ISSUE FOCUS 44 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE February 2024 “Fiber digestibility is a primary driver of feed efficiency, yielding performance, economic and sustainability benefits for dairy producers. Recently, extensive progress has been made in understanding the critical role that branched-chain volatile fatty acids (BCVFAs), also known as isoacids, play in improving the dairy cow’s ability to digest fibrous feedstuffs. However, in certain circumstances, cows are unable to meet their BCVFA requirements through the normal process of protein breakdown. This provides the opportunity for BCVFA supplementation to improve fiber digestion and performance.” Today’s marketplace pressures demand dairy producers do more with less as it is more important than ever for cows and operations to be productive, efficient and profitable while being sustainable. Fortunately, the dairy cow has a unique ability to turn fibrous human-inedible feedstuffs into milk via a beautiful, yet complex, digestive process. However, high producing dairy cows need a combination of human-inedible forages and fermentable carbohydrates to achieve their productive potential and yield the milk needed by our growing human population. Therefore, with greater focus on rumen function and efficiency, the dairy industry has the opportunity to provide greater output with less input. Improving fiber digestibility is key to unlocking greater efficiency by ensuring fiber-digesting bacteria in the rumen have adequate levels of required nutrients. THE ROLE OF BCVFAs IN FIBER DIGESTION First, we must understand how the rumen functions and for many nutritionists this may seem like an old story, but there are new insights. As we know, fiber digesting bacteria breakdown forages to make volatile fatty acids (VFAs) and microbial protein which the cow then utilizes to make milk, replenish her energy stores and/or to supply nutrients to her growing fetus. But did you know fiber-digesting bacteria rely upon amylolytic, or starch- and sugar-digesting bacteria to complete proteolysis of rumen degradable protein (RDP) – the protein breakdown process to release peptides, amino acids and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs). The same amylolytic bacteria then deaminate and decarboxylate (remove the amino and carboxyl groups) the BCAAs, releasing branchedchain volatile fatty acids. In other words, the rumen breaks down RDP through a complex process, eventually producing BCVFAs that are required by rumen bacteria for fiber digestion. BCVFAs are formed when the BCAAs (leucine, isoleucine and THE ESSENTIAL NUTRIENTS THAT DRIVE FIBER DIGESTIBILITY Dana Tomlinson, Ph.D. Global Technical Services Zinpro IsoFerm
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