November 24, 2014
Norel's acid product improves milk yield in dairy cattle
In a study conducted at Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes in Mexico, Norel's acid product Rumalato was shown to have improved the milk yield of Holstein dairy cattle.
The five-month study evaluated the response in milk yield of Holstein cattle when Rumalato (based on malic acid) was included in their diet.
The model used is known as "switchback" with three periods (Control, Treatment, Control) wherein all cattle were above 120 days in milk (DEL) and average production of the cattle was 10,000 kg/year. The feed was total mixed ration, and Rumalato was included to ensure an intake of 40 g/cattle/day.
The production data of each cattle was obtained with the program DairyPlan 5, and the estimated yields were adjusted for covariance among individual milk production and analysed with Statgraphics® program.
The results showed that Rumalato tended to improve milk production (P = 0.0651) by 2.75% in the second period and by 4.99% or 1.98 kg/cattle/day in the third period. It was also observed that the product had a cumulative effect, i.e., removing the product did not immediately decrease milk production.