Milk fatty acid profile and lipid metabolism in the rumen of dairy cows fed diets with high or low level of concentrate and soybean or fish oil

Author(s)

Laudi Cunha Leite

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: Piracicaba.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Escola Superior de Agricultura Luiz de Queiroz (ESALA/BC)
• Defense date: 2007-01-19

Examining board members

Dante Pazzanese Duarte Lanna; Maria Ignez Leão; Humberto Maciel França Madeira; Wilson Roberto Soares Mattos; Sérgio Raposo de Medeiros

• Advisor: Dante Pazzanese Duarte Lanna

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of concentrate level and oil source on dry matter intake, milk production and composition, apparent ruminal and total tract digestibilities, omasal and milk fatty acid profiles in dairy cows. Four Holstein cows, fitted with rumen cannula, averaging 109 ± days in milk, producing 31.24 ± 8.57 kg milk per day and live weight 652 ± 37 kg, at start of the trial, were used in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments applied to a 4 x 4 Latin square design. The length of periods was 21 days, including 14 days of adjustment to the experimental diets followed by seven days of sampling. The treatments were 4 different diets (total mixed ration) containing maize silage supplemented with low (40%) or high (60%) levels of concentrate and 2% of soybean oil or fish oil on a dry matter (DM) basis. It was found that the level of concentrate and oil source interaction had no effect on almost all the variables. Dry matter intake (18.77 x 14.16 kg/d, respectively for soybean oil and fish oil ? all data is in the same order), milk yield (28.72 x 24.34 kg/day), fat yield (0.796 x 0.562 kg/day), protein yield (0.806 x 0.630 kg/day), total solids yield (2.995 x 2.411 kg/day), fat percentage (2.81 x 2.34%) and protein percentage (2.82 x 2.59%) decreased when fish oil was present. Fish oil increased unsaturated fatty acids (FA) (30.12 x 35.56%) and polyunsaturated FA (4.43 x 5.85%), and decreased saturated FA (69.66 x 60.05%) in milk, when compared to soybean oil. Fish oil decreased C18:0 level in milk (18.90 x 6.82%) and omasum (52.35 x 15.81%) and increased trans-11 C18:1 level in milk (2.84 x 9.75%) and omasum (6.72 x 18.42%). cis-19, trans-11 CLA level (0.61 x 1.41%) was increased in milk for fish oil diet, but did not in omasum. C20:5 and C22:6 levels were increased in milk and omasum for fish oil diet. trans-10, cis-12 CLA had no oil effect (P=0.61) in milk, but it was higher in omasum for soybean oil diet (0.09 x 0.02%). Fish oil decreased nutrients intake and omasal flow, increased apparent ruminal and total tract digestibilities, decreased milk production, changed milk composition and fatty acids profile in milk and omasum. (AU)