| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
|
|
|
|||||||
|
|||||||||
1 Valio Ltd., Farm Services, PO Box 390, SF-00101 Helsinki, Finland
2 Department of Animal Science, PO Box 28, University of Helsinki, SF-00014 Helsinki, Finland
Four Ayrshire cows (X = 56 DIM) were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square design to study the effects of the ratio of propionate to butyrate in the rumen on milk yield, milk composition, and blood metabolites. The cows were fed a basal diet (16.2% CP, 43.4% NDF) consisting of 50% grass silage, 6% grass hay, and 44% concentrate (percentage of DM). The diet supplied 44 Mcal/d of metabolizable energy and was supplemented with isoenergetic infusions of VFA (4.5 Mcal/d). Propionate (900 g/d) was replaced gradually with 33, 67, and 100% of butyrate on an energy basis. Replacement of propionate with butyrate in the infusate decreased propionate and increased butyrate concentrations in ruminal fluid and in blood plasma. Yields of milk and lactose decreased, and yield of milk fat increased, as butyrate increased. Milk fat content increased, and lactose content decreased, as butyrate increased. Increased ruminal supply of butyrate decreased plasma glucose concentration and increased blood ketone body concentration. When only butyrate was infused (750 g/d), either liver metabolism was changed or tissue mobilization was increased, as indicated by the increased production of long-chain milk fatty acids and increased plasma concentrations of acetate, Gly, and branched-chain AA. An increase in ruminal butyrate supply at the expense of propionate adversely affected milk yield and the repartitioning of nutrients between milk components. At a high percentage, increased butyrate might also adversely affect the overall metabolism of the cow.
Key Words: propionate • butyrate • milk yield • blood metabolites
Submitted on February 13, 1995
Accepted on December 8, 1995
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  C. D. Wildman, J. W. West, and J. K. Bernard Effect of Dietary Cation-Anion Difference and Dietary Crude Protein on Milk Yield, Acid-Base Chemistry, and Rumen Fermentation J Dairy Sci, October 1, 2007; 90(10): 4693 - 4700. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
A. Vanhatalo, T. Varvikko, and P. Huhtanen Effects of Various Glucogenic Sources on Production and Metabolic Responses of Dairy Cows Fed Grass Silage-Based Diets J Dairy Sci, October 1, 2003; 86(10): 3249 - 3259. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
S. Rigout, C. Hurtaud, S. Lemosquet, A. Bach, and H. Rulquin Lactational Effect of Propionic Acid and Duodenal Glucose in Cows J Dairy Sci, January 1, 2003; 86(1): 243 - 253. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. C. Francisco, C. S. Chamberlain, D. N. Waldner, R. P. Wettemann, and L. J. Spicer Propionibacteria Fed to Dairy Cows: Effects on Energy Balance, Plasma Metabolites and Hormones, and Reproduction J Dairy Sci, July 1, 2002; 85(7): 1738 - 1751. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
| HOME | HELP | FEEDBACK | SUBSCRIPTIONS | ARCHIVE | SEARCH | TABLE OF CONTENTS |
