A rumen-protected coating on a feed product that’s been fed for 15 years to chickens and pigs shows promise to move stubbornly intractable feed efficiency rates in dairy cows. Pathway Intermediates USA’s flagship product Lipidol is now available with a rumen-protected coating that allows it to pass through the rumen into the small intestine and improve nutrient absorption rates.
“We’ve conducted two research trials and several field trials on commercial dairy farms, and based on the results, we can confidently say we’ve seen consistently positive responses, especially in energy-corrected milk yield and also feed efficiency,” says Dr. Chansol Park, product manager for Pathway Intermediates USA.
Trial results performed at a research farm in Wisconsin showed the feed additive produced an increase in feed efficiency of 6.1% and an increase in energy-corrected milk production of 5.2% (about 10 pounds).
Park says research done in other species proves the increase in feed efficiency seen in the recent trial comes from the rumen-protected feed additive’s ability to increase nutrient absorption in the small intestine of the cow. A lesson in digestion is helpful to understand how the product affects nutrient absorption.
Phospholipids are the base molecules of the cell membrane that line the small intestine of livestock. A typical phospholipid has two fatty acid tails. Pathway Intermediates USA has created a technology to produce a lysophospholipid with just one fatty acid tail. Lipidol Protect is a single-tail phospholipid.
When a cow consumes the product, its rumen-protected coating helps it get past the rumen and into the small intestine of the cow. There it goes into, becomes part of and increases the fluidity of the cell membrane, making it softer and easier for nutrients to go through the membrane and be absorbed into the body.
“Lysophospholipids don’t have any nutritional value,” Park says. “But what they do in the diet is to help other nutrients be better absorbed after digestion.”
That’s why the product has an impact on feed efficiency in addition to milk production or components. It’s helping cows get more nutrients from feed consumed.
The results of the company’s initial research trial in dairy cows piqued the interest of Dr. Dave Brown, a consulting dairy nutritionist in Colorado. He worked with Pathway Intermediates USA to design a field trial and feed the product on two of his clients’ large-herd, commercial farms.
“With the phenomenal research results that they were reporting, I thought, ‘Man, if we get half of that on-farm, it would be a pretty big deal,’” Brown says.
His farms – one in Colorado and one in Texas – fed the product in their total mixed ration (TMR) for 90 days and then compared their milk production and feed efficiency to production data from the same period over three prior years.
“We did find significant differences in energy-corrected milk production – from 4 to 5 pounds of milk increase,” Brown says. “Intakes were similar to lower statistically, and feed efficiency on both dairies were significantly improved compared to months from previous years.”
Brown says to find such a significant increase in milk production and feed efficiency (5% to 8%) in such a short period of time is “remarkable.”
“We can do a lot of things to increase feed intake and get more milk, but the ratio of feed conversion tends to stay stuck … To have a response in 90 days and move those numbers that much is a big deal, and it’s unlikely to have occurred randomly,” Brown says.
Another interesting finding in both research trials was an increase in preformed fatty acid production in sampled milk. It increased by 8% to 10% when cows began consuming the product. Park says he believes that these preformed fatty acids are a biomarker, proving the effect the product is having on milk production.
“When you put something new in a ration, and you feed it for a few months, you sometimes wonder if it is still working. This biomarker might be a signature to prove it is working. I like that just as a consultant,” Brown says.
Both of Brown’s clients chose to continue feeding the product after the trial was over and have fed the new product continuously for nearly a year now.
The commercial cost of the product is 15 cents per cow per day; even at that price, the company says the product is priced at a 3x or better return on investment.
“The product is still less than two years old in the dairy market,” Park explains. “Introductory pricing may be available to dairies with the right set of historical data for a field trial who are willing to try the product and exchange their resulting milk production and feed efficiency data.”
