New data from Poland shows live yeast can improve dairy cows’ tolerance to heat stress

A new study using the live yeast LEVUCELL SC was conducted on two commercial dairy farms in Poland during the summer of 2021. The study evaluated the impact of feeding the rumen-specific live yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae CNCM I-1077 to dairy cattle during periods of heat stress.

Across two farms over 82 days, animals experienced periods of moderate heat stress, which is defined as spending up to 800 minutes, or 13 hours, per day under heat stress conditions.

On each farm, dairy cows in middle and late lactation were divided into two groups and fitted with boluses to monitor rumen pH continuously. In each farm, there was a control and LEVUCELL SC-supplemented group.

A number of key production parameters, as well as rumen pH, were then measured.

Enhanced rumen pH

It was shown that cattle in the live yeast groups had higher rumen pH and a shorter duration of acidosis.

The average rumen pH in the test groups was 6.23 compared to 6.06 in the control groups.

Preserved dairy production

The cattle in the live yeast group also showed an improvement in milk yield compared to the control groups with an increase of 0.6 kg to 33.9 kg on one farm and 0.7 kg to 34.7 kg on the other.

In addition, a comparison of average milk yields before and during the heat stress periods found that the average decrease in production in the control group was 1.3 kg, while in animals in the live yeast group was only 0.4 kg.

In conclusion, the study shows that LEVUCELL SC can be used to improve the condition of cattle during periods of heat stress.