Artificial intelligence to improve animal welfare and goat milk quality

DMC, Cicap and Boalvet AI, led by Dcoop, have taken the first steps of an operational group for the improvement of goat milk, called the development of an artificial intelligence tool that monitors the use of therapeutic options of natural origin for the optimization of the Andalusian goat. Dairy Product (File: GOPG-MA-23-0002), Health4Boat.

The main objective of GO Health4Goat includes the development of a computer tool (reinforcement learning algorithms) that allows to objectively recommend the use of phytotherapy to improve animal well-being, productivity and milk quality and that, in turn, allows to reduce Antimicrobial use in dairy goat farms in Andalusia.

The following are considered as specific objectives:

1) Collect and analyze data from official milk control in dairy goat farms to assess their evolution in terms of their productive values, milk quality and animal welfare.

2) Investigate new combinations of botanical or phytogenic extracts that improve animal health status, improve gut health (microbiome) and reduce environmental impact on dairy goat farms.

3) Study the presence of antimicrobial resistance and bacterial populations in the dairy sector and its possible relationship with the use of therapeutic options. Collect information on the efficiency of protein foods depending on the diet.

4) Develop artificial intelligence algorithms based on reinforcement learning through automatic capture of milk quality data and environmental sensors that allow issuing specific proposals for incorporating medicinal plant extracts into the diet.

The Andalusian Operational Group is formed by a consortium of Andalusian companies and research centers, led by the first-grade agricultural cooperative Dcoop, the largest producer of olive oil worldwide and one of the main players in the national dairy goat sector.

Also participating are Boalvet AI, a technological company dedicated to the design and provision of computer services for the agri-food sector, Córdoba Technological Center Cicap and DMC Research Center SL, whose R&D priority is the investigation of new active ingredients derived from the line. A source of natural products of plant or microbial origin with bacterial capabilities, and with this operational group they intend to optimize their ingredients for animal nutrition and especially goat milk. DMC will act as the technical coordinator of the research project.