Big benefits of sugars in rations

摘要

There's growing evidence of the benefits that ration sugars bring to rumen function and milk production, and a subsequent need to formulate rations to meet specific minimum sugar levels. Aside from the effects that high-sugar, sweet feed ingredients like molasses can have in simply encouraging the cow to eat more, feeding additional sugars is now thought to have a significant effect on both fibre digestion and microbial protein production, says KW technical manager Michael Marsden. "Based on researchwork carried out in the USA, for example, it appears that the fungi important inopening up fibre in the rumen ready for bacterial fermentation are stimulated by the addition of sugars. The fast rate at which sugars are broken down in the rumen also tends to more closely match the release of effective rumen degradable protein (ERDP)in the mmen, particularly when compared with other energy sources such as starch.