Effect of feeding flax meal on milk fatty acids profiles and performance of Holstein dairy cows

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of flax meal (FM) and barley rootlets (BR) in Holstein dairy cows compound feeds (CFs) in order to assess their effects on the quality (physico-chemical parameters and fatty acids composition) and quantity (yield) of raw milk. The trial used a number of 15 multiparous Holstein dairy cows, at 27 weeks midlactation stage, averaging 624.19 kg of BW, with an initial average milk yield of 22.36 litres/day. The cows were divided in 3 groups (C, FM and FMBR diet, respectively), for 63 days. Cows were fed twice/day, and received a basic concentrate mix (corn, soybean meal, sunflower meal and wheat bran) and roughage (alfalfa hay and corn silage). The use of FM in dairy cows' CFs resulted significant increase of milk fatty acids (FA) and milk yield. At the end of the trial for both experimental groups (FM and FMBR), the C18: 3n3 FA was significantly higher, (0.526% and 0.522% vs. 0.23% C group of total FAMEs), representing a good source of n3. This indicates that the fatty acid addition from FM was favourable to the C18: 3n3 fatty acid in milk.

Effects of Biofermented Feed on Zophobas morio: Growth Ability, Fatty Acid Profile, and Bioactive Properties

“…This phenomenon has also been observed in previous studies involving the feeding of flax pomace in different concentrations to broiler chickens, where a statistically significant difference compared to the control group was confirmed [26]. A decrease in total milk production in Holstein dairy cows has also been observed after feeding flax pomace [27]. The specific mechanism behind this reduction in production has not yet been fully elucidated, but it is likely attributed to the high concentration of antinutritional substances present in flax pomace.…”

Designing Nutrition for Health—Incorporating Dietary By-Products into Poultry Feeds to Create Functional Foods with Insights into Health Benefits, Risks, Bioactive Compounds, Food Component Functionality and Safety Regulations

“…poultry, dairy, pork products [14,20,51] Going through all these methods and operations, technological methods are the easiest to use and apply, and, of the functional foods, milk and bakery products are among the most common and easily obtainable functional foods for several reasons. Milk is a staple in many diets worldwide, and bakery products such as bread, cereals, and pastries are also universal [52].…”

“…In other situations where dietary intake falls short of meeting specific health goals, supplements emerge as a valuable source of functional components. Food waste as an enrichment in bakery food formulation was also successfully achieved [16,17], while the by-products were used to obtain animal-derived products enriched with different essential nutrients [18][19][20].…”