Yield and microbiological quality of raw milk and fresh cheese obtained from holstein cows receiving a diet supplemented with nopal (Opuntia ficus-indica)

-1 during the dry season (October to May); G2 (n = 5) cows received the same diet as G1, but added with nopal during the dry season. During the dry season, G2 showed higher (P < 0.001) milk production and less (P < 0.05) bacterial colony-forming units in raw milk and fresh cheese than in G1. These observations suggest that nopal, as a diet supplement, increases milk production and improve quality of both raw milk and fresh cheese from bovine cattle.