Saturated fat supplemented in the form of triglycerides decreased digestibility and reduced performance of dairy cows as compared to calcium salt of fatty acids

Abstract

The two most popular rumen-protected fatty acid supplements in dairy cow rations are calcium salts of palm oil fatty acid calcium salts of palm oil fatty acid (CSFA) and prilled saturated fatty acids (SFAs). The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of supplementing SFA in the form of triglycerides (TSFA), as compared to CSFA, on yields, efficiency and diet digestibility in high-yielding dairy cows. Twenty-eight (14 cows in each group) multiparous cows were fed a basal diet supplemented (on DM basis) with either 12 g/kg TSFA (~350 g/cow per day – contained 980 g/kg fat; 882.3 g/kg SFAs) or 14 g/kg CSFA (~440 g/cow per day – contained 800 g/kg fat; 566.4 g/kg SFAs). The supplement amounts in the diet were balanced according to fat content. Rumen samples were taken for measurements of ammonia and volatile fatty acids concentrations, and fecal samples were taken for digestibility measurements. The CSFA cows produced 3% higher milk yields (47.6 v. 46.2 kg/day; P < 0.0001) and 4.7% higher 4% fat-corrected milk (FCM; 44.7 v. 42.7 kg/day; P = 0.02) than the TSFA cows. No difference in milk-fat content was observed, but milk-protein content was higher in the TSFA than CSFA cows. Yields of fat and protein were similar, but lactose yields were higher in TSFA cows. There were no differences in dry matter intake or efficiency calculations between groups. The ruminal ammonia concentrations were similar between groups, whereas acetate concentrations and acetate : propionate ratio were greater for CSFA than TSFA cows. The apparent total-tract digestibility of dry (P < 0.0007) and organic matters (P < 0.0003), fat (P < 0.0001), NDF and ADF (P = 0.02) were lower in the TSFA v. CSFA cows. In conclusion, the CSFA-supplemented cows produced 3% higher milk and 4.7% higher 4% FCM than the TSFA cows. However, TSFA supplementation did not depress milk-protein content. The apparent total-tract digestibility was lower for all dietary components in the TSFA cows, which was probably due to the effects of both degree of saturation and triglyceride form of the TSFA supplement. Considering that diets were balanced according to the fat content of the supplements, the lower yields of milk and FCM observed in the TSFA than CSFA cows were likely due to the lower digestibility of the fat and other nutrients in the TSFA cows, which might have negatively influenced the dietary energy content.

Effects of calcium salts of palm fatty acids on nutrient digestibility and production responses of lactating dairy cows: A meta-analysis and meta-regression

“…Other studies reported similar responses (de Souza et al, 2018;. In CSPF supplementation studies, a reduction in milk protein content with no change in milk protein yield is a very common observation (de Souza et al, 2018;Oyebade et al, 2020). We observed this effect in our study, which could have been the consequence of milk component dilutions, because CSPF increased milk yield, but had no effect on milk protein yield.…”

“…However, increasing the yields of both milk and milk fat resulted in no effect of CSPF on milk fat content. Other studies have reported that CSPF induced a dilution effect on milk fat content (Onetti and Grummer, 2004;Oyebade et al, 2020). Interestingly, the inclusion of CSPF did not affect BW, BW change, BCS, or energy output to maintenance.…”

Analysis of Raman spectra for the verification of Australian grass‐ and grain‐fed beef using principal component analysis and partial least square models

“…Due to the very high melting point of these fats and their resulting low solubility, bacterial enzymes are unable to gain access to the binding of fatty acids to glycerol, which would pass to the lower digestive tract. [ 43 ]…”

Evaluation of Partial Replacement of Barley Grain with Heated Potato Processing By-products in the Diet of Dairy Cows Using an In vitro Gas Production Technique

“…A FibertecTM (Foss, Denmark) fiber analyzer was used to determine the amounts of acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) using reagents that were reported by Van Soest et al [17] and added heat-stable amylase and sodium sulfite. The analyses of fatty acids (FA) profile of the HPS, FFW, and barely were performed using gas chromatography [18]. Table 2 shows the chemical composition of FFW and HPS.…”