Milk Production and Composition, Ovarian Function, and Prostaglandin Secretion of Dairy Cows Fed Omega-3 Fats

¹ Dairy and Swine Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Lennoxville, QC, Canada J1M 1Z3
² Institute of Grassland and Environmental Research Plas Gogerddan, Aberystwyth, Wales SY23 3EB, UK
³ 120 Chemin Lavallée, Katevale, QC, Canada J0B 1W0
⁴ Institute of Rural Studies, The University of Wales of Aberystwyth Llanbadam Campus, Aberystwyth, Wales SY23 3AL, UK
⁵ L'Alliance Boviteq Inc. 1425 grand rang St-François, Saint-Hyacinthe, QC, Canada J2S 7A9
⁶ Division of Animal Physiology, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham Sutton Bonington, Loughborough LE12 5RD, UK

Four multiparous Holstein cows were used in a 4 x 4 Latin square experiment to study the effects of fat sources rich in omega-3 fatty acids on milk production and composition, follicular development, and prostaglandin secretion. All cows were fed a total mixed diet containing 60% grass silage and 40% concentrate. The four treatments were concentrates based either on Megalac, formaldehyde-treated whole linseed, a mixture (50:50, oil basis) of fish oil and formaldehyde-treated whole linseed, or no fat source in the concentrate but with 500 g per day of linseed oil being infused into the duodenum. Feed intakes and milk yield were similar among treatments. In general, the lowest digestibility was observed for the formaldehyde-treated whole linseed treatment. Feeding fish oil decreased milk fat and protein percentages. Alpha-linolenic acid increased from 1.0 to 13.9% of milk fatty acids with linseed oil infusion. This confirms the high potential to incorporate -linolenic acid into milk, and suggests that the formaldehyde treatment had little effect to limit biohydrogenation in the rumen. Increasing the supply of -linolenic acid to these cows did not result in an increase in the concentration of eicosapentaenoic acid in milk. Levels of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF₂ in plasma were higher for cows receiving formaldehyde-treated linseed and fish oil. Increases in this metabolite in response to oxytocin challenge, tended to be lower for cows given linseed either as sole oil supplement in the diet or as a duodenal infusion of linseed oil. Follicle dynamics were similar among treatments. Larger corpora lutea (CL) were found with cows that received high levels of omega-3 fatty acids through the diet as formaldehyde-treated linseed or as a mixture of formaldehyde-treated linseed and fish oil, although CL were smaller when cows were infused with linseed oil into the duodenum. These results suggest that the improvement in gestation rate that was observed when feeding increased levels of alpha-linolenic acid in earlier work may partly result from lower levels of production of the dienoic prostaglandin PGF₂

Key Words: dairy cow • linseed • fatty acids • ovarian function • prostaglandin

Submitted on June 11, 2001
Accepted on November 14, 2001

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