Effects of Dietary Rumen-Protected Choline Supplementation on Colostrum Yields, Quality, and Choline Metabolites from Dairy Cattle

Abstract

Choline is a kind of important and necessary nutrient for many animal species, which is always supplemented in the diet in order to support the postpartum health and production performance of periparturient dairy cows. Although choline and its metabolites have been characterized in milk, the effects of dietary rumen-protected choline (RPC) supplementation on choline metabolites in colostrum haven’t been explored. Recently, the effects and dose of dietary RPC supplementation on colostrum yields, quality and choline metabolites have been explored. Cows with three different doses of choline ions indicated that adding dietary choline can increase the amount of colostrum without affecting the quality of colostrum. In addition, dietary choline supplementation increased phosphocholine concentrations from cows calving for the second time. However, it had no effect on phosphocholine concentrations in colostrum from older cows, which suggested that there may be parity preference for choline metabolic pathways. Finally, dietary choline supplementation increased trimethylamine N-oxide concentrations.