Liver function and buffering
A reduction of protozoa in the rumen will
decrease the availability of choline. Choline plays
a part in preventing fatty liver, but less protozoa
also leads to an increase in microbial protein
in the rumen. This improves the availability of
methionine, an increase that easily counteracts
the lower availability of choline. Protozoa
also take up starch, thereby postponing the
availability of the starch to the intestine to a
maximum of 5% of the total available.
This results in less buffering of rumen pH.
Ruprolac F
To improve rumen pH buffering, Ruprolac F has
been developed. This product improves rumen
function and provides a good environment for
rumen microbes through built-in buffering.
This leads to higher milk production and lower
milk urea content. The vitamin levels are high
enough to boost the cow’s immune system.
In Ruprolac F, also biotin is added to strengthen
the hoof and improve milk production in early
lactation.
In the study 21%moremicrobial protein reached the
small intestine. Daily gain improvedby 11%and feed
effciency by 15%.
In another study, with cattle, it was shown that
milk production increased when rumen protozoa
were reduced, and the ratio of fat to protein also
increased by 13% as shown in Table 2.
Table 3 shows work carried out by Provimi on
high production dairy cattle. Cows were fed a
16% dry matter protein diet based on 50% grass
and 50%maize silage. Results showed that by
defaunation, the protein in the diet was used
more effciently and there was an increase in
milk protein production and a decrease in milk
urea. This study confrms the improvement
in protein effciency by defaunation in high
production dairy cattle.
Control
Defaunated
Effect
Rumen ammonia, mgN/l
168
117
-30%
Microbial Nfow,%LW
0.023
0.028
+21%
Microbial protein, g/kg FOM
175
250
+42%
(Acetic + butyric acid) propionic acid 4.2
3.4
-19%
OrganicMatter digestibility,%
67.5
65.9
-2,4%
Average daily gain,%LW
0.401
0.444
+11%
Drymatter intake,%LW
2.51
2.53
Ns
Feed conversion effciency, g/g
10.88
12.85
+15%
Wool growth,%
5.48
6.23
+14%
Table 1. Effect of defaunation in the rumen of sheep
Control
Defaunated
Effect
Protozoa count (10
4
/ml)
26.7
1.2
-95,0%
Milk yield (kg/h/d)
20.0
22.7
+13,5%
Milk fat production (g/h/d)
868
912
+5,1%
Milk proteinproduction (g/h/d)
598
713
+19,2%
Milk fat (g/kg)
45.6
38.8
-14,9%
Milk protein (g/kg)
30.0
31.5
+5,0%
Protein/fat ratio
0.66
0.81
+22,7%
Table 2. Effect of reducing rumenprotozoa onmilk
production in cattle
Table 3. Effect of defaunationonhighproduction
dairy cattle
Control
Defaunated
Effect
Milk yield (kg/d)
41.1
42.0
+0.9
Milk fat (g/kg)
41.0
42.4
+1.4
Milk protein (g/kg)
30.1
30.5
+0.4
Milk fat production (kg/d)
1.70
1.77
+0.07
Milk protein production (kg/d
) 1.24
1.27
+0.03
Milk urea (mg/dl)
20.4
16.8
-3.6
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