Choline and Methionine Protected in Crossbred Cows Diets

Abstract

Abstract The objective was to evaluate the effects of providing protected choline and methionine on the productive performance and milk quality of crossbred cows. Twenty-four animals were used, distributed in randomized blocks according to the number of days in lactation. The treatments were: control, treatment with the addition of 50g of methionine (Methionine), treatment with the addition of 100g of choline (Choline) and finally the treatment with a blend of the two amino acids 100g of choline and 50g of protected methionine (COL/MET). At the beginning of the experiment, milk was weighed, which was repeated every 7 days to measure production. Every 21 days, individual milk samples were collected to prepare the physicochemical composition. In the weeks interspersed with the individual collection, the milk from each treatment was taken separately in order of treatment for the production of fresh Minas cheese and yield evaluation. Data were submitted to analysis of variance in a randomized block design, using a significance coefficient of 5.0% and Tukey's test to compare treatments. No significant differences were observed for production, milk composition and cheese yield, but the supplemented animals showed a greater persistence of production, with a reduction in production from the beginning to the end in the smaller experiment when compared to the control treatment. Additives did not increase milk production and economic yield of cheeses, but improved lactation persistence.