Short communication: Partial replacement of ground corn with algae meal in a dairy cow diet: Milk yield and composition, nutrient digestibility, and metabolic profile

Abstract

This study was undertaken to evaluate the effects of partially replacing dietary ground corn with a microalgae meal from Prototheca moriformis (composed of deoiled microalgae and soyhulls) on milk yield and composition, nutrient intake, total-tract apparent digestibility, and blood profile of lactating dairy cows. Twenty multiparous Holstein cows (57.7±49.4d in milk, 25.3±5.3 of milk yield, and 590±71kg of live weight at the start of experiment, mean ± standard deviation) were used in a cross-over design experiment, with 21-d periods. Diets were no microalgae meal (CON) or 91.8g/kg of microalgae meal partially replacing dietary ground corn (ALG). Cows showed similar milk yield and composition. The 3.5% fat-corrected milk production was 30.2±1.34kg/d for CON and 31.1±1.42kg/d for ALG. Despite cows having similar dry matter intake, ALG increased neutral detergent fiber and ether extract intake. In addition, cows fed ALG exhibited higher ether extract digestibility. No differences were detected in glucose, urea, amino-aspartate transferase, and gamma-glutamyl transferase blood concentrations. Feeding ALG increased the total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein in blood compared with CON. The microalgae meal may partially replace ground corn in diets of lactating cows without impairing the animal's performance.

Composição química e perfil de ácidos graxos no leite orgânico de vacas leiteiras alimentadas com microalgas (Schizochytrium limacinum)

“…Reduction in diet acceptability when microalgae are supplied to lactating cows has been reported in the literature (Franklin et al, 1999;Lamminen et al, 2017); nevertheless, in our study, all corn supplements were ingested by cows in both treatments. No significant differences for inclusion of microalgae (91.8 g/cow/day) on daily production, milk solids content or production was also observed by Da Silva et al (2016). Similar results were also observed with supplementation of protected microalgae, without change in dry matter intake or milk yield, while milk fat percentage was reduced (Vahmani et al, 2013b).…”

From Maternal Grazing to Barn Feeding During Pre-weaning Period: Altered Gastrointestinal Microbiota Contributes to Change the Development and Function of the Rumen and Intestine of Yak Calves

“…The neutral detergent fiber (NDF) was analyzed using a method by Van Soest et al (1991). Meanwhile, the nutrient composition of yak milk was also measured in accordance with the previous description (da Silva et al, 2016) and given in Supplementary Table S2.…”

“Exosomics”—A Review of Biophysics, Biology and Biochemistry of Exosomes With a Focus on Human Breast Milk

“…Rather, multiple factors including environment, host and microbiome, and—most importantly in our context—interactions among nutrients result in nutrient requirements, nutrient bioavailability, and health outcomes. Advanced separation and analytical techniques, such as multi-nutrient profiling (Meisser Redeuil et al, 2015 ) and metabolomics (da Silva et al, 2016 ; Guiraud et al, 2017 ), have only recently enabled the comprehensive and high-throughput analysis of food components and their availability in physiological tissues. The high analytical sensitivity and broad analyte coverage of latest mass spectrometric nutrient and metabolite profiling, combined with a more holistic view of micronutrient status, only now renders exosome micronutrient profiling possible.…”