Periparturient antioxidant enzymes, haematological profile and milk production of dairy cows supplemented with Moringa oleifera leaf meal

This study evaluated the effects of feeding transition Holstein cows with Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) on antioxidant enzymes, haematological profile and milk production. Forty-eight pregnant Holstein cows received increasing levels of Moringa oleifera leaf meal (MOLM) at M0: Control; M30: 8.33 g MOLM /100 kg BW and M60: 16.66 g MOLM /100 kg BW. Blood samples were collected to determine haematology, antioxidant enzymes and biochemistry. Milk was sampled to determine yield, composition, antioxidant status (MTAC) and somatic cell count (SCC). White blood cells (WBC) and red blood cells (RBC) were high in M60 group than those in M0 (P = 0.02) and (P = 0.03) respectively. Cows in M60 treatment group had higher (P 0.01) serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) and total antioxidant capacity (STAC) than M30 and M0 treatment groups. Although, milk yield and body weight were not (P 0.05) affected by treatment, cows in M60 group were recorded with the highest milk fat (P < 0.01), protein (P = 0.01) and MTAC (P < 0.01) values. In conclusion, supplementing MOLM (M60) to transition dairy cows was shown to improve blood biochemistry, antioxidant status and udder health. Moreover, milk composition and milk antioxidant capacity but not milk yield improved with supplementation of MOLM (M60).