This additive helps cattle to digest lower quality feed more efficiently, and, ultimately, has potential to produce more milk, if used as feed additives for dairy cows. In the tropics and subtropics, forages used to supply energy and effective fiber in feed for dairy cows is often less digestible. This is due to the presence of increased quantities of lignocellulose, an intricate and recalcitrant network that impedes access to digestible fiber in the cell wall.
Researchers at the University of Florida have identified an expansin-like protein, that when expressed as a recombinant protein by bacteria, and combined with exogenous fibrolytic enzymes, increases digestibility of lower quality feeds. The recombinant expansin-like protein increases hydrolysis of cellulose by improving the efficiency of fibrolytic enzymes, and thereby has potential to increase feed efficiency and milk yield if used as feed additive for dairy cows.
A recombinant protein for improving the digestibility of forages used as ruminant feed, especially those with higher lignocellulose content, which renders the material more difficult to digest
This recombinant bacterial expansin-like protein combined with exogenous fibrolytic enzymes increases hydrolysis of cellulose both when added prior to ensiling the forage, or when added to haylage immediately prior to feeding.
