Amino acid utilisation by dairy cows. II. Concept of amino acid requirements

In dairy cows amino acids may be required for four processes: maintenance; as precursors for the synthesis of glucose (gluconeogenesis); for protein deposition in muscle or associated with foetal growth; and for the synthesis of milk protein.Estimates of the protein requirements for maintenance are often conflicting and seem far from accurate. Estimates of the ratio in which essential amino acids are required for maintenance are not yet available.Requirements of amino acids for gluconeogenesis are difficult to estimate. It seems rather unlikely that essential amino acids will be used in significant quantities for gluconeogenesis, even at high milk yields.Protein requirements for pregnancy and muscle growth in dairy cows are relatively low. The ratio in which essential amino acids are supplied in the blood seems adequate for both processes.Amino acid requirements for milk protein synthesis are somewhat higher than the net protein output. This is particularly true for essential amino acids of which, in the mammary gland, a surplus of some 50% needs to be extracted from the blood. The ratio in which essential amino acids are supplied to the mammary gland seems reasonably adequate for milk protein synthesis.