نوع مقاله : مقاله کامل علمی- پژوهشی
نویسندگان
پردیس کشاورزی و منابع طبیعی دانشگاه تهران، کرج
چکیده
کلیدواژهها
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
نویسندگان [English]
Background and Objective: Galactagogue herbal supplements containing licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), fennel (Foeniculum vulgare), and black seed (Nigella sativa) possess antioxidant, antimicrobial, and immune-modulating properties and are commonly used to enhance milk yield, improve milk quality, and alleviate heat stress in lactating cows. The present study was conducted to evaluate the effects of this herbal supplement on milk yield and composition, blood metabolites, and antioxidant status in Holstein dairy cows.
Materials and Methods: Sixteen multiparous lactating Holstein cows (third parity or higher) with an average body weight of 620 ± 15 kg were assigned to a completely randomized design and divided into two experimental groups: a control group fed a basal diet and a treatment group fed the basal diet supplemented with 150 g/day of the herbal supplement. The feeding trial lasted 49 days postpartum. Cows were milked at 08:00, 16:00, and 24:00 h, and milk yield was recorded daily. Milk samples were collected at the end of weeks 1 to 7 to determine milk composition. Blood samples were obtained before the morning feeding on days 0, 25, and 49 using EDTA-containing vacutainer tubes. Blood parameters including glucose, triglycerides, total protein, blood urea nitrogen, cholesterol, total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) were analyzed. Data were analyzed using a repeated-measures statistical model.
Results: Milk yield was significantly higher in the treatment group (40.17 ± 0.403 kg/day) compared with the control group (38.57 ± 0.403 kg/day) (P < 0.001). During the experimental period, 4% fat-corrected milk (P = 0.002), lactose percentage (P = 0.0001), energy-corrected milk (P = 0.007), milk fat yield (P = 0.022), milk protein yield (P < 0.001), and total solids percentage (P = 0.0007) were significantly increased in the treatment group. At the end of the trial, milk protein percentage was significantly higher in the treated cows (2.92 ± 0.157%) than in the control cows (2.63 ± 0.157%), whereas no significant differences were observed for other milk components. The interaction between treatment and time resulted in a significant increase in dry matter intake in the treatment group. Among blood parameters, only the treatment × time interaction for alanine aminotransferase (ALT) was significant (P < 0.01), while other blood metabolites were not affected by the treatment. Furthermore, the herbal supplementation had no significant effect on antioxidant indices, including malondialdehyde, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and total antioxidant capacity.
Conclusion :The findings suggest that supplementation with the herbal additive during early lactation, accompanied by increased dry matter intake, may improve milk yield as well as selected milk components, particularly protein yield and percentage, fat yield, lactose percentage, and total solids in Holstein dairy cows.
کلیدواژهها [English]
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