Improvement of Oxidative Status, Milk and Cheese Production, and Food Sustainability Indexes by Addition of Durum Wheat Bran to Dairy Cows’ Diet

Abstract

Simple SummaryIn the near future, the expected increase in world population will enhance feed versus food competition between animals and humans to face the increasing demand by humans. For this reason, it is of paramount importance to feed ruminants with sources alternative to those representing themselves foods for humans. Durum wheat bran (DWB), similar to other by-products of the agri-food industry, can meet this need, its fiber content is high and represents also a remarkable source of phenolic acids, especially ferulic acid. This compound exerts antioxidant properties improving the health status of animals, and allows the production of functional foods more and more requested by consumers. Accordingly, this experiment demonstrated the suitability of using DWB for dairy cows feeding, because it led to clear advantages in terms of oxidative status of animals, quality of dairy products, and feeding costs. Furthermore, DWB improved the human-edible feed conversion efficiency reducing the use of human-edible feed.AbstractDurum wheat bran (DWB) is a by-product mostly used in feeding ruminants, contributing to decrease in the utilization of feeds suitable as foods for human consumption, thus improving the sustainability of livestock production. However, the potential benefits of DWB, due to its content in phenolic acids, mainly consisting of ferulic acid with antioxidant properties, have not been well clarified yet. Accordingly, in this experiment, 36 lactating cows divided into three groups received, over a period of 100 days, one of three concentrates including DWB at 0% (DWB0), 10% (DWB10), or 20% (DWB20). The concentrates were formulated to be isoproteic and isoenergetic and, to balance the higher fiber content of the concentrates with DWB, the hay in the diets was slightly reduced. During the trial, the group feed intake and the individual milk production were monitored, and cheese was made with bulk milk from each group. Milk yield and microbiological characteristics of milk and cheese were similar among groups, indicating no DWB effect on cows performance and fermentation process. Milk from DWB20 group resulted slightly higher in casein and curd firmness (a2r). In cows fed DWB, the higher polyphenol intake was responsible for higher blood contents of these bioactive compounds, that seemed to have contributed in reducing the level of reactive oxygen metabolites (ROMs), which were higher in DWB0 cows. DWB20 cheeses showed a higher polyphenol content, lower number of peroxides, and higher antioxidant capacity than DWB0 cheeses. DWB20 and DWB10 diets resulted less expensive. In addition, the DWB20 group showed the best indexes heFCE (human edible feed conversion efficiency = milk/human edible feed) and NFP (net food production = milk − human edible food), expressed as crude protein or gross energy. In conclusion, the DWB fed to dairy cows at 12% of diet dry matter (DM) can lead to benefits, such as the improvement of oxidative status of cows, milk quality, shelf-life, and functional properties of cheese, and mig...

Oxidative Status of Goats with Different CSN1S1 Genotypes Fed ad Libitum with Fresh and Dry Forages

“…Indeed, several strategies, including the intake of polyphenol-rich plants or their extracts, have been proposed to modulate ruminant oxidative status. An improvement of OSI was also detected in dairy cows that, after 100 days of lactation, were supplemented with durum wheat bran, rich in phenolic acids [26]. For example, Yerba Mate supplementation, a plant with high polyphenol concentration, seems to improve the redox balance of early-lactation cows, as reflected by a reduction of OSI value [54].…”

“…Several studies reported that polyphenol dietary intake increases superoxide dismutase (SOD) in cows supplemented with grape skins [24] and in growing goats supplemented with juniper oil [25]. Moreover, the durum wheat bran, fed at 10% or 20% of the supplement, due to its content in phenolic acids, especially ferulic acid, improved the oxidative status and antioxidants capacity of dairy cows and, as a consequence, of their derived cheeses [26].…”

Meat Production from Dairy Breed Lambs Due to Slaughter Age and Feeding Plan Based on Wheat Bran

“…Extraction of phenolic acids from feeds samples (250 mg) was processed according to the procedure reported by Laddomada et al [25], which consisted of, in order, sample delipidation, alkaline hydrolysis, acidification and recovery in ethyl acetate; then, the extracts were dried under nitrogen flux, re-dissolved in 200 µL of 80:20 methanol/water, and analysed in an Agilent 1100 Series HPLC-DAD system (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA). Separation and identification of peaks were performed as described by Bonanno et al [20].…”

“…While grain protein content, color and gluten strength are considered the most important features needed for use in pasta and bread production [14], DWB shows a high content of fiber and phenolic compounds, in particular ferulic acid with remarkable antioxidant properties [15,16,17,18,19]. The presence of polyphenols in the diet is undoubtedly advantageous to improving the oxidative state and hence the well-being of the animals [20,21]. In this regard, Wang et al [22] showed that a dietary supplementation of 80 mg/kg of ferulic acid was able to decrease the oxidative stress of lambs in cold environment and improve their growth performance.…”

Evaluating the Suitability of Hazelnut Skin as a Feed Ingredient in the Diet of Dairy Cows

“…More recently, Bonanno et al [92] replaced cereal grains and legumes in the diet of dairy cows with durum wheat bran, at 6% and 13% of DMI. The by-product also affected heFCE and NFP, with the best results at the higher inclusion rate.…”