ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Food Microbiology
This article is part of the Research TopicExplore the Milk Microbiome: Nutritional Strategies to Enhance Dairy Production and Milk QualityView all 4 articles
Effects of different Lactobacillus plantarum strains supplementation on milk performance, rumen fermentation and microbiota in dairy cows
Provisionally accepted
- 1Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- 2Nanjing Agricultural University, Nanjing, China
- 3Zhejiang Zhongxing Animal Husbandry Technology Co., Ltd, Wenzhou, China
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This study combined in vitro and in vivo experiments to evaluate the effects of three Lactobacillus plantarum strains (AP 6-5, 18-5-5, and Y2-2-3) on rumen fermentation, microbiota composition, and productive performance in lactating Holstein cows. In the in vitro trial, rumen fluid from three fistulated cows was incubated with TMR substrate supplemented with each strain (1 × 10⁷ CFU/mL) at 39°C for 24 h. Compared with the CON, strains AP 6-5 and 18-5-5 reduced ruminal lactate and acetate concentrations, and strain 18-5-5 further decreased microbial crude protein (MCP). In the in vivo trial, forty-four cows were randomly assigned to four groups: a control (CON) and three treatment groups receiving 5 × 10¹⁰ CFU/d of strains AP 6-5 (AJT), 18-5-5 (NM), or Y2-2-3 (LP42) for 28 days after a 7-day adaptation. The NM group showed the highest DMI, milk yield, and lactose content, while the LP42 group had higher valeric acid concentration and fecal pH. Rumen microbiota analysis indicated enrichment of pathways related to carbohydrate utilization (NM) and protein metabolism (LP42). Overall, supplementation with L. plantarum, particularly strain 18-5-5, improved nutrient intake, milk production, and rumen microbial function in lactating cows.
Keywords: dairy cows, Lactobacillus plantarum, Milk Performance, Rumen bacterialcommunity, Rumen fermentation
Received: 23 Dec 2025; Accepted: 16 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Zhang, Zhang, Duan, ZHOU and Xiao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Jiyou Zhang
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