Can sprouted barley grains replace maize silage in dairy buffaloes’ diets? Effects on production efficiency, milk traits, and mozzarella cheese quality

Grains sprouting has been proposed as a promising technique for producing high-quality fresh forage in areas, such in the case of the Italian PDO Mozzarella di Bufala production district, characterized by declining arable land availability and changing weather patterns. However, no data are currently available to support the sprouting technology as a viable option for feeding dairy buffalo. In this study, we assessed the effect of replacing maize silage (MS) in buffalo diet with sprouted barley forage (SB) on feed intake, milk production, and milk quality. Thirty-three lactating buffaloes (parity 2.85±1.86, days in milk 40.42±21.83 d, milk yield 13.0±2.85 kg/cow) were assigned to three balanced groups according to the following dietary treatments: G0 (control, 100% MS), G50 (50MS and 50% SB on a fed-basis) and G100 (100% SB). All diets were at a 60:40 forage-to-concentrate ratio on a dry matter basis. The 6 week-experimental period consists of a 2-week of adaptation followed by a 4-week sampling phase. The cows were weighed and scored for body condition at the beginning and the end of the trial. As per farm routine, the diets were ad libitum provided as a total mixed ration, and the animals were milked twice daily (05:00 and 15:30h). Milk yield and feed intake were recorded daily and weekly, respectively. Individual milk samples along with diets and refusals were collected weekly. Milk samples were assayed for fat, protein, and lactose content. In addition, milk clotting ability parameters, in terms of the rennet clotting time, curd-firming time, and curd-firmness, were evaluated. Milk data were analyzed using ANOVA for repeated measures, with diet, sampling time, and diet × sampling time as factors. Feed intake, body weight (BW), and body condition score (BCS) were analyzed by an ANOVA GLM model with diet as the factor. The substitution of MS for SB did not alter (p>0.05) dry matter intake, BW, and BCS, had no effect on milk fat, protein, and lactose content (p>0.05) and, accordingly, on milk coagulation characteristics and estimated mozzarella cheese yield (p>0.05). By contrast, the incremental replacement of MS with SB forage in the diet enhanced (p<0.05) daily milk yield. Based on our findings, SB can successfully replace MS in the diet of dairy buffaloes possibly enhancing production potential, which could lead to significant benefits in terms of feeding management differentiation and in increasing home-grown forage production potential