ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fvets.2025.1629571
This article is part of the Research TopicDietary Supplements for Optimizing Rumen Health and Nutrient Digestibility in LivestockView all 12 articles
Effects of α-Amylase Supplementation on Production Performance, Blood Metabolites, Nutrient Digestibility, and Rumen Fermentation Parameters of Holstein Dairy Cows in Late Lactation
Provisionally accepted
- 1Youran Dairy Co., Ltd, Hohhot, China
- 2Anhui Science and Technology University, Chuzhou, China
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Current research on dairy cows primarily focuses on peak lactation, with limited exploration of late lactation. This study investigated the effects of α-amylase supplementation on production performance, blood metabolites, nutrient digestibility, and rumen fermentation in late-lactation Holstein cows. Thirty cows (average milk yield: 37.48 ± 1.63 kg; parity: 2.44 ± 0.70; lactation days: 210.17 ± 2.20) were randomly divided into two groups: the control group (CON) received a basal diet, while the experimental group (AM) was supplemented with 15 g/day α-amylase for 7 weeks (1week adaptation + 6-week trial). Results showed that α-amylase significantly increased milk yield, energy-corrected milk (ECM), and milk protein yield (p < 0.01) and improved fat-corrected milk (p < 0.05). Milk protein content, total solids, and milk fat yield also tended to rise (p = 0.061, p =0.067, p =0.091, respectively). No significant differences were observed in dry matter intake (DMI), feed efficiency, or somatic cell count. Serum amylase concentration increased markedly in the AM group (p < 0.01), while other blood parameters remained unchanged. Starch digestibility improved significantly (p < 0.05), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility showed a positive trend (p = 0.063). Rumen propionate concentration rose significantly (p < 0.05), with no major changes in pH, ammonia nitrogen, or acetate-topropionate ratio. In conclusion, α-amylase supplementation in late lactation enhances nutrient digestibility, modulates rumen fermentation, and improves production performance, offering metabolic regulation potential for extending high productivity in late-stage lactation.
Keywords: α-amylase, dairy cows in late lactation, Production performance, Blood metabolites, Rumen fermentation
Received: 16 May 2025; Accepted: 20 Jun 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhang, Li, Wang, Wang, Du, Xu, Liu and Li. 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:
Dian Wang, Youran Dairy Co., Ltd, Hohhot, China
Ying li Li, Youran Dairy Co., Ltd, Hohhot, China
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