Short communication: Factors affecting vitamin B12 concentration in milk of commercial dairy herds: An exploratory study

Abstract

Only bacteria can synthesize vitamin B12, and this requires adequate Co supply. The natural source of vitamin B12 in human diets comes from animal products, especially those from ruminants. This study aimed to describe variability regarding vitamin B12 concentration in milk among and within commercial dairy herds in early lactation. A secondary objective was to explore potential causes for this variability such as genetic variation and diet characteristics. In total, 399 dairy cows (135 primiparous and 264 multiparous; 386 Holstein and 13 Jersey cows) in 15 commercial herds were involved. Milk samples were taken at 27.4±4.1 and 55.4±4.1d in milk. Neither parity (primiparous vs. multiparous) nor sampling time affected milk concentrations of vitamin B12. Nevertheless, vitamin B12 concentration in milk was highly variable among and within dairy herds. The lowest vitamin B12 concentration in milk of cows was observed in the Jersey herd. Among herds, vitamin B12 concentration in milk ranged from 2,309 to 3,878 pg/mL; one glass (250mL) of milk from those herds would provide between 23 and 40% of the vitamin B12 recommended daily allowance. Among individual cows, however, this provision varied between 16 and 57% of the recommendation. In spite of the limited size of the studied population, the heritability value was 0.23, suggesting that genetic selection could modify milk vitamin B12 concentration. We observed a positive relationship between milk vitamin B12 concentration and dietary acid detergent fiber content and a negative relationship between milk concentration of vitamin B12 and dietary crude protein content.

Relationship between Vitamin B12 and Cobalt Metabolism in Domestic Ruminant: An Update

“…Other factors, such as initial body reserves, the genetic selection of animals [ 40 , 41 ], the supplementation of different vitamins (alone or in combination) and even the adequacy or deficiency of other nutrients, play an important role in the production and use of vitamin B12, causing variable responses [ 12 , 17 , 22 , 30 , 37 , 40 , 42 ].…”

“…However, neither feed differences nor heritability nor herd management practices fully explain the variations of vitamin B12 in milk [ 40 , 41 , 45 ], and given that vitamin B12 is synthesized exclusively by bacteria and archaea, it is likely that the composition of the bovine microbiota plays a determining role in the variability observed in the production of vitamin B12 in the rumen [ 37 ].…”

Correlations between the Composition of the Bovine Microbiota and Vitamin B 12 Abundance

“…The concentration of vitamin B 12 in milk is known to vary widely among both herds and individual animals based on a variety of factors. It is known that genotype (33), days in milk (DIM) (7,20), and diet (7,33,34) each influence the level of vitamin B 12 in milk. We observed a range of vitamin B 12 concentrations in both plasma and milk that were slightly more narrow than those observed previously in the combined literature on Holstein cows (35).…”

“…Indeed, apparent synthesis of vitamin B 12 in the rumen is threefold greater in cows receiving a high-fiber diet than in cows receiving a highstarch diet (18). Genetic selection appears to also play a role in the variability of vitamin B 12 concentrations in milk, and the heritability value has varied from 0.23 to 0.37 in different studies (14,20), although the extent to which this analysis is confounded by microbiome composition has not been addressed. Neither feed differences nor bovine genetics fully explain the variation of vitamin B 12 in milk (7,14,20).…”

Appliquer les méthodes d’évaluation multicritère aux rations des ruminants : identification des critères à évaluer et des indicateurs à mesurer sur les aliments

“…Les publications sur les effets de l'alimentation sur les teneurs en vitamines B dans le lait sont peu nombreuses. Il est cependant maintenant avéré que la teneur en certaines vitamines B dans le lait varie avec la composition de la ration (Chassaing et al, 2011 ;Duplessis et al, 2016).…”