PHOTO: MARK PASVEER
NUTRITION ▶▶▶
The value of nutraceuticals
The consumption of dairy products is seeing an upward trend, especially in developed countries. In 2020, EU dairies processed almost 150 million tonnes of raw milk (cows, ewes, goats and buffalo), with two thirds of all whole milk used for the production of cheese and butter. Meeting global demand is vital, and precision feeding is increasingly important. Here, we take a look at nutraceuticals and their value.
BY DJIONIS SAVVA, FREELANCE CORRESPONDENT P
recision livestock feeding is among the highest pri- ority topics concerning agriculture and the animal feed industry. Dairy farming has evolved in many as- pects, including genetics, housing and equipment,
market demand analysis, consumer awareness and purchase behaviour, procurement and logistics, food biosecurity, branding and marketing and business financials. Although the animal nutrition industry has reached very good levels of supplying farms with nutritional solutions, improvement of cows’ genetic value continues to challenge dairy farmers and nutritionists. This is because further applied nutrition is need- ed due to increasing milk yield followed by increasing nutri- tional and welfare requirements. In addition, the challenge is to shift this productivity under environmentally aligned strategies to promote sustainability. It is well accepted that on-field response, economic return and research availability of feed additives have successfully altered productivity and farm efficacy mainly due to reduc- tion of metabolic diseases, improved reproductivity and other health-related indexes. Feed additives are feed ingredients that can have a desired animal response role (other than their nutrient role) such as pH shift, growth or as metabolic modifi- ers (Hutjens 1991). Their importance is under increasing and continuous global attention as more and more companies in- vest in supplementary additive feeding development, rather than pharmaceuticals. A number of studies have shown that several feed additives can have a “nutraceutical effect” by im- proving cows’ longevity, lowering energy and protein waste and decreasing environmental footprint due to minimising excretion of undigested nutrients and carbon (Sirohi et al.
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2010, Cannizzo et al. 2012, Pan et al. 2016, Veena et al. 2018, Mobeen et al. 2019).
Why are nutraceuticals so important? A nutraceutical is any nutritional additive, concentrate, me- tabolite, constituent, extract and/or combination thereof used to manipulate production potential while limiting occurrence of metabolic diseases. Several studies focus on processed feed ingredients and their use as nutrients and die- tary supplements. Such ingredients are dietary fats and fibres, functional peptides and amino acids, pro- and prebiotics, polyunsaturated fatty acids, vitamins and trace elements, an- tioxidants and active compounds from herbs (phytobiotics). Nutraceuticals, in addition to their nutritional value, could work as a catalyst for nutritionists under several different circumstances in the livestock production cycle, to control (re)productivity, farm efficacy and farm financials. Considering animal welfare is a must for premium dairy prod- ucts. Dairy nutritionists all over the world should be able to advise further on the valuable and multifunctional effects of nutraceuticals, including their antioxidant, anti-inflammato- ry, antimicrobial and cell survival effects for several tissues. The complexity of their effects in cows’ physiology should promote future studies for their use and role in modern dairy farming.
Multi-targeted use The dairy production cycle can be described by a number of metabolic, endocrine, physiologic, immune, reproductive and behavioural adaptations. The higher the genetic poten- tial of an individual cow, the higher the risk of metabolic disturbances. Metabolic disorders and reproductive dys- functions consequently affect return on investment per cow, with balanced rations being the only preventive solu- tion nutritionists still have to offer. Nutraceuticals’ potential is cumulative and supportive in dairy rations for the meta- bolic activity of the rumen, liver, mammary glands and gut as well as their indirect role in the immune system. To un- derstand their value, we simply need to evaluate the chal- lenges and benefits of precise use of certain combinations of feed additives in crucial periods of the production cycle of cows. The perinatal period in dairy farming can be described as a
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