WO2015116232A1

WO2015116232A1 - Dietary compositions for ruminants and methods of making the same

Info

Publication number: WO2015116232A1
Application number: PCT/US2014/014444
Authority: WO
Inventors: Merja Birgitta HOLMA
Original assignee: Benemilk Oy
Current assignee: Benemilk Oy
Priority date: 2014-02-03
Filing date: 2014-02-03
Publication date: 2015-08-06
Anticipated expiration: 2016-08-03
Also published as: WO2015117085A1; AR100951A1

Abstract

Dietary compositions for ruminants are disclosed, as well as methods for their preparation and use. The compositions may include at least one fatty acid component and at least one feed ingredient. The at least one fatty acid component may have at least one fatty acid and a double bond count that corresponds to a number of carbon-carbon double bonds in a fatty acid molecule. The compositions may have a Milk Fat Depression Index of about 15 to about 40. The Milk Fat Depression Index may be calculated as the sum of the weight ratio in g/kg of each fatty acid times the double bond count.

Description

DIETARY COMPOSITIONS FOR RUMINANTS AND METHODS OF MAKING

THE SAME

BACKGROUND

[0001] Increasing production and fat content of milk obtained from lactating ruminants has been a major goal for dairy farmers. Additional milk production per ruminant is beneficial because it results in a higher yield, thereby increasing profits. Increased milk fat is desirable because it has a higher economic value and can be used in highly desirable food products, such as cheese, yogurt, and the like.

[0002] A common approach to increasing either or both production and milk fat contents includes adjusting feed, nutrients, elements (for example, fat), vitamins, supplements, and/or the like provided to the ruminant. One such specific method includes feeding the ruminant a total mixed ration (TMR), which is a mix of grain and silage with some protein meals, such as, for example, soya bean meal and canola meal. Additional materials and trace elements, vitamins, extra nutrients, and the like may also be added to the TMR. A typical method to increase the energy content of the feed is to add fat to the TMR directly or to add oilseeds having a higher fat content.

[0003] However, the current methods and feeds containing unsaturated fatty acids tend to decrease milk production, decrease protein content, and/or have other detrimental effects on the ruminant, such as causing milk fat depression. Furthermore, the methods and feeds oftentimes result in other undesirable effects, such as increased trans fatty acid levels on the fatty acid profile of the milk fat.

SUMMARY

[0004] In an embodiment, a dietary composition for ruminants may include at least one fatty acid component and at least one feed ingredient. The at least one fatty acid component may have at least one fatty acid. The fatty acid has a double bond count that corresponds to a number of carbon-carbon double bonds in one fatty acid molecule of the fatty acid. The dietary composition may have a Milk Fat Depression Index (MFDI) of about 15 to about 40. The Milk Fat Depression Index may be calculated as the sum of the weight ratio in g/kg of each fatty acid times the double bond count of the fatty acid. The at least one fatty acid component can include at least about 90% saturated fatty acid by weight.

[0005] In an embodiment, a method of preparing a dietary composition for ruminants may include combining at least one fatty acid component having at least one fatty acid with a feed ingredient to form a mixture and processing the mixture into a tablet, a capsule, a pellet, or a granular material. The fatty acid has a double bond count that corresponds to a number of carbon-carbon double bonds in one fatty acid molecule of the fatty acid. The dietary composition may have a Milk Fat Depression Index of about 15 to about 40, which may be calculated as the sum of the weight ratio in g kg of each fatty acid times the double bond count of the fatty acid. The at least one fatty acid component can include at least about 90% saturated fatty acid by weight.

[0006] In an embodiment, a method of increasing milk fat content in ruminants may include providing a dietary composition to a ruminant for ingestion. The dietary supplement may include at least one fatty acid component and at least one feed ingredient. The at least one fatty acid component may include at least one fatty acid. The fatty acid has a double bond count that corresponds to a number of carbon-carbon double bonds in one molecule of the fatty acid. The dietary composition may have a Milk Fat Depression Index of about 15 to about 40, which may be calculated as the sum of the weight ratio in g/kg of each fatty acid times the double bond count of the fatty acid. The at least one fatty acid component can include at least about 90% saturated fatty acid by weight. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] FIG. 1 depicts a flow diagram of a method of preparing a dietary composition for ruminants according to an embodiment.

[0008] FIG. 2 depicts a flow diagram of an alternative method of preparing a dietary composition for ruminants according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0009] This disclosure is not limited to the particular systems, devices and methods described, as these may vary. The terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope.

[0010] As used in this document, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Nothing in this disclosure is to be construed as an admission that the embodiments described in this disclosure are not entitled to antedate such disclosure by virtue of prior invention. As used in this document, the term "comprising" means "including, but not limited to."

[0011] The following terms shall have, for the purposes of this application, the respective meanings set forth below.

[0012] A "ruminant" is a class of mammal with a multiple chamber stomach that gives the animal an ability to digest cellulose-based food by softening it within the first chamber (rumen) of the stomach and regurgitating the semi-digested mass. The regurgitate, known as cud, is then chewed again by the ruminant. Specific examples of ruminants include, but are not limited to, cattle, bison, buffaloes, yaks, camels, llamas, giraffes, deer, pronghorns, antelopes, sheep, and goats. The milk produced by ruminants is widely used in a variety of dairy-based products. Dairy cows are of considerable commercial significance for the production of milk and processed dairy products such as, for example, yogurt, cheese, whey, and ice cream.

[0013] "Feed" refers to the total diet given to a ruminant for consumption. Feed includes any dietary composition and roughage provided to a ruminant.

[0014] "Dietary composition" refers to a portion of the feed for ruminants that includes additional ingredients that do not include roughage. For example, the dietary composition may include fatty acids and/or various ingredients to enhance the nutrients for the feed for ruminants, as described in greater detail herein.

[0015] "Roughage" refers to a portion of the feed for ruminants that includes silage, haylage, hay, straw, and/or the like. In some embodiments, silage may be a primary component of the roughage. Thus, "silage" and "roughage" may be used interchangeably herein. Silage refers to chopped green forage, such as, for example, grass, legumes, and field corn. The silage is placed in a structure or a container that is designed to exclude air. The silage is then fermented in the structure or container, thereby retarding spoilage. Silage can have a water content of about 60% to about 80% by weight.

[0016] "Double Bond Count (DBC)" of a fatty acid refers to the number of carbon-carbon double bonds in each fatty acid molecule. For example, palmitoleic acid (CI 6: 1) has a DBC of 1 , oleic acid (CI 8: 1) has a DBC of 1 , linoleic acid (CI 8:2) has a DBC of 2, and arachidonic acid (C20:4) has a DBC of 4.

[0017] For the purposes of the present disclosure, a lipid number nomenclature describing the lipid numbers of fatty acids will be used for fatty acid naming. The lipid number nomenclature is represented by C##:D, where ## is the number of carbon atoms in the fatty acid, and D is the number of double bonds in the fatty acid. For example, C16:0 is the nomenclature for palmitic acid which has 16 carbon atoms and no double bonds, and CI 8:2 is the nomenclature for linoleic acid which has 18 carbon atoms and two double bonds.

[0018] For the purposes of the present disclosure, a Milk Fat Depression Index (MFDI) may be used to evaluate a particular feed's effect on decreasing milk fat content. "Milk fat depression" (MFD) refers to a depression of fat in milk. MFD may be caused by a particular feed and may occur even when milk volume and yield of other milk constituents are not affected. For example, MFD may represent a level of milk fat production that is below a genetic potential of the cow, such as, for example, less than or equal to about 3.2% by weight of fat in the milk produced by a Holstein cow or less than or equal to about 4.2% by weight of fat in the milk produced by a Jersey cow, relative to cows that produce milk having a typical milk fat composition. In addition, MFD may be observed when the produced ratio of milk fat to milk protein is less than or equal to about 1 for Holstein cows relative to cows producing a typical milk fat composition.

[0019] MFDI of a feed, a dietary composition, or roughage may be used as a tool in feed planning to regulate milk fat content. When a feed includes both a dietary composition and roughage, the MFDI of both affect the MFDI of the feed (total diet). Therefore, MFDI can be used in a diet calculation to achieve a desired effect on milk fat. For example, if someone wants to decrease milk fat content, a feed having a high MFDI may be used, and unsaturated fatty acid may be added. In contrast, if someone wants to increase milk fat content, a feed having a low MFDI may be used, and additional saturated fatty acid, such as palmitic acid, may be added.

[0020] MFDI of a fatty acid in a feed or dietary composition is calculated so that the fatty acid in the feed or the dietary composition has a coefficient, which may be used to calculate the effect of the feed or the dietary composition on milk fat synthesis. The coefficient for a fatty acid is the DBC of the fatty acid. The MFDI may generally be calculated as a sum of a weight ratio of each fatty acid in the feed or the dietary composition times the DBC of the respective fatty acid, which is shown in Equation (1) below:

total dry mass of feed or dietary composition (kg) where the total dry mass refers to a mass with excess water removed. The MFDI value will have a unit of g/kg, although for convenience, it is indicated by a unitless numerical value herein.

[0021] A "neutral" dietary composition has a MFDI of about 25 to about 30. A neutral dietary composition also has less than about 5 grams of palmitic acid (CI 6:0) per kilogram of total dry mass of dietary composition.

[0022] A "positive" feed has a MFDI of about 25 to about 30. In one embodiment, a positive feed may have about 35 to about 40 grams of palmitic acid (C I 6:0) per kilogram of total dry mass of feed. When a neutral feed is replaced with a positive feed, the milk fat may be increased by about 0.25 units to about 0.30 units, the milk protein may be increased by about 0 units to about 0.1 units, and the milk yield may be increased by about 1 kilogram to about 2 kilograms, relative to normal milk production of a ruminant.

[0023] A "negative" feed has a MFDI of greater than about 50. In one embodiment, a negative feed may have less than about 5 grams of palmitic acid (C I 6:0) per kilogram of total dry mass of feed. When a neutral feed is replaced with a negative feed, the milk fat may be decreased by about 0.20 units to about 0.30 units, the milk protein may be decreased by about 0.05 units to about 0.1 units, and the milk yield may be increased by about 0.5 kilogram to about 1 kilogram, relative to normal milk production of a ruminant.

[0024] The present disclosure relates generally to dietary compositions such as supplements and the like that can be fed to ruminants for purposes of affecting milk production in the ruminant. Particularly, the dietary compositions described herein may be fed to a ruminant to increase the amount of milk produced by the ruminant and/or to increase the fat content of the milk produced by the ruminant, as described in greater detail herein. Specific compositions described herein may generally contain a low MFDI.

[0025] In some embodiments, the MFDI of a dietary composition may be about 10 to about 40. For example, the MFDI may be about 15, about 16, about 17, about 18, about 19, about 20, about 25, about 27, about 30, about 32, about 33, about 35, about 38, about 40, or any value or range between any two of these values (including endpoints). In other embodiments, the MFDI may be about 16 to about 38. In other embodiments, the MFDI may be about 17 to about 35. In other embodiments, the MFDI may be about 18 to about 33. In other embodiments, the MFDI may be about 19 to about 32. In other embodiments, the MFDI may be about 20 to about 30. In other embodiments, the MFDI may be about 20 to about 27. In other embodiments, the MFDI may be about 20 to about 25.

[0026] Roughage (or silage) may have its own MFDI, which varies depending upon the raw materials and/or maturity of the raw materials. For example, the MFDI value for normal grass silage, may be about 10 to about 70. For example, the MFDI value of timothy-meadow fescue may be determined based on the stage of maturity in harvesting. The digestibility (D-value) of organic matter describes the maturity. The silage may be harvested at a very early stage, which results in a high D-value and a high MFDI. The silage may be harvested at a late stage of maturity, which results in a lower D-value and a lower MFDI. When the D-value is greater than about 720, the typical MFDI of such silage can be about 50 to about 55 with a C 16:0 content of about 3.5 grams per kilogram. When the D-value is about 680 to about 720, the typical MFDI can be about 40 to about 50with a CI 6:0 content of about 3.0 g kg. When the D-value is about 640 to about 680, the typical MFDI can be about 30 to about 40 with a CI 6:0 content of about 2.5 g/kg. When the D-value is less than about 640, the typical MFDI can be less than about 30 with a C 16:0 content of about 2.0 g/kg. For example, red clover silages typically have a MFDI of about 40 to about 50 when the D-value is greater than about 650. When D-values are about 610 to about 650, the MFDI can be about 30 to about 40. When D-values are below about 610, the MFDI can be below about 30. Typical CI 6:0 content for red clover silage can be about 2 to about 3 grams per kilogram.

[0027] The total intake of MFDI by a ruminant may vary depending upon the MFDI of the dietary composition (such as a supplement or a concentrate), the MFDI of the roughage, and the relative amount of the dietary composition and the roughage consumed. In one embodiment, the total diet MFDI may be about 15 to about 100. Adding CI 6:0 to the feed could reduce the MFDI. For example, having at least about 10% of the C16:0 in a feed could lead to a total MFDI value of about 30 to about 40. In one embodiment, the ratio of the roughage in a total diet may be about 15% to about 90%. The MFDI in the feed may be high even with a "positive" dietary composition if there is high D-value roughage at feeding. For example, a cow producing 30 kilograms of milk can consume about 8 kilograms of dietary composition if the roughage D-value is greater than about 720. In some embodiments, the cow may have an intake of about 12 kilograms of roughage in addition to the about 8 kilograms of dietary composition. When the dietary composition is positive, the intake of C16:0 can be about 18 grams per kilogram of feed dry mass (roughage plus dietary composition) and the total MFDI value of the feed can be about 40 to about 45, with a total intake of CI 6:0 of about 12 grams per kilogram of milk production. When the dietary composition is neutral, the total MFDI of the feed can be approximately the same as the positive dietary composition (about 40 to about 45), with a total intake of C16:0 of about 3 to about 4 grams per kilogram of feed dry mass. When the dietary composition is negative, the total MFDI of the feed is about 50 to about 55, with a total intake of C16:0 of about 3 to about 4 grams per kilogram of feed dry mass.

[0028] For example, the cow may consume about 10.5 kilograms of dietary composition if the roughage D-value is less than about 640. In some embodiments, the cow may have an intake of about 9.5 kilograms of roughage in addition to the about 10.5 kilograms of dietary composition. When the dietary composition is positive, the intake of C16:0 can be 22 grams per kilogram of feed dry mass (roughage plus dietary composition), and the total MFDI value of the feed can be about 30, with a total intake of C16:0 of about 15 grams per kilogram of milk production. When the dietary composition is neutral, the total MFDI of the feed can be the same as the positive dietary composition (about 30), having a C16:0 of about 22 grams per kilogram of feed dry mass. When the dietary composition is negative, the total MFDI can be about 42, with a CI 6:0 of about 3 grams per kilogram of feed dry mass.

[0029] In an embodiment, a ruminant may be fed with a diet including the dietary composition and a roughage such that the diet has a total MFDI of about 20 to about 4 . In such an embodiment, the diet may have a ratio of dietary composition to roughage of about 1 :2 to about 2: 1 by weight.

[0030] When a ruminant consumes feed, the fat in the feed can be modified by the rumen to provide a milk fat profile that is different from the profile of fat in the feed. All fats which are not completely inert in the rumen may decrease rumen digestibility of the feed material. Milk composition and fat quality can be influenced by the diet of the ruminant. For example, oil feeding can have negative effects on both rumen function and milk formation. As a result of the oil feeding, the milk protein concentration is lowered, the fat concentration is decreased, and the proportion of trans fatty acids is increased. These have been connected especially to an increase in the harmful low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and to a decrease in the beneficial high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol in human blood when the milk is consumed. In addition, the properties of the milk fat during industrial milk processing are weakened. A high level of polyunsaturated fatty acids in milk can also cause taste defects and preservation problems. A typical fatty acid composition of milk fat may contain more than about 70% by weight of saturated fatty acids and a total amount of trans fatty acids may vary in the range of about 3% to about 10% by weight. When vegetable oil is added into the feed, the proportion of trans fatty acids may rise to more than about 10% by weight.

[0031] One way to reduce or eliminate the detrimental effect of oil and fat is to prevent triglyceride fat hydrolysis. Fat hydrolysis can be decreased, for example, by protecting fats with formaldehyde treated casein. Another alternative is to make insoluble fatty acid calcium salts whereby hydrogenation in rumen can be avoided. However, fatty acid salts have a pungent taste, which can limit their usability in feeds and can result in decreased feed intake. The salts may also impact the pelletizing process of the feed. The negative side effects of fats may be reduced by limiting the inclusion of C 18: 1, C I 8:2, and CI 8:3 fatty acids in the ruminant dietary composition. Reduction of these fatty acids in the dietary composition of feed for ruminants may be accomplished through monitoring the MFDI of the dietary composition.

[0032] Accordingly, the dietary composition described herein allows for the transfer of palmitic acid from the feed via the digestive tract into the blood circulation of a ruminant. This improves the energy efficiency of milk production of the ruminant. When the utilization of energy becomes more efficient, the milk production increases and the concentrations of protein and fat in the milk rise. Especially, the dietary composition enhances fat synthesis in the mammary gland by bringing milk fat components to the cell and therefore the energy consuming synthesis in the mammary gland may be reduced or be made unnecessary. Thus, glucose may be more efficiently used for lactose production whereupon milk production increases. The milk protein content rises since there may be no need to produce glucose from amino acids. Thus, the ruminant therefore may not lose as much weight at the beginning of the lactation period. [0033] In the various embodiments described herein, the dietary composition for ruminants may include at least one fatty acid component and at least one feed ingredient. The at least one fatty acid component may have at least one fatty acid and a double bond count that corresponds to a number of carbon-carbon double bonds in a fatty acid molecule.

[0034] FIG. 1 depicts a flow diagram of a representative method of preparing a dietary composition for consumption by a ruminant. In various embodiments, the dietary composition may be formulated in a manner so that when consumed by the ruminant, the dietary composition maximizes particular qualities in the milk produced by the ruminant, as well as an amount of milk produced by the ruminant, as described in greater detail herein. The dietary composition also provides a MFDI of about 15 to about 40. In particular embodiments, the dietary composition may be substantially a solid dietary composition, including, but not limited to, a capsule, a tablet, a pellet, or a granular material.

[0035] In various embodiments, the components described herein with respect to FIG. 1 may generally be combined in any order and/or any combination, and are not limited by the order described herein. In some embodiments, a dietary composition may be prepared by providing 105 at least one feed ingredient and adding 110 at least one fatty acid to the feed ingredient. Thus, processes 105 and 110 result in combining the at least one feed ingredient and the at least one fatty acid to obtain the dietary composition.

[0036] In various embodiments, one or more other ingredients may be added 115 to the dietary composition. The other ingredients may be added 115 at substantially the same time as processes 105 and 110, may be added subsequent to processes 105 and 110, may be added prior to processes 105 and 110, or may be added during process 120, as described in greater detail herein. Illustrative examples of other ingredients that may be added 115 include a binding agent, a bulking agent, a filler, and the like, or a combination thereof. The binding agent may provide adhesive properties to the dietary composition, particularly so that the dietary composition does not fall apart in various forms such as pellet and tablet forms. Examples of binding agents include polysaccharides, proteins, and the like, or a combination thereof. The bulking agent may generally increase the bulk of the dietary composition without affecting the taste of the dietary composition. Examples of bulking agents may include silicate, kaolin, clay, and/or the like. The filler may generally be used to increase bulk, weight, viscosity, opacity, strength, and/or the like. Examples of filler may include gluten feed, sunflower hulls, distillers grains, guar hulls, wheat middlings, rice hulls, rice bran, oilseed meals, dried blood meal, animal byproduct meal, fish byproduct meal, dried fish solubles, feather meal, poultry byproducts, meat meal, bone meal, dried whey, soy protein concentrate, soy flour, yeast, wheat, oats, grain sorghum, corn feed meal, algae meal, rye, corn, barley, aspirated grain fractions, brewers dried grains, corn flower, corn gluten meal, feeding oat meal, sorghum grain flour, wheat mill run, wheat red dog, hominy feed, wheat flower, wheat bran, wheat germ meal, oat groats, rye middlings, cotyledon fiber, algae meal, and/or ground grains.

[0037] In various embodiments, the dietary composition may be processed 120 to obtain a final mixture. In some embodiments, processing 120 may include forming the dietary composition into a capsule, a shell, a pellet, a tablet, a granular material, and/or the like. Accordingly, processing 120 may include one or more of pressing, molding, extruding, grinding, pelletizing, encapsulating, granulating and/or the like. Pressing may include, for example, applying a pressure to an amount of the dietary composition. Molding may include, for example, open molding, compression molding, injection molding, centrifugal molding, or the like. Extruding may include, for example, forming an amount of the dietary composition by forcing the dietary composition through a die having a desired shape and size.

[0038] Grinding may be performed by various grinding devices known to those having ordinary skill in the art, such as a hammer mill, a roller mill, a disk mill, or the like. The dietary composition and/or portions thereof may be ground to various sizes, such as particle size (for instance, measured in millimeters), mesh sizes, surface areas, or the like. According to some embodiments, the dietary composition and/or portions thereof may be ground to an average particle size of about 0.1 mm to about 3 mm. More particularly, the dietary composition may be ground to produce a granular material having an average particle size of about 0.1 mm, about 0.2 mm, about 0.3 mm, about 0.5 mm, about 1.0 mm, about 2.0 mm, about 3.0 mm, or any value or range between any two of these values. In some embodiments, the dietary composition may be ground so that about 20% to 50% of the ground dietary composition is retained by a mesh having openings with a size of about 10 mm and so that about 70% to about 90% of the ground dietary composition is retained by a mesh having openings with a size of about 1 mm. In some embodiments, the dietary compositions and/or various portions thereof may have a varying distribution of particle sizes based upon the ingredients. For example, in embodiments containing one or more wheat ingredients, the particle size may be distributed so that about 95% of the ground wheat ingredients are retained by a mesh having openings with a size of about 0.0625 mm and so that about 65% of the ground wheat ingredients are retained by a mesh having openings with a size of about 1.0 mm. In another example, such as embodiments containing one or more barley ingredients, the particle size may be distributed so that about 95% of the ground barley ingredients are retained by a mesh having openings with a size of about 0.0625 mm and so that about 60% of the ground barley ingredients are retained by a mesh having openings with a size of about 1.0 mm. The varying mesh sizes of each ingredient may be independent of mesh sizes for other ingredients.

[0039] Grinding may provide various benefits, such as improving certain characteristics of the feed ingredient and/or the dietary composition formed therefrom. For instance, even and fine particle size may improve the mixing of different ingredients. According to certain embodiments, grinding may be configured to decrease a particle size of certain components of the dietary composition, for example, to increase the surface area open for enzymes in the gastrointestinal tract, which may improve the digestibility of nutrients, and/or to increase the palatability of the feed.

[0040] In some embodiments, the granular material or powder may be used in subsequent processes such as molding, extrusion, and/or tableting. In some embodiments, processing 120 may include drying the dietary composition. Drying may be performed before or after further processing. Drying may generally be completed to remove any excess water or other undesired materials, as well as to provide a material that is suitable for encapsulation, pelleting, extrusion, grinding, pressing and/or the like.

[0041] "Granular material", as used herein, refers to a conglomeration of discrete solid, macroscopic particles and is meant to encompass a wide variety of material types, shapes, and sizes. Granular material includes powders as a subset, but also includes groups of larger particles. Granular material may be particularly well-suited for tableting and encapsulation, as well as molding.

[0042] In various embodiments, the feed ingredient may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of about 20% to about 70%, about 10% to about 40%, or about 50%) to about 70% by weight of the dietary composition. In particular embodiments, the feed ingredient may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of about 20% by weight, about 25% by weight, about 30% by weight, about 35% by weight, about 40% by weight, about 45% by weight, about 50% by weight, about 55% by weight, about 60% by weight, about 65% by weight, about 70% by weight, or any value or range between any two of these values.

[0043] In various embodiments, the feed ingredient may include at least one protein material, at least one cellulosic material, at least one amino acid, at least one amino acid derivative, at least one vitamin, at least one trace element, at least one mineral, at least one glucogenic precursor, at least one antioxidant, or a combination thereof. The feed ingredient may include various portions generally included in particular amounts that are sufficient to provide beneficial nutritional and dietary needs of the ruminant that is to consume the dietary composition. For example, the feed ingredient may include a protein portion and a vitamin portion, each in an amount sufficient to provide beneficial nutritional and dietary needs of the ruminant.

[0044] In various embodiments, the glucogenic precursor may include at least one of glycerol, propylene glycol, molasses, propionate, glycerine, propane diol, calcium propionate, propionic acid, octanoic acid, steam-exploded sawdust, steam-exploded wood chips, steam-exploded wheat straw, algae, algae meal, microalgae, and/or the like. The glucogenic precursor may generally be included in the feed ingredient to provide an energy source to the ruminant so as to prevent gluconeo genesis from occurring within the ruminant's body.

[0045] The antioxidant is not limited by this disclosure and may include any antioxidants or combination of antioxidants, particularly those used in animal feed and dietary compositions. Illustrative examples of antioxidants may include alpha-carotene, beta- carotene, ethoxyquin, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), cryptoxanthin, lutein, lycopene, zeaxanthin, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, alpha-lipoic acid, and/or the like.

[0046] In various embodiments, the vitamin may include any combination of vitamins including, without limitation, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, vitamin K, and/or the like. Specific examples of vitamin B include thiamine (vitamin Bi), riboflavin (vitamin B₂), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), pyridoxine (vitamin B₆), biotin (vitamin B₇), folic acid (vitamin B9), cobalamin (vitamin B12), and choline (vitamin B_p).

[0047] In some embodiments, the feed ingredient may include an amount of carnitine. The carnitine may be included in the feed ingredient to aid in the breakdown of fatty acids to generate metabolic energy in the ruminant. In some embodiments, the carnitine may be present in a premix composition.

[0048] In some embodiments, the amino acid may be an essential amino acid, including any combination of leucine, lysine, histidine, valine, arginine, threonine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan, and/or any derivative thereof. In some embodiments, the amino acid may be a non-essential amino acid, including any combination of alanine, asparagine, aspartate, cysteine, glutamate, glutamine, glycine, proline, serine, tyrosine, and/or any derivative thereof. The amino acid and/or any derivative thereof may also include amino acids and derivatives of both non-essential and essential amino acids. The amino acid may generally be included in the feed ingredient to provide a nutritional aid in various physiological processes in the ruminant, such as, for example, increasing muscle mass, providing energy, aiding in recovery, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the amino acid may be obtained from a premix composition.

[0049] In various embodiments, the mineral may be any mineral that is a generally recognized as safe (GRAS) mineral or a combination of such minerals. The mineral may further be obtained from any mineral source that provides a bioavailable mineral. In some embodiments, the mineral may be one or more of calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorous, zinc, selenium, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, iodine, molybdenum, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the mineral may be selected from one or more of a sodium salt, a calcium salt, a magnesium salt, a cobalt salt, a manganese salt, a potassium salt, an iron salt, a zinc salt, copper sulfate, copper oxide, selenium yeast, a chelated mineral, and/or the like. Illustrative examples of sodium salts include monosodium phosphate, sodium acetate, sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, disodium phosphate, sodium iodate, sodium iodide, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium sulfate, sodium selenite, and/or the like, or any combination thereof. Illustrative examples of calcium salts include calcium acetate, calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, calcium gluconate, calcium hydroxide, calcium iodate, calcium iodobehenate, calcium oxide, anhydrous calcium sulfate, calcium sulfate dehydrate, dicalcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, and/or the like, or any combination thereof. Illustrative magnesium salts include magnesium acetate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, magnesium sulfate, and/or the like, or any combination thereof. Illustrative cobalt salts include cobalt acetate, cobalt carbonate, cobalt chloride, cobalt oxide, cobalt sulfate, and/or the like, or any combination thereof. Illustrative examples of manganese salts include manganese carbonate, manganese chloride, manganese citrate, manganese gluconate, manganese orthophosphate, manganese oxide, manganese phosphate, manganese sulfate, and/or the like, or any combination thereof. Illustrative examples of potassium salts include potassium acetate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium chloride, potassium iodate, potassium iodide, potassium sulfate, and/or the like, or any combination thereof. Illustrative examples of iron salts include iron ammonium citrate, iron carbonate, iron chloride, iron gluconate, iron oxide, iron phosphate, iron pyrophosphate, iron sulfate, reduced iron, and/or the like, or any combination thereof. Illustrative examples of zinc salts include zinc acetate, zinc carbonate, zinc chloride, zinc oxide, zinc sulfate, and/or the like, or any combination thereof.

[0050] In some embodiments, the dietary composition may include a protein material. In some embodiments, the protein material used in the dietary composition may be obtained from a protein source. Illustrative examples of protein sources may include one or more grains and/or oilseed meals. The grain is generally not limited by this disclosure and may be any edible grain, combination of grains, or grain by-product that is used as a protein source. Illustrative examples of grains include cereal grains such as barley, wheat, spelt wheat, rye, oats, triticale, rice, corn, buck wheat, quinoa, amaranthus, sorghum, and the like. Oilseed meal is generally derived from residue that remains after reserved oil is removed from oilseeds. The oilseed meal may be rich in protein and variable in residual fats and oils. Illustrative examples of protein material include rapeseed meal, soybean meal, sunflower meal, cottonseed meal, camelina meal, mustard seed meal, crambe seed meal, safflower meal, rice meal, peanut meal, corn gluten meal, corn gluten feed, wheat gluten, distillers dried grains, distillers dried grains with solubles, animal protein, and/or the like.

[0051] In some embodiments, the feed ingredient may include at least one cellulosic material. The cellulosic material may generally provide a source of fiber for the ruminant to lower cholesterol levels and promote proper digestive function. Illustrative examples of cellulosic materials include wheat bran, wheat middlings, wheat mill run, oat hulls, oat bran, soya hulls, sugar beet pulp, grass meal, hay meal, alfalfa meal, alfalfa, straw, hay, algae, algae meal, microalgae, and/or the like.

[0052] In various embodiments, the feed ingredient may include a micronutrient mixture. Micronutrient mixtures are not limited by this disclosure and may generally contain any micronutrient mixture now known or later developed. The micronutrient mixture may include various components, such as at least one vitamin and at least one mineral, as described in greater detail herein. In some embodiments, the micronutrient mixture may be present in a premix composition.

[0053] In various embodiments, the fatty acid component may generally include one or more free fatty acids and/or glycolipids. Free fatty acids may generally be unconjugated fatty acids, whereas glycolipids may be fatty acids conjugated with a carbohydrate. In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of at least about 10% by weight. In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of at least about 30% by weight. In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of at least about 50% by weight. In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of about 10%> by weight to about 80%> by weight of the dietary composition. In particular embodiments, the fatty acid component may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of about 10% by weight, about 30%> by weight, about 35% by weight, about 40%> by weight, about 45% by weight, about 50%> by weight, about 55% by weight, about 60% by weight, about 65% by weight, about 70% by weight, about 75% by weight, about 80% by weight, about 85%, about 90%), or any value or range between any two of these values. In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may represent about 10% to about 50%, about 30% to about 90%, or about 40%) to about 60% by weight of the dietary composition.

[0054] In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may have a melting point equal to or greater than about 60°C. For example, in some embodiments, the fatty acid component may have a melting point of about 60°C to about 80°C. In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may have a melting point of about 63°C to about 65°C. In particular embodiments, the fatty acid component may have a melting point of about 60°C, about 63°C, about 65°C, about 70°C, about 75°C, about 80°C, or any value or range between any two of these values. The melting point may generally be selected so that it is a temperature that provides that the fatty acid is inert in the rumen environment.

[0055] In various embodiments, the fatty acid component may include at least one saturated fatty acid. For example, the fatty acid component may include 1 , 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or more different saturated fatty acids. In some embodiments, the saturated fatty acid may be present in the fatty acid component in an amount that results in a ruminant consuming the dietary composition to produce a desired quality and quantity of milk, as described in greater detail herein. Thus, in some embodiments, the saturated fatty acid may be present in an amount of about 90% by weight of the fatty acid component to about 100% by weight of the fatty acid component, including about 90% by weight, about 91% by weight, about 92% by weight, about 93% by weight, about 94% by weight, about 95 % by weight, about 96% by weight, about 97% by weight, about 98% by weight, about 99% by weight, about 100% by weight, or any value or range between any two of these values. The saturated fatty acid is not limited by this disclosure, and may include any number of saturated fatty acids now known or later discovered, including all derivatives thereof. For example, derivatives of a saturated fatty acid may include salts, esters, amides, carbonates, carbamates, imides, anhydrides, alcohols, and/or the like.

[0056] As used herein, the term "salt" of the fatty acid may be any acid addition salt, including, but not limited to, halogenic acid salts such as, for example, hydrobromic, hydrochloric, hydrofluoric, and hydroiodic acid salts; an inorganic acid salt such as, for example, nitric, perchloric, sulfuric, and phosphoric acid salts; an organic acid salt such as, for example, sulfonic acid salts (methanesulfonic, trifluoromethane sulfonic, ethanesulfonic, benzenesulfonic, or p-toluenesulfonic), acetic, malic, fumaric, succinic, citric, benzoic, gluconic, lactic, mandelic, mucic, pamoic, pantothenic, oxalic, and maleic acid salts; and an amino acid salt such as aspartic or glutamic acid salt. An acid addition salt may be a mono- or di-acid addition salt, such as a di-hydrohalogenic, di-sulfuric, di-phosphoric, or di-organic acid salt. In all cases, the acid addition salt is used as an achiral reagent which is not selected on the basis of any expected or known preference for interaction with or precipitation of a specific optical isomer of the products of this disclosure.

[0057] The term "fatty acid ester" as used herein means an ester of a fatty acid. For example, the fatty acid ester may be in a form of RCOOR'. R may be any saturated or unsaturated alkyl group including, without limitation, CIO, C12, C14, C16, C18, C20, and C24. R' may be any groups having from about 1 to about 1000 carbon atoms and with or without hetero atoms. In some embodiments, R' may have from about 1 to about 20, from about 3 to about 10, or from about 5 to about 15 carbon atoms. The hetero atoms may include, without limitation, N, O, S, P, Se, halogen, Si, and B. For example, R' may be a Ci_ ₆alkyl, such as methyl, ethyl or t-butyl; a Ci_₆alkoxyCi_₆alkyl; a heterocyclyl, such as tetrahydrofuranyl; a C6-ioaryloxyCi_6alkyl, such as benzyloxymethyl (BOM); a silyl, such as trimethylsilyl, t-butyldimethylsilyl and t-butyldiphenylsilyl; a cinnamyl; an allyl; a Ci_6alkyl which is mono-, di- or trisubstituted by halogen, silyl, cyano or Ci_₆aryl, wherein the aryl ring is unsubstituted or substituted by one, two or three, residues selected from the group consisting of Ci^alkyl, Ci^alkoxy, halogen, nitro, cyano and CF₃; or a Ci ^alkyl substituted by 9-fluorenyl.

[0058] As used herein, a "fatty acid amide" may generally include amides of fatty acids where the fatty acid is bonded to an amide group. For example, the fatty acid amide may have a formula of RCONR'R". R may be any saturated or unsaturated alkyl group including, without limitation, CIO, C12, C14, C16, C18, C20, and C24. R' and R" may be any group having from about 1 to about 1000 carbon atoms and with or without hetero atoms. In some embodiments, R' may have from about 1 to about 20, from about 3 to about 10, or from about 5 to about 15 carbon atoms. The hetero atoms may include, without limitation, N, O, S, P, Se, halogen, Si, and B. For example, R' and R" each may be an alkyl, an alkenyl, an alkynyl, an aryl, an aralkyl, a cycloalkyl, a halogenated alkyl, or a heterocycloalkyl group.

[0059] A "fatty acid anhydride" may generally refer to a compound which results from the condensation of a fatty acid with a carboxylic acid. Illustrative examples of carboxylic acids that may be used to form a fatty acid anhydride include acetic acid, propionic acid, benzoic acid, and the like. [0060] An "alcohol" of a fatty acid refers to a fatty acid having straight or branched, saturated, radical groups with 3-30 carbon atoms and one or more hydroxy groups. The alkyl portion of the alcohol component can be propyl, butyl, pentyl, hexyl, iso-propyl, iso-butyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, or the like. One of skill in the art may appreciate that other alcohol groups may also useful in the present disclosure.

[0061] In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may be oleic acid, an oleic acid isomer, an oleic acid isomer derivative, or a combination thereof. In other embodiments, the fatty acid component may be linoleic acid, a linoleic acid isomer, a linoleic acid isomer derivative, or a combination thereof. In further embodiments, the fatty acid component may be linolenic acid, a linolenic acid isomer, a linolenic acid isomer derivative, or a combination thereof.

[0062] The fatty acid component may be a palmitic acid compound. The palmitic acid compound is not limited by this disclosure, and may include one or more of a conjugated palmitic acid, unconjugated palmitic acid, free palmitic acid, palmitic acid derivatives, and/or the like. Palmitic acid, also known as hexadecanoic acid, has a molecular formula of CH3(CH2)i4C02H. Specific examples of palmitic acid derivatives may include palmitic acid esters, palmitic acid amides, palmitic acid salts, palmitic acid carbonates, palmitic acid carbamates, palmitic acid imides, palmitic acid anhydrides, and/or the like, or any combination thereof. The palmitic acid compound may be present in the fatty acid component in an amount of at least about 60%, at least about 70%, at least about 80%), at least about 90% by weight of the fatty acid component. In other embodiments, when the fatty acid component may be a palmitic acid compound, the fatty acid may be an amount of about 3.5%) by weight to about 4% by weight of the dietary composition. In some embodiments, the compositions described herein may be used as a booster or a supplement to other feed. In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may consist essentially of the palmitic acid compound. In other embodiments, the fatty acid component may be entirely composed of the palmitic acid compound.

[0063] In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may include a stearic acid compound. The stearic acid compound is not limited by this disclosure, and may include conjugated stearic acid, unconjugated stearic acid, free stearic acid, stearic acid derivatives, and/or the like. Stearic acid, also known as octadecanoic acid, has a chemical formula of CH3(CH2)i6C02H. Specific examples of stearic acid derivatives may include stearic acid esters, stearic acid amides, stearic acid salts, stearic acid carbonates, stearic acid carbamates, stearic acid imides, stearic acid anhydrides, and/or the like. Because stearic acid in large amounts may hinder milk production capacity of the mammary gland, the amount of stearic acid may be present in the fatty acid component in an amount of about 30% or less by weight of the fatty acid component. In particular embodiments, the stearic acid compound may include about 30% by weight of the fatty acid component, about 25% by weight of the fatty acid component, about 20% by weight of the fatty acid component, about 15% by weight of the fatty acid component, about 10% by weight of the fatty acid component, about 5% by weight of the fatty acid component, or any value or range between any two of these values.

[0064] In some embodiments, the fatty acid component may include an unsaturated fatty acid. The term "unsaturated fatty acid" as used herein refers to any mono- and/or polyunsaturated fat, and includes unsaturated trans fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids must contain at least one alkene bond and may contain two or more alkene groups in any position in the hydrocarbon chain. The unsaturation may or may not be present as a conjugated system of double bonds. Unsaturated fatty acids are not limited by this disclosure, and may include any number of unsaturated fatty acids now known or later discovered, including all derivatives thereof. For example, derivatives of an unsaturated fatty acid may include salts, esters, amides, anhydrides, alcohols, and/or the like, as previously described herein.

[0065] In some embodiments, the dietary composition may include at least one C18: l fatty acid, at least one C18:2 fatty acid, at least one CI 8:3 fatty acid, or a combination thereof. In order to monitor the effect of the fatty acids on milk fat, the MFDI of the dietary composition is calculated using the DBCs of the respective fatty acids. The MFDI may be calculated according to Equation (2) below: MFDI

(Mass of C18: 1 (grams)) + (2 * Mass of C18: 2 (grams)) + (3 * Mass of C18: 3 (grams)) total dry mass of dietary composition (kilograms)

In some embodiments, the unsaturated fatty acids may be any unsaturated fatty acids. For example, the dietary composition may also include fish oil. The DBC values for fish oil are 5 for C20:5 and 6 for C20:6.

[0066] In various embodiments, a small amount of unsaturated fatty acid may be used in the fatty acid component to affect a desired quality of milk produced by the ruminant consuming the dietary composition, as described in greater detail herein. Thus, in some embodiments, the fatty acid component may be substantially free of unsaturated fatty acids.

As used herein with respect to unsaturated fatty acids, the term "substantially free" is understood to mean substantially no amount of unsaturated fatty acids or about 10% or less by weight of unsaturated fatty acids, including trace amounts of unsaturated fatty acids.

Accordingly, the unsaturated fatty acid may be present in the fatty acid component in an amount of about 10% or less by weight of the fatty acid component, including about 10% or less by weight, about 5% or less by weight, about 4% or less by weight, about 3% or less by weight, about 2% or less by weight, about 1% or less by weight, about 0.5% or less by weight, about 0% by weight, or any value or range between any two of these values. [0067] In various embodiments, at least a portion of the fatty acid component may be contained. In some embodiments, the fatty acid may be pre-contained prior to adding 110 the fatty acid to the feed ingredient. In other embodiments, the fatty acid may be contained as a result of the various processes 105, 110, 115, 120 described herein. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the fatty acid component may generally be contained by at least one supermolecular structure. Supermolecular structures may include vesicular structures such as microemulsions, liposomes (vesicles), micelles, and reverse micelles. In some embodiments, there may be a plurality of supermolecular structures. The liposomes (vesicles) may contain an aqueous volume that is entirely enclosed by a membrane composed of lipid molecules, such as phospholipids. In some embodiments, the liposomes may have a bilayer membrane. In some embodiments, the bilayer membrane may include at least one surfactant. In other embodiments, the bilayer membrane may include at least one surfactant and a palmitic acid compound. Examples of surfactants may include polyoxyethylene ethers and esters of fatty acids. In some embodiments, the surfactant may be lecithin. The surfactant may have an hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) value of about 2 to about 12, including about 2, about 3, about 4, about 5, about 6, about 7, about 8, about 9, about 10, about 11, about 12, or any range or value between any two of these values. Micelles and reverse micelles are microscopic vesicles that contain amphipathic constituents but do not contain an aqueous volume that is entirely enclosed by a membrane. In micelles, the hydrophilic part of the amphipathic compound is on the outside (on the surface of the vesicle). In reverse micelles, the hydrophobic part of the amphipathic compound is on the outside. The reverse micelles may thus contain a polar core that can solubilize both water and macromolecules within the inverse micelle. As the volume of the core aqueous pool increases, the aqueous environment begins to match the physical and chemical characteristics of bulk water. The resulting inverse micelle may be referred to as a microemulsion of water in oil.

[0068] In some embodiments, at least a portion of the fatty acid may be contained in a core of a micelle or a vesicle. The core may include any number of particles therein in addition to the fatty acid. The core composition may be made of a core material that includes at least one of the protein material, the cellulosic material, the amino acid, and the amino acid derivative, as described in greater detail herein.

[0069] In various embodiments, at least a portion of the fatty acid component may be encapsulated. In some embodiments, the fatty acid may be pre-encapsulated prior to adding 110 the fatty acid to the feed ingredient. In other embodiments, the fatty acid may be encapsulated as a result of the various processes 105, 110, 115, 120 described herein. In some embodiments, the fatty acid may generally be encapsulated by a capsule. In some embodiments, the capsule may be a plurality of capsules. The capsule may include a capsule shell, which is made up of at least one polysaccharide or protein. In some embodiments, the capsule shell may include a polysaccharide, a protein, or a combination thereof. The polysaccharide may be agar, chitosan, or a combination thereof. Illustrative examples of capsule shells as described herein may include capsule shells including agar, gelatin, starch casein, chitosan, soya bean protein, safflower protein, alginates, gellan gum, carrageenan, xanthan gum, phthalated gelatin, succinated gelatin, cellulosephthalate-acetate, polyvinylacetate, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, polyvinylacetate-phthalate, polymerisates of acrylic esters, polymerisates of methacrylic esters, and/or mixtures thereof.

[0070] In various embodiments, the dietary composition may include an amount of water. The water may be included in an amount that is separate from any amounts of water that may be inherently present in any of the other ingredients described herein. The water may generally be present in the dietary composition in an amount that is about 3% or less by weight, including about 0.5% by weight, about 1% by weight, about 2% by weight, about 3% by weight, or any value or range between any two of these values.

[0071] In various embodiments, an emulsifier may be combined with the feed ingredient and the fatty acid component to form an emulsion, as depicted in FIG. 2. In some embodiments, the emulsifier may be combined 205 with the fatty acid component and water. The emulsion of the fatty acid component, water, and emulsifier may form a plurality of micelles or vesicles. In some embodiments, the emulsion may include, for example, water, sodium palmitate, and palmitate. The combination 205 may include combining the fatty acid and the emulsifier under pressure. In some embodiments, the pressure may be about 1 atm to about 10 atm. In particular embodiments, the pressure may be about 1 atm, about 2 atm, about 3 atm, about 4 atm, about 5 atm, about 6 atm, about 7 atm, about 8 atm, about 9 atm, about 10 atm, or any value or range between any two of these values. The emulsion may be combined 210 with the feed ingredient. In addition, other ingredients may be added 215. The resulting product may be processed 220 as described in greater detail herein to obtain the final product. In some embodiments, the emulsion may be a paste emulsion that is processed 220 by extruding, as described in greater detail herein. The resulting product may be a plurality of particles, pellets, or granular materials. In some embodiments, the emulsion may be processed 220 by drying the emulsion to provide a plurality of granular materials, as described in greater detail herein.

[0072] The emulsifier is not limited by this disclosure, and may generally be any composition that is capable of emulsifying the dietary composition. In some embodiments, the emulsifier may be a nonionic emulsifier. Specific examples of nonionic emulsifiers may include ethoxylated fatty alcohols, ethoxylated alkylphenols, ethoxylated fatty acids, sorbitan derivatives, sucrose esters and derivatives, ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymers, fluorinated alkyl polyoxyethylene ethanols, and/or any combination thereof. Other examples of emulsifiers may include lecithin, natural seed weed, natural seed gums, natural plant exudates, natural fruit extracts, animal skin and bone extracts, bio-synthetic gums, starches, fibers, sucrose esters, Tween, polyglycerol esters, sugar esters, castor oil, and ethoxylated castor oil, an ammonia solution, butoxyethanol, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, ethylene glycol polymers, polyethylene, methoxypolyethylene glycol, and/or any combination thereof. Examples of natural seed weed may include carrageenan, alginates, agar, agarose, fucellan, and xanthan gum or a combination thereof. Examples of natural seed gums may include guar gum, locust bean gum, tara gum, tamarind gum, and psillium gum. Examples of natural plant exudates are gum Arabic, tragacanth, karaya, and ghatti. Natural fruit extracts are, for example, low and high methoxyl pectins. Animal skin and bone extracts are, for example, gelatin A, gelatin B, and hydrolyzed gelatin. Gum Arabic is a natural food additive obtained from certain varieties of acacia. It is generally tasteless and odorless, and may be used in commercial food processing to thicken, emulsify, and/or stabilize foods. Guar gum is a gummy substance obtained from plants of the legume genera. Guar gum may also be used as a thickener and/or a stabilizer in commercial food processing. Xanthan gum is produced by fermentation of corn sugar, and may be used as a thickener, an emulsifier, and/or a stabilizer of foods. In particular embodiments, gum Arabic, guar gum, xanthan gum, and/or pectin may be used in combination as an emulsion stabilizer. Illustrative examples of bio-synthetic gums may include xanthan, gellan, curdian, and pullulan. Examples of starches may include natural starch, chemically modified starch, physically modified starch, and enzymatically modified starch. Castor oil may be effective as an emulsifier because of its ability to render oil soluble in water.

[0073] In various embodiments, the emulsifier may have a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance HLB of about 2 to about 12. In particular embodiments, the HLB of the emulsifier may be about 2, about 3, about 4, about 5, about 6, about 7, about 8, about 9, about 10, about 1 1 , about 12, or any value or range between any two of these values.

[0074] In various embodiments, the emulsifier may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of about 0.01% by weight to about 1.0% by weight of the dietary composition. In particular embodiments, the emulsifier may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of about 0.01% by weight, about 0.05% by weight, about 0.1 % by weight, about 0.2% by weight, about 0.25% by weight, about 0.3% by weight, about 0.5% by weight, about 0.6% by weight, about 0.75% by weight, about 1.0% by weight, about 1.25% by weight, about 1.5% by weight, about 1.75% by weight, about 2.0% by weight, or any value or range between any two of these values.

[0075] In some embodiments, the emulsifier may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of about 0.2% to about 2.0%) by the weight of the saturated fatty acid. In some embodiments, the emulsifier may be present in the dietary composition by the weight of the saturated fatty acid in an amount of about 0.5% to about 1.5%. In further embodiments, the emulsifier may be present in the dietary composition in an amount of about 0.8%) to about 1.2% by the weight of the saturated fatty acid.

[0076] The disclosure further provides methods for increasing milk fat content in ruminants. In one embodiment, a method may include providing the dietary composition as described herein to the ruminant for ingestion. In particular embodiments, the dietary composition may be a solid dietary composition, as described in greater detail herein. In some embodiments, the dietary composition may be provided as a supplement or a booster. In some embodiments, the dietary composition may be admixed with roughage or other feeding materials to be provided to the ruminant. In some embodiments, the dietary composition may be provided to the ruminant together with roughage or other feeding materials to provide a total feed MDI from about 15 to about 45. In some embodiments, the dietary composition may be provided to the ruminant in an amount that the ruminant receives at least about 10 grams of palmitic acid per kilogram of milk produced by the ruminant each day. The amount may be based on the previous day's milk production by the ruminant, an average day based on the previous week's milk production by the ruminant, an average day based on the previous month's milk production by the ruminant, an average production of milk by the ruminant when not provided the dietary composition, and/or the like. In some embodiments, the ruminant may be provided with additional amounts of the dietary composition to make up for portions of the dietary composition that are not consumed by the ruminant such as amounts that are spilled by the ruminant when consuming the dietary composition and/or the like.

[0077] In some embodiments, providing the dietary composition to the ruminant for the ruminant to consume may result in an increase in production of milk and/or an increase in fat content of the milk produced. These increases may generally be relative to a similar ruminant that does not receive the dietary composition, an average of similar ruminants not receiving the dietary composition, an average of the milk production quantity and fat content of the same ruminant when not provided the dietary composition, and/or the like. In particular embodiments, the milk production may increase by an amount of about 1 % to about 10%, including about 1%, about 2%, about 3%, about 4%, about 5%, about 6%, about 7%, about 8%, about 9%, about 10%, or any value or range between any two of these values. In particular embodiments, the milk fat content may increase by an amount of about 10% to about 15%, including about 10%, about 1 1%, about 12%, about 13%, about 14%, about 15%, or any value or range between any two of these values. EXAMPLES

Example 1 : Making a Dietary Composition

[0078] A dietary composition to be used as a feed supplement for ruminant feed is made using a process of combining a feed ingredient and a fatty acid and grinding it into a granular material that can be sprinkled over the ruminant feed. The fatty acid component is combined in an amount that is about 50% by weight of the dietary composition. The fatty acid component includes about 90% by weight of a palmitic acid having a DBC value of 0, about 5% by weight of C18: l unsaturated fatty acid having a DBC value of 1, and 5% by weight of water. The dietary composition also includes about 50% by weight of a feed ingredient having 5% moisture content. The feed ingredient includes additional nutrients that are lacking in the ruminant's current feed. The feed ingredient includes molasses, sugar beet pulp, calcium propionate, propane diol, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, biotin, folic acid, choline vitamin D, vitamin E, carnitine, leucine, lysine, a phenylalanine derivative, sodium acetate, calcium carbonate, iron gluconate, barley, wheat, rice, corn, oat hulls, hay meal, and straw. The various ingredients are ground using a standard commercial grinder so that they have an average particle size of about 2 mm. The resulting dietary composition has a Milk Fat Depression Index (MFDI) value of about 2 .

(900g * 0) + (50# * 1)

MFDI = « 25.6

1.95 kg (dry mass)

Example 2: An Example Rapeseed Meal MFDI

[0079] A rapeseed meal is used to make a dietary composition for a ruminant. The rapeseed meal (fresh weight) contains 5% fat and 90% of the dry mass content. There are 23.2 g/kg C18: l fatty acid, 8.2 6/kg C18:2 fatty acid, and 3.92 g/kg C18:3 fatty acid in the rapeseed meal. The MFDI of the rapeseed meal is about 57 in dry mass.

(1 * 23.2 g) + (2 * 8.2 g + (3 * 3.92 g)

MFDI = « 57.1

1 kg * 90% Example 3 : An Example Whole Diet MFDI

[0080] A dairy cow is provided with a dietary composition to increase the milk fat and the quantity of milk produced. The dietary composition has a MFDI of 25. The dairy cow is fed with a total diet on a dry matter basis that includes 50% of the dietary composition and 50% of roughage having a MFDI of 55 in dry matter. The total diet has an MFDI of 40. Total Diet MFDI = (Dietary Composition MFDI * 50%) + (Roughage MFDI * 50%)

Example 4: An Example Whole Diet MFDI Including Grass Silage

[0081] A dairy cow is provided with a dietary composition to increase the milk fat and the quantity of milk produced. The dietary composition has a MFDI of 20. The dairy cow is additionally fed with grass silage having a MFDI of 60 in dry matter. The total diet of the dairy cow includes 50% of the dietary composition and 50% of the grass silage. The grass silage has a moisture content of 10%. The total diet has a MFDI of 38.9.

(lkg Dietary Comp.* 20 g/kg) + (lkg Silage * 90% * 60g/kg)

Total Diet MFDI =

1.90 kg

Example 5 : Feeding a Dairy Cow

[0082] A dairy cow that has a normal (untreated) average daily production of 30 kg milk is provided with the dietary composition described above with respect to Example 1 to increase the milk fat and the quantity of the milk produced.

[0083] The dairy cow is given about 350 grams of the solid dietary composition by sprinkling the dietary composition on the ruminant's feed. This amount of dietary composition is selected to ensure that the cow consumes at least about 333 grams of the solid dietary composition. This amount corresponds to about 10 grams of free palmitic acid for every kilogram of milk that the dairy cow produces that day. The dietary composition has a Milk Fat Depression Index of 25, which results in a positive compound feed for the dairy cow that increases milk fat, milk protein, and milk yield of the dairy cow. The milk fat is increased by 0.25 units, the milk protein is increased by 0.05 units, and the milk yield is increased by 1 kg. As a result, the dairy cow produces 5% by weight more milk than she did previously, and the milk that she produces contains 15% by weight more milk fat content than the milk she produced previously.

Example 6: Providing to a Large Group of Cows

[0084] The dietary composition as described above with respect to Example 1 is provided to a large group of cows on a commercial dairy farm to confirm its effectiveness. A group of 200 dairy cows from the commercial dairy farm are selected at random to provide a wide variety of variation in various characteristics, such as breed, weight, age of the cow, and the like. The 200 cows are divided into two groups: a sample cow group and a control cow group. Each day, the sample cow group is fed, ad libitum, a standard TMR feed with the dietary composition sprinkled thereon. The control cow group is fed the standard TMR feed given to the sample group of cows ad libitum, but without the dietary composition as a booster. The 200 cows are monitored for the amount of feed and/or booster consumed, changes in weight, an amount of milk the cow produces each day, and the composition of the milk produced by the cow each day. Monitoring continues for a period of 30 days. A comparison of the two groups of cows over this period of time shows a statistically significant improvement in milk fat content and milk volume from the sample group that consumed the booster over the control group that did not receive the booster.

[0085] In the above detailed description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form a part hereof. In the drawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unless context dictates otherwise. The illustrative embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, and claims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be used, and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit or scope of the subject matter presented herein. It will be readily understood that the aspects of the present disclosure, as generally described herein, and illustrated in the Figures, can be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, and designed in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which are explicitly contemplated herein.

[0086] The present disclosure is not to be limited in terms of the particular embodiments described in this application, which are intended as illustrations of various aspects. Many modifications and variations can be made without departing from its spirit and scope, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Functionally equivalent methods and apparatuses within the scope of the disclosure, in addition to those enumerated herein, will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing descriptions. Such modifications and variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. The present disclosure is to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. It is to be understood that this disclosure is not limited to particular methods, reagents, compounds, compositions or biological systems, which can, of course, vary. It is also to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to be limiting.

[0087] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.

[0088] It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, terms used herein, and especially in the appended claims (for example, bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended as "open" terms (for example, the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to," the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least," the term "includes" should be interpreted as "includes but is not limited to," et cetera). While various compositions, methods, and devices are described in terms of "comprising" various components or steps (interpreted as meaning "including, but not limited to"), the compositions, methods, and devices can also "consist essentially of or "consist of the various components and steps, and such terminology should be interpreted as defining essentially closed-member groups. It will be further understood by those within the art that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such an intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid to understanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more" to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed to imply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinite articles "a" or "an" limits any particular claim containing such introduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and indefinite articles such as "a" or "an" (for example, "a" and/or "an" should be interpreted to mean "at least one" or "one or more"); the same holds true for the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted to mean at least the recited number (for example, the bare recitation of "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations). Furthermore, in those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, and C, et cetera" is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (for example, " a system having at least one of A, B, and C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, et cetera). In those instances where a convention analogous to "at least one of A, B, or C, et cetera" is used, in general such a construction is intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understand the convention (for example, " a system having at least one of A, B, or C" would include but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and C together, et cetera). It will be further understood by those within the art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, or drawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities of including one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0089] In addition, where features or aspects of the disclosure are described in terms of Markush groups, those skilled in the art will recognize that the disclosure is also thereby described in terms of any individual member or subgroup of members of the Markush group.

[0090] As will be understood by one skilled in the art, for any and all purposes, such as in terms of providing a written description, all ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all possible subranges and combinations of subranges thereof. Any listed range can be easily recognized as sufficiently describing and enabling the same range being broken down into at least equal halves, thirds, quarters, fifths, tenths, et cetera As a non- limiting example, each range discussed herein can be readily broken down into a lower third, middle third and upper third, et cetera As will also be understood by one skilled in the art all language such as "up to," "at least," and the like include the number recited and refer to ranges which can be subsequently broken down into subranges as discussed above. Finally, as will be understood by one skilled in the art, a range includes each individual member. Thus, for example, a group having 1 -3 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, or 3 cells. Similarly, a group having 1-5 cells refers to groups having 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 cells, and so forth. [0091] Various of the above-disclosed and other features and functions, or alternatives thereof, may be combined into many other different systems or applications. Various presently unforeseen or unanticipated alternatives, modifications, variations or improvements therein may be subsequently made by those skilled in the art, each of which is also intended to be encompassed by the disclosed embodiments.

Claims

CLAIMS What Is Claimed Is:

1. A dietary composition for ruminants, the dietary composition comprising: at least one fatty acid component comprising at least one fatty acid, wherein each of the at least one fatty acid has a double bond count that corresponds to a number of carbon-carbon double bonds in a fatty acid molecule of the fatty acid; and

at least one feed ingredient,

wherein the dietary composition has a Milk Fat Depression Index of about 15 to about 40 and wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is calculated as the sum of a weight ratio in g/kg of each fatty acid times the double bond count of the fatty acid.

2. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid comprises at least one CI 8:1 fatty acid, at least one CI 8:2 fatty acid, at least one CI 8:3 fatty acid, or a combination thereof, and wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is calculated according to the following equation:

Milk Fat Depression Index

(1 x Mass of C18: 1 (#)) + (2 x Mass of C18: 2 (#)) + (3 x Mass of C18: 3 (#)) total dry mass of dietary composition (kg)

3. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid comprises oleic acid, an oleic acid isomer, an oleic acid isomer derivative, or a combination thereof.

4. The dietary composition of claim 3, wherein the at least one fatty acid comprises linoleic acid, a linoleic acid isomer, a linoleic acid isomer derivative, or a combination thereof.

5. The dietary composition of claim 3, wherein the at least one fatty acid comprises linolenic acid, a linolenic acid isomer, a linolenic acid isomer derivative, or a combination thereof.

6. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is about 16 to about 38.

7. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is about 17 to about 35.

8. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is about 19 to about 32.

9. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is about 20 to about 30.

10. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is about 20 to about 27.

11. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is about 20 to about 25.

12. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid is a palmitic acid compound.

13. The dietary composition of claim 12, wherein the palmitic acid compound comprises free palmitic acid, a palmitic acid derivative, or both.

14. The dietary composition of claim 13, wherein the palmitic acid derivative is selected from a palmitic acid ester, a palmitic acid amide, a palmitic acid salt, a palmitic acid carbonate, a palmitic acid carbamates, a palmitic acid imide, a palmitic acid anhydride, or a combination thereof.

15. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid is a palmitic acid compound, and the palmitic acid compound is present in the fatty acid component in an amount of at least about 60% by weight of the fatty acid component.

16. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid is a palmitic acid compound, and the palmitic acid compound is present in the fatty acid component in an amount of at least about 80% by weight of the fatty acid component.

17. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid is a palmitic acid compound, and the palmitic acid compound is present in the fatty acid component in an amount of at least about 90% by weight of the fatty acid component.

18. The dietary composition of claim 1, wherein the at least one fatty acid is a palmitic acid compound, and the palmitic acid compound is present in the dietary

composition in an amount of about 3.5% by weight to about 4% by weight of the dietary composition.

19. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid component has a melting point equal to or greater than about 60°C.

20. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid component has a melting point of about 60°C to about 80°C.

21. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid component is present in the dietary composition in an amount of at least about 10% by weight of the dietary composition.

22. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid component is present in the dietary composition in an amount of at least about 30% by weight of the dietary composition.

23. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one fatty acid component is present in the dietary composition in an amount of at least about 50% by weight of the dietary composition.

24. The dietary composition of claim 1, further comprising at least one cellulosic material selected from wheat bran, wheat middlings, wheat mill run, oat hulls, soya hulls, grass meal, hay meal, alfalfa meal, alfalfa, straw, hay, or a combination thereof.

25. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one feed ingredient comprises a protein material, an amino acid, an amino acid derivative, a vitamin, a trace element, a mineral, a glucogenic precursor, an antioxidant, or a combination thereof.

26. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one feed ingredient comprises wheat, grains, rapeseed meal, soybean meal, sunflower meal, cottonseed meal, camelina meal, mustard seed meal, crambe seed meal, safflower meal, rice meal, peanut meal, corn gluten meal, corn gluten feed, distillers dried grains, distillers dried grains with solubles, wheat gluten, or a combination thereof.

27. The dietary composition of claim 1, further comprising at least one emulsifier.

28. The dietary composition of claim 27, wherein the at least one emulsifier is a nonionic emulsifier.

29. The dietary composition of claim 27, wherein the at least one emulsifier has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance value of about 2 to about 12.

30. The dietary composition of claim 27, wherein the at least one emulsifier comprises castor oil, an ammonia solution, butoxyethanol, propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, ethylene glycol polymers, polyethylene, methoxypolyethylene glycol, or a combination thereof.

31. The dietary composition of claim 27, wherein the at least one emulsifier is present in the dietary composition in an amount of about 0.01% by weight to about 1.0% by weight of the dietary composition.

32. The dietary supplement of claim 27, wherein the at least one emulsifier is present in the at least one fatty acid component in an amount of about 0.2% by weight to about 2.0% by weight of the at least one fatty acid component.

33. The dietary composition of claim 1, further comprising a glucogenic precursor selected from at least one of glycerol, propylene glycol, molasses, propionate, glycerine, propane diol, or calcium propionate.

34. The dietary composition of claim 1, further comprising a vitamin selected from at least one of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E, or vitamin .

35. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one vitamin selected from thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid, cobalamin, and choline.

36. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the at least one feed ingredient further comprises carnitine.

37. The dietary composition of claim 1, further comprising at least one amino acid selected from leucine, lysine, histidine, valine, arginine, threonine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan, or a combination thereof.

38. The dietary composition of claim I, further comprising at least one amino acid derivative selected from leucine, lysine, histidine, valine, arginine, threonine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan, or a combination thereof.

39. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one mineral selected from an ion of calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, selenium, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, iodine, molybdenum, or a combination thereof.

40. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one mineral selected from at least one sodium salt selected from monosodium phosphate, sodium acetate, sodium chloride, sodium bicarbonate, disodium phosphate, sodium iodate, sodium iodide, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium sulfate, or sodium selenite.

41. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one mineral selected from at least one calcium salt selected from calcium acetate, calcium carbonate, calcium chloride, calcium gluconate, calcium hydroxide, calcium iodate, calcium

iodobehenate, calcium oxide, anhydrous calcium sulfate, calcium sulfate dehydrate, dicalcium phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, or tricalcium phosphate.

42. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one mineral selected from at least one magnesium salt selected from magnesium acetate, magnesium carbonate, magnesium oxide, or magnesium sulfate.

43. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one mineral selected from at least one cobalt salt selected from cobalt acetate, cobalt carbonate, cobalt chloride, cobalt oxide, or cobalt sulfate.

44. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one mineral selected from at least one manganese salt selected from manganese carbonate, manganese chloride, manganese citrate, manganese gluconate, manganese orthophosphate, manganese oxide, manganese phosphate, and or manganese sulfate.

45. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one mineral selected from at least one potassium salt selected from potassium acetate, potassium bicarbonate, potassium carbonate, potassium chloride, potassium iodate, potassium iodide, or potassium sulfate.

46. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one mineral selected from at least one iron salt selected from iron ammonium citrate, iron carbonate, iron chloride, iron gluconate, iron oxide, iron phosphate, iron pyrophosphate, iron sulfate, or reduced iron.

47. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one mineral selected from at least one zinc salt selected from zinc acetate, zinc carbonate, zinc chloride, zinc oxide, or zinc sulfate.

48. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one mineral selected from at least one of copper sulfate, copper oxide, selenium yeast, or a chelated mineral.

49. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one protein material.

50. The dietary composition of claim 49, wherein the at least one protein material is selected from rapeseed meal, soybean meal, sunflower meal, cottonseed meal, camelina meal, mustard seed meal, crambe seed meal, safflower meal, rice meal, peanut meal, corn gluten meal, corn gluten feed, wheat gluten, distillers dried grains, distillers dried grains with solubles, animal protein, or a combination thereof.

51. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the at least one fatty acid component is encapsulated by at least one capsule.

52. The dietary composition of claim 51 , wherein the at least one capsule comprises a capsule shell comprising a polysaccharide, a protein, or a combination thereof.

53. The dietary composition of claim 52, wherein the polysaccharide comprises agar, chitosan, or a combination thereof.

54. The dietary composition of claim 51 , wherein the at least one capsule comprises a plurality of capsules.

55. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the at least one fatty acid component is contained by a plurality of micelles.

56. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the at least one fatty acid component is contained by a plurality of vesicles, each of the plurality of vesicles comprising a bilayer membrane.

57. The dietary composition of claim 56, wherein the bilayer membrane comprises at least one surfactant and a palmitic acid compound, wherein the surfactant has a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance value of about 2 to about 12.

58. The dietary composition of claim 57, wherein the at least one surfactant is lecithin.

59. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising at least one of a binding agent, a bulking agent, and a filler.

60. The dietary composition of claim 59, wherein the binding agent is at least one of a polysaccharide and a protein.

61. The dietary composition of claim 59, wherein the bulking agent is selected from silicate, kaolin, clay, or a combination thereof.

62. The dietary composition of claim 59, wherein the filler is selected from one or more of gluten feed, sunflower hulls, distillers grains, guar hulls, wheat middlings, rice hulls, rice bran, oilseed meals, dried blood meal, animal byproduct meal, fish byproduct meal, dried fish solubles, feather meal, poultry byproducts, meat meal, bone meal, dried whey, soy protein concentrate, soy flour, yeast, wheat, oats, grain sorghum, corn feed meal, rye, corn, barley, aspirated grain fractions, brewers dried grains, corn flower, corn gluten meal, feeding oat meal, sorghum grain flour, wheat mill run, wheat red dog, hominy feed, wheat flower, wheat bran, wheat germ meal, oat groats, rye middlings, cotyledon fiber, algae meal, or ground grains.

63. The dietary composition of claim 1 , further comprising water that is present in the dietary composition in an amount of about 3% or less by weight of the dietary composition.

64. The dietary composition of claim 1 , wherein the dietary composition is a capsule, a tablet, a pellet, or a granular material.

65. The dietary composition of claim 64, wherein the granular material has an average particle size of about 0.1 millimeters to about 3 millimeters.

66. A method of preparing a dietary composition for ruminants, the method comprising: combining at least one fatty acid component with at least one feed ingredient to form a mixture; and

processing the mixture into a tablet, a capsule, a pellet, or a granular material, wherein the at least one fatty acid component comprises at least one fatty acid, and each of the at least one fatty acid has a double bond count that corresponds to a number of carbon-carbon double bonds in a fatty acid molecule of the fatty acid,

wherein the dietary composition has a Milk Fat Depression Index of about 15 to about 40, and

wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is calculated as the sum of a weight ratio in g/kg of each fatty acid times the double bond count of the fatty acid.

67. The method of claim 66, wherein the at least one fatty acid comprises at least one CI 8: 1 fatty acid, at least one CI 8:2 fatty acid, at least one CI 8:3 fatty acid, or a combination thereof, wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is calculated according to the following equation:

Milk Fat Depression Index

68. The method of claim 66, wherein the at least one fatty acid comprises oleic acid, an oleic acid isomer, an oleic acid isomer derivative, or a combination thereof.

69. The method of claim 66, wherein the at least one fatty acid comprises linoleic acid, a linoleic acid isomer, a linoleic acid isomer derivative, or a combination thereof.

70. The method of claim 66, wherein the at least one fatty acid comprises linolenic acid, a linolenic acid isomer, a linolenic acid isomer derivative, or a combination thereof.

71. The method of claim 66, wherein the at least one feed ingredient comprises one or more of a protein material, a cellulosic material, an amino acid, an amino acid derivative, a vitamin, a trace element, a mineral, a glucogenic precursor, and an antioxidant.

72. The method of claim 66, wherein processing comprises at least one of pressing, extruding, grinding, or pelletizing the mixture into the tablet, the capsule, the pellet, or the granular material.

73. The method of claim 66, wherein the granular material has an average particle size of about 0.1 millimeters to about 3 millimeters.

74. The method of claim 66, further comprising drying the mixture.

75. The method of claim 66, wherein combining the at least one fatty acid component and the at least one feed ingredient comprises:

combining the at least one fatty acid component with water and an emulsifier to form a plurality of micelles or vesicles; and

combining the plurality of micelles or vesicles with the at least one feed ingredient to form the mixture.

76. The method of claim 75, wherein combining the at least one fatty acid component with the water and the emulsifier comprises forming an emulsion comprising water, sodium palmitate, and palmitate.

77. The method of claim 76, wherein the emulsion is a paste emulsion.

78. The method of claim 77, further comprising extruding the paste emulsion to form a plurality of particles, pellets, or granular materials.

79. The method of claim 76, further comprising drying the emulsion to provide a plurality of granular materials.

80. The method of claim 66, wherein the dietary composition further comprising combining the mixture with at least one glucogenic precursor comprising at least one of glycerol, propylene glycol, molasses, propionate, glycerine, propane diol, or calcium propionate.

81. The method of claim 66, further comprising combining the mixture with at least one vitamin selected from at least one of thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, biotin, folic acid, cobalamin, and choline.

82. The method of claim 66, further comprising combining the mixture with a vitamin selected from vitamin A, vitamin D, vitamin E, or a combination thereof.

83. The method of claim 66, further comprising combining the mixture with at least one amino acid selected from leucine, lysine, histidine, valine, arginine, threonine, isoleucine, phenylalanine, methionine, tryptophan, any derivative thereof, or a combination thereof.

84. The method of claim 66, further comprising combining the mixture with at least one mineral selected from an ion of calcium, sodium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, zinc, selenium, manganese, iron, cobalt, copper, iodine, molybdenum, or a combination thereof.

85. The method of claim 66, further comprising combining the mixture with at least one protein material comprising at least one of a grain and an oilseed meal.

86. A method of increasing milk fat content in ruminants, the method comprising: providing a dietary composition to a ruminant for ingestion, wherein the dietary supplement comprises:

at least one fatty acid component comprising at least one fatty acid, wherein each of the at least one fatty acid has a double bond count that corresponds to a number of carbon-carbon double bonds in a fatty acid molecule of the fatty acid; and

at least one feed ingredient,

wherein the dietary composition has a Milk Fat Depression Index of about 15 to about 40 and wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is calculated as a sum of the weight ratio in g/kg of each fatty acid times the double bond count of the fatty acid.

87. The method of claim 86, wherein the dietary composition is a capsule, a tablet, a pellet, or a granular material.

88. The method of claim 86, wherein the at least one fatty acid comprises at least one CI 8: 1 fatty acid, at least one CI 8:2 fatty acid, at least one CI 8:3 fatty acid, or a combination thereof, and wherein the Milk Fat Depression Index is calculated according to the following equation:

Milk Fat Depression Index

(1 x Mass of CIS: 1 (#)) + (2 x Mass of CIS: 2 (#)) + (3 x Mass of CIS: 3 (g)) total dry mass of dietary composition (kg)

89. The method of claim 86, wherein providing the dietary composition to the ruminant comprises providing the dietary composition to the ruminant at an amount such that the ruminant receives at least about 10 grams of the at least one fatty acid per kilogram of milk produced by the ruminant per day.

90. The method of claim 86, wherein providing the dietary composition to the ruminant results in at least one of an increase in production of milk by the ruminant or an increase in a fat content in the milk produced by the ruminant, relative to a similar ruminant not provided the dietary composition.

91. The method of claim 86, wherein providing the dietary supplement to the ruminant results in at least one of:

an at least about 1 % increase in production of milk by the ruminant; and an at least 10% increase in a fat content in the milk produced by the ruminant, relative to a similar ruminant not provided the dietary composition.

92. The method of claim 86, wherein the at least one fatty acid is a palmitic acid compound, and the palmitic acid compound is present in the fatty acid component in an amount of at least about 90% by weight of the fatty acid component.

93. The method of claim 86, wherein the feed ingredient comprises a protein material, a cellulosic material, an amino acid composition, an amino acid derivative, a vitamin composition, a trace element, a mineral composition, a glucogenic precursor, an antioxidant, or a combination thereof.

94. The method of claim 86, further comprising:

providing a roughage to the ruminant for ingestion,

wherein the dietary composition and the roughage, in combination, have a total Milk Fat Depression Index, and wherein the total Milk Fat Depression Index is about 20 to about 45.

95. The method of claim 94, wherein a ratio of the dietary composition to the roughage is about 1 :2 to about 2: 1 by weight.