Results in dairy cow nutrition based on amino acid balancing in Hungary.

Although the microorganisms inhabiting the rumen can build up all amino acids, great attention should be paid to the quality of protein supply provided to the host animal. This especially applies to intensive breeds of high milk yield. The microorganisms living in the rumen cannot synthesise all essential amino acids at the same rate. Therefore, in the practical nutrition of cattle, especially high-yielding dairy cows, it is necessary to use limiting amino acids and to adjust the amino acid balance. This will determine the rate of protein synthesis. For the microbial protein synthesised in the bovine rumen is the most deficient in methionine, followed by lysine and then threonine. Therefore, the ration of cattle breeds characterised by intensive metabolism and high milk production should in most cases be supplemented with methionine. It occurs primarily in the case of cornand soybean-based feeding that the crude protein taken up with the ration is deficient in methionine and requires methionine supplementation. This supplementation can be given in the form of methionine protected from ruminal breakdown e.g. Mepron M85, manufactured by Degussa AG, Germany. The ration based on amino acid balance can be easily formulated with the help of the AminoCow feed optimising programme (DEGUSSA AG).