When dairy cows are fed diets with reduced protein concentrations—aimed at decreased environmental nitrogen pollution from their manure such as nitrate leaching, nutrient-laden run-off and ammonia volatilization—their milk production can suffer. Supplementing the amino acid histidine may help in maintaining, and even increasing, milk and milk-protein yields.
When dairy cows are fed diets with reduced protein concentrations—aimed at decreased environmental nitrogen pollution from their manure such as nitrate leaching, nutrient-laden run-off and ammonia volatilization—their milk production can suffer. Supplementing the amino acid histidine may help in maintaining, and even increasing, milk and milk-protein yields.
That’s the conclusion of a study conducted by an international research team led by Alexander Hristov, Penn State distinguished professor of dairy nutrition and a leading authority on greenhouse gas and other emissions from ruminant animals. The researchers published their findings in the Journal of Dairy Science.
Histidine is an essential amino acid for protein synthesis—the process that creates the molecules that help maintain biological functions and health in humans and animals, including dairy cows, Hristov explained.
