Supplementation of brewer’s yeast slurry improves the performance of dairy cattle

Wijerathna Jayantha Wijerathna Jayantha,Lansakara Priyanwada Lansakara Priyanwada,Prathapasinghe Gamika Prathapasinghe Gamika,Abeysinghe Chandana Abeysinghe Chandana

doi:10.30574/wjbphs.2020.1.1.0007

Wijerathna Jayantha Wijerathna Jayantha, Lansakara Priyanwada Lansakara Priyanwada + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.30574/wjbphs.2020.1.1.0007

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Abstract

Brewer's yeast slurry is the by-product of the beer processing industry which includes live cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. It is rich in high-quality protein, vitamins and minerals essential for the growth and well-being of animals. Moreover, Saccharomyces cerevisiae improves the growth of beneficial microflora in the rumen of ruminant animals. Sri Lanka is importing a large amount of milk and milk products to fulfill the demand of consumers. Lack of high-quality feed is one of the major concerns which hinders the dairy production in the country. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementing brewer's yeast slurry on the performance of dairy cattle in large scale production. In this study, 120 lactating cows were selected and divided into two groups as control and treatment considering their production, breed, and stage of lactation. The complete study period was 77 days. In the first period, the treatment group was fed with brewer's yeast slurry for 32 days. In the second period, which included 26 days both treatment and control groups were not fed brewer's yeast slurry. In the third period, the treatment group was fed brewer's yeast slurry for 19 days. Milk samples were collected daily and milk weight, fat content and density were measured. According to the results, milk production was significantly higher in the treatment group. Furthermore, supplementation of brewer's yeast slurry has improved the total solids and fat content of the milk.

Highlights

Milk production in Sri Lanka has been growing over the years, at present the production fulfills only 40% of the national demand
In the second and third periods, the average milk yield and the average fat corrected milk yield were significantly higher (p0.05) in the treatment group compared to the control group (Table 2 and 3, Figure 1 and 2)
These results suggest that high milk yield and good body condition are due to the beneficial effects of yeast supplementation

Summary

Introduction

Milk production in Sri Lanka has been growing over the years, at present the production fulfills only 40% of the national demand. This has resulted in importing large amounts of milk and milk products into the country. The total dairy production in Sri Lanka is largely contributed by the smallholder farmers in rural areas and with few large scale milk producers. Smallholder farmers mainly depend on the forages available in natural grazing lands, roadsides, riversides and paddy fields. This leads to fluctuations in quantity and quality of the feed especially during the dry season [3]

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