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Evonik Animal Nutrition
Additional Methionine for the Transition Phase
Published: April 24, 2019
By: Dr. Claudia Parys
Methionine is a nutritional and functional essential amino acid. Supplementation during the transition phase and at the beginning of lactation improves the health status and performance of high-producing dairy cows.
The transition phase is the most critical period in the production cycle of dairy cows and is characterized by a challenged immune system. Factors which have an influence on this are for example stress due to re-grouping, changes in the ration, parturition and the start of lactation. Therefore, most diseases will occur during this phase and nutrition plays a key role in supporting the immune system and ensuring overall health. Applying the right feeding strategy can help support optimum immune functioning and the health status of the animal, which will ensure a good start into lactation. During the last few years, the supplementation of rumen-protected amino acids, especially methionine, has become more and more important in transition cow nutrition.
In the majority of high-producing dairy cow rations, methionine is the first limiting amino acid, meaning it determines performance. In addition, methionine plays an important role in overall metabolism and is responsible for maintaining several immune functions.
Methionine is proven to reduce inflammation and oxidative stress as well as to enhance milk production
The research group of the University of Illinois (Batistel et al., 2017) has investigated the effect of feeding a rumen protected methionine (Mepron®, Evonik Nutrition & Care GmbH, 60 % metabolizable methionine) during the transition phase and up to 60 days in milk (DIM). In total 60 cows were assigned equally to two treatments, either the control and or the trial group. The composition of the ration was the same for both groups, except for the supplementation of protected methionine in the trial group (at 0.09 % of DM prepartum and 0.1 % of DM postpartum). The supplementation used ensured a Lysine : Methionine ratio of 2.8 : 1.
In addition to the performance parameters, blood samples were taken before and after calving to measure different biomarkers of liver function, inflammation and oxidative stress.
During the transition phase, the metabolic activity of the liver increases remarkably, to ensure an optimal nutrient supply for milk synthesis. Therefore, cows with a healthy liver function are able to overcome the transition phase without encountering any bigger problems. The liver synthesizes proteins and enzymes which can be measured as biomarkers of liver function in the blood. Cholesterol (responsible for the stabilization of cell membranes and maintaining nervous function) and paraoxanase (an enzyme with anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties) are examples of two such biomarkers. Compared to the control group, the cows in the trial group had significantly higher levels of paraoxanase and cholesterol in blood after calving. Elevated levels of cholesterol can be partly explained by the higher dry matter intake of the trial group; but combined with the higher levels of paraoxanase, these values demonstrate that the addition of Mepron® enhanced liver function. Furthermore, the additional metabolizable methionine as a result of the Mepron® supplementation had a positive impact on different biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress. In addition, blood NEFA levels of the cows in the Mepron® group declined by 25 %.
These results indicate that the addition of rumen-protected methionine has a positive impact on the health status of high-performing dairy cows and in addition, the weaning weights of calves were also improved.
The increase in dry matter intake as well as in performance can be explained by the better health status of the animals. Methionine supplementation increased dry matter intake in the trial group by 1.4 kg on average, resulting in an increase of daily milk yield of about 4 kg during the first 60 DIM. A higher milk yield at peak production consequently leads to a better performance during the entire lactation. Economic calculations have shown that due to the addition of Mepron®, income over feed costs (IOFC) increased by approximately 40 € per cow during the transition phase and the first 60 DIM.
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26 de mayo de 2020
Hi Luis,
You are right, we now know methionine plays a role in hepatic lipid metabolism, and in reproduction by influencing the accumulation of fatty acids that supply energy and are essential to fertility in the endometrium. Reduction of methionine is also established as a novel cellular mechanism for regulating oxidation which is important under conditions of oxidative stress in transition cows.
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17 de mayo de 2020
Hazem,
You are right, protected amino acids are costly and there must be justifiable return on investment. I probably would not use it for cows yielding less than 8000lt. In any case, if you can determine the amount of yield of rumen microbial protein and compare that will milk output you tell whether or not the cow needs rumen protected amino acids. You also need to look at the whole diet and the RUP supply.
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6 de abril de 2020
Thank you Claudia. Very interesting observations. In our organisation we have developed a product that combines rumen inert methionine, choline, glycerine, C18:1 and glycerine together with vitamin E and organic selenium and the results are equally exciting.
Have you considered combining methionine with histidine?
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21 de octubre de 2022
Iam interesting to discuss about methionine and its vital role during transition phase.
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21 de octubre de 2022
It is an important article in dairy cows and sharing necessary information for solving challenges during transition period.
My question is what the effect of methionine supplementation on heamato- biochemical profiles?
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5 de junio de 2020
Sir, I do enjoy every bit of you discussion but I am a novist on level. However its highly interesting as it keeps me busy brain stormy. Thanks
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Mepron®
Mepron® of Evonik Animal Nutrition is the rumen-protected source of methionine for ruminants with time-dependent release.
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19 de mayo de 2020
Hazem,
Cows do have a requirement for nitrogen in the rumen and for metabolizable amino acids in the intestine, the art of formulating a diet is precisely to cover these requirements in the most profitable possible way.
Mepron or any other protected amino acid is an amino acid, it is not a protein and it is not NPN, and it does not need to be, and it is intended to deliver its payload in the intestine, not to have an effect in the rumen (therefore, the word "protected").
A high producing cow rumen is just not capable of producing enough Methionine to cover its needs. Here it is the point where it comes RUP as Joe Magadi very rightly says, and the use of protected amino acids can be profitable at this stage.
Apart from the pure milk production (kgs, and fat and protein content) Methionine has other metabolic roles than can be very important in the transition stage.
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16 de mayo de 2020
Claudia Parys
No one can deny that the vital role of rumen protected methionine, but the main challenge of using protected amino acids are very costly. I think that if the ration are balanced for amino acids and covered for limited amino acids, it will be decreased the feed costs.
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28 de abril de 2020
It is a very important and interesting discussion about dairy cows. We are pleased with you.
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11 de abril de 2020
This amino acid didn't require atall
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