Effects of fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) seed powder addition during early lactation on performance, milk fatty acid profile, and rumen fermentation parameters of Holstein cows

Abstract

IntroductionAromatic and herbal plants usage as feed additives have become a new tendency in dairy cows’ nutrition to enhance animal performance. This experiment was performed to study the effects of supplementing fennel seed powder (FSP) to diets during early lactation on performance, milk fatty acid (FA) profile, and rumen fermentation of Holstein dairy cows.MethodsTwenty-four primiparous Holstein dairy cows (10 ± 3 d in milk, 30 ± 2.1 Kg of milk/d, 610 ± 31 Kg body weight; mean ± SE) were balanced for actual milk yield and calving date (n = 8 per treatment) in a complete randomized design. Animals were allocated randomly to diets containing 0 g/d (0FSP), 25 g/d (25FSP), or 50 g/d (50FSP) FSP, individually top-dressed over the total mixed ration. The experimental period was 45 d consisting of the first 15 d for adaptation and the final 30 d for data collection and sampling.Results and discussionDry matter intake responded quadratically to FSP feeding, and cows fed 25FP treatment had greater DMI than 0FSP treatment. The average ruminal pH value decreased linearly as FSP increased in diets. Ruminal valerate and isovalerate proportion increased linearly as FSP inclusion in diets increased, while acetate proportion decreased and acetate:propionate ratio tended to decrease linearly. Increasing FSP in diets linearly increased serum glucose, globulin, and total protein concentrations. Milk yield increased linearly as FSP inclusion in diets increased, whereas milk composition was unaffected. Increasing FSP in diets linearly increased de novo and mixed FA and decreased preformed FA in milk. Dietary treatments did not affect saturated FA, whereas unsaturated FA, mono and poly unsaturated FA linearly decreased with increasing FSP inclusion in diets. Moreover, the content of C18:0 tended to decrease, and C18:1 cis-9 decreased linearly as FSP inclusion increased. Also, increasing the FSP level in diets decreased linearly non-esterified fatty acids and acetone concentrations in the milk. It could be concluded that FSP addition at 50 g/d could enhance performance of early lactating cows.

Effect of Dietary Addition of Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) Seed on Growth Performance, Haemato-Biochemical Profile and Faecal Microbiota of Kankrej Calves

“…In line with the present findings, no effect on blood glucose concentrations was observed in previous study (Fahim et al, 2022). On the contrary, the increase in plasma glucose concentration was reported by other studies (Mahmoud et al, 2020;Moosavi-Zadeh et al, 2023). In the present study, the lack of fennel seed effect on blood concentrations of total proteins, albumin, globulin and urea may imply that no alterations in the demand and competition for amino acids occurred and, in turn, shows no challenge to hepatic synthesis of albumin or globulin, required to sustain nutrient transportation and normal immune function (Kargar et al, 2018).…”

Effect of Adding Fennel and Fenugreek Seeds to Diets of Local Female Goats on some Productive Traits

“…Also, Fahim et al [9] indicated that when 75 g of fennel seeds were used as additives in Egyptian buffalo diets, there were no significant differences in milk protein, lactose, and non-fatty solids. In addition to what Moosavi-Zadeh and others [10] found when using fennel seed powder at a concentration of 25 g/day to determine its effect on lactating Holstein cows, there were no significant effects on the milk contents mentioned previously.…”

“…The flowers are yellow, tent-shaped, and the fruits are dark gray and smooth, 4-10 mm long, and their shape is cylindrical, pointed, with clear ribs [7,8]. Recent studies also indicated that use of fennel seeds in feeding ruminants had a positive impact on improving milk production and health [9,10]. In light of the increasing prices of feed materials as a result of the decline in general livestock production and its impact on public health, this has led to the need to use local feed additives at reasonable prices.…”