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

• Published in: Tropical animal health and production 2024-03, Vol.56 (2), p.104-104, Article 104
• Main Authors: da Silva, Camila S., da Gama, Marco Antônio S., Silva, Erick Alexandre M., Ribeiro, Emília F., Felix, Silas B., Monteiro, Carolina C. F., Mora-Luna, Robert E., de Oliveira, Júlio Cesar V., dos Santos, Djalma C., de Ferreira, Marcelo A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal fat; Bagasse; Biomass; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Body weight; cacti and succulents; carbohydrate intake; Carbohydrates; Cattle; cladodes; Corn; corn germ; Cow's milk; crossbreds; crude protein; Digestibility; Dry matter; dry matter intake; Feed additives; forage; Girolando; Lactose; Life Sciences; Milk; milk composition; milk fat yield; Milk production; Nutrients; Oils & fats; Regular Articles; Substitutes; Sugarcane; sugarcane bagasse; Urea; urea nitrogen; urine; Vegetables; Veterinary Medicine/Veterinary Science; Zoology
• ISSN: 0049-4747; 1573-7438
• DOI: 10.1007/s11250-024-03947-7

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