Effects of feeding protected tallow on composition of milk and milk fat

Official methods were used to analyze composite samples of milk collected during the first 15 wk of lactation from 21 Holstein cows fed a milled ration containing 0 (basal), 15% (medium, or 30% (high) protected-tallow supplement (seven cows per treatment). Protein fractions and amino acid composition of the total proteins were determined from samples of individual milking. Melting characteristics of pooled samples were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance. Milk yield was similar for the three treatments, but percent fat and fat yield were higher for cows fed protected tallow. Percentages and yields of protein and solids-not-fat were decreased on the protected tallow treatments, especially for high tallow. The decrease in protein was in the casein fraction. Amino acid composition of the total proteins was similar for the three treatments. Feeding protected tallow caused decreases in all fatty acids except 4:0, 16:1, 18:0, and 18:1 which increased. Nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that butter from the basal group would be harder than that from cows fed protected tallow.