Yuriy BALJI, Gulim ABAKANOVA, Leila SULTANAYEVA, Yevgeniy MAYER, Oksana KRAVCHENKO, Galia ZAMARATSKAIA

SUMMARY 

Feeding strategies improve livestock productivity and product quality. This study optimized extruded enriched feed additive (EEFA) production and evaluated short-term blood effects in primiparous Holstein cows. EEFA (corn-based, 1.5% plant extract) process optimization (die 2-8 mm, moisture 5-30 L) identified 8 mm die and 15-17% moisture as optimal (650 kg/h, low losses).

NIRS showed reduced moisture (8%) with concentrated protein (10.2%), fat (4%), fiber (3.8%), ash (2.8%). In a 20-day trial, 37 primiparous Holstein cows (60 days post-calving, 450-470 kg BW, 28-29 kg milk/day) received a standard basal ration or basal ration with 3 kg EEFA/cow/day as-fed (2.6-2.7 kg DM, two 1.5-kg portions; convenience allocation without randomization or baseline balance check). No hematological changes occurred. Biochemical effects included higher ALT/cholesterol, lower urea (P<0.05), suggesting metabolic shifts. Further studies should also include animal health monitoring, rumen function assessment, and detailed nutritional evaluation to better understand the mechanisms behind the observed metabolic changes.

https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105037540194?origin=resultslist

Keywords: extrusion, phytobiotics, feed, cows, blood test.

Full version of the article: 269. 20260428-09 Balji et al.pdf

For citation: Balji, Yu., Abakanova, G., Sultanayeva, L., Mayer, Y., Kravchenko, O., Zamaratskaia, G. (2026). Optimization of extruded enriched feed additives production process and their effect on blood parameters of Holstein cows (2026). Agriculture and Forestry, 72 (2): 123-135. https://doi:10.17707/AgricultForest.72.2.09