Meta-analysis of milk protein yield responses to lysine and methionine supplementation

Previous reports on milk protein responses to AA supplementation focused on Lys and Met concentrations expressed as a percentage of metabolizable protein, not the amounts of AA supplied. The objective of this study was to quantify the milk protein yield (MPY; g/d) response in studies in which Met or Lys was supplied either by postruminal infusion or in a rumen-protected form. A meta-analysis using a logistic regression model fitted using nonlinear mixed model procedures was performed on results from 23 published studies involving postruminal supplementation of Lys (18 experiments) and Met (35 experiments) in lactating dairy cows. Variance caused by study effect was removed by designation of individual study as subject within the random component within the nonlinear model. Milk protein responses to supplemental Met decreased from 16 to 4 g of milk protein per gram of metabolizable Met intake as Met intake varied from 25 to 70 g per cow per day. Similarly, milk protein responses to supplemental Lys decreased from 5.0 to 3.2 g of milk protein per gram of metabolizable Lys intake as Lys intake varied from 80 to 203 g per cow per day. Assuming Met and Lys concentrations of 2.76 and 7.63 g/100 g of milk protein, respectively, the implied marginal efficiencies of metabolizable AA use for MPY decreased from 44 to 12% for Met and from 39 to 25% for Lys over the range of metabolizable AA intakes. Although the estimated efficiencies were low compared with previous estimates, a low marginal efficiency of amino acid utilization would be expected when amino acid supply is at or near to the animal's requirement, as was the case in these experiments. This suggests that current models that assume both a constant MPY response and constant AA utilization efficiency are inadequate. Models that assume a constant efficiency of AA use will overestimate production responses to individual AA supply, especially when high amounts of metabolizable AA are fed.