Supplemental Smartamine M or MetaSmart during the transition period benefits postpartal cow performance and blood neutrophil function

Abstract

The onset of lactation in dairy cows is characterized by severe negative energy and protein balance. Methionine availability during this time for milk production, hepatic lipid metabolism, and immune function may be limiting. Supplementing Met to peripartal diets with adequate Lys in metabolizable protein (MP) to fine-tune the Lys:Met ratio may be beneficial. Fifty-six multiparous Holstein cows were fed the same basal diet from 50 d before expected calving to 30 d in milk. From -50 to -21 d before expected calving, all cows received the same diet [1.24 Mcal/kg of dry matter (DM), 10.3% rumen-degradable protein, and 4% rumen-undegradable protein] with no Met supplementation. From -21 d to expected calving, the cows received diets (1.54 Mcal/kg of DM, 10% rumen-degradable protein, and 5.1% rumen-undegradable protein) with no added Met (control, CON; n=14), CON plus MetaSmart (MS; Adisseo Inc., Antony, France; n=12), or CON plus Smartamine M (SM; Adisseo Inc.; n=12). From calving through 30 d in milk, the cows received the same postpartum diet (1.75 Mcal/kg of DM and 17.5% CP; CON), or the CON plus MS or CON plus SM. The Met supplements were adjusted daily and top-dressed over the total mixed ration at a rate of 0.19 or 0.07% (DM) of feed for MS or SM. Liver tissue was collected on -10, 7, and 21 d, and blood samples more frequently, from -21 through 21 d. Data were analyzed using the MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC) with the preplanned contrasts CON versus SM + MS and SM versus MS. No differences in prepartal DM intake (DMI) or body condition score were observed. After calving, body condition score was lower (2.6 vs. 2.8), whereas DMI was greater (15.4 vs. 13.3 kg/d) for Met-supplemented cows. Postpartal diet × time interactions were observed for milk fat percentage, milk fat yield, energy-corrected milk:DMI ratio, and energy balance. These were mainly due to changes among time points across all treatments. Cows supplemented with either Met source increased milk yield, milk protein percentage, energy-corrected milk, and milk fat yield by 3.4 kg/d, 0.18% units, 3.9 kg/d, and 0.18 kg/d, respectively. Those responses were associated with greater postpartum concentration of growth hormone but not insulin-like growth factor 1. There was a diet × time effect for nonesterified fatty acid concentration due to greater values on d 7 for MS; however, liver concentration of triacylglycerol was not affected by diet or diet × time but increased postpartum. Blood neutrophil phagocytosis at 21 d was greater with Met supplementation, suggesting better immune function. Supplemental MS or SM resulted in a tendency for lower incidence of ketosis postpartum. Although supplemental MS or SM did not decrease liver triacylglycerol, it improved milk production-related traits by enhancing voluntary DMI.

Effects of ruminally protected methionine and/or phenylalanine on performance of high producing Holstein cows fed rations with very high levels of canola meal

“…In many feeding situations, supplementation of Met has been shown to increase milk protein content (Chen et al, 2011) and/or yield (Čermáková et al, 2012;Osorio et al, 2013) as well as milk fat content (Wang et al, 2010). This has also been confirmed in a recent systemic review of the literature (Robinson, 2010) and meta-analysis (Patton, 2010), and it agrees with our results in which milk protein and fat proportions increased modestly with the MET treatment.…”

“…This has also been confirmed in a recent systemic review of the literature (Robinson, 2010) and meta-analysis (Patton, 2010), and it agrees with our results in which milk protein and fat proportions increased modestly with the MET treatment. Patton (2010) suggests that a slight increase in milk yield can also be expected, and, even though this is consistent with the increases in milk yield reported earlier (Wang et al, 2010;Čermáková et al, 2012;Osorio et al, 2013), it does not agree with the reduction in milk lactose yield, or the tendency for milk yield to decrease with MET, in our study. A study by Robinson et al (2000), to determine effects of a Met oversupply, showed that abomasal Met infusion to increase its intestinal delivery by 34 to 39% markedly reduced animal performance.…”

“…Supplementation of Met in the peripartal period to decrease the Lys:Met ratio from 3.4 to 2.9 only showed a tendency for milk protein content to increase (Osorio et al, 2013). Rulquin and Delaby (1997) also reported an increase in milk protein content when the Lys:Met ratio was decreased from 3.8 to 3.0 through Met supplementation, although their plasma AA analysis showed that the ratio was actually reduced from 4.8 to 2.2.…”

“…Using a variety of methods, the average rumen stability of the Met in Smartamine M has been estimated and assumed to be between 750 and 800 g/kg (Schwab, 1995;Rulquin and Kowalczyk, 2003;Schwab, 2007;Chen et al, 2011;Osorio et al, 2013 (http://www.sfm.state.or.us/cr2k_subdb/MSDS/SMARTAMINE.PDF). Since Smartamine M"s coating can be damaged and its integrity compromised by physical impact, cutting and abrasion, a physical inspection of the individual product beadlets were conducted twice a week, after the RP Met has been mixed into the TMR and delivered to the feedbunks, to ensure acceptable product delivery.…”

Transcriptomic Changes in Ruminal Tissue Induced by the Periparturient Transition in Dairy Cows

“…The transition period for a high-producing dairy cow is metabolically stressful and it is during this time that most production diseases occur (Drackley, 1999;Ji et al, 2012;Osorio et al, 2013), most likely as a result of transient but sustained immunosuppression (Springer and Sciences, 2008). Many metabolomic and genomic studies have been performed to determine the role of macronutrients on gene expression of key metabolic pathways (Loor, 2010; Science Publications Mulligan and Doherty, 2008;Mulligan et al, 2006).…”