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Changing Dietary Cation-Anion Difference for Dairy Cows Fed with Two Contrasting Levels of Concentrate in Diets

E. Apper-Bossard^*, J. L. Peyraud^*,1, P. Faverdin^* and F. Meschy^*,

^* Unité Mixte de Recherches INRA-Agrocampus Production du Lait, Domaine de la Prise, 35590 Saint-Gilles, France
Unité Mixte de Recherches, INRA-INAPG Physiologie de la Nutrition et Alimentation, INRA-INAPG, 16 rue Claude Bernard, F-75231 Paris Cedex 05, France

¹ Corresponding author: jean-louis.peyraud{at}rennes.inra.fr

High-producing dairy cows are commonly fed diets containing a high proportion of rapidly degradable starch, which can cause subacute acidosis and reduce dry matter (DM) intake. Because of the properties of nonmetabolizable cations and anions, increasing the dietary cation-anion difference (DCAD = Na + K – Cl – S in mEq/kg of DM) may prevent a drop in DM intake. To test this hypothesis, 48 Holstein cows were blocked into 2 groups of 24 and assigned to two 3 x 3 Latin squares in a split-plot design. Each group received one level of concentrate at either 20% or 40% on a dry matter (DM) basis. The diet containing 20% concentrate was formulated to supply 4% rapidly degradable starch, whereas the diet containing 40% concentrate supplied 22% rapidly degradable starch. Diets in each square were formulated to provide a DCAD of 0, 150, or 300 mEq/kg of DM. The 3 values were obtained by manipulating Na and Cl contents. Intake, 4% fat-corrected milk yield, and milk fat percentage, as well as blood nonesterified fatty acids and ß-hydroxybutyrate increased with DCAD, but only on the diet providing 40% concentrate. The yield of trans-10 C_18:1 and odd-chain fatty acids decreased with increasing DCAD, whereas trans-11 C_18:1 increased. Again, this occurred only with the diet providing 40% concentrate. Blood pH and HCO₃ concentration increased along with DCAD, irrespective of the concentrate level. A positive DCAD led to increasing DM intake and fat-corrected milk yield in dairy cows fed highly degradable diets. The mechanism involved may be a localized rumen buffering effect, together with the ability of positive DCAD to maintain blood acid-base status in cows faced with a massive acid input.

Key Words: dietary cation-anion difference • performance • acid-base status • dairy cow

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