The effect of heat treatment on the nutritive value of milk for the young calf

Attempts to relate the selenium content of heat-treated milks with their nutritive properties

Fink (1954) and Fink & Schlie (1955a) fed rats on a diet intentionally marginal in vitamin E and the sulphur-amino acids, in which dried milk supplied the protein (10%). They were able to relate the development of fatal liver necrosis in rats to heat damage of dried milks. Using their method, no liver necrosis developed in our rats with 2 spray-dried skim-milks, evaporated milk and milk subjected to ultrahigh temperature treatment, with or without subsequent in-bottle sterilization. With a roller-dried skim-milk sent to us from Germany by Fink and found by him to be of ‘middle degree necrogenity’, no liver necrosis occurred in hooded or albino rats bred in our laboratory, but the lesion developed in albino rats from an outside source. It was found that this milk had a lower selenium content than 2 British spray-dried milks. With rats given a necrogenic diet, differences were observed between and within strains in their susceptibility to liver necrosis and in their ability to utilize dietary selenium.

Milk-substitute diet composition and abomasal secretion in the calf

1. The effect of different protein sources in milk-substitute diets on abomasal acidity and proteolytic activity was studied in Friesian calves, aged 20-58 d (Expt 1). The diets contained 'mildly' preheated, spray-dried skim-milk powder (MHM), severely preheated, spray-dried skim-milk powder (SHM), fish-protein concentrate (FPC) or solvent-extracted soya-bean flour (SF) as the main protein source. 2. Gastric juice was collected from abomasal pouches before feeding and at 15 min intervals for 8 h after the morning feed. Samples of digesta were obtained from the abomasum at 1 h intervals during the same period. 3. Digesta pH was lower and titratable acidity higher 0-3 after giving the diet containing MHM than when any of the other three diets was given. 3. Acid secretion from the pouches for the different diets was in the order: FPC greater than MHM greater than SHM greater than or equal to SF. 5. Protease secretion from the pouches, assayed at pH 2-1, was in the order: MHM greater than SHM = FPC greater than SF. 6. The effect of dry matter (DM) intake and concentration on abomasal acidity was also studied in calves given diets which contained MHM (Expt 2). This diet was reconstituted at either 100 or 149 g DM/kg liquid diet and fed at either 32-5 or 49-0 g DM/kg live weight 0-75 per d. Samples of abomasal digesta were collected as in Expt 1. 7. A high intake of DM at a low DM concentration resulted in low acidity of the digesta in the first 3 h after feeding, which suggested a dilution effect. Comparison of two diets of different DM concentration, which were fed in the same volume of liquid, indicated that the greater the DM intake, the greater was the amount of acid secreted. 8. It is concluded that the protein sources varied in their ability to stimulate abomasal acid and protease secretion and it is suggested that this may relate to calf performance.

Artificial rearing of pigs3. The effect of heat tratment on the nutritive value of spray-dried whole-milk powder for the baby pig

1. Baby pigs were removed from the sow 36–48 h after birth and reared on a diet of reconstituted whole-milk powder until 28 d of age. The whole milk was either mildly or severely heated before spray-drying; the severe heating completely denatured the whey proteins.

2. When the two milks were given at a high level of intake, either at hourly intervals or twice daily, severe scouring and some deaths occurred, the incidence being higher among pigs receiving the severely heated milk. The severe heat treatment also reduced the nutritive value of the milk powder as measured by the performance of the pigs during the 1st week of life. However, no difference in the nutritive value of the two milks was apparent for the surviving pigs over the whole experimental period.

3. There were no deaths when the two milks were given at a moderate level of intake and at hourly intervals. The effect of heat treatment on performance was similar to that at the high level of intake.

4. The apparent digestibility of the nitrogen in the diet was similar for both milks. However, balance trials could not be carried out when scouring occurred, when differences between the milks were most likely to be apparent. The N retention was similar with both milks at 7 d of age, although retention was higher when the severely heated milk was given to pigs between 14 and 21 d of age.

5. The digestion of the two milks was studied in 28-d-old pigs. The ability of the severely heated milk to clot in the stomach was greatly reduced compared with that of the mildly heated milk, but the performance of the pigs was unaffected. No other differences in the digestion of the milks were found. The ability of the diet to clot in the stomach appeared to be unimportant at this age.

6. It is possible that a reduction in the clotting ability of the severely heated milk was responsible for the decreased efficiency of digestion during the 1st week of life.

The nutrition of the veal calf. 2. The effect of different levels of protein and fat in milk substitute diets

1. Seventy-two bull calves, comprising forty-eight Ayrshire and twelve each of the Friesian and Jersey breeds, were used in a randomized block experiment. They were reared from birth on liquid diets, offered in two feeds daily, at either restricted or ad lib. levels. The restricted level of feeding was such that sufficient diet was fed to allow for a weight gain of I kg/d, and the calves given this level of feeding were slaughtered at a weight 77 kg above the mean birth weight of the breed. The calves given the diets ad lib. were slaughtered at 22 % of mature cow weight of the breed.

2. Three milk substitutes, based on spray-dried skim-milk powder, spray-dried whey powder and margarine fat, were compared. Two of these were high-protein diets (26–29 % protein) designed to contain either 20 % fat (LFHP) or 30 yo fat (HFHP) and the other was a low-protein diet (19 % protein) designed to contain 30 yo fat (HFLP).

3. Age at slaughter was lowest for diet HFHP and highest for diet HFLP. Total dry-matter intake did not differ between treatments, but daily dry-matter intake was lower on diet HFLP. Relative weight gain did not differ between diets LFHP and HFHP but was much greater than that for diet HFLP. After adjustment for differences between treatments in mean daily dry-matter intake, relative weight gain tended to be highest for diet HFHP. No difference occurred between treatments in the incidence of diarrhoea and of a high rectal temperature (> 39.33°). However, mean rectal temperature was higher for calves given the HFHP diet than for those given the HFLP diet.

4. Digestibility and nitrogen and calcium balance trials were made on six of the replications of Ayrshire calves at 4 and 10 weeks of age. Dry-matter intake at 10 weeks of age was lower for calves given diet HFLP than for those given the other diets. Apparent digestibility of fat tended to be lower for the HFLP diet. True digestibility of protein did not differ significantly between treatments. Apparent digestibility of lactose was highest for the HFLP diet.

5. No difference occurred between the two high-protein diets (LFHP and HFHP) in N or Ca retention, but N and Ca retention by calves on the low-protein diet (HFLP) was markedly lower. Daily faecal N excretion was unaffected by treatment, but daily urinary N excretion was lower and the biological value of the protein was higher for diet HFLP than for diet LFHP, with the corresponding values for diet HFHP being intermediate between the two. N reten tion/100 g weight gain was lower on diet HFLP, lower at 4 weeks of age than at 10 weeks, and lower at the restricted than at the ad lib. level of feeding at 4 weeks of age. Metabolic faecal N and endogenous urinary N at 4 weeks of age were estimated as 0.192 g/100 g dry-matter intake and 192.9 mg/kg0.72 live weight respectively.

6. Haematological findings showed that the high-fat diets (HFHP and HFLP) resulted in a slower rate of decline in packed cell volume and haemoglobin content with age. The low protein diet (HFLP) resulted in a lower rate of increase with age in the percentage of lymphocytes. Diet HFHP resulted in a decline with age in the percentage of eosinophils compared to a marked rise with the other two treatments.

7. Carcass weight did not differ between treatments, but perirenal fat deposition was much higher for the calves given the high-fat diets (HFLP and HFHP).

8. It is concluded that dietary fat is not a readily available source of energy for increasing N retention in calves given large quantities of milk substitutes, based on milk products with added fat. Unless additional fat deposition in the carcass is required, no advantages in weight

The effect of heat treatment on the nutritive value of milk for the young calf. 8. The effect of the pre-heating treatment of spray-dried skim milk on the pH and the contents of total, protein and non-protein nitrogen of the pyloric outflow

1. Four Ayrshire bull calves between 8 and 34 days of age and fitted with duodenal and ileal re-entrant cannulas were used to study the effect of heat treatment of the milk they received on the pH and nitrogen composition of the pyloric outflow and ileal contents.

2. Milk A contained a spray-dried skim-milk powder pre-heated during the drying process at 74° for 30 min and milk B a similar powder pre-heated at 77° for 15 sec. In milk A about 50% of the non-casein protein N had been denatured.

3. Milk B resulted in a lower pH than milk A in the pyloric outflow throughout the sampling period of 6.5 h after feeding. It resulted also in an increased volume of outflow during the 1st h after feeding, a reduced output of undigested protein, an increased output of non-protein nitrogen (NPN) and a different pattern of flow of NPN during the first 4 h after feeding.

4. These differences between milk A and milk B were associated largely with different clotting characteristics, which were demonstrated in vitro at two levels of addition of rennet with or without the addition of calcium. The buffering capacity of the two milks was similar.

5. Variation between calves in their response to these two milks was attributed to the age of the calves and to differences in inherent clotting or proteolytic activity.

6. In the ileal outflow, bacterial activity, as measured by dehydrogenase activity, was positively related to N concentration, but the N concentration when milk A was given did not appear to differ from that when milk B was given.

7. One calf had diarrhoea when given milk A at a young age. This was associated with an increased pyloric outflow, an increased outflow of undigested protein but little difference in the rate of proteolysis, and a high pH. In the ileal outflow the volume and amount of N was much increased although the N concentration was reduced.

8. It is concluded that the detrimental effect of milk A, found in earlier experiments, was largely associated with high pH and poor digestibility of protein in the abomasum, conditions which allow multiplication of coliform organisms in the intestine.