This study demonstrates the potential for increasing the vitamin D3 content of milk produced by housed cows by short exposure (30–60 min/d) to supplementary UV-B light as a successful biofortification strategy.
The increasing incidence of vitamin D deficiency in Europe has generated interest in naturally enhancing vitamin D levels in commonly consumed foods, such as milk, by biofortification (defined here as increasing the concentration of a specific nutrient in a food by changing the diet or management of an animal).
Endogenous, solar-driven biosynthesis of vitamin D is a potentially modifiable option for boosting vitamin D concentrations in milk. The objective of this study was to quantify milk and plasma vitamin D responses in housed cows exposed to artificial UV-B light over 12 wk.