Effect of Dietary Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Milk Production, Fatty Acid Profiles and IGF-1 of Lactating Dairy Cows in Arid Subtropics
Effect of Dietary Source of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Milk Production, Fatty Acid Profiles and IGF-1 of Lactating Dairy Cows in Arid Subtropics
Abd El-Nasser Ahmed Mohammed1, Tarek Al-Shaheen1, Mohammed Al-Saiady2 and Ahmed El-Waziry3
ABSTRACT
Dietary omega-3 fatty acids are a type of polyunsaturated fat known to improve production and body health in animals and human as well. The current on-farm trial was to evaluate the effects of omega-3 fatty acids inclusion in the diets on milk production and fatty acid profiles and insulin growth factors-1 values in lactating dairy cattle. Three hundred Holstein lactating cows in a commercial farm were assorted to a control group fed basal control diet and two treated groups fed diets containing extruded flaxseed (7.0%) and salmate (25 g/head/day). The basal control, extruded flaxseed and salmate diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets. The diets were given to each group from three weeks pre-parturition to week 23 of lactation. Feed intake, milk production and composition and fatty acid profiles were recorded during the study. Fat and energy corrected milk were calculated. Feed intake did not differ among groups. Flaxseed significantly (P<0.05) increased milk yield, fat corrected milk and energy corrected milk if compared to other groups. Milk fat (%) decreased significantly (P˂0.05), while saturated short-chain (C12:C15) and long-chain (C17:C20) fatty acids were higher (P˂0.05) in Salmate and extruded flaxseed groups. Moreover, the ratio of omega-6/omega-3 was the lowest in flaxseed group (3.76) compared to control (8.06) and salmate (8.31) groups. In conclusion, flaxseed diet improved (P < 0.05) milk production efficiency (kg milk/kg feed) and fatty acid profile compared to salmate and control diets.
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