Impact of natural betaine supplementation on rumen fermentation and productive performance of lactating Damascus goats

Abstract

Two natural betaine sources; dehydrated condensed molasses fermentation solubles (Bet1) and Betafin®, a commercial anhydrous betaine extracted from sugar beet molasses and vinasses (Bet2); were used to investigate their impact on rumen fermentation parameters and lactation performance of lactating goats. Thirty-three lactating Damascus goats, with an average weight of 37 ± 0.7 kg and their age ranged from 22 to 30 months (2nd and 3rd lactation season), were divided into three groups, each group contained 11 animals. The control group (CON) was fed ration without betaine. While the other experimental groups were fed a control ration supplemented either with Bet1 or Bet2 to provide a 4 g betaine/kg diet. Results confirmed that betaine supplementation improved nutrient digestibility and nutritive value, and increased milk production and milk fat contents with both Bet1 and Bet2. Significant increases in concentration of ruminal acetate were observed in betaine-supplemented groups. Goats fed dietary betaine non-significantly recorded higher concentrations of short and medium-chain fatty acids (C4:0 to C12:0), and significant lower concentrations of C14:0 and C16:0 in milk. Also, both Bet1 and Bet2 non-significantly decreased the blood concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides. Therefore, it could be concluded that betaine can improve the lactation performance of lactating goats and produce healthy milk with beneficial characteristics.

Assessment of Betaine as a Feed Additive to Improve the Metabolic Status and Reproductive Performance of Aberdeen Angus Cows in Arid Subtropical Regions

“…However, there was no effect of BET supplementation on total protein, glucose, and urea-N and creatinine concentrations in Aberdeen Angus cows. In agreement with the present results, no effect was observed in TP and glucose concentrations (Ghoneem and El-Tanany, 2023), urea-N (Parker et al, 2007) and creatinine (Fernández et al, 2009). The decrease in serum cholesterol concentrations may be explained by increased lipid mobilization which may confirm the role of BET as a methyl donor (Davidson et al, 2008).…”

“…Betaine, tri-methylglycine is a recent compound found to ameliorate HS in cows (Kassab et al, 2021;Williams et al, 2021, andKondiba et al, 2023), buffalo (Shankhpal et al, 2019;Deshpande et al, 2020;Shakkarpude et al, 2022, andHussain et al, 2023), goat (Ghoneem and El-Tanany., 2023), sheep (Tsiplakou1 et al,2017, and DiGiacomo et al, 2023, and in poultry (Al Sulaiman et al, 2023, andAl-Garadi et al, 2023).BET has several activities that may reduce the impact of HS on cattle and improve its performance. Initially, BET is a modified amino acid composed of glycine with three methyl groups that acts as a methyl donor in many metabolic pathways (NCBI, 2021).…”

Plasma Metabolomic Profiling after Feeding Dried Distiller’s Grains with Solubles in Different Cattle Breeds

“…Glycine betaine is one of the most widely distributed betaines in nature; it can be synthesized by choline dehydrogenase and betaine aldehyde dehydrogenase catalyzed by the body and can also be obtained from the diet, in foods such as spinach, wheat bran, shrimp, and amaranth seeds [ 34 ]. Several studies have reported that glycine betaine plays an important role in osmolarity regulation, alongside nutritional and health issues [ 35 , 36 ]; it also has a protective role in a variety of pathologies, including several liver diseases, cancer, hemophilia, and aging [ 37 ]. In choline metabolism, choline is first oxidized by choline oxidase to betaine aldehyde, which is further oxidized to betaine; then, betaine is sequentially demethylated to form dimethylglycine, sarcosine, and glycine, which are associated with anti-inflammatory properties and immune regulation [ 38 ].…”

Nutrient utilization, growth performance, and antioxidative status of Barki lambs fed diets supplemented with black (Nigella sativa) and rocket (Eruca sativa) seeds

“…A digestion trial was conducted for 7 days (4 days for adaptation and 3 days for feces collection) on all lambs using the fecal bag technique (Velásquez et al, 2021 ; Ghoneem and El-Tanany, 2023 ). Bags were emptied daily before feeding (7:00 am and 4:00 pm).…”