Introduction

to Dairy Nutrition
Hello again; my name is Alex Hristov and I’m Professor of Dairy Nutrition at Penn State University.

In our last lecture, we discussed rumen fermentation. The vast populations of rumen bacteria are
digesting feed to derive energy and other nutrients for their growth. The fermentation end-products
from this process are used by the cow for her own energy and protein needs. This symbiotic process is
truly one of Nature’s wonders.

For example, bacteria ferment carbohydrates to volatile fatty acids and the cow is using the energy
locked in these volatile fatty acids for maintenance and milk production.

Remember the law of conservation of energy, which states that energy can be transformed from one
form to another, but cannot be created or destroyed? This law is valid in the rumen of the cow as well.

In this example, carbohydrates such as cellulose, starch, and complex saccharides are broken down to
simple sugars and through pyruvate, rumen bacteria generate energy as adenosine tri phosphate (or
ATP) and volatile fatty acids such as acetate, propionate, and butyrate.

Up to 75-80% of the energy needs of the lactating cow are met by the volatile fatty acids produced from
microbial fermentation in the rumen. These volatile fatty acids are the most important precursors for
the glucose needs of the cow. In addition, lactate (originating primarily from the rumen), glycerol (from
lipolysis of triglycerides in the adipose tissue), and amino acids (from intestinal absorption or muscle
protein breakdown), contribute to the total glucose needs of the cow. Glucose absorbed from the
intestines and glucose released from the liver (mostly from gluconeogenesis) are the most important
contributors to the blood glucose level.

Another important point to remember as we go through our nutrition lectures is that volatile fatty acids
are acidic, which mean they can reduce rumen pH.

pH is a quantitative measure of the acidity or basicity of liquids in a scale of 0 to 14. pH is a simple but
very important measure used to gauge rumen fermentation and rumen health. Normally, rumen pH
should be between 6.00 to 6.80; pH below 6.00 indicates too much acid production by the microbes,
which leads to a condition called ruminal acidosis. Acidosis is usually associated with feeding too much
grain or highly fermentable feeds such as lush grass, high in sugars and can lead to decreased feed
intake and milk production, decreased milk fat concentration, or more serious health conditions and
potentially death of the cow.

So, let’s get back to the important topic of energy nutrition of dairy cows. There are 2 types of feed
energy – energy for the microbes in the rumen and energy for the cow. We have to very carefully
manage the energy for the microbes so we don’t end up creating acidotic conditions. This is best
achieved with balancing fiber, starch, and sugars in the diet of the cow.

As it was already said, the energy sources that fuel, through various metabolic pathways, the life of a
dairy cow consist of energy from volatile fatty acids produced in the rumen, feed energy that by-passes
the rumen, this is usually some undigested starch and fat, and energy from body reserves, such as
adipose tissues or muscle proteins. Proteins, specifically amino acids, can be used as energy precursors
for synthesis of glucose. By some estimates, amino acids could provide up to 20% of the glucose needs
of the ruminant animal.

Now let’s see what is happening with the other major nutrient in dairy cow nutrition, proteins. When we
talk about proteins, we should know that, similar to energy, proteins are required for both feeding the
microbes in the rumen and feeding the cow. Proteins per se are not a nutrient. The rumen microbes can
only utilize peptides, amino acids, and ammonia as building blocks for their cell proteins.

The rumen ecosystem is so amazingly adaptable that a ruminant animal can live entirely on mineral
nitrogen, from which the microbes can synthesize amino acids that will keep the animal alive and well.
Back in the 1960s, Artturi I. Virtanen, a Finnish scientist, demonstrated that dairy cows can live healthy
and productive lives on diets containing only non-protein nitrogen, such as urea and ammonium salts.

Feed proteins are commonly classified into 2 categories: ruminally-degraded proteins (or RDP); these
are proteins that are degraded by the microbes in the rumen, and ruminally-undegraded proteins (or
RUP), which are proteins that by-pass the rumen without being modified by the microbes. The first type
of proteins feed the rumen microbes contributing to microbial protein synthesis and the second provide
amino acids to the cow directly. The microbial protein synthesized in the rumen is the major source of
amino acids for the cow, making up 50 to 65-70% of her amino acid needs; the remaining amino acids
are provided by feed RUP.

Rumen microbes cannot use proteins for cell growth. They have to first break down the proteins into
peptides, then amino acids, and eventually ammonia before they can utilize them. It has been shown
that most microbes have a preference for amino acids (and peptides) over ammonia, because it is an
energetically more efficient process. Ammonia is the preferred source of nitrogen for the fibrolytic
microbes in the rumen. These microbes are extremely important for proper rumen function and
therefore, maintaining adequate ammonia concentration in the rumen is critical for proper fiber
fermentation.

Once proteins leaving the rumen (from microbial or feed origin) reach the small intestine, they are
digested to amino acids by mammalian enzymes and used by the cow for body functions and milk
protein synthesis. However, we have to be aware that not all RUP is digestible, or utilized by the cow.
Some RUP will not be digested in the small intestine and will end up in feces as indigested feed protein
or may be converted into microbial proteins synthesized in the large intestine. Fecal protein will be
mostly of microbial origin.

In the next lectures, we’ll talk about nutrient requirements, types of feeds, and principles of diet
formulation.