Effect of Malic Acid Supplementation on Feed Intake, Milk Yield, Milk Quality and Udder Health in Cows

This study evaluated the effect of dietary supplementation of malic acid on the milk yield, milk quality and udder health in indigenous dairy cows up to 90 days of lactation. Twelve multiparous lactating cows at the early stage of lactation were selected and randomly allotted to two similar groups (n=6) on the basis of body weight and milk yield. In addition to the basal diet, cows in group T1 were fed malic acid at 30 g/animal/d. The results indicated that the overall mean body weight, body condition score, and average dry matter intake did not differ between the groups. The average milk yield, milk composition, as well as pH and somatic cell count, were similar in both groups. The mastitis incidence was 11.9% in the supplemented group compared to 21.4% in the control group, highlighting the role of malic acid in promoting udder health. Under the circumstances of the present experiment, it may be concluded that malic acid supplementation improves udder health in dairy cows.