Performance of neonatal calves fed kitchen herbs and probiotics dissolved in whole milk up to weaning age

Document Type : Full paper (Original article)

Authors

1 Livestock Production and Management, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Eastern Regional Station, Kalyani, West Bengal, India

2 Dairy Microbiology, West Bengal University of Animal and Fishery Sciences, Mohanpur, District Nadia, West Bengal, India

3 Animal Nutrition, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Eastern Regional Station, Kalyani, West Bengal, India

4 Animal Physiology, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Eastern Regional Station, Kalyani, West Bengal, India

5 Animal Reproduction, ICAR-National Dairy Research Institute, Eastern Regional Station, Kalyani, West Bengal, India

10.22099/ijvr.2025.49907.7363

Abstract

Background: Diarrhea is widespread in neonatal calves, often treated with antibiotics. However, prolonged use of these antibiotics may promote problems of antimicrobial resistance. Aims: The experiment was carried out to determine the effect of feeding cinnamon, turmeric, carom seed powder, and probiotics fortified milk on the health and growth performance of Jersey crossbred calves. Methods: A complete randomized block design was applied with 4 treatments of 10 calves in each experimental unit. All experimental groups except the control group were offered herbs, probiotics and a mixture of both, respectively for 3 months. Results: Calves fed herb-probiotic mixture had significantly higher dry matter intake (DMI) from concentrates (P<0.05, 0.72 kg), dry matter intake (DMI) per 100 kg body weight (P<0.05, 2.30 kg) and had better fecal scores (P<0.05, 1.19±0.07) when compared to the other treatment groups. Simultaneously, there was an increase in the Lactobacillus sp. (P<0.05, 7.58±0.44 CFU/g) with markedly reduced E. coli counts (P<0.01, 4.93±0.41 CFU/g) when the herb-probiotics combination was fed as compared to the control calves. Also, the average duration of illness was lowest in the herb-probiotic group (3.38±0.59 days), with higher serum total protein levels (P<0.05, 5.33±0.15 g/dL). Conclusion: It can be concluded that feeding herb-probiotic mixtures reduced calf diarrhea and improved dry matter intake in calves.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

Ahmed, AF; Constable, PD and Misk, NA (2001). Effect of orally administered cimetidine and ranitidine on abomasal luminal pH in clinically normal milk-fed calves. Am. J. Vet. Res., 62: 1531-1538.
AOAC (Association of Official Analytical Chemists) (2005). Official methods of analysis. 18th Edn., Maryland, USA. PP: 24-55.
Ashok, PK and Upadhyaya, K (2012). Tannins are astringent. J. Pharm. Phytochem., 1: 45-50.
Bayatkouhsar, J; Tahmasebi, AM; Naserian, AA; Mokarram, RR and Valizadeh, R (2013). Effects of supplementation of lactic acid bacteria on growth performance, blood metabolites and fecal Coliform and Lactobacilli of young dairy calves. Anim. Feed. Sci. Tech., 186: 1-11.
Bentely, R (1983). Medicinal Plants. 1st Edn., Delhi, India, Asiatic Publisher. PP: 300-430.
Bombik, T; Bombik, E; Frankowska, A; Trawińska, B and Saba, L (2012). Effect of herbal extracts on some haematological parameters of calves during rearing. Bull. Vet. Inst. Pulawy. 56: 655-658.
Boskabady, MH; Alitaneh, S and Alavinezhad, A (2014). Carum copticum L.: a herbal medicine with various pharmacological effects. Biomed. Res. Int., 2014: 569087. doi: 10.1155/2014/569087.
Brar, RS; Sandhu, HS and Singh, A (2000). Veterinary clinical diagnosis by labaratory methods. 1st Edn., Kalyani Publishers.
Braun, U; Wild, K and Guscetti, F (1997). Ultrasonographic examination of the abomasums of 50 cows. Vet. Rec., 140: 93-98.
Butaye, P; Devriese, LA and Haesebrouck, F (2003). Antimicrobial growth promoters used in animal feed: effects of less well known antibiotics on gram-positive bacteria. Clin. Microb. Rev., 16: 175-188.
Calsamiglia, S; Busquet, M; Cardozo, PW; Castillejos, L and Ferret, A (2007). Invited review: Essential oils as modifiers of rumen microbial fermentation. J. Dairy Sci., 90: 2580-2595.
Castillo, M; Martín-Orúe, SM; Roca, M; Manzanilla, EG; Badiola, I; Perez, JF and Gasa, J (2006). The response of gastrointestinal microbiota to avilamycin, butyrate, and plant extracts in early-weaned pigs. J. Anim. Sci., 84: 2725-2734.
Chandra, S; Khan, S; Avula, B; Lata, H; Yang, MH; Elsohly, MA and Khan, IA (2014). Assessment of total phenolic and flavonoid content, antioxidant properties, and yield of aeroponically and conventionally grown leafy vegetables and fruit crops: a comparative study. Evid. Based Complement. Altern. Med., 2014: 253875.
Cheng, Z; Moore, J and Yu, L (2006). High-throughput relative DPPH radical scavenging capacity assay. J. Agric. Food Chem., 54: 7429-7436.
Constable, PD; Grünberg, W and Carstensen, L (2009). Comparative effects of two oral rehydration solutions on milk clotting, abomasal luminal pH, and abomasal emptying rate in suckling calves. J. Dairy Sci., 92: 296-312.
Dar, A; Singh, S; Palod, J; Alin, K; Kumar, N; Khadda, B and Farooq, F (2017). Effect of probiotic, prebiotic and synbiotic on hematological parameters of crossbred calves. Int. J. Livest. Res., 7: 127-136.
De Vaux, A; Morrison, M and Hutkins, RW (2002). Displacement of E. Coli O157: H7 from rumen medium containing prebiotics sugars. Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 68: 519-527.
Dezfouli, MR; Tajik, P; Bolourchi, M and Mahmoudzadeh, H (2007). Effects of probiotics supplementation in daily milk intake of newborn calves on body weight gain, body height, diarrhea occurrence and health condition. Pak. J. Biol. Sci., 10: 3136-3140.
Dvorackova, E; Snoblova, M; Chromcova, L and Peter, H (2015). Effects of extraction methods on the phenolic compounds contents and antioxidant capacities of cinnamon extracts. Food Sci. Biotechnol., 24: 1201-1207.
Elisha, I; Leobotha, FS; McGaw, LJ and Eloff, JN (2017). The antibacterial activity of extracts of nine plant species with good activity against Escherichia coli against five other bacteria and cytotoxicity of extracts. BMC Complement. Altern. Med., 17: 133-
Faizal, P; Suresh, S; Kumar, RS and Augusti, KT (2009). A study on the hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic effects of an ayurvedic drug Rajanyamalakadi in diabetic patients. Indian J. Clin. Bioche., 24: 82-87.
Fernández, S; Fraga, M; Castells, M; Colina, R and Zunino, P (2020). Effect of the administration of Lactobacillus spp. strains on neonatal diarrhoea, immune parameters and pathogen abundance in pre-weaned calves. Benef. Microbes. 11: 477-488.
Fleckenstein, JM; Hardwidge, PR; Munson, GP; Rasko, DA; Sommerfelt, H and Steinsland, H (2010). Molecular mechanisms of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli infection. Microbes Infect., 12: 89-98.
Franz, C; Baser, KHC and Windisch, W (2010). Essential oils and aromatic plants in animal feeding–a European perspective, A review. Flavour Fragr. J., 25: 327-340.
Gaggia, F; Mattarelli, P and Biavati, B (2010). Probiotics and prebiotics in animal feeding for safe food production. Int. J. Food Microbiol., 141: 515-528.
Galvan, CD; Estela, T; Mendez, O; Daniel, M; Adrian, GT; Pedro, AHG; Enrique, EA; Monika, PM; Alejandro, LB; German, DMM and Lucero, AVC (2021). Influence of a polyherbal mixture in dairy calves: growth performance and gene expression. Front. Vet. Sci., 7: 1-13.
Ghosh, S; Mehla, RK; Sirohi, SK and Tomar, SK (2011). Performance of crossbred calves with dietary supplementation of garlic extract. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr., 95: 449-455.
Glenn, SJ and Miskimins, DW (2005). Clostridial abomasitis in calves: Case report and review of the literature. Anaerobe. 11: 290-294.
Gupta, D and Girija, R (2015). Evaluation of in vitro antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of various spices of Indian origin. Int. J. Pharm. Sci., 7: 137-141.
Hasunuma, T; Kawashima, K; Nakayama, H; Murakami, T; Kanagawa, H; Ishii, T; Akiyama, K; Yasuda, K; Terada, F and Kushibiki, S (2011). Effect of cellooligosaccharide or synbiotic feeding on growth performance, fecal condition and hormone concentrations in Holstein calves. Anim. Sci. J., 82: 543-548.
Hejazian, S; Morowatisharifabad, M and Mahdavi, S (2007). Relaxant effect of Carum copticum on intestinal motility in ileum of rat. World J. Zool., 2: 15-18.
Ishikawa, T; Sega, Y and Kitajima, J (2001). Water-soluble constituents of ajwain. Chem. Pharm. Bull., 49: 840-844.
Jorgustin, K (2015). Top 100 high ORAC value antioxidant foods. http://modernsurvivalblog.com/health/high-orac-value-antioxidant-foods-top-100/.
Komeili, G; Sargazi, M; Solouki, S; Maleki, S and Saeidi, NF (2012). Effect of hydroalcholic extract of Carum copticum seed on the treatment of peptic ulcer induced by ibuprofen in rats, Qr. Horiz. Med. Sci., 18: 12-16.
Koochaksaraie, RR; Irani, M and Gharavysi, S (2011). The effect of cinnamon powder feeding on some blood metabolites in broiler chicks. Rev. Bras. Cienc. Avíc., 13: 197-201.
Kozyr, VS; Antonenko, PP; Mylostyvyi, RV; Suslova, NI; Skliarov, PM; Reshetnychenko, OP; Pushkar, TD; Sapronova, VO and Pokhyl, OM (2019). Effect of herbal feed additives on the quality of colostrum, immunological indicators of newborn calves blood and growth energy of young animals. Theoret. Appl. Vet. Med., 7: 137-142.
Lamella, O; Sachin, K; Neelam, K; Srobana, S and Amrish, KT (2021). Effect of milk fermented with Lactobacillus acidophilus NCDC15 on nutrient digestibility, faecal biomarkers and immune response in Murrah calves. Braz. Arch. Biol. Technol., 64: 1-18.
Marinova, D; Ribarova, F and Atanassova, M (2005). Total phenolic and total flavonoids in Bulgarian fruits and vegetables. J. Chem. Technol. Metall., 40: 255-260.
Marshall, TS (2009). Abomasal ulceration and tympany of calves. Vet. Clin. North. Am. Food Anim. Pract., 25: 209-220.
Miguel, MG (2010). Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities of essential oils: A short review. Molecules. 15: 9252-9287.
Miyazaki, T; Miyazaki, M; Yasuda, J and Okada, K (2009). Ultrasonographic imaging of abomasal curd in preruminant calves. Vet. J., 179: 109-116.
Modareskia, M; Fattahi, M and Mirjalili, MH (2022). Thymol screening, phenolic contents, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of Iranian populations of Trachyspermum ammi (L.) Sprague (Apiaceae). Sci. Rep., 12: 15645.
Abd El-Hack, ME; El-Saadony, MT; Shafi, ME; Zabermawi, NM; Arif, M; Batiha, GE; Khafaga, AF; Abd El-Hakim, YM and Al-Sagheer, AA (2020). Antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of chitosan and its derivatives and their applications: A review. Int. J. Biol. Macromol., 164: 2726-2744.
Nagappan, R (2012). Evaluation of aqueous and ethanol extract of bioactive medicinal plant, Cassia didymobotrya (Fresenius) Irwin & Barneby against immature stages of filarial vector, Culex quinquefasciatus Say (Diptera: Culicidae). Asian Pac. J. Trop. Biomed., 2: 707-711.
Nahid, P; Manouchehr, S and Naser, K (2020). Study the effect of some medicinal herbs on growth and blood metabolites in suckling Holstein calves. Anim. Sci. J., 32: 59-70.
Nayemeh, S; Samane, A; Sevda, B; Elham, T; Mahdieh FSJ; Parisa, E; Kamilia, A and Firouz, A (2022). Antibacterial and antibiofilm activity of Lactobacillus strains secretome and extraction against Escherichia coli isolated from urinary tract infection. Biotechnol. Rep., 36: e00760.
Nehru, PA; Sunandhadevi, S; Rama, T and Muniyappan, N (2017). Effect of probiotic supplementation on growth performance of crossbred calves in an organized cattle farm. J. Anim. Health Prod., 5: 89-91.
Nikolaos, P; Nektarios, S; Georgios, K; Emmanouil, K; Maria, KK and Georgios, EV (2018). Hematology reference intervals for neonatal Holstein calves. Res. Vet. Sci., 118: 1-10.
Ozkaya, S; Erbas, S; Ozkan, O; Baydar, H and Aksu, T (2018). Effect of supplementing milk replacer with aromatic oregano (Oreganum onites L.) water on performance, immunity and general health profiles of Holstein calves. Anim. Prod. Sci., 58: 1892-1900.
Patra, AK (2011). Effects of essential oils on rumen fermentation, microbial ecology and ruminant production. Asian J. Anim. Vet. Adv., 6: 416-428.
Peter, DC; Kenneth, WH; Stanley, H; Done, BA and Walter, G (2017). Perinatal diseases, veterinary medicine. (11th Edn.), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Saunders Ltd., PP: 1830-1903.
Qadeer, MK; Bhatti, SA; Nawaz, H and Khan, MS (2021). Effect of milk or milk replacer offered at varying levels on growth performance of Friesian veal calves. Trop. Anim. Health Prod., 53: 290-297.
Qian, Z; Wang, SS; Guang, Y; Wen, Z and Li, HL (2016). Development and evaluation of a herbal formulation with anti-pathogenic activities and probiotics stimulatory effects. J. Integr. Agric., 15: 1103-1111.
Rai, S; Dutta, TK; Behera, R; Mandal, DK; Bhakat, C; Chatterjee, A; Ghosh, MK and Karunakaran, M (2018). Susceptibility of commensally available Escherichia coli isolates of neonatal calves on commonly used on-farm antimicrobials. Indian J. Anim. Sci., 90: 1381-1382.
Rai, S; Kumar, M; Jas, R; Mandal, GP; Samanta, I; Rajendar, M; Tripura, S; Das, SK; Mondal, M and Mandal, DK (2023). Antibacterial effect of kitchen herbs against pathogenic multidrug-resistant E. coli isolates from calf diarrhoea. Trop. Anim. Health Prod., 5: 2-11. doi: 10.1007/s11250-023-03628-x.
Ramaswamy, S; Sengottuvelu, S; Haja Sherief, SH; Jaikumar, S; Saravanan, R; Prasadkumar, C and Sivakumar, T (2010). Gastroprotective activity of ethanolic extract of Trachyspermum ammi fruit. Int. J. Pharma. Bio. Sci., 1: 1-15.
Roodposhti, PM and Dabiri, N (2012). Effects of probiotic and prebiotic on average daily gain, fecal shedding of Escherichia coli, and immune system status in newborn female calves. Asian-Australas. J. Anim. Sci., 25: 1255-1261.
Sada, AT; Nishida, M; Ishida, K; Hosoda, E and Bayaru, E (2003). Effect of peppermint feeding on the digestibility, ruminal fermentation and protozoa. Livest. Prod. Sci., 82: 245-248.
Sahu, R and Saxena, J (3013). Screening of total phenolic and flavonoid content in conventional and non-conventional species of curcuma. J. Pharmacogn. Phytochem., 2: 176-179.
Saini, N and Singh, GK (2015). Pharmacological evaluation of a polyherbal formulation for its antispasmodic activity. Int. J. Green Pharm., 9: 104-109.
Sandhu, KS and Gyles, CL (2002). Pathogenic Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in the intestine of calves. Can. J. Vet. Res., 66: 65-72.
Santos, FHR; De Paula, MR; Lezier, D; Silva, JT; Santos, G and Bittar, CMM (2015). Essential oils for dairy calves: effects on performance, scours, rumen fermentation and intestinal fauna. Animal. 9: 958-965.
Seifzadeh, S; Mirzaei, AF; Abdibenemar, H; Seifdavati, J and Navidshad, B (2016). The effects of a medical plant mix and probiotic on performance and health status of suckling Holstein calves. Iran. J. Anim. Sci., 6: 285-291.
Shahid, MZ; Saima, H; Yasmin, A; Nadeem, MT; Imran, M and Afzaal, M (2018). Antioxidant capacity of cinnamon extract for palm oil stability. Lipids Health Dis., 17: 1-8.
Siddiqui, MU; Lateef, M; Bashir, MK; Bilal, MQ; Muhammad, G and Mustafa, MI (2015). Estimation of live weight using different body measurements in Sahiwal cattle. Pak. J. Life Soc. Sci., 13: 12-15.
Signorini, ML; Soto, LP; Zbrun, MV; Sequeira, GJ; Rosmini, MR and Frizzo, LS (2012). Impact of probiotic administration on the health and fecal microbiota of young calves: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of lactic acid bacteria. Res. Vet. Sci., 93: 250-258.
Singh, G; Maurya, S; de-Lampasona, MP and Catalan, C (2007). A comparison of chemical, antioxidant and antimicrobial studies of cinnamon leaf and bark volatile oils, oleoresins and their constituents. Food Chem. Toxicol., 45: 1650-1661.
Singleton, VL and Rossi, JA (1965). Colorimetry of total phenolics with phosphomolybdic-phosphotungstic acid reagents. Am. J. Enol. Vitic., 16: 144-158.
Smulski, S; Turlewicz-Podbielska, H; Wylandowska, A and Włodarek, J (2020). Non-antibiotic possibilities in prevention and treatment of Calf Diarrhoea. J. Vet. Res., 64: 119-126.
Soltan, MA (2009). Effect of essential oils supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, health condition of Holstein male calves during pre- and post-weaning periods. Pak. J. Nutr., 8: 642-652.
Sukhdev, SH; Swami, H; Suman, PSK; Preet, SK; Gennaro, L; Dev, D and Rakesh, DR (2008). Extraction technologies for medicinal and aromatic plants. 1st Edn., Inter Centre for Science and High Technology, United Nations Industrial Development Organization. PP: 21-57. https://www.unido.org/sites/default/files/2009-10/Extractio n_technologies_for_medicinal_and_aromatic_plants_0.pdf.
Svensson, C; Linder, A and Olsson, S (2006). Mortality in Swedish dairy calves and replacement heifers. J. Dairy Sci., 89: 4769-4777.
Tanzeela, N; Muneeb, I; Ahmad, R; Madiha, S; Fatima, I and Marwa, W (2015). Estimation of total phenolics and free radical scavenging of turmeric (Curcuma longa). Eurasian J. Agric. Environ. Sci., 15: 1272-1277.
Ting, L; Hao, C; Yan, B; Jianping, W; Shuru, C; Bing, H and David, PC (2020). Calf starter containing a blend of essential oils and prebiotics affects the growth performance of Holstein calves. J. Dairy Sci., 103: 2315-2323.
Tothova, C; Nagy, O; Kovac, G and Nagyova, V (2016). Changes in the concentrations of serum proteins in calves during the first month of life. J. Appl. Anim. Res., 44: 338-346.
Tung, YT; Chua, MT; Wang, SY and Chang, ST (2008). Anti-inflammatory activities of essential oil and its constituents from indigenous cinnamon (Cinnamon osmophloeum) twigs. Bioresour. Technol., 99: 3908-3913.
Tyagi, P; Singh, M; Kumari, H; Kumari, A and Mukhopadhyay, K (2015). Bactericidal activity of curcumin I is associated with damaging of bacterial membrane. PLoS One. 10: 1-15.
Vakili, AR; Khorrami, B; Mesgaran, MD and Parand, E (2013). The effects of thyme and cinnamon essential oils on performance, rumen fermentation and blood metabolites in holstein calves consuming high concentrate diet. Asian-Australas. J. Anim. Sci., 26: 935-944. doi: 10.5713/ajas. 2012.12636.
Valgas, C; De Souza, SM and Smaania, EFA (2007). Screening methods to determine antibacterial activity of natural products. Braz. J. Microbiol., 38: 369-380.
Venkatesan, N; Vadivu, T; Sathiya, N; Arokya, A; Sundararajan, R; Sengodan, G; Vijaya, K; Thandavarayan, R and James, BP (2005). Anti-diarrhoeal potential of Asparagus racemosus wild root extracts in laboratory animals. Int. J. Pharm. Pharm. Sci., 8: 39-45.
Windeyer, MC; Leslie, KE; Godden, SM; Hodgins, DC; Lissemore, KD and LeBlanc, SJ (2014). Factors associated with morbidity, mortality, and growth of dairy heifer calves up to 3 months of age. Prev. Vet. Med., 113: 231-240.
Yang, YY; Wang, OY; Peng, DW; Pan, YF; Gao, XM; Xuan, Z; Chen, SM; Zou, CX; Cao, YH and Lin, B (2021). Effects of cinnamaldehyde on growth performance, health status, rumen fermentation and microflora of dairy calves. Sci. Agric. Sin., 54: 2229-2238.
Zang, R; Zhou, M; Tu, Y; Zhang, NF; Deng, KD; Ma, T and Diao, Y (2016). Effect of oral administration of probiotics on growth performance, apparent nutrient digestablility and stress related indicators in Holstein calves. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr., 100: 33-38.

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics