Effect of feeding whole, unprocessed sunflower seeds and flaxseed on milk production, milk composition, and prostaglandin secretion in dairy cows

Four multiparous Holstein cows were used in a 4 x 4 Latin-square design experiment to study the effects of different fat sources on milk production and composition, N utilization, follicular development, and prostaglandin secretion. Cows were fed 4 total mixed rations (TMR) based either on calcium salts of palm oil (Megalac), whole flaxseed, whole sunflower seed, or no supplementary fat (control). Feed intake and digestibilities were generally similar among treatments, except that ether extract digestibility was the lowest for cows fed the control diet. Milk yields were greater for cows fed whole flaxseed and Megalac (32.1 and 31.5 kg/d, respectively) than for those fed sunflower seed and control (25.9 and 24.8 kg/d, respectively). Milk protein concentration was significantly lower for cows fed Megalac (3.68%) compared with those fed flaxseed (3.87%) or control (3.92%). Concentrations of n-3 fatty acids and the n-6 to n-3 fatty acids ratio in milk were the highest and lowest, respectively, for cows fed whole flaxseed. There was an interaction between treatment and time for levels of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF(2alpha) in plasma; they were greater 30 and 45 min after the oxytocin challenge for cows that were fed sunflower seed compared with those fed either Megalac, flaxseed, or control. Moreover, when concentrations of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto-PGF(2alpha) in plasma were expressed as the area under the overall response curve from 0 to 120 min after the oxytocin injection, it tended to be greater for cows that were fed the sunflower diet compared with those fed either Megalac or flaxseed. In general, follicle dynamics were similar among treatments. These results suggest that feeding diets with high proportions of n-6 fatty acids (61% of total fatty acids for the sunflower seed diet) tended to increase the secretion of series 2 prostaglandins in blood.