초록

The present invention concerns a method of enhancing milk production by a ruminant that includes providing a feed that contains sorbitol and at least one additional feed component, and orally feeding the feed to the ruminant, the ruminant ingesting about 100 grams, or less, of sorbitol per day.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A method of feeding a ruminant, the method comprising: providing a feed that comprises a sugar alcohol and at least one additional feed component, wherein forage forms up to about 50 weight percent of the feed, based upon the total dry matter weight of the feed, and abo

The invention claimed is: 1. A method of feeding a ruminant, the method comprising: providing a feed that comprises a sugar alcohol and at least one additional feed component, wherein forage forms up to about 50 weight percent of the feed, based upon the total dry matter weight of the feed, and about 50 weight percent or more of the feed is formed of beans, grain, derivatives of beans, derivatives of grain, and any combination of any of these, based upon the total dry matter weight of the feed; and orally feeding the feed to the ruminant, the feed having a composition that is effective to cause at least about 50 weight percent of the sugar alcohol, based upon the total weight of the sugar alcohol in the feed, to exit the rumen of the ruminant within about 6 to about 8 hours after the sugar alcohol enters the rumen. 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the sugar alcohol is allitol, altritol, dulcitol, erythritol; galaxitol, glucitol, iditol, inositol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol,perseitol, rhamnitol, threitol, sorbitol, glycerol, or any of these in any combination. 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the sugar alcohol is sorbitol, glycerol, or any of these in any combination. 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the sugar alcohol is glycerol. 5. The method of claim 1 wherein the sugar alcohol comprises adonitol, allitol, altritol, arabinitol, dulcitol, erytbritol, galaxitol, glucitol, glycerol, iditol, inositol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, perseitol, ribitol, rhamnitol, threitol, sorbitol, xylitol, or any of these in any combination. 6. The method of claim 1 wherein the feed is free of sugar alcohol other than sorbitol. 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the ruminant ingests about 100 grams, or less, of sorbitol per day. 8. The method of claim 6 wherein the ruminant ingests about 50 to about 100 grams of sorbitol per day. 9. The method of claim 6 wherein the ruminant ingests about 50 grams of sorbitol per day. 10. The method of claim 6 wherein the feed has a composition that is effective to cause at least about 50 weight percent of the sorbitol, based upon the total weight of the sorbitol in the feed, to exit the rumen of the ruminant within about 6 to about 8 hours after the sorbitol enters the rumen. 11. The method of claim 1 wherein the sugar alcohol comprises sorbitol. 12. The method of claim 11 wherein the ruminant ingests about 100 grams, or less, of sorbitol per day. 13. The method of claim 11 wherein the ruminant ingests about 50 to about 100 grams of sorbitol per day. 14. The method of claim 11 wherein the ruminant ingests about 50 grams of sorbitol per day. 15. The method of claim 11 wherein the feed has a composition that is effective to cause at least about 50 weight percent of the sorbitol, based upon the total weight of the sorbitol in the feed, to exit the rumen of the ruminant within about 6 to about 8 hours after the sorbitol enters the rumen. 16. The method of claim 1 wherein the derivatives of beans comprise bean-based oil, bean-based meal, bean-based silage, or any combination of any of these. 17. The method of claim 1 wherein the derivatives of grain comprise grain-based oil, grain-based meal, grain-based silage or any combination of any of these. 18. A method of feeding a ruminant, the method comprising: providing a feed that comprises a sugar alcohol and at least one additional feed component; and orally feeding the feed to the ruminant, the feed having a composition that is effective to cause at least about 50 weight percent of the sugar alcohol, based upon the total weight of the sugar alcohol in the feed, to exit the rumen of the ruminant within about 6 to about 8 hours after the sugar alcohol enters the rumen, wherein the method is effective to increase milk production by the ruminant. 19. The method of claim 18 wherein forage forms up to about 50 weight percent of the feed, based upon the total dry matter weight of the feed, and about 50 weight percent or more of the feed is formed of beans, grain, derivatives of beans, derivatives of grain, and any combination of any of these, based upon the total dry matter weight of the feed. 20. The method of claim 18 wherein the sugar alcohol comprises adonitol, allitol, altritol, arabinitol, dulcitol, erythritol, galaxitol, glucitol, glycerol, iditol, inositol, isomalt, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, perseitol, ribitol, rhamnitol, threitol, sorbitol, xylitol; or any of these in any combination. 21. The method of claim 18 wherein the feed is free of sugar alcohol other than sorbitol. 22. The method of claim 21 wherein the ruminant ingests about 100 grams, or less, of sorbitol per day. 23. The method of claim 21 wherein the ruminant ingests about 50 to about 100 grams of sorbitol per day. 24. The method of claim 21 wherein the ruminant ingests about 50 grams of sorbitol per day. 25. The method of claim 21 wherein the feed has a composition that is effective to cause at least about 50 weight percent of the sorbitol, based upon the total weight of the sorbitol in the feed, to exit the rumen of the ruminant within about 6 to about 8 hours after the sorbitol enters the rumen. 26. The method of claim 18 wherein the sugar alcohol comprises sorbitol. 27. The method of claim 26 wherein the ruminant ingests about 100 grams, or less, of sorbitol per day. 28. The method of claim 26 wherein the ruminant ingests about 50 to about 100 grams of sorbitol per day. 29. The method of claim 26 wherein the ruminant ingests about 50 grams of sorbitol per day. 30. The method of claim 26 wherein the feed has a composition that is effective to cause at least about 50 weight percent of the sorbitol, based upon the total weight of the sorbitol in the feed, to exit the rumen of the ruminant within about 6 to about 8 hours after the sorbitol enters the rumen. 31. The method of claim 19 wherein the derivatives of beans comprise bean-based oil, bean-based meal, bean-based silage, or any combination of any of these. 32. The method of claim 19 wherein the derivatives of grain comprise grain-based oil, grain-based meal, grain-based silage or any combination of any of these.