Effects of rumen-protected glutamate supplementation during the periparturient period on digestibility, inflammation, metabolic responses, and performance in dairy cows

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding rumen-protected glutamate during the periparturient period (d −21 ± 3 to d 21 ± 3 relative to calving) on apparent total-tract digestibility (ATTD), inflammation, metabolic responses, and production performance of dairy cows. Fifty-two multiparous Holstein cows were blocked by parity, body condition score, and expected calving date, and randomly assigned to one of the experimental diets with rumen-protected monosodium glutamate (RP-Glu; intestinally available Glu = 8.8%) or without RP-Glu (control) at d −21 ± 3 relative to expected calving date. The RP-Glu was fed at 4% and 3% of dietary dry matter, before and after calving, respectively. Prepartum diets contained 17.1% and 16.5% crude protein, and 13.1% and 13.3% starch, and postpartum diets contained 18.8% and 18.3% crude protein, and 22.5% and 22.7% starch on a dry matter basis, respectively for RP-Glu and control treatments. A subset of 19 cows was used to measure ATTD. Cows fed the RP-Glu had greater ATTD of dry matter (70.6 vs. 69.1%), crude protein (75.1 vs. 72.6%), and ether extract (66.0 vs 61.2%) on d 5 ± 1 after calving. Cows fed the RP-Glu also had greater dry matter intake (15.7 vs. 13.7 kg/d) on d 1 after calving. Cows fed the RP-Glu had greater plasma concentrations of Glu (4.60 vs. 3.89 µmol/dL) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (44.2 vs. 30.1 mg/mL), lower serum concentrations of free fatty acids (670 vs. 981 µEq/L) and total bilirubin (0.22 vs. 0.34 mg/dL), and lower plasma 3-methylhistidine concentration (1.28 vs. 1.50 µmol/dL) on d 4 after calving. However, these treatment effects observed between d 1 and d 5 ± 1 immediately after calving did not continue until d 21 after calving. Concentrations of serum amyloid A, serum haptoglobin, and plasma lipo-polysaccharide binding protein were not affected by the treatment. In addition, no differences were observed for serum β-hydroxybutyrate concentration and milk yield during the postpartum period between the 2 groups, and cows fed the RP-Glu had a decreased lactose yield. These findings suggest that feeding RP-Glu during the periparturient period can increase digestive capacity and feed intake, and decrease mobilization of body fat and protein immediately after calving without increasing milk production.

Diet supplemented with olive cake as a model of circular economy: Metabolic and endocrine responses of beef cattle

“…There are few studies reporting the effect of the diet on this parameter, and no study concerns the integration of olive by-products. It is known that, in cattle, a negative energy balance affects fat mobilization and liver function, leading to an increase in TBIL serum concentrations (Mayasari et al, 2019;Marcato et al, 2021;Hisadomi et al, 2022). It has been observed that unsaturated fatty acids, largely present in the OC, reduce bilirubin conjugation, thus increasing its serum concentration (Hargreaves, 1973;Oliveira et al, 2021).…”

Residual feed intake in peripartal dairy cows is associated with differences in milk fat yield, ruminal bacteria, biopolymer hydrolyzing enzymes, and circulating biomarkers of immunometabolism

“…Although not directly comparable, previous data from beef cattle RFI studies revealed an association between greater populations of fibrolytic and proteolytic bacteria in low-RFI animals (i.e., more efficient) and rate of feed digestion (McDonnell et al, 2016;Bonilha et al, 2017b). The few published data on total-tract digestibility of CP indicated increases of ~72 to 75% between wk 1 and 3 postpartum in cows fed a barley silage and cereal grain-based diet with ~24% forage NDF (Hisadomi et al, 2022). In another study with corn silage and grass silage-based diets with 29% NDF, total-tract digestibility of CP ranged from ~61 to ~64% during the first 29 DIM (Larsen et al, 2014).…”

“…Although few published studies with periparturient cows have addressed aspects of ruminal or total-tract digestibility of DM or OM, available data have highlighted important aspects. First and foremost, despite a marked decrease in voluntary DMI by calving time, cows can quickly increase rate of DMI, and by 3 to 4 wk it easily averages ~50% more than the prepartal levels (e.g., Rabelo et al, 2003;Janovick and Drackley, 2010;Jolicoeur et al, 2014;Hisadomi et al, 2022). Along with greater DMI, estimated flow of liquid volume (Reynolds et al, 2004), DM, and OM out of the rumen (Jolicoeur et al, 2014) also increase, with an average of ~5% for OM outflow and ~16% for liquid volume (Reynolds et al, 2004) being reported.…”

“…One important net result of these changes is that ruminal digestibility of OM and NDF decreases a few percentage units, as from 67% at −21 to 60% at 17 DIM for OM (Jolicoeur et al, 2014). Although not the most appropriate when assessing ruminal effects, apparent total-tract digestibility measurements indicate increases in DM (69-71%), OM (70-73%), and NDF (46-48%) digestibilities between wk 1 and 3 around parturition in cows fed a corn silage and grass silage-based diet (Larsen et al, 2014) or a barley silage and cereal grain-based diet (Hisadomi et al, 2022). Clearly, these improvements are partly driven by the increase in ruminal epithelium mass and a ~20% increase in reticulorumen mass between −7 and 22 DIM (Reynolds et al, 2004).…”

“…For instance, the greater abundance of Ruminobacter amylophilus (starch-degrading bacteria) in M-eff cows could be taken as an indication that starch digestion was enhanced (Dehority, 1991). Total-tract digestibility of starch between wk 1 and 4 postpartum is quite high, averaging >95% (Penner and Oba, 2009;Larsen et al, 2014;Hisadomi et al, 2022), and it decreases little during that time frame (~95-93%) even in diets with high sugar content (Penner and Oba, 2009). Given the high rate of starch digestion, it seems unlikely that changes in the abundance of starch-degrading bacteria alone would play a major role in the response of M-eff cows.…”