Twelve Holstein cows were allotted to four 4 x 4 Latin square balanced in accordance with the lactation period, with the objective of evaluating the protein production, using the total purine derivatives (PD) excretion, obtained from spot urine collection, the plasma and milk urea and nitrogen(N)-urea, pH and ruminal ammonia concentration. The four experimental diets were formulated to contain 70% of corn silage and 30% of concentrate. Increasing levels of wheat middlings in the concentrate (0, 33, 67 and 100%) in substitution to the corn meal. The milk urea (38.8 mg/dL) and N-urea (18.1 mg/dL) concentrations were not influenced by wheat middlings levels, such as plasma urea (51.1 mg/dL) e N-urea (23.8 mg/dL) concentration. The urinary urea, N-urea, allantoin, PD, absorbed purine, N-microbial urinary excretion and milk allantoin concentration were not altered. However, uric acid excretion presented a quadratic response, with maximum value of 40.03 mmol/day in the wheat middlings level of 36%. The pH and ruminal ammonia concentration before and after feeding were also not influenced by wheat middlings levels. The corn meal can be substituted integrally by the wheat middlings in the concentrate of dairy cows, with 20 kg/day average milk production, fed corn silage based diets, with no alteration on microbial protein production and ruminal pH and ammonia concentration.
allantoin; purine derivatives; ruminal ammonia; urea; uric acid
