Effects of betaine supplementation on rumen fermentation, lactation performance, feed digestibilities and plasma characteristics in dairy cows

Abstract

SUMMARYThe objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of betaine supplementation on rumen fermentation, lactation performance and plasma characteristics in dairy cows. Twenty multiparous Holstein dairy cows (597±11·8 kg body weight (BW), 88±4·5 days in milk (DIM) and average daily milk production of 26·3±0·5 kg/cow) were used in a replicated 4×4 Latin square experiment. The treatments were: control (without betaine), low-betaine (LB), medium-betaine (MB) and high-betaine (HB) with 0, 50, 100 and 150 g supplemental anhydrous betaine/cow/day, respectively. Betaine was hand-mixed into the top one-third of the daily ration at feeding. Experimental periods were 30 days with 15 days of adaptation and 15 days of sampling. Dry matter (DM) intake was not affected with increasing the betaine supplementation. There were linear increases in milk yield and fat-corrected milk yield (corrected to 40 g fat/kg) and a linear and quadratic increase in milk fat concentration with increasing the betaine supplementation, whereas the proportion and yield of milk protein and lactose, and feed efficiency, were not affected. Ruminal pH and ammonia N linearly decreased, whereas total volatile fatty acid (VFA) concentration linearly and quadratically increased with increasing the betaine supplementation. The ratio of acetate to propionate (A:P) linearly increased from 3·06 to 3·53 as betaine supplementation increased. Digestibility of DM linearly increased, whereas digestibilities of organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) in the total tract were quadratically increased with increasing the betaine supplementation. Plasma concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHBA) were lower for betaine supplementation than for control, and were linearly decreased by betaine supplementation. The results indicate that supplementation of mid-lactation dairy cow diets with betaine increased milk yield through increased feed digestion. Betaine supplementation may benefit lactation performance when methionine supply is limiting.

Betaine Supplementation Improves the Production Performance, Rumen Fermentation, and Antioxidant Profile of Dairy Cows in Heat Stress

“…Supplementation of betaine increased the apparent digestibility of DM, OM, CP, NDF, and ADF, and no effect was observed in EE among the groups during the heat stress condition in dairy cows. The findings of the present study are in line with the previous study of Wang et al [29] who described that dietary betaine improved the digestibility of the nutrients. This may be due to the fact that betaine is an osmolyte and methyl donor, which decreases heat stress, maintains the pH of the rumen, and also improves the ruminal microbial community [30].…”

“…In the present study, glucose levels in serum increased with the supplementation of betaine; this may be due to increased feed intake and digestibility in the gastrointestinal tract. Serum NEFA levels can serve as energy balance and energy utilization indicators in cows [29]. In the current study, the linearly decreased NEFA levels in plasma suggest that the availability of energy improved with the supplementation of betaine.…”

Effects of dietary betaine supplementation subjected to heat stress on milk performances and physiology indices in dairy cow

“…In particular, the milk yield of high producing dairy cows may exhibit a sharp decrease (Wang C et al, 2010;Zimbelman et al, 2010). This phenomenon might be explained by several factors.…”

Muscle metabolism in sheep and cattle in relation to high rigor temperature – overview and perspective

“…Although most studies on betaine as a nutritional supplement have been carried out on pigs and poultry for the purpose of reducing heat stress and improving growth performance, reports for beef have shown that betaine was effective in lowering the incidence of high rigor temperature carcasses (Loxton et al 2007), reducing rectal temperatures under both thermo-neutral and heat-challenging conditions in sheep (DiGiacomo 2011), and reducing heart and respiration rates in sheep (DiGiacomo et al 2012). In addition, Wang et al (2010a) showed that betaine was effective in reducing insulin resistance by decreasing non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) in dairy cattle; further support for this effect in mice and humans was reported by Wang et al (2010b) and Borgschulte et al (2008). Various mechanisms of the involvement of betaine in thermoprotection and insulin resistance are discussed by DiGiacomo et al (2014).…”