title: Effects of malate supplementation on acid-base balance and productive performance in growing/finishing bull calves fed a high-grain diet.
abstract: This study investigated the effects of malate supplementation on blood acid-base balance and serum lactate levels in a 137-day feedlot experiment with bull calves. Animals were allotted to one of two experimental groups: (1) A control group (no supplementation), and (2) a group receiving a salt of DL-malic acid. Blood pH, pCO2, HCO3-, base excess, serum L-lactate and productivity parameters were evaluated. Our data reveal that under the conditions of the present experiment malate supplementation did not have any significant effect on productivity parameters by comparison with non-supplemented animals. As regards acid-base balance, no significant effects attributable only to malate were observed. In conclusion, the time-course and the overall means of serum L-lactate for both groups in both growing and finishing periods (0.44 +/- 0.04 mmol/l and 0.39 +/- 0.02 mmol/l, respectively, for control animal; and 0.54 +/- 0.03 mmol/l and 0.49 +/- 0.01 mmol/l, respectively, for supplemented animals) suggests that malate does not have any beneficial effects in animals fed a diet of similar characteristics to that given in this study.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Patología Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Lugo, Spain. ccasti@lugo.usc.es
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Jose Luis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Benedito
authors.forename: Victor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: Jesus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Méndez
authors.forename: Patricia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Vazquez
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: López-Alonso
authors.forename: Joaquin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hernández
mesh_terms: D000136:Acid-Base Equilibrium / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D000821:Animal Feed; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000254:growth & development; D002417:Cattle / Q000097:blood* / Q000254:growth & development*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D002523:Edible Grain; D008293:Malates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D011897:Random Allocation; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D008293:Malates; C030298:malic acid