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Full-fat corn germ improves the performance and milk fat yield of Girolando cows fed sugarcane bagasse and cactus cladodes as forage sources

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Abstract

We investigated the effects of replacing ground corn with full-fat corn germ (FFCG) on milk production, milk composition, and nutrient use in cows fed sugarcane bagasse and cactus cladodes. Ten multiparous Girolando cows (average body weight 500 ± 66 kg, 90 ± 15 days in milk) were distributed in a replicated 5 × 5 Latin Square and assigned to five dietary treatments containing 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of full-fat corn germ in substitution to ground corn. Full-fat corn germ increased fat-corrected milk yield by 2.2 kg/day and the synthesis of fat, lactose, and total solids in milk by 94.4, 60.0, and 201.10 g/day, respectively (p < 0.05). Cows fed corn germ quadratically increased (p < 0.05) dry matter intake by 1.01 kg/day, with the intake of crude protein and total digestible nutrients following the same pattern. Conversely, the substitution of corn for full-fat corn germ linearly reduced (p < 0.05) the total non-fiber carbohydrate intake from 5.79 to 4.40 kg/d. Except for ether extract and non-fiber carbohydrates, full-fat corn germ did not alter (p > 0.05) nutrient digestibility. Cows fed corn germ excreted less (p < 0.05) urea-N in milk and urine N. These results demonstrate that full-fat corn germ can partially replace ground corn to enhance the milk production efficiency of crossbred cows fed cactus cladodes and sugarcane bagasse. Furthermore, including sugarcane bagasse in FFCG-supplemented diets prevents milk fat depression in cows fed cactus cladodes.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco and the Agronomic Institute of Pernambuco for the resources provided. Thanks also go to Ingredion™ for providing the ingredients.

Funding

This study was funded by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior—Brazil (CAPES)—Finance Code 001 and the DryGrow Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Zootecnia, Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, s/n, Dois Irmãos, Recife, PE, 52171-900, Brasil

    Camila S. da Silva, Erick Alexandre M. Silva, Emília F. Ribeiro, Silas B. Felix & Marcelo A. de Ferreira

  2. Embrapa Pecuária Sudeste, Rodovia Washington Luiz Km 234, Fazenda Canchim, São Carlos, SP, 13560-970, Brasil

    Marco Antônio S. da Gama

  3. Departmento de Zootecnia, Universidade Estadual de Alagoas, BR-316, 26, Santana do Ipanema, AL, 57500-000, Brasil

    Carolina C. F. Monteiro

  4. Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Avenida Vicuña Mackenna, Santiago, Macul, 4860, 6904411, Chile

    Robert E. Mora-Luna

  5. Instituto Agronômico de Pernambuco, BR-232, km 253, 56, Arcoverde, PE, 500-000, Brasil

    Júlio Cesar V. de Oliveira & Djalma C. dos Santos

  6. Rua Dom Manoel de Medeiros, Recife, PE, 52171900, Brasil

    Camila S. da Silva

Authors
  1. Camila S. da Silva
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  2. Marco Antônio S. da Gama
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  3. Erick Alexandre M. Silva
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  6. Carolina C. F. Monteiro
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  10. Marcelo A. de Ferreira
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study’s conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Camila S. da Silva, Marco Antônio S. da Gama, Erick Alexandre M. Silva, Emília F. Ribeiro, Silas B. Felix, Carolina C.F. Monteiro, Robert E. Mora-Luna, Júlio Cesar V. de Oliveira, Djalma C. dos Santos, and Marcelo de A. Ferreira. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Camila S. da Silva, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Camila S. da Silva.

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This study followed the ethical standards approved by the Ethics Committee on Animal Welfare of the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco (CEUA/UFRPE), license n°7149140220.

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da Silva, C.S., da Gama, M.A.S., Silva, E.A.M. et al. Full-fat corn germ improves the performance and milk fat yield of Girolando cows fed sugarcane bagasse and cactus cladodes as forage sources. Trop Anim Health Prod 56, 104 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-024-03947-7

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