Effect of Fermented By-Product and Rice Straw on Milk Yield and Fatty Acid Composition in Dairy Cows

Abstract

This experiment used by-products from agro-industry waste as a roughage source for dairy cows. Bagasse, pineapple peel, corn cob, corn stover and vinasse were used to produce fermented byproduct (FBP). The objective of this study was to determine the effects of FBP with rice straw on the milk yield, milk composition and fatty acid profile in dairy cows. Fifteen dairy cows with 75–87.5% Holstein Friesian blood were used with an average initial body weight (± SD) of 407.33 ± 53.48 kg in mid-lactation and 111.25 ± 25.12 days in milk. Cows were randomly allocated to three treatments (T1 = five dairy cows fed rice straw ad libitum; T2 = five dairy cows fed FBP with rice straw at the ratio 50:50 (dry basis) ad libitum; T3 = five dairy cows fed sweet corn waste silage with rice straw at the ratio 50:50 (dry basis) ad libitum) using a completely randomized design. Data were adjusted with parity and initial body weight as covariates. The results revealed that the milk yield and 4% fat-corrected milk from cows fed FBP with rice straw were found to be the highest (P < 0.05) among all treatments. The caproic acid (C6:0) and palmitoleic acid levels (C16:1) from cows fed FBP with rice straw were the highest (P < 0.05) among all treatments. Moreover, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), long chain fatty acids (LCFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids composed of γ-linolenic (C18:3n6c), α-linolenic (C18:3n3c), eicosatrienoic acid (C20:3n6) and arachidonic acid (C20:4n6) were significantly highest in cows fed FBP with rice straw. The body weight change and average daily gain obtained from cows fed with FBP and rice straw were found to be the highest among all treatments. It was concluded that dairy cows fed FBP with rice straw at the ratio of 50:50 on a dry matter basis increased the milk yield and the SCFA and LCFA contents. The present study showed great benefit from feeding FBP and rice straw as a ready-to-feed practice producing higher milk yield and quality.