Effects of Formaldehyde Treated Soybean Meal on Milk Yield, Milk Composition, and Nutrient Digestibility in the Dairy Cow

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Abstract
The nutritional value of soybean meal that was treated with formaldehyde (0.3 g/100 g) to inhibit microbial degradation of soybean meal protein in the rumen was investigated. Four experimental diets were fed ad lib during weeks 4-43 of lactation to Holstein cows randomly assigned to diets in a 2 .times. 2 factorial arrangement of dietary crude protein (12 and 14%) and formaldehyde treatment (untreated and treated soybean meal). Concentrate, corn silage and alfalfa-grass hay provided 53.0, 35.4 and 11.6% of the daily intake of dry matter. Digestibility of dietary crude protein by cows fed formaldehyde treated soybean meal was lower than by cows fed untreated soybean meal (62.4 vs. 65.4%). Similar quantities of milk, 4% fat-corrected milk, milk fat and milk solids-not-fat (overall means of 7998, 7402, 281 and 660 kg/301 days of lactation) were produced by cows fed different diets. This was true whether the data were summarized during peak production (day 22-63), during days 22-119 when crude protein intake did not meet requirements, or during the complete experiment (days 22-301 of lactation). Milk protein (total N .times. 6.38) produced by cows fed soybean meal treated with formaldehyde was less than by cows fed untreated soybean meal during days 22-63 and during days 22-119 (47 vs. 44 kg/cow and 103 vs. 97 kg/cow). Changes in body weight of cows during lactation were similar among treatments. Treating soybean meal with 0.3 g formaldehyde/100 g may decrease availability of soybean meal protein for use by lactating dairy cows.