ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Vet. Sci.
Sec. Animal Nutrition and Metabolism
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Horizons in Gut Microbiome Research for Enhancing Livestock ProductivityView all 40 articles
Effects of Feeding High-moisture Corn on Milk Quality, Serum Antioxidant Indices and Intestinal Microflora of Chinese Holstein Cows
Provisionally accepted
Tong Li
Yongkuo LiSubinur AbduliLinhai SongBuweiaizar Maimetimin
Shao WeiLiang YangYong Wei
Wanping Ren*- Xinjiang Agricultural University, Ürümqi, China
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This study investigated the effects of replacing steam-flaked corn (SFC) with high-moisture corn (HMC) in the diet of Chinese Holstein dairy cows. Forty mid-lactation cows (parity 2–3) were randomly assigned to two groups: a control (YPFY) diet containing 6.41% SFC, and an treatment (GSFY) diet where SFC was isoenergetically and isonitrogenously replaced by 7.79% HMC. The experiment included a 10-day adaptation followed by a 60-day feeding period. Milk components, serum antioxidant enzymes, and gut microbiota were assessed. Results showed that although milk yield was unaffected, the GSFY group exhibited a marked increase in milk fat percentage (P < 0.01), while lactose, protein, and solids-not-fat showed non-significant decreasing trends. Serum antioxidant capacity was significantly enhanced in the GSFY group, as indicated by elevated activities of superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and catalase (P < 0.05). While gut microbial alpha diversity was unchanged, beta diversity revealed significant structural separation. HMC feeding increased the abundance of Bacteroidota but decreased Firmicutes_A and Actinobacteriota at the phylum level. At the genus level, Paraprevotella and Succinivibrio were enriched, whereas Prevotella and Faecousia were reduced (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis indicated a strong link between these microbial shifts and milk composition. In conclusion, HMC serves as a superior alternative to SFC, improving milk fat, enhancing systemic antioxidant status, and positively modulating the gut microbiota to optimize milk component synthesis in Chinese Holstein cows.
Keywords: antioxidant capacity, Chinese Holstein Dairy Cows, High-moisture corn, Intestinal microbial flora, Milk quality, Serum antioxidant indices
Received: 26 Oct 2025; Accepted: 30 Dec 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Li, Li, Abduli, Song, Maimetimin, Wei, Yang, Wei and Ren. 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: Wanping Ren
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