Extensive research during four decades shows that feeding supplemental, encapsulated methionine increases milk, milk protein, and milkfat. Precisely balancing amino acid levels in the ration allows nutritionists to economize the total protein level fed.
In today’s dairy rations, methionine is typically the first limiting amino acid. Methionine is also now recognized as an essential nutrient for dairy cattle. Dairy cows cannot synthesize methionine in the quantity required for health and reproduction. Feedstuffs cannot totally fill the nutritional requirement even when protein is overfed.