TY - JOUR
T1 - Faba beans (Vicia faba) in dairy cow diet: effect on milk production and quality
AU - Volpelli, Luisa
AU - Comellini, Mauro
AU - Masoero, Francesco
AU - Moschini, Maurizio
AU - Lo Fiego, Diego
AU - Scipioni, Rosanna
PY - 2010
Y1 - 2010
N2 - The use of alternative plant proteins in place of the soybean meal protein in diets for farmed animals aims to reduce the extra-EU soybean import and partially substitute the GMO in the food chain. Among the possible alternatives, the heat-processed (flaked) faba beans appears interesting for dairy cow diet. Two consecutive experiments were carried out to test flaked faba beans as a partial substitute for soybean meal in the diet of Reggiana breed dairy cows producing milk for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese-making. In both experiments a "Control" concentrate (12% soybean meal, no faba beans) was compared with a "Faba" concentrate (7.5% soybean meal and 10% flaked faba beans). Forages fed to animals were hay (mixed grass and alfalfa) plus mixed grass in experiment 1, hay only in experiment 2. Milk yield and quality and the characteristics of grab faecal samples as empirical indicators of digestibility, were similar between feeding groups. The milk urea content was slightly lower in the "Faba" group, particularly in experiment 2 ("Control" vs "Faba": 34.6 vs 32.9 mg/dL in experiment 1, P<0.1; 27.4 vs 23.4 mg/dL in experiment 2, P<0.01); the plasma urea content in experiment 2 confirmed the trend observed in milk (3.9 vs 3.0 mmol/L, P<0.01).
AB - The use of alternative plant proteins in place of the soybean meal protein in diets for farmed animals aims to reduce the extra-EU soybean import and partially substitute the GMO in the food chain. Among the possible alternatives, the heat-processed (flaked) faba beans appears interesting for dairy cow diet. Two consecutive experiments were carried out to test flaked faba beans as a partial substitute for soybean meal in the diet of Reggiana breed dairy cows producing milk for Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese-making. In both experiments a "Control" concentrate (12% soybean meal, no faba beans) was compared with a "Faba" concentrate (7.5% soybean meal and 10% flaked faba beans). Forages fed to animals were hay (mixed grass and alfalfa) plus mixed grass in experiment 1, hay only in experiment 2. Milk yield and quality and the characteristics of grab faecal samples as empirical indicators of digestibility, were similar between feeding groups. The milk urea content was slightly lower in the "Faba" group, particularly in experiment 2 ("Control" vs "Faba": 34.6 vs 32.9 mg/dL in experiment 1, P<0.1; 27.4 vs 23.4 mg/dL in experiment 2, P<0.01); the plasma urea content in experiment 2 confirmed the trend observed in milk (3.9 vs 3.0 mmol/L, P<0.01).
KW - MILK QUALITY
KW - dairy cows
KW - faba beans
KW - MILK QUALITY
KW - dairy cows
KW - faba beans
UR - https://publicatt.unicatt.it/handle/10807/9133
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84856074350&origin=inward
UR - https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?partnerID=HzOxMe3b&scp=84856074350&origin=inward
U2 - 10.4081/ijas.2010.e27
DO - 10.4081/ijas.2010.e27
M3 - Article
SN - 1594-4077
VL - 2010/9
SP - 138
EP - 144
JO - Italian Journal of Animal Science
JF - Italian Journal of Animal Science
IS - 9
ER -