Supplementation of 1% l-Glutamine to Milk Replacer Does Not Overcome the Growth Depression in Calves Caused by Soy Protein Concentrate

Abstract

Glutamine, an important fuel and biosynthetic precursor in intestinal epithelial cells, helps maintain intestinal integrity and function when supplemented to the diet of many species. The hypothesis tested here was that glutamine supplementation would overcome the decreased average daily gain (ADG) and altered intestinal morphology caused by milk replacer containing soy protein concentrate (SPC). Holstein calves (9 male and 1 freemartin female per treatment) were assigned to diets of 1) all-milk-protein (from whey proteins) milk replacer, 2) milk replacer with 60% milk protein replacement from SPC, and 3) SPC milk replacer as in diet 2 plus 1% (dry basis) l-glutamine. Milk replacers were reconstituted to 12.5% solids and were fed at 10% of body weight from d 3 to 10 of age, and at 12% of body weight (adjusted weekly) from d 10 through 4 wk of age. No dry feed (starter) was fed, but water was freely available. Glutamine was added at each feeding to reconstituted milk replacer. Five calves from each treatment were slaughtered at the end of wk 4 for measurements of intestinal morphology. The ADG was greater for calves fed the all-milk control than for those fed SPC; glutamine did not improve ADG (0.344, 0.281, and 0.282 kg/d for diets 1 to 3, respectively). Intake of protein was adequate for all groups and did not explain the lower growth for calves fed SPC. Villus height and crypt depth did not differ among treatments in the duodenum. In the jejunum, villus height (713, 506, and 464 mum, for diets 1 to 3, respectively) and crypt depth (300, 209, and 229 mum, respectively) were greater for calves fed all milk protein than for either SPC group. In the ileum, villus height was greater for calves fed all milk than for either soy group (532, 458, and 456 mum), whereas crypt depth tended to be greater (352, 301, and 383 mum for diets 1 to 3, respectively), and the villus to crypt ratio was lower for calves supplemented with glutamine than for those fed SPC alone. Urea N concentration in plasma was greater for calves supplemented with glutamine than for those fed SPC alone, indicating that glutamine was at least partially catabolized. Supplemental l-glutamine did not improve growth or intestinal morphology of calves fed milk replacer containing SPC.

Increase in Crude Protein Content of Milk Replacers with Vegetable Protein: Effect on Health and Dairy Calves' Performance

“…In addition, during the first weeks of the calf's life, due to insufficient development of the enzymatic apparatus, there is a low utilization of the nutrients contained in this type of milk replacer thus affecting the animal performance (Davis and Drackley, 1998). The presence of trypsin inhibiting factors and changes in the intestinal flow could have influenced animal's weight (Drackley et al, 2006). The absence of effect in ADG agrees with similar results obtained by Ghorbani et al (2007).…”

“…Because the large market availability of soy, its low cost compared to milk protein and favorable profile of amino acids, it is the most interesting alternative, being widely used for that reason (Davis and Drackley, 1998). Using soy protein concentrates and soy isolates have been able to achieve the requirements of calves; however, the use of these ingredients resulted in lower performance in comparison to whole milk, mainly because of inadequate processing and health problems related to allergic process (Lallès, 2000;Drackley et al, 2006). The lower performance of calves fed with some milk replacers may be associated with the presence of anti-nutritional factors such as trypsin inhibitors, antigenic proteins such as glycine and β-conglycinin, indigestible carbohydrates, lectins, tannins, that are present in some vegetable sources of protein, like soybean (Davis and Drackley, 1998;Chunmei et al, 2010).…”

Diabetic Rats Supplemented with L-Glutamine: A Study of Immunoreactive Myosin-V Myenteric Neurons and the Proximal Colonic Mucosa

“…Maiorka et al [49], supplementing chickens with 1% L-glutamine, observed an increase of 10.9% in the villous height of the ileum of animals on the seventh day of treatment compared to controls. Drackley et al [50], using a diet containing concentrated soy proteins with 1% L-glutamine, did not observe changes in the villous height in the ileum of calves. Therefore, the 1:100 concentration of L-glutamine administered should be increased, in order to potentially improve the results.…”

Effects of soybean milk replacer on growth, meat quality, rumen and gonad development of goats

“…Growth, protein and dry matter digestibility, nitrogen retention, and morphology of the intestinal mucosa of calves on the all milk-protein diet were superior to those of calves on diets containing a soy product . Soy protein contains antigenic and phenolic compounds which adversely affect intestinal integrity and calf growth Drackley et al, 2006). Feeding soy protein supplemented with amino acid diet caused a reduced mucosal protein concentration and a reduced protein: RNA ratio in the jejunum compared with the control diet .…”

“…Soy protein sources such as soy protein concentrate and soy protein isolate have partly been used in milk replacers (Silva et al, 1986;Drackley et al, 2006). Effects of soyflour in milk replacer on the performance of artificially reared lambs were studied by .…”