Interpretive Summary: Performance, blood parameters, ruminal fermentation and microbial community of dairy cows supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product from dry-off to early lactation
By: Yiming Xu, Jianxin Xiao, Yimin Zhuang, Duo Gao, Wen Jiang, Guobin Hou, Xinjie Zhao, Sumin Li, Tianyu Chen, Shangru Li, Siyuan Zhang, Yanting Huang, Shuai Liu, Ilkyu Yoon, Weina Shi, Mengmeng Li, Wei Wang, Shengli Li, Zhijun Cao
Dairy cows often face oxidative stress, inflammation, and immune issues when transitioning from dry-off to early lactation. Postbiotics like Saccharomyces cerevisiae fermentation product (SCFP)—composed of nonliving microorganisms and their components—benefit dairy cows’ production and immunity. This study assigned 200 Holstein cows to two groups: a control group (100 cows) fed a basal diet and an SCFP group (100 cows) given the basal diet plus 19 g/d of SCFP from 60 d prepartum to 60 d postpartum. Results showed the SCFP group had higher average milk yield (43.93 kg/d during treatment, 41.92 kg/d over 140 d postpartum) than the control. SCFP supplementation reduced prepartum serum ketone and fatty acid levels, increased antioxidant markers (eg, superoxide dismutase), and lowered inflammatory factors (eg, IL-1β) throughout the period. Overall, SCFP improved rumen health, alleviated oxidative stress and inflammation, and boosted milk production—with a sustained positive effect on milk yield even after stopping SCFP supplementation.
Read the full article in the Journal of Animal Science.
