Carotenoid and Vitamin A Content of Milk and Blood of Dairy Cattle Fed Moderate Amounts of Ground Soybeans, Soybean Oil Meal, and Linseed Oil Meal

Open Access
Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Analyses of the carotenoids and vitamin A in the milk of cows and in the blood of growing heifers fed liberal amounts of good roughage showed no evidence that ground soybeans caused carotene destruction or interfered with its absorption or conversion to vitamin A when fed as the protein supplement in simple grain rations. Therefore, under practical dairy feeding conditions, where good roughage is fed liberally, soybeans could be used as the protein supplement in grain mixtures without danger of vitamin A deficiency. No significant effects of feeding ground soybeans on total milk production were observed in these experiments. Butter-fat % was higher during the periods when ground soybeans were fed.