The findings were revealed last month at the third LifeStart Symposium, co-hosted by Nutreco’s livestock feed business Trou Nutrition and the University of Nottingham’s School of Veterinary Medicine and School of Veterinary Medicine in Nottingham, UK.
Dr. Michael Steele, a professor at the University of Guelph, and Dr. Juliette Wilms, a doctoral student in Trau nutrition, study the health outcomes of calves fed whole cow milk powder and three types of milk replacers based on high-fat, high-milk components. We presented the results of a study comparing their growth. Lactose, or high protein preparations.
They confirmed that differences in the macronutrient profile and composition of high-protein and high-lactose milk replacers resulted in different profiles related to metabolic and endocrine function compared to cows’ milk-fed calves. In contrast, no differences were observed between calves fed whole milk and calves fed high-fat milk replacers. Additionally, calves fed a high-fat diet during the first week had higher liver weights, suggesting the role milk fat plays in organ development, the researchers noted.
Applying research findings to calf nutrition provides tools to restore biological norms and mimic milk’s natural signals, contributing to herd health and more efficient dairy production, the study says. they concluded.
Trouw Nutrition claims that this discovery makes it possible to formulate milk replacers that more closely resemble cow’s milk compared to traditionally available milk replacers based on bioproducts from the dairy industry.
Javier Martín Tereso, manager of the ruminant team at Trau Nutrition Research and Development, believes this discovery will spark a paradigm shift in calf nutrition. “Having an alternative tool that accurately reflects the composition of milk would allow us to provide more generous nutrients to calves, making them less hungry and preparing them for better development. can.”
To hear more about this discovery, we conducted a Q&A with Juliet Wilms.
FeedNavigator: What inspired you to conduct this research and what were the key data you obtained?
Juliet Willms:There is extensive evidence in the scientific literature that butyrate plays an important role in calf health and development, and some studies suggest that caproic acid may also play a role in calf development. doing. Trouw Nutrition’s research team is investigating the role of nutrients and bioactive substances in whole milk to determine their impact on calf development, health and growth. We use cow’s milk as a biological standard to examine the benefits for calves if we restore the missing short- and medium-chain fatty acids in milk replacers to the levels found in milk fat. I wanted to investigate.
Our research demonstrates that restoring these fatty acids in milk replacer improves small intestine development and improves rumen development. Milk replacer (and milk) is shunted through the rumen by the esophageal groove during normal feeding behavior. The improvement in the rumen suggests that these fatty acids are acting as biological signals to guide the development of tissues and organs in the calf. Additionally, changes in insulin response due to improved insulin sensitivity were also observed.
Improved calf digestive system development resulted in increased calf starter intake, reduced incidence of severe calf baptism, and increased sustained weight gain after weaning.
FEN: What was your unexpected insight?
JW: Based on the existing body of research on the role of butyrate and caproic acid on intestinal health and development, it was expected that adding these short-chain fatty acids back into milk replacer would improve intestinal development. We did not expect the magnitude of the response observed nor the improvement in rumen development.
The insight is that milk, beyond its excellent nutritional value, plays a communicative role. It brings signals from the mother cow that guide the development of the calf. Expanding our understanding of the role of this signaling has provided a blueprint for replicating this activity. This will change the way calves are fed in the future and is likely to benefit calf performance as well as health.
Another surprise was the extent to which the composition of the fat used in milk replacer can benefit calf development, health and growth. The composition of fatty acids within the fat showed an even greater response than the fat content of the milk replacer.
The growth performance observed by restoring these short- and medium-chain fatty acids does not appear to be enhanced by stepping on the gas pedal. It’s like taking off the brakes.
FEN: How will dairy farmers benefit from this discovery?
JW:Farmers who want to maximize the lifetime performance of their calves throughout their adult years can use this discovery to maximize growth and development in natural ways. As a result, the optimal age for first birth is determined. Our LifeStart research has demonstrated that this increases lifespan and milk productivity. This means that cows are more profitable and the milk produced has a lower environmental impact.
FEN: What areas of research do you plan to explore in the future?
JW:We continue to look deeper into fatty acids, as research suggests there is further potential for nutritional improvement in this area. We also take a closer look at the protein fraction of milk replacers, especially the relationship between casein and whey beyond the amino acid balance.
