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False flax (Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz) is a promising oilseed crop to use in livestock farming. Investigations were carried out to reveal the changes in cows’ physiological status and their milk biochemical composition under the effect of feeding the Camelina sativa micronized seeds. At the breeding farm in Tambov oblast, Simmental cows (500 kg liveweight, 18 kg daily milk yield) were divided into two groups (control and experimental), five animals each, with the analogy principle. The experiment was conducted in a dry period after 1.5–2 months after calving of animals at the age of two to three lactations. The seeds of the false flax Camelina sativa (L.) Crantz of 5% of seed mix, previously heat-treated (with the micronization technology), were used to balance the experimental-group cow rations for protein and energy contents. The animal and milk composition biochemical parameters were analyzed. Thus, the protein-carbohydrate and fat metabolic pathways were more efficient in cows provided with the dietary false flax seeds. The glucose and total cholesterol concentrations and the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity in their blood were higher by 0.26 mmol/L, 0. 64 mmol/L, and 12.07 IU/L, respectively, while the urea content was lower by 1.44 mmol/L. The fat mass fraction in their milk under the effect of feeding the false flax seeds increased by 0.35% when compared to the common ration. In addition, the contents of the unsaturated fatty acids especially valuable for the organism, such as linoleic acid and linolenic acid, increased in its composition (becoming 1.3 times and 2.7 times its initial content, respectively).
Published in: Russian Agricultural Sciences
Volume 51, Issue 2, pp. 411-416