Volume 133, December 2015, Pages 77–81
Highlights
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- Vitamin E treatment improved milk fat content in nutritional restricted ewes.
Abstract
The
aim of this study was to test if supplemental vitamin E during late
gestation and early lactation to ewes facing a moderate nutritional
restriction and suckling lambs from different litter size and sex would
affect colostrum composition and milk yield and composition. Mature
Rambouillet ewes (n = 37, 22°N) receiving 70% of energy and 80%
of protein requirements were randomly assigned to either of two
treatments: intramuscular injections of vitamin E (VitE; n = 20, 4 IU vitamin E kg−1 of live weight) in weekly intervals from 50 days before partition until 60 days of lactation, and control (CON; n = 17, without VitE treatment). While colostrum protein and fat concentrations did not differ between treatments (P > 0.05), lactose content favoured to the VitE-ewes (1.9% vs. 1.2%, P < 0.001). Colostrum protein concentration was affected by litter size favouring to twin lambs (14.3% vs. 17.3%, P < 0.05). In addition, litter size tended to affect lactose content, favouring to those ewes suckling twins (1.4% vs. 1.8%, P = 0.08). The average milk yield was 2039 g day−1, without differences (P > 0.05)
between treatments and litter size. The average milk concentrations of
protein, lactose and solids-non-fat did not differ (P > 0.05) between treatments. Yet, milk fat content favour to the VitE-ewes (5.7% vs. 5.2%, P < 0.05). Milk concentrations of protein, fat, lactose and solids-non-fat were not affected (P > 0.05) by litter size. Non-significant treatment × litter size interactions (P > 0.05)
were observed for milk yield, milk compositions of protein, fat and
lactose and solids-non-fat. When the nutritional requirements are not
met, treatment of vitamin E to ewes during late gestation and early
lactation might be an strategy to improve the quality of both colostrum
(>lactose) and milk (>fat).
Keywords
- Nutritional restriction;
- Vitamin E;
- Colostrum composition;
- Milk production and composition
Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
