance with a product safety program. While in the U.S., the Public Health Service has no legal jurisdiction in the enforcement of milk or milk product sanitation standards; only now is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considering whether to institute rulemaking to develop current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations for dietary supplements, including colostrum.

(4) In New Zealand, all dairy farms and milk production facilities must be certified by the MAF, while in the US, no such certification exists. Domestically, states and communities are encouraged to implement the Grade "A" Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, but it is not a requirement. Also, the “Grade A” standard was not developed with colostrum in mind, unlike the New Zealand regulations, and has no guidelines about how colostrum should be harvested, transported, processed and stored for maximum potency and safety.

(5) New Zealand farmers begin their six- to eight-week breeding season in September. The cows calve in July and August- winter in the southern hemisphere-and are weaned in mid-May.. (About 95% of the country's dairy herds follow this schedule.) Most US dairy operators strive for a calving interval of 2 months (this goal is rarely achieved) The concern from activists is that nearly continuously pregnant cows are constantly burdened with carrying large quantities of milk. And, the induction of ovulation has been associated with side effects such as abnormal estrous behavior, reduced fertility, cystic follicles and corpora lutea, and chronic vaginal prolapse. Some US producers are hanging their hopes on a modified New Zealand breeding system to help them become efficient enough to stay in business

(6) Colostrum in New Zealand is collected fresh in sterile, refrigerated vats. This process helps maintain the bioactivity of colostrum’s fragile components while protecting it from bacterial contamination. The colostrum is then immediately processed to protect vital components. Freezing colostrum is an acceptable method for storing excess colostrum on dairy farms, however the method in which it is stored and subsequently thawed, needs to be very exacting if the fragile active components are to be safeguarded. Frozen colostrum needs to be stored in small freezer bags (unlikely with large amounts of colostrum for mass production). Because the antibodies and immunoglobulins in colostrum are proteins, careful thawing, at low temperatures is essential to maintain biological activity. For example, the leukocytes in colostrum, which can minimize the effects of bacterial diseases, are killed by frozen storage and are only found in fresh colostrum. We’ll say it again -- When isn’t fresh better?

(7) Fat in colostrum provides energy for the newborn calf. Once the calf’s needs are met, New Zealand dairies remove the fat from remaining colostrum prior to processing it for human consumption. Although these are largely beneficial fats for mammals, they cause problems in the real world – both with assimilation and product storage. These fats are not readily soluble in water, and, more importantly, can become rancid fairly quickly. Colostrum is composed of between 20-25% fat. The US Department of Health and Human Services mandates, “If the fat content of the milk product is 10 percent or more, the specified pasteurization temperature shall be increased by 3°C (5°F).” Therefore, US companies that retain the full fat would be forced to increase their pasteurization temperature from 72°C (162°F) to 75°C (167°F) which can significantly reduce the effectiveness of colostrum’s immune factors.

(8) Pasteurization is required to eliminate dangerous bacteria that can be found in all milk products (including colostrum). In ordinary high temperature short time (HTST, 72° C / 15 sec) also known as “flash pasteurization,” only 0.5 -10 % of Ig activity is lost. However, high temperatures (167°F and over) destroy colostrum’s overall effectiveness, as illustrated in the chart below. To maintain the integrity of the product, New Zealand only uses low heat processing and flash pasteurization, rather than the high heat required by US law for full fat dairy products.

Thermal Denaturation of Immunoglobulins During Processing

Temperature ( °C) D-Value (seconds)
69 8504
72 1387
77 285
81 152
D-value = time to inactivate 90% of the IgG

(9) The use of antibiotics is illegal in the New Zealand dairy industry. The MAF requires a screening test for antibiotic residues, while in the US, antibiotic use is widely practiced on dairy farms. Most US dairy farms store antibiotics on the premises to treat cows that are about to give birth. The Dairy Science and Technology division of the University of Guelph reports, “the presence of antibiotic residues in milk products is very problematic for at least three reasons;

In the production of fermented milks, antibiotic residues can slow or destroy the growth of the fermentation bacteria.
From a human health point of view, some people are allergic to specific antibiotics, and their presence in food consumed can have severe consequences.
Frequent exposure to low level antibiotics can cause microorganisms to become resistant to them, through mutation, so that they are ineffective when needed to fight a human infection.
For these reasons, it is extremely important that milk from cows being treated with antibiotics is withheld from the milk supply.”
We’ll go even further. While certain antibiotics can be extremely helpful in combating short-term bacterial infection, their long-term ingestion, even in small amounts can actually weaken human immune systems. Also, antibiotics destroy beneficial bacteria or probiotics in the human digestive tract which are critically important for overall digestive health, including the assimilation of food and micronutrients such as vitamins, and the bioactive factors in colostrum.

(10) Dairy management systems in New Zealand prohibit the use of hormones. In the US, hormones like rbST (recombinant bovine somatotropin) are used to stimulate growth and milk production. Research shows that higher producing cows are more likely to have lower concentrations of IgG in their colostrum at calving. The sale of milk from cows treated with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rbGH) is also approved in the US. Recent studies find that milk quality may actually be degraded somewhat as a result of the increased incidence of mastitis associated with the use of rbGH/rbST. In several countries, milk quality is measured by somatic cell counts (SCC). SCC are significantly elevated in the milk of rbGH/rbST-treated cows. Milk with a high SCC tends to spoil faster than milk with lower SCC. Also, a decline in nutritional quality and protein content has been observed in the early stages of supplementation with rbGH/rbST.

Finally, no scientists and medical researchers are yet certain of the effects on humans of minute residues of bovine hormones in dairy products. Since hormones naturally occur in our bodies in infinitesimal quantities, and still create powerful effects, it seems to make sense (at least to us) to be cautious about ingesting any hormones (or residues of hormones) which are not prescribed by a health care professional.

(11) In New Zealand, farmers may be fined up to $100,000 for infractions against regulations, including the presence of hormones, antibiotics or pesticides. According to the US Grade A Pasteurized Milk Ordinance, “No penalty is imposed on the producer… or distributor upon the first violation of any of the sanitation requirements…” Additional infractions are considered misdemeanors and no fines are imposed.

	Laboratory of Colostrum Research