Feeding Behavior of Lactating Dairy Cattle Fed Sorghum-Based Diets and Increasing Levels of Tannic Acid

Abstract

Tannins have been used to trigger positive effects on ruminal metabolism and increase ruminant production efficiency, since they increase the supply of dietary protein in the small intestine. Increasing levels of tannic acid in a sorghum-based diet on the feeding behavior of five Holstein/Zebu crossbred lactating dairy cows was evaluated. They were subjected to a 5 × 5 Latin square experimental design, with fivelevels of tannin as dry matter (DM) in the diet (0.46, 1.30, 2.60, 3.90, and 5.20%). The levels of the tannic acid added were established based on the quantity of condensed tannin in high-tannin sorghum. Thus, diets 2, 3, 4 and 5 were supplemented with 1.5 g (13% DM), 79.5 g (2.6% DM), 157.5 g (3.9% DM), and 235.5 g (5.2% DM) of tannic acid, totaling 0.078, 0.156, 0.234, and 0.321 kg of tannin/day, respectively. Feeding behavior variables included the following states and events: feeding, drinking, rumination, and inactivity; the frequency of visiting the feed and water troughs; and the occurrence of urination and defecation. Water was provided ad libitum, and its intake was measured during periods of behavioral data collection. The use of two tannin sources (hydrolysable and condensed) corresponding to the total level of 5.20% (on a DM basis) in the diet of lactating dairy cattle does not affect the animals’ health. Tannic acid can be included in the diet of lactating dairy cattle at a level of 3.93% (on a DM basis) without inducing variation in the total time spent daily on feed intake. Dairy cows dilute the effects of dietary tannin (5.20%) through greater fragmentation of food consumption in the hours following its supply (180 min). The astringent effects caused by tannin intake in lactating dairy cows are mitigated by increasing the daily water intake as the amount of tannin in the diet increases, starting at a level of 3.90% tannin (on a DM basis).

The feeding behavior of dairy cattle under tropical heat stress conditions at smallholder urban farming

“…The proportion of meals eaten was shown to be higher in the morning than at night (Niu and Harvatine 2018). Furthermore, the feeding behavior of dairy cattle was also influenced by several factors, namely environment, management, health, and social interactions (Botheras 2019), also the availability of anti-nutrients, such as tannin (Dos Santos et al 2021). Environmental factors were seen to affect voluntary feed intake and the utilization of dairy cattle's metabolizable energy (ME).…”

Tannic acid reduced apparent protein digestibility and induced oxidative stress and inflammatory response without altering growth performance and ruminal microbiota diversity of Xiangdong black goats

“…So far, methane production and nitrogen utilization have constantly remained the two primary topics in research targeting the influences of TA on ruminants, and the majority of studies on supplementing TA in the ration for ruminants have been conducted on cattle and sheep ( 2 , 5 , 6 , 15 , 19 ). By contrast, information referring to the responses of goats in digestion, performance, and physiological function to TA supplementation is rare.…”

A Review: The Importance of the Enteric Methane Production Measurement Methods and Mitigation Strategies in Ruminant Animals

“…In addition, TANs have been successfully used to reduce enteric CH4 production, urinary N excretion, and N2O emissions (Adejoro et al, 2020;Fagundes et al, 2020) and to increase the duodenal flux of microbial protein and amino acids (Orlandi et al, 2015). TANs-rich plants and TANs' extracts have also shown positive impact on rumen microbial activity (Sarnataro and Spanghero, 2020), ruminal fermentation rate (Fagundes et al, 2020), antioxidant status, and health of ruminants (Santos et al, 2021). TANs can also reduce the digestion of protein in the rumen and the entire gastrointestinal tract (Waghorn, 2008).…”