Comparative evaluation of chelated and inorganic mineral supplements on milk production and quality in lactating Sahiwal cattle

Abstract

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the effect of chelated and inorganic mineral supplementation on milk production and milk composition in lactating Sahiwal cows. Eighteen healthy cows in their 4th-5th lactation were randomly allotted to three groups (n = 6 each): T? (Control) - basal diet only; T? (Mineral mixture) - basal diet + 75 g/day inorganic mineral mixture; and T? (Chelated mineral mixture) - basal diet + 75 g/day chelated mineral mixture. The feeding trial lasted for 30 days under uniform housing and management conditions. Milk yield and composition (fat, protein, SNF, lactose, and density) were analyzed at 0, 10, 20, and 30 days, and data were statistically evaluated using a two-factorial CRD. Results revealed that cows supplemented with chelated mineral mixture (T?) exhibited a significantly (P < 0.05) higher average daily milk yield (10.30 ± 0.44 L) compared to mineral mixture (T?) and control (T?) groups. Milk fat percentage also showed numerical improvement in the chelated group, while protein and SNF percentages increased progressively across all treatments. The group and period effects were significant for milk yield and protein percentage, while other traits showed a non-significant trend of improvement with chelated mineral supplementation. The enhanced milk yield and composition in the chelated group may be attributed to improved bioavailability and metabolic utilization of trace minerals essential for enzymatic and hormonal functions associated with lactogenesis. It is concluded that dietary supplementation of chelated mineral mixture enhances milk production performance and quality in lactating Sahiwal cows compared to inorganic mineral sources.