Effects of betaGRO© on the performance of dairy cows and calves

Abstract

Seven individual studies were conducted to assess the effects of betaGRO©, a further processed spray-dried porcine plasma (SDPP) product, on insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), and performance of dairy cows and calves. We hypothesized that betaBRO© can activate esophageal receptor that might be responsible for biological responses. Results herein indicate that betaGRO© had no major effects on dairy cows when fed as a top-dress supplement, suggesting that the product might need to reach the lower gut to exert an impact. In order to evaluate this new hypothesis, betaGRO© was fed to neonatal calves and it was also infused into the abomasum of rumen cannulated cows. However, neither of these experiments detected a significant change on concentration of IGF-I or in the performance of the animals. Only CD11b was affected by betaGRO© which indirectly supports theories prompting modulation of immune response by SDPP products.