Influence of levels of DL-malic acid supplementation on milk production and composition in lactating Pelibuey ewes and pre-weaning weight gain of their suckling kids

Figures & data

Table 1. Ingredients and chemical composition of basal diet.

Item	MA0	MA2	MA4
Ingredient (% of DM basis)
Cracked corn	45.50	45.40	45.31
Canola meal	9.31	9.29	9.27
Soybean meal	4.70	4.69	4.68
Cane molasses	6.13	6.12	6.10
Corn straw	27.92	27.86	27.80
Minerals	3.07	3.06	3.06
Calcium	1.03	1.03	1.03
Sodium bicarbonate	0.81	0.81	0.81
Yellow grease	1.53	1.53	1.52
DL-malic acid^a	–	0.21	0.42
Chemical composition^b;
Net energy, Mcal/kg
ENm	1.81	1.80	1.80
ENL	1.71	1.71	1.71
Crude protein (%)	11.46	11.44	11.42
NDF (%)	27.04	26.98	26.93
ADF (%)	15.98	15.95	15.92
NSC (%)	56.35	56.23	56.12
EE (%)	4.33	4.42	4.32

^a Sigma-Aldrich, St. Louis, MO, USA.

^b Based on tabular values for individual feed ingredients (NRC 2007) with the exception of supplemental yellow grease, which was assigned NE_m and NE_g values of 6.03 and 4.79, respectively (Zinn 1988).

Table 2. Effect of DL-MA supplementation on DMI, milk yield and milk composition of Pelibuey ewes.

	Treatments^a
Item	MA0	MA2	MA4	SEM	Linear	Quadratic
DMI (g/wk)	13.120	13.137	13.207	999	0.95	0.98
Milk yield (mL/wk)	9.764	11.269	12.970	1.040	0.04	0.94
Milk efficiency^b	0.74	0.86	0.98	0.07	0.03	0.82
Milk composition (%)
Protein	5.7	5.5	5.25	0.24	0.24	0.79
Fat	5.2	6.5	5.02	0.58	0.82	0.08
Total solids	15.0	16.3	15.78	0.76	0.46	0.36
Organic matter	94.8	94.8	94.69	0.32	0.75	0.93
Milk energy value (kcal/g)^c	286	295	281	20.46	0.46	0.36
Milk components yield (g/wk)
Protein	557	620	681	49	0.02	0.62
Fat	508	732	651	70	0.14	0.11
Milk energy (Mcal/wk)	2.792	3.324	3.645	213	0.01	0.48
FCM^d	9.053	11.785	11.813	1.47	0.14	0.12
Milk efficiency (adjusted to FCM)	0.69	0.89	0.89	0.12	0.25	0.11

^a MA₀ = no malic acid supplementation, MA₂ = 2 g of MA/kg of feed, and MA₄ = 4 g of MA/kg of feed.

^b Grams of milk production divided by grams of DMI.

^c Energy, Kcal/g = [203.8 + (8.36 × fat%) + (6.29 × CP%)], Baldi et al. (1992).

^d FCM = 6% fat-corrected milk calculated as follows: milk, g/wk × (0.453+ 0.0912F%), Mavrogenis and Papachristoforou (1988).

Table 3. Average daily gain of suckling Pelibuey lambs (data registered from the second to the fifth week of age) from ewes supplemented with 0, 2 or 4 g of malic acid/kg of feed^a.

	Treatment
Item	MA0	MA2	MA4	SEM	Linear	Quadratic
Average daily gain (g/d)
1–14 days	188	200	219	18.8	0.24	0.87
14–28 days	155	189	246	18.0	<0.01	0.62
1–28 days	170	195	232	14.1	<0.01	0.74

MA₀ = no malic acid supplementation, MA₂ = 2 g of MA/kg of feed, and MA₄ = 4 g of MA/kg of feed.

^a Weights of lambs registered during last four weeks of the first five weeks of birth.

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