Postpartum supplementation of fermented ammoniated condensed whey improved feed efficiency and plasma metabolite profile

Abstract

Postpartum dietary supplementation of gluconeogenic precursors may improve the plasma metabolite profile of dairy cows, reducing metabolic disorders and improving lactation performance. The objective of this trial was to examine the effects of supplementation with fermented ammoniated condensed whey (FACW) postpartum on lactation performance and on profile of plasma metabolites and hormones in transition dairy cows. Individually fed multiparous Holstein cows were blocked by calving date and randomly assigned to control (2.9% dry matter of diet as soybean meal; n = 20) or FACW (2.9% dry matter of diet as liquid Gluco-Boost, Fermented Nutrition, Luxemburg, WI; n = 19) dietary treatments. Treatments were offered from 1 to 45 d in milk (DIM). Cows were milked twice a day. Dry matter intake and milk yield were recorded daily and averaged weekly. Individual milk samples from 2 consecutive milkings were obtained once a week for component analysis. Rumen fluid was collected (n = 3 cows/ treatment) at 4 time points per day at 7 and 21 DIM. Blood samples were collected within 1 h before feeding time for metabolite analysis and hyperketonemia diagnosis. Supplementation of FACW improved feed efficiency relative to control; this effect may be partially explained by a marginally significant reduction in dry matter intake from wk 3 to 7 for FACW-supplemented cows with no detected FACW-driven changes in milk yield, milk protein yield, and milk energy output compared with control. Also, there was no evidence for differences in intake of net energy for lactation, efficiency of energy use, energy balance, or body weight or body condition score change from calving to 45 DIM between treatments. Supplementation of FACW shifted rumen measures toward greater molar proportions of propionate and butyrate, and lesser molar proportions of acetate and valerate. Cows supplemented with FACW had greater plasma glucose concentrations in the period from 3 to 7 DIM and greater plasma insulin concentrations compared with control. Plasma nonesterified fatty acid and β-hydroxybutyrate concentrations were decreased in cows supplemented with FACW compared with control cows in the period from 3 to 7 DIM. These findings indicate that FACW may have improved the plasma metabolite profile immediately postpartum in dairy cows. Additionally, supplementation of FACW resulted in improved feed efficiency as accessed by measures of milk output relative to feed intake.

Hepatic pyruvate carboxylase expression differed prior to hyperketonemia onset in transition dairy cows

“…Prepartum energy intake of animals in this experiment was greater than maintenance to increase HYK incidence of the study population (compared to the research herd average) to be comparable to that observed in the industry. This was a part of a larger study that included a postpartum dietary intervention that reduced BHB, plasma NEFA, and improved feed efficiency [15]. The subset of cows used for this study were Table 5.…”

“…Postpartum diets were identical except for addition of a fermented ammoniated condensed whey (FACW) supplement (GlucoBoost; Fermented Nutrition Corporation, Luxemburg, WI; Table 1) to the treatment diet. A companion paper, Caputo Oliveira et al (2019) [15], contains details on experimental design, diet formulation and chemical composition, data collection, and animal handling. For the objectives of this analysis, a subset of the cows retrospectively classified as either HYK or nonHYK were evaluated.…”

“…Postpartum dietary treatment did not affect FA composition in plasma or liver. When included as a random effect with HYK, the covariance was 0 indicating it did not explain significant variation (see Caputo Oliveira et al, 2019 [15] for discussion of full dietary treatment effects). The increased postpartum BHB and NEFA observed in HYK cows was reflective of the increased BCS loss in the immediate postpartum period (d 1 to 14).…”

Assessment of the Relationship between Postpartum Health and Mid-Lactation Performance, Behavior, and Feed Efficiency in Holstein Dairy Cows

“…Weekly samples of individual feeds were dried at 55 °C in a forced-air oven for 48 h, ground to pass a 1 mm screen (Wiley Mill, Arthur H. Thomas, Philadelphia, PA, USA), and composited across each trial for nutrient composition analysis. Individual composited feeds were analyzed at a commercial lab (Dairyland Laboratories, Inc., Arcadia, WI, USA), as described previously [ 25 ]. Diet composition and nutrient analysis are presented in Supplemental Table S1 .…”

“…Cows were milked twice daily at 0400 h and 1500 h. Milk yields were recorded electronically at each milking, and milk samples were taken weekly at four consecutive afternoon and morning milkings and analyzed for milk composition at a commercial laboratory (AgSource, Menominee, WI, USA), as described previously [ 25 ]. Milk samples with a composition of more than double or less than half of the next highest or lowest value for that cow, respectively, were considered biologically implausible and removed (milk fat, n = 13).…”