Undegradable protein levels in diet on production and quality of milk in grazing water buffalo

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of diet supplementation with water undegradable protein (UDP) ration on milk yield and quality in low genetic potential buffalo on pasture. A total of 14 adult buffaloes of the Mediterranean race grazing Brachiaria brizantha cv Marandu grass were divided into two groups of seven each that have received two concentrated ration containing two levels of UDP (30% and 60%) in fixed amount of 3.2 kg/animal/d with during 90 days at the beginning and 90 at the end of lactation. The milk production was weighted individually everyday with weekly milk sampling for physical and chemical analyses. No differences were observed between treatments in the milk production and the physical and chemical characteristics of milk. However, the 60% of UDP supplement increased the production of milk corrected by the energy content (ECM) by 20% in early lactation and 22% by the end of lactation. Variations were observed in the milk yield and the physical and chemical characteristics of milk, mainly at the end of lactation along the lactation period, with better values in water buffaloes supplemented with 60% of rumen undegradable protein.