Effects Of β-carotene Supplementation In Diet On Production Performance And Antioxidant Index Of Dairy Cows

In this paper,three experiments were conducted to study the effect of different levels ofβ-carotene on performance,blood and tissue antioxidant performance of dairy cows.20 healthy Holstein cows with similar body weight and parity were selected and completely randomized into 4 groups.The control group was fed the basal diet without the addition ofβ-carotene.The three experimental groups added β-carotene 0.6 g,1.2 g,and 1.8 g to the basal diet per cow per day.The trial period totaled 165 days and the overdue period was 15 days.Trial I: Effect of different levels of dietary β-carotene on the performance of dairy cows.The results showed that adding 1.8 g of β-carotene to each cow’s daily diet can significantly increase milk production.Adding 0.6 to 1.2 g can increase milk vitamin A and beta-carotene content and reduce milk somatic cell count.Test 2: Effect of different levels of β-carotene on dietary cow’s blood anti-oxidation index.The results showed that adding 1.2-1.8 g β-carotene per day of cow diet can increase the total antioxidant capacity,glutathione peroxidase,catalase and superoxide dismutase activity,and glutathione of dairy cows.Glycopeptide content decreased plasma malondialdehyde concentrations and concentrations of various oxidative stress indicators.Trial 3: Effects of different levels of dietary β-carotene on the antioxidant parameters of dairy cows.The results showed that adding 0.6-1.2 g β-carotene per day per cow diet increased total antioxidant capacity,glutathione peroxidase,catalase and superoxide dismutase activity,and glutathione Peptide content,which reduces the concentration of malondialdehyde in the tissue,can increase vitamin A content and beta-carotene content.In summary,adding 0.6 g β-carotene per cow per day can increase total solids and milk protein in colostrum,increase total solids and lactose content in normal milk,and effectively reduce the number of somatic cells and antioxidant capacity in tissues.Adding1.2g β-carotene per cow per day can increase milk fat percentage and lactose in colostrum,increase milk fat and milk protein content in normal milk,increase vitamin A andβ-carotene content in body,and significantly increase plasma β-carotene content.Adding1.8g of β-carotene per cow per day can increase the milk production and lactation efficiency of dairy cows,and can significantly increase the antioxidant capacity of the organism to significantly increase the content of vitamin A and β-carotene in the tissues.