A review on the potentials of using feeds rich in water‐soluble carbohydrates to enhance rumen health and sustainability of dairy cattle production

Abstract

Cows are adapted to degrade structural plant carbohydrates (SC), such as cellulose and hemicelluloses, prevailing in grasses. Yet, the need for energy-dense diets in many intensive dairy production systems has shifted the dairy cattleʼs diet from SC-rich to high levels of starch. Feeding of starch-rich diets increases the risk of ruminal acidosis in cows, and feeding starch in the form of grains intensifies the competition over cereal grains and arable land among different livestock species, as well as between livestock and humans. Besides cellulose and hemicelluloses, grasses are also often rich in water-soluble carbohydrates (WSC), which comprise mono-, di-, oligo-and polysaccharides (fructans). Although the ruminal fermentation profile of monoand disaccharides resembles that of starch, the degradation of oligo-and polysaccharides is slower, and their fermentation elicits a rather protecting effect on ruminal pH. When harvested in an early phase (i.e. ear emergence), grass hay and silages can reach WSC levels up to 150-200 g kg −1 dry matter and energy levels close to starch-rich diets, allowing a significantly reduced inclusion of concentrate supplements. By doing so, this will enhance both rumen health and the sustainability of milk production. However, because the WSC are chemically very heterogeneous, the patterns and extent of their ruminal fermentation are difficult to predict without a clear analytical characterization. This review article aims to summarize both the benefits and potentials, as well as the challenges, with respect to using WSC-rich feedstuffs in the nutrition of dairy cattle and their effects on ruminal fermentation characteristics and milk production.

Replacing concentrates with a high-quality hay in the starter feed of dairy calves: II. Effects on the development of chewing and gut fermentation, and selected systemic health variables

“…The higher ruminal pH on d 63 in MQH-fed calves is likely associated with the lower intake of easily-fermentable carbohydrates during this time in these calves (Terler et al, 2022). On the other hand, the fact that ruminal and fecal pH in calves fed HQH did not differ from concentrate groups rich in starch indicates that WSC of the HQH provided similar substrate amounts for fermentation as the starch of the concentrate-rich diets (Klevenhusen and Zebeli, 2021), whereas the in-creased rumination observed on wk 12 was not enough to affect acid neutralization and modulate ruminal pH. In the groups with concentrate supplementation, feed sorting played an essential role, too.…”

A Review: Plant Carbohydrate Types—The Potential Impact on Ruminant Methane Emissions

“…In vitro studies have provided evidence that different types of carbohydrates change CH 4 emissions (52)(53)(54)(55). Carbohydrates in plants are present as mono-, di-, oligo-and-poly-saccharides (56) and can be linked with other compounds in the plant such as protein and lignin to form the plant cell wall structures.…”

Влияние Полисахаридов На Продуктивные Качества Новотельных Коров Голштино-Фризской Породы В Условиях Тоо «бек+»

“…Крахмал и сахар имеют функцию обеспечивать энергией животных и микроорганизмы, находящиеся в преджелудках жвачных, помимо этого участвуют при синтезе белка [6]. Тем не менее, потребность в высококалорийных рационах во многих системах интенсивного производства молока привела к тому, что рацион молочного скота изменился на рацион с высоким содержанием крахмала [7]. Углеводы представляют собой структурно сложные, но функционально важные биомолекулы, участвующие в различных биологических процессах.…”