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Methylmalonic Acid in Low-Fat Milk Syndrome¹

Department of Dairy Science, University of Illinois, Urbana 61801

³ Correspondence should be addressed to this author.

ABSTRACT

The possible association between low-fat milk syndrome and methylmalonic acid accumulation in blood was investigated. Blood was sampled from the internal iliac artery of nine lactating dairy cows fed ad libitum roughage plus grain or high grain, restricted roughage diets. Daily milk fat percent and milk fat production were decreased 44% and 47% on the high grain, restricted roughage diet. No differences in blood methylmalonate concentrations could be detected in the cows fed the two diets. The effect of methylmalonate and its metabolic precursor, propionate, on mammary rates of fatty acid synthesis was determined with bovine mammary tissue slices. Neither of these metabolites affected acetate incorportation into fatty acids. Methylmalonate and propionate were incorporated into fatty acids at extremely low rates. Low-fat milk syndrome is not caused by accumulation of methylmalonic acid.

¹ Supported in part by Illinois Agricultural Experiment Station. Project number 30-15-35-335

² Department of Animal Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27650; supported in part by an NIH-Predoctoral Fellowship.

⁴ Department of Animal Science, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.

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