Association between chitosan and sources of unsaturated fatty acids improvement the ruminal fermentation, omasal outflow and rumen dynamics of lactating Jersey cows.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of chitosan (CH), with or without the inclusion of unsaturated fatty acid (UFA) sources, on intake and digestibility, ruminal fermentation, microbial protein synthesis, nitrogen balance, blood metabolites, milk production and composition, and ruminal dynamics and flow in lactating Jersey cows. Five rumen-fistulated Jersey cows [average days in milk = 105 ± 45 days; milk production = 18.0 ± 0.47 kg/day; body weight = 350 ± 25 kg] were used in a 5 × 5 Latin square design with 21-day periods. Five experimental diets were evaluated: (1) Control (CON), basal diet including 30 g/kg of palm oil; (2) (SOCH-) inclusion of 30 g/kg soybean oil (SO) without CH; (3) (WSCH-) inclusion of 160 g/kg whole raw soybeans (WS) without CH; (4) (SOCH+) inclusion of 30 g/kg SO and 2 g/kg CH; (5) (WSCH+) inclusion of 160 g/kg WS and 2 g/kg CH. There was a CH and UFA interaction effect on acetate (C2) concentration (p = 0.005), propionate (C3) concentration (p = 0.008), the C2:C3 ratio (p < 0.001), and the milk fat content of trans-9 C18:1 fatty acid (FA) (p = 0.004). The inclusion of SO, with or without CH, proved to be more active in improving ruminal fermentation patterns by increasing propionate concentration. Furthermore, incorporating SO into the diets of lactating Jersey cows increased CLA, particularly cis-9, trans-11, in milk fat, offering health benefits. We recommend further research to assess the effects of UFA supplementation in combination with CH.