Supplement Based on Fermented Milk Permeate for Feeding Newborn Calves: Influence on Blood, Growth Performance, and Faecal Parameters, including Microbiota, Volatile Compounds, and Fatty and Organic Acid Profiles

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a feed supplement, namely milk permeate (MP) fermented with Lactobacillus uvarum LUHS245, on the newborn calves’ growth performance and blood and faecal parameters, including microbiota and volatile compound and fatty acid profiles. Ten female Holstein calves in the control group (CON group) were fed with a standard milk replacer diet and colostrum only, from day 2 to 14 of life, while 10 calves of the treated group (MP group) were fed with the same diet supplemented with 50 mL of the fermented MP. After 14 days, there were no significant differences between the groups in blood parameters, growth performance, or faecal pH. There was a significantly higher percentage of live lactic acid bacteria (by 17.02%), a lower percentage of enterobacteria (by 10.38%), a higher overall number of probiotic bacteria, a 1.7-fold higher species variety, and a higher content of dry matter in the faeces of the MP group (p < 0.05). The fatty acid and volatile compound profiles differed significantly between the groups. The results suggest that supplementing calves’ feed with fermented milk permeate has a positive effect on certain health parameters but not on blood parameters or growth performance.

Calf Diarrhea Is Associated With a Shift From Obligated to Facultative Anaerobes and Expansion of Lactate-Producing Bacteria

“…In our study, a single time point fecal sample at the onset of diarrhea was assessed for microbiota analysis, therefore we could not determine whether the differences in fecal microbiota between healthy and diarrheic were already pre-existing and indeed contributed to the susceptibility of the calves to enteropathogens. This is of importance because different farm environmental conditions and management practices such as colostrum administration ( 51 – 53 ), diet ( 54 ) or antimicrobial usage at the farm level ( 55 , 56 ) contribute to the development of the immune system and the colonization and establishment of the bacterial communities in the GIT microbiota ( 57 , 58 ). Therefore, a longitudinal study involving a large number of farms with multiple management practices is needed to confirm whether the shift from obligated to facultative anaerobes results from the gastrointestinal inflammation or it is a predisposing factor for diarrhea associated with certain management farm practices.…”

Effects of Pathogenic Escherichia coli Infection on the Flora Composition, Function, and Content of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Calf Feces

“…Because the rumen of young ruminants is underdeveloped, milk-based feed is mainly digested in the intestine [37]. SCFAs are the final product of microbial fermentation, which provides energy for intestinal cells [38]. The SCFA content in feces can be used as a biomarker of physiological processes and nutritional intervention effects in organisms [38].…”

Influence of Sugar Beet Pulp Supplementation on Pigs’ Health and Production Quality

“…The VCs of pork meat samples were analysed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) as described by Vadopalas et al [ 44 ], with some modifications. A solid-phase microextraction (SPME) device with Stableflex (TM) fibre-coated with a 50-µm DVB-PDMS-Carboxen™ layer (Supelco, Bellefonte, PA, USA) was used for sample preparation.…”