Tolerance of Calves to Fat Peroxides in Milk Replacer

Abstract

Soybean oil at 60°C was oxidized by aeration for 10 days and incorporated into skim powder-based milk replacers to provide .39 (control), 2.0, 20.6 meq peroxide/kg feed dry matter. This type of air oxidation has resulted primarily in polar polyperoxide polymers. Dietary fat was 20% of dry matter made up of tallow, coconut oil, untreated plus oxidized soybean oil, and emulsifiers. Calves fed the three milk replacers from 3 to 31 days of age gained .463, .502, and .470 kg/day. There was no effect of dietary peroxidized fat on average daily gains, dry matter intake, or feed efficiency and no evidence of accumulation of peroxides in liver, kidney, heart, and adipose tissues, as indicated by fluorescence and thiobarbituric acid-reactive materials. Incidence of scours was low in all groups. Young calves can tolerate relatively high peroxide (at least 20.6 meq/kg feed dry matter) in milk replacer without deleterious effects on weight gains and feed efficiency. © 1984, American Dairy Science Association. All rights reserved.