Plasma amino acids and milk protein production by cows fed rumen-protected methionine and lysine

Eighteen Holstein cows in midlactation were used to study the effectiveness of encapsulated rumen-protected methionine and rumen-protected lysine to deliver methionine and lysine postruminally. The experimental design was a 2 X 2 factorial, a center point, and a control treatment run in a partially balanced, incomplete block design. Treatments were administered over three periods of 3 wk. Cows were fed a blended diet consisting of corn silage, corn, and soybean meal supplemented with five different amounts of rumen-protected methionine and lysine. The amounts of DL-methionine and L-lysine (g/d), respectively, supplied from the encapsulated rumen-protected preparations for the six treatments were 1) 0, 0; 2) 10.40, 18.00; 3) 4.52, 7.82; 4) 16.28, 7.82; 5) 16.28, 28.18; and 6) 4.52, 28.18. In vitro results indicate that amino acids in both of the encapsulated preparations were 94% stable at a pH (5.4), which simulated the rumen, and 94% released at a pH (2.9), which simulated the abomasal environment. A linear increase of plasma methionine and lysine was observed as the amount of methionine and lysine supplied postruminally increased. The concentrations (microgram/ml) of methionine and lysine in plasma for the six treatments were 1) 2.47, 9.05; 2) 3.73, 11.59; 3) 3.60, 11.86; 4) 6.09, 10.45; 5) 5.28, 13.43; and 6) 3.33, 13.27. Rumen-protected lysine increased feed intake, milk yield, and 4% fat-corrected milk production within the surface treatments but had no effect when compared with the unsupplemented control treatment. Rumen-protected methionine and lysine increased production of milk protein. Lysine appeared to improve the utilization of methionine.