EFFICIENCY OF RUMALATO FOR BROCCOLI-BASED DIETS

Rumalato is a product made out of sodium and calcium salts of malic acid. The product is known by its efficacy against ruminal acidosis. It is now one year since Rumalato began to be included in broccoli-based diets in Ecuador. Now, one year later, we have enough data to value how Rumalato has contributed to dairy farm results.

Ecuador has many farms producing broccoli for human consumption. These farms generate some by-products such as broccoli leaves, that may be very interesting for animal nutrition. However, the high content of non-structural carbohydrates of broccoli leaves may generate acidosis on ruminal animals. Additionally, acidosis leads to other problems as lameness, reproductive inefficiency, and it increases the probability of suffering from other diseases along the life of the cow.

Dairy farms associated to broccoli farms were consuming up to a 70% of broccoli in the diet. This represents from 12 to 15 kg DM/cow/day. On these farms occurred a high prevalence of lameness (>40%) and diarrhoeas (>50%). It was checked ruminal pH, resulting in values from 4,5 to 5. Hence, acidosis was happening on the herds.

In order to solve the issue, without changing the diet, Rumalato was included at a rate up to 40 g/cow/day depending on the level of broccoli.

Rumalato resulted in a milk yield increase of 2.5 kg/cow/day, an increase on milk fat and protein. An improvement on reproductive performance by decreasing 50% the length of open days. in the most extreme cases the reduction was of 150 days. Diarrhoeas disappeared and lameness incidence decreases by 70%.

It is concluded that Rumalato is an effective additive against acidosis on broccoli-based ruminant diets.