Diet supplementation with omega-3 affect reproductive traits and milk yield of lactating dairy cows
dc.contributor.author | Paez Hurtado, Santiago Andres | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2023-11-13T14:54:53Z | |
dc.date.available | 2023-11-13T14:54:53Z | |
dc.date.graduationmonth | December | en_US |
dc.date.published | 2023 | en_US |
dc.description.abstract | Fatty acids can modulate important functions including metabolic pathways, health, and reproduction. Supplementation with fatty acids is a common and efficient practice to supply energy to the dairy cow. Several ingredients in dairy cattle diets, however, are rich in omega-6 fatty acids, with only a few ingredients supplying omega-3 fatty acids to the diet. This situation can create an imbalance that can impact milk production and reproduction because omega-6 fatty acids are related to pro-inflammatory responses, whereas omega-3 fatty acids are related to anti-inflammatory responses. In the first chapter of this thesis, a literature review of fatty acid classification, common sources of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, important roles of fatty acids in cattle, and effects of omega-3 supplementation in milk production and reproduction elaborate on the importance of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. In the second chapter, one experiment is described, which assessed effects of omega-3 supplementation on milk, oocyte quality, in vitro embryo quality, and in vivo conceptus development during the first 2 months of pregnancy in high milk-producing Holstein cows. In this experiment, 22 primiparous and 28 multiparous cows were enrolled weekly at 15 DIM and randomly assigned to either of two diets with different omega-6:omega3 (n6:n3) ratios: Control (6:1 n6:n3, n = 25) or Omega-3 (2:1 n6:n3, n = 25) and randomly allocated to 6 pens to consume the specific diet until approximately140 DIM. We showed that omega-3 supplementation might help improve milk production in multiparous cows and increase quality of milk by reducing somatic cell count and n6:n3 ratio. Furthermore, we showed that omega-3 supplementation can impact pregnancy per AI by enhancing oocyte quality, cleavage rate, corpus luteum function, and placentation. | en_US |
dc.description.advisor | Victor Gomez Leon | en_US |
dc.description.degree | Master of Science | en_US |
dc.description.department | Department of Animal Sciences and Industry | en_US |
dc.description.level | Masters | en_US |
dc.description.sponsorship | NBO3 Technologies, Global Food System 2021 Seed Grant program, and the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. | en_US |
dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/2097/43569 | |
dc.language.iso | en_US | en_US |
dc.subject | Omega-3 | en_US |
dc.subject | Embryo | en_US |
dc.subject | Reproduction | en_US |
dc.title | Diet supplementation with omega-3 affect reproductive traits and milk yield of lactating dairy cows | en_US |
dc.type | Thesis | en_US |