Evaluating the Inclusion of Cold-Pressed Rapeseed Cake in the Concentrate for Dairy Cows upon Ruminal Biohydrogenation Process, Ruminal Microbial Community and Milk Production and Acceptability.

The aim of this trial was to assess the effect of feeding a concentrate including cold-pressed rapeseed cake (CPRC) on productive performance, milk quality and its sensory properties, ruminal biohydrogenation, and bacterial communities. Eighteen cows were paired, and two experimental diets (control vs. CPRC) were distributed within the pair. Concentrates were iso-energetic and iso-proteic and contained similar amounts of fat. The average days in milk, milk yield, and body weight of the animals were (mean ± SD) 172 ± 112 d, 585 ± 26 kg, and 25.4 ± 6.2 kg/d, respectively. The experiment lasted for 10 wk. Feeding CPRC resulted in lower ruminal saturated (p < 0.001) and higher monounsaturated (p = 0.002) fatty acids. Feeding CPRC increased Ruminococcus, Prevotella, and Entodinium but decreased Blautia; p-75-a5; undefined genera within orders Clostridiaceae and RF39 and within families Christensenellaceae, Lachnospiracease, and Ruminococcaceae; and fungi from the phylum neocallimastigomycota. The milk fatty acid profile was characterized by a lower n6:n3 ratio (p = 0.028). Feeding CPRC did not affect the milk yield, milk quality, or fat corrected milk (p > 0.05). Feeding CPRC improved the overall milk acceptability (p = 0.047). In conclusion, CPRC affected some microbial taxa, modified the biohydrogenation process, and improved the milk fatty acid profile and consumer acceptance without detrimental effects on milk production and composition.

Effect of Feeding Cold-Pressed Sunflower Cake on Ruminal Fermentation, Lipid Metabolism and Bacterial Community in Dairy Cows.

Cold-pressed sunflower cake (CPSC), by-product of oil-manufacturing, has high crude fat and linoleic acid concentrations, being a promising supplement to modulate rumen fatty acid (FA) profile. This trial studied CPSC effects on ruminal fermentation, biohydrogenation and the bacterial community in dairy cows. Ten cows were used in a crossover design with two experimental diets and fed during two 63-day periods. The cows were group fed forage ad libitum and the concentrate individually. The concentrates, control and CPSC, were isoenergetic, isoproteic and isofat. The ruminal samples collected at the end of each experimental period were analyzed for short-chain fatty acid, FA and DNA sequencing. CPSC decreased butyrate molar proportion (4%, p = 0.005). CPSC decreased C16:0 (28%, p < 0.001) and increased C18:0 (14%, p < 0.001) and total monounsaturated FA, especially C18:1 trans-11 (13%, p = 0.023). The total purine derivative excretion tended to be greater (5%, p = 0.05) with CPSC, resulting in a 6% greater daily microbial N flow. CPSC did not affect the diversity indices but increased the relative abundances of Treponema and Coprococcus, and decreased Enterococcus, Ruminococcus and Succinivibrio. In conclusion, the changes in ruminal fermentation and the FA profile were not associated with changes in microbial diversity or abundance of dominant populations, however, they might be associated with less abundant genera.

Use of Cold-Pressed Sunflower Cake in the Concentrate as a Low-Input Local Strategy to Modify the Milk Fatty Acid Profile of Dairy Cows.

Cold-pressed sunflower cake (CPSC) is a cheap by-product of oil-manufacturing. Supplementing diets with CPSC, rich in fat and linoleic acid, could be an effective tool for increasing healthy fatty acids (FA) in milk. To test this hypothesis, 10 cows were used in a crossover design with two experimental diets fed during two 63-day periods. Cows' milk production was recorded and samples were taken for fat, protein, lactose, and for FA composition analysis. Dry matter intake (DMI) and dry matter apparent digestibility (DMD) were estimated using two markers. Milk acceptance test was carried out. CPSC decreased milk C12:0 (10%, p = 0.023) and C16:0 (5%, p = 0.035) and increased C18:1 cis-12 (37%, p = 0.006), C18:1 trans-11 (32%, p = 0.005), C18:2 cis-9 cis-12 (13%, p = 0.004), and cis-9 trans-11 CLA (35%, p = 0.004). CPSC increased total trans-monounsaturated FA (21%, p = 0.003), total CLA (31%, p = 0.007), and PUFA:SFA ratio (18%, p = 0.006). CPSC did not affect milk production, DMD, DMI and milk composition, but reduced fat yield (9%, p = 0.013) and FCM (7%, p = 0.013). CPSC improved milk overall acceptability. In conclusion, CPSC could modify milk FA profile without a detrimental effect on digestibility, production performance, or milk acceptance.

Feeding lambs with silage mixtures of grass, sainfoin and red clover improves meat oxidative stability under high oxidative challenge.

This study investigated the oxidative stability of meat from lambs fed silages in which timothy grass was totally or partially replaced by sainfoin and/or red clover. Five groups of 8 lambs were fed the following silages: timothy grass (T), mixture (50:50) of timothy with either sainfoin (T-SF) or red clover (T-RC), mixture of timothy, sainfoin and red clover (50:25:25; T-SF-RC), or mixture (50:50) of sainfoin and red clover (SF-RC). Feeding the silages containing red clover (T-RC, T-SF-RC and SF-RC) decreased the deposition of vitamin E in muscle relative to the highly unsaturated fatty acids (P < .001), did not affect the oxidative stability of fresh meat, but reduced oxidative deterioration in cooked meat and in meat homogenates incubated with pro-oxidant catalysts (P < .001). The results of this study demonstrated that feeding lambs with silages containing sainfoin and red clover improve the oxidative stability of meat subjected to strong pro-oxidant conditions and suggest that these effects should be further clarified.