Effect of Lipids in Milk Replacers on Calf Performance and Lipids in Blood Plasma, Liver, and Perirenal Fat

Abstract

Various fats (20% of dry matter) were fed in milk replacer to calves, from 3 to 31 d of age, to compare their effect on calf performance, feed efficiency, and lipids in blood plasma, liver, and peri- renal fat. Dietary fats tested were tallow (control), canola oil, canola soapstocks, corn oil, reclaimed restaurant cooking fat, and a high phospholipid waste product. Corn oil plus tallow (1:1) diet pro- moted scours and poor calf gains, but canola oil diet, despite a high content of unsaturated fatty acids, gave excellent calf performance and feed utilization and no scours. Canola soapstocks plus tallow (1:1) and restaurant waste cooking fat lowered gains by 25 and 15% and reduced diet intake. Calves effectively utilized high phospholipid (23%) in dietary lipids. Main lipid classes in blood plasma were cholesterol esters and phosphatidylcho- line, and in liver phosphatidylethanol- amine and phosphatidylcholine. Fatty acid composition of the major blood plasma and liver lipids, and of perirenal fat, tended to reflect dietary fatty acid concentrations.