Method to enhance choline bioavailability and milk choline concentrations, and reduce methane in the lactating dairy cow

Moonshot Award

Patent or Technology Development

Abstract

Choline is a key micronutrient needed to support growth, lactation, and reproduction in mammals. In dairy cattle, enhancing absorbed choline increases milk production and improve liver health. However, choline is rapidly degraded in the rumen of the cow. The industry developed rumen-protected choline (RPC), which is choline chloride coated in hardened vegetable fat. However, the bioavailability within RPC is low and inconsistent. To address this problem, our goal was to study a novel method to block ruminal choline degradation in the cow. At Cornell, we performed a study in the Animal Respiration Chambers evaluating the effects of feeding a technology that inhibits the ruminal degradation of choline. 

Over a 6-d experimental period, we utilized 12 lactating Holstein dairy cows and evaluated the effects of 2 feeding levels of our technology in the absence or presence of unprotected choline chloride in the diet. We were able to observe a robust increase in ruminal, plasma, and milk choline concentrations. The addition of choline chloride enhanced ruminal and plasma choline concentrations and milk choline yields. 

We conclude that our novel approach to block ruminal choline degradation is a means to enhance choline bioavailability in the dairy cow.