The Effects of Methionine Supplementation Upon Milk Composition and Production of Forage-Fed Dairy Cows

Two experiments (mid- and late lactation) were conducted to test whether methionine (Met) limited milk production in Friesian cows fed sole diets of fresh perennial ryegrass–white clover pasture. In mid-lactation (exp. 1), 26 cows were assigned to one of three treatments: ruminally protected oral DL-Met (15 g d−1), continuous intrajugular infusion of L-Met (15 g d–1) and control. Twelve animals from exp. 1 were used during late lactation (exp. 2) and distributed in two experimental groups: ruminally protected oral DL-Met (15 g d−1) and control. Dry matter, metabolizable energy, crude protein and Met intakes, milk yield and composition and blood Met, cysteine and urea were measured. Oral and intravenous Met supplementation increased blood Met concentration by 50–90% compared with controls. Met supplementation did not alter the concentration of milk fat, protein or lactose in either experiment. Met supplementation had no significant effects on yields of fat, lactose, casein, whey proteins or non-protein nitrogen during mid-lactation. In late lactation, Met supplementation did not affect milk protein composition or yield of milk components, with exception of a decrease (P < 0.05) in the yield of β -casein. Intravenous Met supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the efficiency of conversion of pasture N to milk protein in mid-lactation. Key words: Dairy cows, methionine, ruminally protected methionine, milk protein, casein, fresh pasture diets