COMPARATIVE ASSESSMENT OF BENTOPOWDER AND NANOSCALE BENTONITE EFFECT FROM THE HERPEGEZH DEPOSIT ON COW PRODUCTIVITY AND MILK PROCESSING PROPERTIES

The objective of the study is to determine the impact of bentonite powder and nanosized bentonite from the Herpegezh deposit on the productivity of lactating cows and the technological properties of milk. The experimental work was conducted directly at the Agro-Soyuz agro-industrial complex in the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic over a period of 150 days, from November 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025, during the winter season. The results of a scientific and industrial study aimed at identifying the impact of nanosized bentonite on milk production volumes and its technological characteristics in cheese production are presented. The analysis was compared with the use of traditional bentonite powder. The use of nanosized bentonite significantly increases the digestibility of feed nutrients. Thus, the animals of the second experimental group, which received nanosized bentonite, had higher utilization of dry and organic matter, crude protein, crude fiber, crude fat and NFE than cows of the control and first experimental groups by 13.64 and 10.69 %; 12.23 and 8.77; 13.15 and 10.64; 11.57 and 7.47; 11.76 and 8.88; 10.66 and 7.17 %, respectively. Increased utilization of feed nutrients leads to increased milk production and higher fat and protein content in cows' milk. In the group of animals fed nano-sized bentonite, an increase in natural-fat milk yield of 1,170 kg (28.5 %) was recorded. An increase in milk yield per cow over a 150-day period of 4 % was also noted – 1,467 kg (37.6 %). Analysis of milk from the second experimental group revealed that fat and protein concentrations exceeded those in the control group by 0.45 and 0.21 %, respectively. The use of nano-sized bentonite in the diet of dairy cows leads to significant improvements in the composition, physicochemical, and technological properties of milk. As a result, the rennet coagulation time (according to Danilyan) is reduced from 44 to 9 minutes. Key words: milk, cow productivity, nanosized bentonite, milk fat, protein, feed digestibility, technological properties.