Animal Nutrition

Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA)

CLA makes a positive contribution to lifetime yield and fertility of dairy cows.

When dairy cows have access to pastures or green fodder, they ingest linoleic acid, among other things, which can be converted into conjugated linoleic acid in the rumen. This is why milk from grass-fed cows usually contains more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than milk from cows that have no access to pastures or green fodder.

One form of CLA – trans-10, cis-12 CLA – can be found in particularly high concentrations in milk from grass-fed cows in spring. It is in this period that the ruminant animals would have originally calved. Today’s dairy cows calve at any time during the year often also have no access to pastures. It therefore seems appropriate, especially at the beginning of lactation, to support dairy cows with CLA-enriched feed.

CLA reduces the milk fat content during the supplementary feeding phase in a dose-dependent manner and leads to lower blood glucose utilization per kilogram of milk. Scientific studies prove that a targeted reduction in milk fat through CLA leads to higher blood glucose levels in the first weeks of lactation, and less body fat is mobilized.

Key benefits of CLA

  • Increase of daily milk yield which contributes to sustainable lifetime performance
  • Supports cows health by relieving metabolism after calving
  • Positive contribution to fertility of dairy cows
  • Lower resource and feed costs per kg of milk produced
  • Short and long-term savings by improved milk production and fertility

The lower body fat mobilization reduces the load on the liver which, among other things, reduces the risk of fatty liver disease. Subsequent effects such as milk fever, retained placenta or mastitis occur less frequently. The dairy cow responds with a higher milk yield.

A consequence of the increased glucose level in the blood is that important hormones that are responsible for fertility can also be affected. As a result, dairy cows can get into calf much earlier. CLA thus makes a positive contribution to the lifetime yield and fertility of dairy cows. It increases the milk yield and health of the cows and therefore contributes to more sustainable milk production.

CLA for Pigs

Lutalin is a liquid CLA product for use in fattening pig and sow feeds. Studies show that CLA:

  • improves pork quality
  • firms bellies when considerable amounts of unsaturated fatty acids are fed .
  • reduces backfat and increases intramuscular fat
  • increases lean meat percentage
  • increases oxidation stability of pork
  • reduces energy cost at slicing
  • has positive long term effects on the body condition of sows
  • shows positive impact on colostral immune components

Dosage recommendations

Dairy cows:
We recommend feeding 5g trans-10, cis-12 CLA from day 20 before calving until day 60 to 100 after calving. This flexibility is possible in order to fit into the feeding regiments of the individual herd.
For product specific dosage recommendations please refer to Lutalin®, Lutrell® Pure and ENDULAC CLA.

Fattening pigs and sows:
We recommend feeding CLA in the diet over the last 4 weeks of the fattening period.
For product specific dosage recommendations please refer to Lutalin®.

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