A trial performed on 250 milking cows in a dairy farm in the Basque Country, Spain showed that the use of BicarZ, a feed material for livestock that improves their well-being, led to significantly improved daily milk production with increased fat content compared to the use of lithothamnium.

The trial was performed in spring 2020 by Pr. Baucells J. and Espadamala A. to evaluate the effect of the two different dietary buffers (BicarZ and a lithothamnium based product) on the milk production and quality variables.

Specifically, it showed the use of Solvay's BicarZ resulted in an improvement in daily milk production of 1.2 liters per cow, a 27% increase in fat content, and a daily increase in Energy-Corrected Milk (ECM), the technical measurement to evaluate the quality of the milk produced, of 5,8 liters per cow.

Context and methodology

Sample: The test was carried out in a dairy farm in the Basque Country (Spain) with 250 Friesian milking cows

Diet: The cows were given a diet of unique isoenergetic and isoprotein total mixed ration (TMR)

Time: The trial was performed from March to July 2020 during temperate weather, without remarkable variations. The study was divided in 3 periods of six weeks each.

Methodology: 1% DM of BicarZ was integrated during the first and third periods, while 0,5% DM of a lithothamnium based product was added during the second period (without BicarZ). The amounts of lithothamnium to be included vs BicarZ are those recommended by the manufacturer and used in normal practices.

In the first period, when BicarZ 1% was used, milk production achieved 39.33 l/cow/day, fat content 3.52% and ECM 40.10 l/cow/day.

During the second period, corresponding to the use of lithothamnium, the milk production decreased by 1.2 liters per cow per day, the fat content was reduced by more than 21% (from 3,52% to 2,77%) and energy-corrected milk (ECM) decreased by 5,8 liters per cow per day. This generated a significant economic impact on the farm's business and suggests an increased risk of SARA (subclinical acidosis) for the herd.

Three weeks after the beginning of Period 2 the farmers asked the researchers to move directly to Period 3 and reintroduce BicarZ.

About Solvay

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group's innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world's top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of EUR10.2 billion in 2019. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels (SOLB) and Paris and in the United States, where its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a Level I ADR program. Learn more at www.solvay.com.

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