The on-going economic challenges that typicallyconfront dairy operations often motivate producers,nutritionists, and veterinarians to investigate newtechnologies that can help reduce production costsand enhance profitability. Since feed costs representone of the greatest production expenses, dairy managers have historically relied on feed additives tohelp improve feed utilization efficiency and boostperformance. However, many feed additives aremedicated with antimicrobial drugs or other phar-maceutical agents that trigger regulatory issues relating to legal approvals, milk discard periods, precise use levels, drug interactions, and/or con-cerns about antimicrobial resistance.

In recent years, much industry and research interest has been generated by the emergence ofnon-drug feed additives, alternatives that can achievecomparable (or better) productivity benefits withoutinvolving pharmaceutical agents. For instance, somealternative feed additives involving bacterial and/orfungal microbes have been shown to help elevatedigestion of roughage and enhance the ruminalmicroclimate, factors that enable greater utilizationof feed components and, thus, help optimize theoverall nutrition status of cattle.

Effects of LACTOMACE® Supplementation on theProduction Performance of Lactating Dairy Cows

SUMMARY

n LACTOMACE is a natural, non-drug feedadditive composed of fermentationproducts of Aspergillus oryzae, Tricho -derma viride, and Bacillus subtilis.

n LACTOMACE enhances the digestibilityand utilization of feed components bycattle, resulting in improved animalperformance.

n A 4-month multi-site research studycompared the productivity of dairycows supplemented with LACTOMACE tothat of non-supplemented cows.

n Cattle fed LACTOMACE demonstrateddistinct production-trend improvementsin milk yield, energy-corrected milkyield, and fat-corrected milk yield compared to controls.

n DMI and milk/feed ratio were alsofavorably impacted by LACTOMACE.

information to optimize

economic success

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LACTOMACE®

LACTOMACE, from R&D Life Sciences, is a gran-ular, natural feed-additive for dairy cattle, created bya proprietary fermentation process of select fungiand bacteria: Aspergillus oryzae strain 458, Tricho -derma viride, and Bacillus subtilis. LACTOMACEincludes high concentrations of digestive enzymes tohelp break-down feed components like proteins,starches, and cellulosic plant fiber. This comprehen-sive 3-way LACTOMACE ingredient combinationhelps optimize feed digestion in ruminants via natu-ral stimulation of rumen fungi and bacteria, resulting

in improved animal performance.By increasing carbohydrate avail-ability and fiber digestibility,LACTOMACE contributes toincreased productivity and feedutilization efficiency.

LACTOMACE also offers addi-tional benefits beyond digestionoptimization. The Aspergillus

oryzae fungal cultures in LACTOMACE moderate thephysiological effects of heat exposure and otherforms of stress by helping animals maintain dry matter intake. Furthermore, the Trichoderma viridecomponent can help support enzyme production,maintain normal immune responses, and maintainproduction of nutrients or other growth factors beneficial to cattle.

Awareness of these various LACTOMACE benefitssupported a hypothesis that lactating dairy cow productivity could be enhanced by LACTOMACE.Thus, an extensive multi-site research trial wasrecently conducted to evaluate the impact ofLACTOMACE supplementation of dairy rations onthe performance of lactating dairy cows managedunder commercial production conditions.1

EXPERIMENT DESIGNThe study involved 7000 lactating Holstein cows

maintained at a 3-site dairy operation in theSouthwest US. Animals were on test for 120 daysbeginning in late-summer through early winter whilefed a standard commercial ration for lactating dairy

cows. After a 20-day pre-treatment baseline period, cattle at the 3 sites were assigned (by dairy site) to 1of 3 treatment groups for a 120-day feeding periodbeginning on day 0 (Aug 25):

n Controls (Dairy 1): no supplementation of basal ration; n=3200;

n LACTOMACE (Dairy 2): supplemented at 5 g/hd/d, then raised to 8 g/hd/d starting on day 40 (Nov 13) (data collection stopped 1 week early); n=3200;

n LACTOMACE (Dairy 3): supplemented at 5 g/hd/d; n=800.

Data from DHIA records were used at each site tomeasure daily production of milk, energy-correctedmilk (ECM), 3.5% fat-corrected milk (FCM), butterfat, and milk protein. Dry matter intake (DMI) andmilk-to-feed ratio (milk/feed) parameters were alsoassessed. Data for each site were summarizedmonthly by a consulting nutritionist. The ECM(amount of energy in the milk based upon milk, fat,and protein, adjusted to 3.5% fat and 3.2% protein)and FCM (lb of milk adjusted to standard 3.5% fattest) parameters were calculated as follows:

n ECM = (0.327 × milk lb) + (12.95 × fat lb) + (7.65 × protein lb);

n FCM = (0.432 × milk lb) + (16.216 × fat lb). Trend lines were generated for each parameter overthe course of the 120-day treatment period, allowingcomparisons of the slope of production parametertrends between treatment groups.

RESULTSStudy results summarized in Figures 1-5 demon-

strate that LACTOMACE supplementation generatedpositive impacts on major dairy productivity param-eters. Overall milk production trends at dairies withLACTO MACE-supplemented cows were clearlyfavorable to outcomes observed at the control dairy(Figure 1). The most compelling LACTOMACEeffects were observed for ECM (Figure 2) and FCM(Figure 3), with line slopes for LACTOMACE-sup-plemented dairies 2 and 3 demonstrating substantialpositive trends relative to the declining slope fornon-supplemented dairy 1. All dairies demonstrated

2

LACTOMACE containsdigestive enzymes that help break-down proteins, starches, and cellulosic plant fiber inthe feed.

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positive trends for fat and protein production(Figures 4 and 5), with only small distinctionsbetween treatment groups. Still, the impact ofLACTOMACE on fat and protein production wasfavorable when considered in the context of superioroverall milk production, as evidenced by ECM andFCM trends.

The effects of LACTOMACE supplementation onfeed intake and efficiency are summarized in Figures6 and 7. Feed intake trended dramatically higher atLACTOMACE-supplemented dairy 3 while DMI wasequivocal at the other two facilities. However, both

3

Study day

ECM trends (% change from day 0)

0 60 120

No supplement

LactomaceDairy 3

Dairy 2

Dairy 1

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

FIGURE 2: Average daily energy-corrected milk production ofcows fed LACTOMACE compared to controls.

Study day

3.5% FCM trends (% change from day 0)

0 60 120

No supplement

Lactomace

Dairy 1

Dairy 3

Dairy 2

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

FIGURE 3: Average daily 3.5% fat-corrected milk productionof cows fed LACTOMACE compared to controls.

Study day

Fat production trends (% change from day 0)

0 60 120

No supplement

Lactomace

Dairy 1

Dairy 2

Dairy 3

20

15

10

5

0

-5

FIGURE 4: Average daily butter fat production of cows fedLACTOMACE compared to controls.

Study day

Protein production trends (% change from day 0)

0 60 120

No supplement

Lactomace

Dairy 1

Dairy 3

Dairy 2

20

15

10

5

0

-5

FIGURE 5: Average daily milk protein production of cows fedLACTOMACE compared to controls.

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

Study day

Milk production trends (% change from day 0)

0 60 120

No supplement

Lactomace

Dairy 1

Dairy 3

Dairy 2

FIGURE 1: Average daily milk production of cows fedLACTOMACE compared to controls.

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of the LACTO MACE-supplemented dairies demon-strated favorable milk/feed trends relative to thecontrol dairy.

The overall positive impacts of LACTOMACE atdairies 2 and 3 were evident for most productionparameters measured, indicating that LACTOMACEoffers dairy managers a reliable and cost-effectivetool for boosting productivity and/or avoiding production declines that might normally occurunder heat-stress conditions.

DISCUSSIONControlled research studies and production

observations have demonstrated that the activeingredients in LACTOMACE (Aspergillus oryzae,Tricho derma viride, Bacillus subtilis) stimulate microbial protein production, increase utilization ofstarch, protein, and energy, and increase the rate andextent of fiber digestibility. As a result, the hypothe-sis was fostered that these combined positive factorswill prompt increased performance in dairy cows fed LACTOMACE relative to comparable non-supplemented cattle.

Study results supported this hypothesis bydemonstrating that cows fed LACTOMACE exhibiteddistinct production-trend improvements for milk,

ECM, and FCM. Further, the direct beneficialimpacts of LACTOMACE on feed intake and utiliza-tion efficiency are consistent with the known digesti -bility-enhancing actions of the various enzymes andmicrobes in LACTOMACE and likely contributedgreatly toward observed improvements in milk production.

CONCLUSIONSAn extensive, 4-month, multi-site research study

compared the productivity of lactating dairy cowssupplemented with LACTOMACE in the feed to thatof non-supplemented cows managed under com-mercial production conditions. LACTOMACE positively impacted production trends for multipledairy performance parameters, illustrating the abilityof LACTOMACE to help dairy cows more fully digestand utilize the nutritive components of their diet.

LACTOMACE supplementation of cow rationsoffers a reliable, cost-effective, convenient, and drug-free management strategy that can help dairy producers optimize herd productivity and enhanceprofit potential.

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REFERENCES1. Data on file. R&D Life Sciences.

www.RDLifeSciences.com 877.874.0125

LACTOMACE® is a registered trademark of R&D LifeSciences, LLC.©2012 R&D LifeSciences, LLC. All rights reserved.

Study day

Milk/Feed trends (% change from day 0)

0 60 120

No supplement

Lactomace

Dairy 1

Dairy 3

Dairy 2

10

5

0

-5

-10

-15

FIGURE 7: Average milk-to-feed ratio of cows fedLACTOMACE compared to controls.

20

15

10

5

0

-5

Study day

DMI trends (% change from day 0)

0 60 120

No supplement

Lactomace

Dairy 1

Dairy 3

Dairy 2

FIGURE 6: Average dry matter intake of cows fed LACTOMACEcompared to controls.

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