Abstract
Simple SummaryDietary supplementation of lysophospholipids improves ruminant growth performance and may increase milk production in dairy cows. Pelleted total mixed rations are increasingly used in ruminant production systems. However, the effects of lysophospholipid supplementation in a pelleted total mixed ration for dairy cows have not been reported before. In this study, we fed dairy cows pelleted total mixed rations containing 0 or 0.5 g of lysophospholipids in a kilogram of diet and found that lysophospholipids did not increase milk and nutrient yields or improve milk quality, although the feed additive altered certain plasma biochemical parameters, which may be beneficial for animal health. We do not recommend lysophospholipids to be used as a feed additive in pelleted total mixed rations for dairy cows based on the current evidence we collected from this study.Lysophospholipids (LPL), a new feed additive, were supplemented to a pelleted total mixed ration (TMR) of dairy cows to examine its effects on feed intake, production, and composition of milk and plasma biochemical parameters. Two dietary treatments included diets supplemented without (control diet; CON) or with LPL at a dose of 0.5 g/kg of pelleted TMR. Twelve multiparous, mid-lactation, Holstein cows (Bodyweight 730 ± 9.3 kg; 100 ± 6.0 days in milk) were randomly assigned to one of the two dietary treatments with a 42-day measurement period after a 14-day adaptation period. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Feed intake and milk yields were recorded daily, blood samples were collected fortnightly, and milk samples weekly. The results showed that the supplementation of LPL did not change feed dry matter intake, milk yields, and milk composition. However, it increased total protein and globulin and the activity of alkaline phosphatase and decreased total cholesterol in plasma. This study suggests that LPL may have beneficent effects in animal health but might be not a feasible feed additive to increase production for dairy cows fed a pelleted TMR.
Highlights
Dairy cattle production is important worldwide for consumers and dairy farmers
Milk yield decreased with sampling time and the extent of decrease tended to be greater for the LPL treatment than the control (27% versus 12%, p = 0.061)
Our study did not find a significant increase in milk yield, energy-corrected milk (ECM) and milk nutrient yields
Summary
Dairy cattle production is important worldwide for consumers and dairy farmers. In 2017 the world milk production was as high as 811 million tonnes [1]. Lysophospholipids (LPL) including lysophosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidic acid, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, and lysophosphatidylinositol, are made from phospholipids with a fatty acid chain cleaved during enzymatic hydrolysis [3]. This group of compounds have been widely used in non-ruminant feed to improve productive performance [4,5,6,7]. The responses of animal performance to the dietary supplementation of LPL are inconsistent in sheep and beef cattle [8,9], but milk protein and milk yields were improved and LPL is recommended to be a potential feed additive for dairy cows [11]
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