Responses to a nutritional supplement of lactating buffaloes exposed to hot weather conditions
Recent studies focus on animal welfare, heat stress (HS), climate change, and enteric methane (CH4) emissions from livestock. To mitigate HS effects and reduce CH4 emissions, various strategies exist. This study evaluated a commercial nutritional supplement in lactating dairy buffaloes during summer...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2025-12-01
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| Series: | Italian Journal of Animal Science |
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| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2025.2534010 |
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| author | Francesca Petrocchi Jasinski Chiara Evangelista Loredana Basiricò Miriam Iacurto Roberto Steri David Meo Zilio Umberto Bernabucci |
| author_facet | Francesca Petrocchi Jasinski Chiara Evangelista Loredana Basiricò Miriam Iacurto Roberto Steri David Meo Zilio Umberto Bernabucci |
| author_sort | Francesca Petrocchi Jasinski |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Recent studies focus on animal welfare, heat stress (HS), climate change, and enteric methane (CH4) emissions from livestock. To mitigate HS effects and reduce CH4 emissions, various strategies exist. This study evaluated a commercial nutritional supplement in lactating dairy buffaloes during summer, assessing its impact on diet digestibility, milk production, and CH4 emissions. The supplement contained yeast, capsaicin, Yucca schidigera, garlic, and other compounds. Fifty-seven buffaloes were divided into three groups: control (C) with a basal diet, and two groups receiving 100 g (T1) or 200 g (T2) of the supplement. TMR, faeces, and milk samples were collected, CH4 emissions were measured using a laser gun-type detector, and animal behaviour was monitored via ear-tag sensors. Results indicate that 100 g/head/d of nutritional supplement improved milk yield (p < 0.01, MY = 8.51 L/head/d) and quality, especially the clotting parameter (p < 0.01, RCT = 19.02 min, a30 = 28.99 mm), diet digestibility (p < 0.01) for dry matter (69.12%), crude protein (67.23%), aNDF (62.39%), and starch (97.38%), and animal welfare compared with the control group (MY = 7.92 L/head/d, RCT = 20.01 min, a30 = 28.23 mm, and 60.47%, 57.80%, 50.87% and 96.31% for DM, CP, aNDF, and starch digestibility) and may help animals to counteract the deleterious effects of HS. Moreover, the nutritional supplement decreases (p < 0.05) CH4 emissions (376.28 and 404.68 g/head/d for T1 and C, respectively). Higher doses (i.e., 200 g/head/d) had significant deleterious effects such as worse digestibility, lower milk quality compared lower doses, and did not reduce CH4 as T1. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e55da48e63c843f29c7990f575819626 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1594-4077 1828-051X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-12-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Italian Journal of Animal Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-e55da48e63c843f29c7990f5758196262025-08-20T02:57:07ZengTaylor & Francis GroupItalian Journal of Animal Science1594-40771828-051X2025-12-012411557157210.1080/1828051X.2025.25340102534010Responses to a nutritional supplement of lactating buffaloes exposed to hot weather conditionsFrancesca Petrocchi Jasinski0Chiara Evangelista1Loredana Basiricò2Miriam Iacurto3Roberto Steri4David Meo Zilio5Umberto Bernabucci6Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, University of TusciaDipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, University of TusciaDipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, University of TusciaConsiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria, centro di ricerca in zootecnia e acquacolturaConsiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria, centro di ricerca in zootecnia e acquacolturaConsiglio per la ricerca in agricoltura e l’analisi dell’economia agraria, centro di ricerca in zootecnia e acquacolturaDipartimento di Scienze Agrarie e Forestali, University of TusciaRecent studies focus on animal welfare, heat stress (HS), climate change, and enteric methane (CH4) emissions from livestock. To mitigate HS effects and reduce CH4 emissions, various strategies exist. This study evaluated a commercial nutritional supplement in lactating dairy buffaloes during summer, assessing its impact on diet digestibility, milk production, and CH4 emissions. The supplement contained yeast, capsaicin, Yucca schidigera, garlic, and other compounds. Fifty-seven buffaloes were divided into three groups: control (C) with a basal diet, and two groups receiving 100 g (T1) or 200 g (T2) of the supplement. TMR, faeces, and milk samples were collected, CH4 emissions were measured using a laser gun-type detector, and animal behaviour was monitored via ear-tag sensors. Results indicate that 100 g/head/d of nutritional supplement improved milk yield (p < 0.01, MY = 8.51 L/head/d) and quality, especially the clotting parameter (p < 0.01, RCT = 19.02 min, a30 = 28.99 mm), diet digestibility (p < 0.01) for dry matter (69.12%), crude protein (67.23%), aNDF (62.39%), and starch (97.38%), and animal welfare compared with the control group (MY = 7.92 L/head/d, RCT = 20.01 min, a30 = 28.23 mm, and 60.47%, 57.80%, 50.87% and 96.31% for DM, CP, aNDF, and starch digestibility) and may help animals to counteract the deleterious effects of HS. Moreover, the nutritional supplement decreases (p < 0.05) CH4 emissions (376.28 and 404.68 g/head/d for T1 and C, respectively). Higher doses (i.e., 200 g/head/d) had significant deleterious effects such as worse digestibility, lower milk quality compared lower doses, and did not reduce CH4 as T1.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2025.2534010heat stressdairy buffaloesmilk qualitydigestibilityenteric methane emission |
| spellingShingle | Francesca Petrocchi Jasinski Chiara Evangelista Loredana Basiricò Miriam Iacurto Roberto Steri David Meo Zilio Umberto Bernabucci Responses to a nutritional supplement of lactating buffaloes exposed to hot weather conditions Italian Journal of Animal Science heat stress dairy buffaloes milk quality digestibility enteric methane emission |
| title | Responses to a nutritional supplement of lactating buffaloes exposed to hot weather conditions |
| title_full | Responses to a nutritional supplement of lactating buffaloes exposed to hot weather conditions |
| title_fullStr | Responses to a nutritional supplement of lactating buffaloes exposed to hot weather conditions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Responses to a nutritional supplement of lactating buffaloes exposed to hot weather conditions |
| title_short | Responses to a nutritional supplement of lactating buffaloes exposed to hot weather conditions |
| title_sort | responses to a nutritional supplement of lactating buffaloes exposed to hot weather conditions |
| topic | heat stress dairy buffaloes milk quality digestibility enteric methane emission |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1828051X.2025.2534010 |
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