Quality assessment and feeding impact of Moringa feed on intake, digestibility, enteric CH4 emission, rumen fermentation, and milk yield.

OBJECTIVE: This experiment was designed to assess the quality and to evaluate the feeding impact of moringa feed on intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation, methane (CH4) production, and milk yield. MATERIALS AND METHODS: According to body weight and exit-entry average daily milk production, fifteen BLRI cattle breed-1 lactating cows of 3rd or 4th stage of parturition with wk 3 and 4 of calving were selected and were equally and randomly distributed into three dietary groups. One group of cows was fed a control diet (T0) consisting of 1:1 dry matter (DM) of Napier silage and conventionally mixed concentrate. The other two groups were fed a control diet by randomly replacing i) 50% (T1) or ii) 100% (T2) of its concentrate with moringa feed. The three dietary groups were balanced nutritionally based on energy and protein following the Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI) standard. RESULTS: The concentrate mixture was replaced with moringa feed to increase the feed efficiency and to reduce the DM or crude protein intake (p < 0.05) per 100 kg of metabolic body weight. The T2 group flourished with the highest (p < 0.05) amount of raw milk and also 4% fat-corrected milk (4.39 and 4.59 kg/day, respectively) compared to the T0 group (3.30 and 3.49 kg/day, respectively). However, it increased (p < 0.05) the concentration of total volatile fatty acid and decreased (p < 0.05) the blood and milk cholesterol, and ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) was reputed by adding moringa feed into the T0 group, without showing any significant (p > 0.05) change in CH4 production, fat, solid not fat, lactose or protein content of milk. CONCLUSION: Therefore, moringa feed increased the productivity in dairy cows, replacing the whole concentrate diet.

Effect on quanti-quality milk and mozzarella cheese characteristics with further increasing the level of dried stoned olive pomace in diet for lactating buffalo.

OBJECTIVE: Following a previous report, an experiment was conducted to determine the effect of increasing level of dried stoned olives pomaces (DSOP) in the diet of lactating buffaloes on milk and mozzarella cheese yield and characteristics. METHODS: Sixteen pluriparous buffaloes distributed into two groups were fed an isoenergetic (0.9 milk forage unit/kg) and isoprotein (149 g/kg dry matter [DM] of crude protein) diet, with or without DSOP. Each animal received 17 kg DM/d. Samples of forages and concentrates were weekly collected and used for duplicate chemical analyses. Individual milk samples from each control were analyzed for chemical and coagulating parameters and daily production of mozzarella cheese was estimated. At the end of the trial, bulk milk of each group was processed to produce mozzarella cheese and chemical (fat, protein, ash, pH) composition, fatty acids composition, carotenoids and tocopherols content were determined. A sensory test was also performed. The oxidative stability was measured on mozzarella cheese and on governing liquid. RESULTS: No significant differences were observed, neither for milk yield and body condition score, nor for milk characteristics. The fat was higher (p<0.05) in mozzarella of DSOP fed group but, saturated fatty acids were lower and unsaturated higher (p<0.01). Furthermore, lower atherogenic (p<0.01), and thrombogenic (p<0.05) indices were found in mozzarella cheese of DSOP fed group. In addition, the administration of DSOP did not affect the mozzarella cheese oxidative stability and no negative effect was found in the sensory properties. CONCLUSION: No contraindications appeared for the inclusion of DSOP in the diet of lactating buffaloes. Besides, important effects on mozzarella cheese quality were obtained, such as a modification of fat content and attributes with an increment in the mono-unsaturated. Additionally, a lower saturated/unsaturated ratio and atherogenic and thrombogenic indices suggest an improvement of dietetic and nutritional characteristics of mozzarella cheese.

Use of dried stoned olive pomace in the feeding of lactating buffaloes: effect on the quantity and quality of the milk produced.

Dried stoned olive pomace (DSOP) was administered to dairy water buffaloes, and their productive performance and milk composition were analysed. Sixteen pluriparous lactating buffaloes were divided into two uniform groups (control and experimental), taking into consideration the following parameters: milk production (2,192 and 2,102 kg) and duration of lactation (254 and 252 d) of the previous year, distance from calving (51 and 43 d), milk production (9.71 and 10.18 kg/d), body condition score (BCS) (6.44 and 6.31) and weight (617 and 653 kg) at the beginning of the trial. Both diets had the same formulation: second cut alfalfa hay 20%, corn silage 42%, concentrate 38% but the two concentrates differed in their formulation, the experimental one contained 15.50% of DSOP as fed. The employed DSOP showed high amounts of secoiridoids, such as 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol (3,4-DHPEA) (1.2 g/kg DM), 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethanol-elenolic acid di-aldehyde (3,4-DHPEA-EDA) (12.6 g/kg DM), p-hydroxyphenylethanol-elenolic acid di-aldehyde (p-HPEA-EDA) (5.6 g/kg DM) and lignans, which are known to be powerful bioactive compounds. The control diet had an energy-protein content of 0.86 Milk FU/kg DM and 143.3 g/kg DM of crude protein, whereas the experimental diet of 0.87 Milk FU/kg DM and 146.6 g/kg DM of crude protein. Each animal of the two groups received 17 kg DM/d and each buffalo of the experimental group, by way of the concentrate, ingested 1.05 kg DM/d of DSOP. The trial lasted 40 days. No significant difference was found between the BCS (6.41 and 6.53), live weight (625.93 and 662.50 kg) and milk production (9.69 and 10.08 kg/d) of the two groups, as was the case for fat, protein, lactose, pH and coagulating parameters of the two milks. The milk fat of the experimental group had a significantly higher content of total tocopherols (10.45 vs 8.60 µg/g, p<0.01) and retinol (3.17 vs 2.54 µg/g, p<0.01). The content of the reactive substances with tiobarbituric acid (TBARs) was significantly lower in the milk fat of the experimental group (12.09 vs 15.05 µg MDA/g, p<0.01). The acid content of the milk fat of the experimental group had a significantly higher content (p<0.05) of C18:0 and of C18:3ω6. LC-MS/MS analysis showed the presence of 3,4-DHPEA (36.0 µg/L) in the milk of the DSOP-fed buffaloes, while other phenols were not found. DSOP, in the quantity utilized, can be used in the feeding of the lactating buffalo; the dietetic-nutritional characteristics of the milk are improved due to a greater contribution of tocopherols, retinol and the presence of hydroxytyrosol.