DOI - Mendel University Press

DOI identifiers

DOI: 10.11118/nutrinet2026_004

Effects of Corn Distillers Dried Grains and Corn Gluten in the Diet of Dairy Cows: A Comparative Analysis of Their Impact on Milk Yield

Dominika Friessová1, Alena Pechová1, Lenka Kudělková1, Petr Doležal1, Leoš Pavlata1
1 Department of Animal Nutrition and Forage Production, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, Czech Republic

The experiment compared the effect of wet distillers’ grains with solubles (WDGS) and enriched corn gluten (CG) on the milk production and milk composition of 86 Holstein dairy cows. The experiment group received 4 kg of WDGS per cow in their daily total mixed ration (TMR), while the control group received 4 kg of CG per cow. The results demonstrated that the CG group achieved a significantly higher milk yield at week 7 of the trial (April) compared to the WDGS group (40.63 kg vs. 37.21 kg, p ≤ 0.01). In contrast, the WDGS group showed a significantly higher milk protein content from week 3 to week 11 of the trial (p ≤ 0.01) and higher fat content at week 11 (4.21 vs. 3.96 %; p ≤ 0.05). Higher levels of milk urea were also observed in the WDGS group (p ≤ 0.01) during multiple sampling periods. Both by-products proved to be effective subsites for concentrate mixtures. While CG promoted a higher milk volume, WDGS improve milk quality parameters (protein and fat concentrations). However, the use of WDGS requires more precise balancing of nitrogenous fractions and energy in the rumen due to its higher acidogenity and nutritional variability.

Keywords: nutrition; daily ration; Holstein cattle; milk parameters; milk urea; bioethanol by-products, fatty acids

pages: 35-44, online: 2026



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