With dairy farmers looking to improve the efficiency of their herds to both reduce the environmental impact of their operations and cut down on costs to protect bottom lines, it is more vital than ever to get methionine supplementation just right in order to help fully realise these ambitions.
Methionine is widely considered the first limiting amino acid in lactating dairy cows. And while low supply – which can affect her ability to use other amino acids for protein synthesis and negatively impact milk yield – can be addressed through diet, supplementation with rumen-protected methionine is more efficient and has become the standard in ensuring optimum milk production, and cow health and well-being.
This method requires a high level of precision to get right and with alternative forages now increasingly making their way into dairy cow diets to lower the environmental impact of operations, there are now even more variables for dairy nutritionists to consider.
Evonik wants to lend them a helping hand and in this Industry Perspectives the company’s Dr. Claudia Parys, Director of Technical Marketing for Ruminants, Katrin Edelmann, its Technical Service Manager for Ruminants, and Dr. Jessie Guyader, the Global Research Manager for Ruminants share with Feedinfo how Evonik’s rumen-protected methionine solution, Mepron®, can be a vital tool to ensure optimum dairy cow performance and milk yield. They also take us through why amino acid analysis of forages is so vital to this process, what an effective methionine strategy should look like, the importance of phase feeding, and how the company’s AminoCow® platform can help with better amino acid balancing in rations.
[Feedinfo] What are common mistakes that you see being made in dairy ration formulations? What would you like to see changed?
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[Dr. Claudia Parys] I would say that most important thing is knowing what you feed! We are frequently confronted with outdated feed analysis, especially for forages, which often make up to 50% or more of the ration. Also, dry matter contents are not determined regularly. Another important misstep we see is low awareness of amino acid requirements for the respective production level or stage of lactation, which should also be taken into consideration when doing ration optimisation. It is also essential to have a clear understanding of the composition of mixes and compound feed when balancing diets for amino acids. |
[Feedinfo] So, if feed analysis for forages is lacking how does this impact the dairy ration formulation process? And in particular, amino acid supplementation?
[Dr. Claudia Parys] As mentioned, forages make up around 50% of dairy cow rations, therefore analysing them for their respective dry matter contents and nutrient composition is key. Considering amino acid analysis of forages in addition to this is a useful strategy which enables nutritionists to formulate diets more accurately, and consequently achieve better results.
Knowing about amino acid levels can result in a difference of around 7g metabolizable methionine and 14g metabolizable lysine being supplied only from forages. This can impact performance, nitrogen utilisation and the necessary supplementation levels of rumen protected amino acids.
Furthermore, amino acid analysis of forages is a good indicator of protein quality if, besides total amino acid content, free amino acids are being analysed by wet chemistry. High levels of free amino acids (not protein bound) are an indication of overall protein degradation. Paying attention to biogenic amines such as gamma-amino-butyric acid is especially of interest for forages with high crude protein contents, for example, grass silage or haylage, as they may impact animal health.
[Feedinfo] So considering all of this, what should an effective methionine strategy for the modern dairy cow look like?
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[Katrin Edelmann] Methionine is widely considered as being the first limiting amino acid for milk production. Cows do not have a requirement for crude protein but rather need amino acids. In practice, most of the metabolizable protein used by the cow originates from the rumen microbial protein flow produced from rumen degradable protein and non-protein nitrogen, complemented by rumen undegradable protein. Nutritionists need to feed both the rumen and the cow, and always try to maximise microbial protein production, since microbial protein has the most favourable amino acid composition (closest to milk protein). For high producing dairy cows, microbial protein alone is not sufficient to fulfil amino acid requirements and, therefore, the best approach is to supplement amino acids. |
Katrin Edelmann |
For ruminants, amino acids must be protected with a coating material which prevents microbial degradation, is resistant during handling and mixing, and ensures product release in the small intestine. The nutritional requirement for amino acids, especially for functional amino acids such as methionine, depends on the production level as well as on the stage of lactation. Therefore, the most effective strategy would be phase feeding.
We advise on-top supplementation during times of metabolic challenges (e.g., during the transition period until peak lactation/insemination), followed by low crude protein diets during the second half of lactation and supplemented with methionine, as usually all other amino acids are already in surplus.
In this case, protein sources such as soybean meal or canola can fully or partially be replaced with other raw materials, for example forages or concentrates, depending on their availability and the overall nutrient profile of the diet. Alongside benefits of lower nitrogen excretion and higher nitrogen efficiency, amino acid balancing also leads to optimised performance and lower ration costs – offering dairy farmers real benefits across the board.
[Feedinfo] So, let’s look at your own rumen-protected methionine solution, Mepron®. Considering that there are other solutions on the market, what makes Evonik’s unique?
[Dr. Claudia Parys] Mepron® contains 85% DL-methionine. It has a unique coating consisting of ethyl cellulose, a semipermeable membrane which ensures a continuous supply of methionine to the metabolism. Moreover, Mepron® delivers 60% metabolizable methionine overall, which makes it most efficient.
Our technology ensures easy handling and mixing and makes the product stable against potentially abrasive components, high temperatures and low pH. Evonik ensures consistent product quality through our various robust internal procedures, for instance in vitro and in-situ incubation to confirm the rate of rumen protection. What’s more, Mepron®´s bioavailability has been scientifically proven with different methodologies.
[Feedinfo] You claim it can reduce ration costs by US$ 0.05–0.20 per cow per day. How were you able to arrive at these numbers? What findings can you share with us?
[Katrin Edelmann] The use of rumen-protected methionine is a valid strategy to reduce dietary protein, increase milk protein production efficiency and farm profitability. However, one should keep in mind that the potential cost saving depends a lot on initial ration composition and current raw material prices. Indeed, the higher the crude protein content of the basal diet, the higher the potential for savings. Similarly, more savings can be made when the raw material price is high.
Having said that, our experience of more than 30 years working with the concept of amino acid balancing means that we can achieve the cost savings mentioned above. However, we would advise to not only look at ration costs, but at the income over feed cost (IOFC) as well, which helps to measure the dairy farm’s overall profitability. In fact, when balancing rations for amino acids we frequently observe a positive impact on performance due to better nitrogen utilisation (demonstrated in our last meta-analyses (Patton, JDS 2010; Zanton, JDS 2014)).
[Feedinfo] What can you share with us in terms of Mepron®’s impact on dairy cow fertility? Seeing as this is such a crucial part of the milk production process, what are the benefits that improved methionine supplementation can unlock?
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[Dr. Jessie Guyader] It is estimated that the first service conception rate of intensive dairy cows ranges from only 25%-50%, so there is clearly space for improvement. Increasing methionine supplementation, for instance with Mepron®, can support reproduction success because it acts at different stages of the reproductive cycle. The first challenging time for a dairy cow is the period after calving, during which milk production increases faster than the intake level, leading to a potential state of negative energy balance (NEB). This can lead to lipolysis of adipose tissue to support the sudden energy requirement. This excessive fat mobilisation can alter liver function and negatively impact immune functions, among other issues. But it is known that uterine infections delay the return to cyclicity. |
Dr. Jessie GuyaderIn a study conducted at Illinois University, Mepron® fed to transition cows reduced the consequences of NEB, with better liver health and an improved immune system as a result. Therefore, it is likely that Mepron® can prevent uterine infections and help the cows to resolve postpartum uterine functions.
Secondly, by stimulating the immune system, Mepron® can also support follicular growth and maturation as follicle development is negatively impacted by uterine disease. Follicle development can also be downregulated by high blood urea levels triggered by a high protein diet with poor nitrogen efficiency. The success of rumen-protected methionine in low protein diets indicates that an optimal amino acid supply can support follicle development. Furthermore, in a previous study with beef heifers, Mepron® was shown to favour the establishment of ovarian activity and follicular dynamics.
Finally, a recent study showed lower pregnancy loss for cows supplemented with rumen-protected methionine. We must remember that in cattle, foetal loss is the highest during the first month of gestation because of a late implantation of the embryo. Indeed, during the first 20 days after fecundation, the embryo is relatively free-floating and nutritionally and physiologically dependent on oviduct and uterine fluids. However, methionine strengthens the preimplantation embryo in various ways, including by changing DNA methylation which can lead to differences, for instance, in expression of genes involved in embryo development and immune response.
[Feedinfo] Let’s now look at AminoCow, Evonik’s ration formulation tool which can help with balancing rations for amino acids. What can you tell us about the technology powering it? How does it go about supporting amino acid balancing in dairy cow ration formulation?
[Dr. Jessie Guyader] AminoCow® was developed at a time when the concept of amino acid balancing was still in its infancy. When comparing different ration formulation programmes, it was found that AminoCow® is as suitable as other systems like NRC or the CNCPS model to optimise rations for amino acids.
Together with AminoCow®, Evonik´s ruminant experts also work with the CNCPS model when optimising diets for farmers and the industry. Both systems are showing great results and supporting the overall concept very well. One should also not forget that the amino acid values of AminoCow®, as well as those for some other programmes using the CNCPS system, are originating from Evonik´s wet chemistry analytical service (AMINOLab®).
As has been said, precise analysis of raw materials is essential to ensure consistent and high feed quality, as only when the full nutrient profiles of the respective raw materials are known can feeds be precisely dosed. With our powerful tools such as AminoCow®, we can help our customers to not only perfect amino acid balancing in rations and produce the optimal diet for herds, but to do so in an efficient and sustainable way that maximizes the bottom line whilst ensuring effective use of scarce natural resources and supporting sustainable animal farming.
Published in association with Evonik