1 Pakistan Veterinary Journal ISSN: 0253-8318 (PRINT), 2074-7764 (ONLINE) Accessible at: www.pvj.com.pk Correlation between Body Condition Score, Blood Biochemical Metabolites and Milk Yield and Quality in Algerian Montbéliarde Cattle Charef-Eddine Mouffok 1,2, *, Toufik Madani 1,2 , Lounis Semara 1 , Nadhira Ayache 1 and Amina Rahal 1 1 Department of Agronomy, Faculty of Nature Science and Life; 2 Valorisation of Biological Natural’s Resources Laboratory, Setif University, Algeria *Corresponding author: mouffokcharefeddine@yahoo.fr ARTICLE HISTORY ABSTRACT Received: Revised: Accepted: April 22, 2012 August 14, 2012 November 09, 2012 Key words: Body condition Blood metabolites Milk fat Milk yield Montbéliarde cattle This study aimed to investigate the correlation between body condition score (BCS), blood biochemical metabolites, milk yield (MY) and quality (Mfat) in Montbéliarde cattle (31 cows) reared in 5 farms of Algerian semi arid area. The BCS was measured in dry and peak of lactation (6 weeks after calving). Blood samples were taken at the time of body condition (BC) measurement for determination of energy (Glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and B-Hydroxybutyrate), nitrogen (urea and albumin) and mineral (calcium) metabolites. Milk yield was recorded in the 6 th week of lactation (peak). A sample of milk for each cow was used to determinate milk fat, density and acidity. The results showed a significant decrease in postpartum BCS accompanied by an increase in cholesterol and B-Hydroxybutyrate (BHB) concentration. The correlation analysis showed that BHB concentration in pre calving was negatively correlated with BCS (r=-0.321; P<0.05) and cholesterol (r=-0.308; P<0.05). In postpartum, BCS was negatively correlated with cholesterol (r=-0.416; P<0.05), urea (r=-0.366; P<0.05) and BHB (r=-0.487; P<0.05). However, the level of milk production decreased significantly with high glucose (r=-0.449; P<0.05) and BHB (r=-0.514; P<0.05). The fat content increased significantly with blood triglycerides (r=0.681; P<0.05) and BHB (r=0.522; P<0.05) concentration, indicating a high mobilization of body reserves used for the synthesis of milk fat. In conclusion, it can be assumed that the rate of BHB seems to be the best indicator of the nutritional status of dairy cows that determines their production level and quality. ©2012 PVJ. All rights reserved To Cite This Article: Mouffok CE, T Madani, L Semara, N Ayache and A Rahal, 2012. Correlation between body condition score, blood biochemical metabolites and milk yield and quality in Algerian Montbéliarde cattle. Pak Vet J, xx(x): xxx. INTRODUCTION Nutrition is the first item of expenditure in dairy farming. Its management determines the level of production and milk quality. The nutritional level is traditionally enjoyed by body condition scoring which is a practical and reliable tool for estimating energy reserves. Ayres et al. (2009) reported a strong correlation between body condition and subcutaneous adipose tissue (0.82 at dry to 0.93 in postpartum; P<0.001). This subjective indicator of energy balance is not only used for evaluation of herd nutritional status but also to evaluate its relations with production parameters (Roche, 2007). However, it has been documented that several biochemical indicators of metabolism may be involved in assessing the nutritional status of cows. The measurement of metabolites such as glucose, insulin, cholesterol, free fatty acids (NEFA) and ketone bodies (BHB) are often used to supplement energy balances or body condition to characterize the energy status. Among the energy metabolites, BHB appears more effective than NEFA because NEFA sensitivity according to Mäntysaari et al. (1999) is early (1 week) but BHB is late (3 to 4 weeks). The BHB is low at dry and increases linearly in postpartum particularly in cows’ with low-level food, while NEFA attain a peak at the first week and tend to decrease thereafter (Moallem et al., 2004). Perhaps this lag time exists because NEFA provide the substrate for BHB synthesis. This molecule can not be metabolized; it must be excreted through urine or pulmonary path (Laur, 2003). In addition, Clark et al. (2005) report that the best prediction of energy balance (EB) (r=0.84), if all significant indicators were used, was a linear regression model that included plasma glucose and plasma BHB. RESEARCH ARTICLE