eChapters

Metabolic diseases assume the greatest significance in dairy cows and buffaloes during transition period, and occur due to imbalance in input and
output of production. The main reasons of occurrence of metabolic diseases are an imbalance between the rate of ‘input’ of dietary nutrients and ‘output’
of production.

1 Metabolic profile test to know the nutritional status of a dairy animal, by assessing the blood used components

a) Complete profile test b) Metabolic profile test

c) Compton metabolic profile test d) Dairy animal metabolism test

Metabolic disorders in cattle, such as Milk Fever, Ketosis, Fat Cow Syndrome, and Hypomagnesaemia, affect dairy cows post-calving, disrupting blood metabolites and health. Triggers include diet changes, calving stress, and mineral deficiencies. Untreated, these disorders can lead to mild discomfort or severe complications.
Metabolic diseases are most prevalent in high-producing dairy cows due to the breeding and feeding practices aimed at maximizing milk yield. The period from calving to peak lactation is particularly susceptible to these conditions due to the high turnover of fluids and organic materials. The transition period, defined as 3 weeks before and after calving, is crucial for managing nutrient requirements and preventing metabolic disorders.
As milk production per cow has increased over the years, the complexity of nutrition and management for high-producing cows has also risen. The shift from forage-based to concentrate-rich diets at calving challenges rumen adaptation and can lead to negative energy balance. Balancing milk yield and reproduction becomes a critical aspect of dairy farming success.
Given the interconnected nature of these disorders, herd health management strategies are essential for prevention. Regular monitoring and understanding of metabolic diseases are vital for the successful operation of a dairy farm.
Milk Fever
Milk fever, also known as parturient paresis or hypocalcaemia, is a prevalent metabolic disorder in high-producing dairy animals worldwide. This condition primarily affects dairy cows close to calving and is caused by a low level of calcium in the blood (hypocalcaemia). It is a result of dietary errors and can lead to decreased productivity and economic losses for farmers. Milk fever is a significant concern for dairy industry professionals as it can significantly affect milk production, reproduction, and overall herd health.

A. Answer the following questions

1.    What are metabolic diseases?

Ans: It is defined as disturbances of the internal homeostasis of the body brought about by an abnormal change in the rate of one or more critical metabolic processes.

2.    How do you prevent milk fever by nutritional management?

Ans: By providing a ration that contains 0.5-0.7% Ca and 0.3-0.4% P and by feeding 20 Million Units of vitamin D/cow/ day starting about 5 days before calving and continue for maximum7 days postpartum.

3.    What is the nutritional management strategy to prevent grass tetany?

Ans: A salt lick of 10 parts each of MgSO₄ and Ca(PO₄)₂ with 80 parts of salt is effective. Besides a mixture of 2 parts of MgO and 1 part salt is also effective measure.

4.    Write down the preventive measures of ketosis?

Diseases of metabolic origin are commonly known as metabolic disease viz., bloat, acidosis, milk fever, hypomagnesimia, pregnancy toxaemia etc. However, few common metabolic diseases encountered in herd/ flock management are discussed in the chapter. Among these diseases bloat, acidosis and ketosis are generally occurs due dysfunction in rumen. In the rumen, microbial fermentation occurs due to unique structures and environment. Microbes converts fibrous feeds which are of no use for human beings to important product viz., milk meat, hair and fibre etc. Some bacteria and protozoa have isolated from rumen by the researchers and with their fermented products and pathways. Name of the fermented products with the products is presented in the following Table 24.

Key Points

• Electrolyte Imbalance: Regularly monitor and rectify imbalances in potassium, sodium, and other electrolytes dependent on the individual situation. Prompt management requires early detection of metabolic emergencies.

• Fluid Management: To restore intravascular volume and prevent dehydration in many metabolic emergencies, adequate fluid replacement is essential.

• Continuous monitoring of vital signs, laboratory values, and clinical status is essential for evaluating the efficacy of interventions and making necessary modifications.

Introduction

A class of disorders known as "metabolic emergencies" affect metabolism and physiology abnormally in both congenital and acquired forms. Among these ailments are endocrine disorders, thyrotoxicosis, inborn metabolic inefficiencies, and illnesses linked to electrolyte imbalances. Hypercalcemia, hyponatremia, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, and diabetic ketoacidosis, as well as hyperuricemia, hyperuremia, and hypercreatininemia due to renal failure, lactic acidosis, hyperammoniemia, and adrenal failure, are metabolic emergencies that pose a life-threatening risk.

Metabolic fingerprinting and profiling provide powerful approaches for investigating global biochemical changes within biological systems. This chapter explains the principles of metabolic fingerprinting and profiling and distinguishes between broad, untargeted characterization and targeted analysis of selected metabolites. It discusses experimental design, sample preparation, analytical platforms, data preprocessing, normalization, statistical analysis, and multivariate approaches used to identify meaningful metabolic patterns. Techniques such as principal component analysis and related statistical methods help reveal differences between biological conditions. The chapter highlights applications in disease investigation, agricultural research, environmental studies, food analysis, and biotechnology, while emphasizing the importance of reproducible analytical procedures and appropriate interpretation of complex metabolomic datasets.

Introduction

While world population is expected to increase from 6 billion to about 8.3 billion, India is likely to be the most populous nation with 1.6 billion in the year 2030. Therefore, it is essential to be prepared to produce sufficient food for the increased population with the application of newer technologies. The consumption of animal food was 10 kg/yr in the 1960s increasing to 26 kg/yr in 2000 and is expected to be 37 kg/yr by 2030 (FAO, 2008; 2009). Large increases in per capita and total demand for meat, milk and eggs are forecast for most developing countries for the next few decades (Delgado et al., 1999). In developed countries, per capita intakes are forecast to change slightly, but the increases in developing countries, with their larger populations and more rapid population growth rates, will generate a very large increase in global demand.

Moreover, an increasing number of consumers demanding healthy and quality foods have pushed researchers into development of technologies that can control the proportion of lean and fat muscle deposition in meat producing animals. A number of technologies have been developed that led to remarkable improvements in the efficiency of animal production and in carcass composition and meat quality. There are some dietary additives and vitamins that may increase protein and muscle deposition, while often simultaneously reducing fat deposition by modifying nutrient metabolism in individuals.

Maintaining a proper acid-base balance is crucial for the health, productivity, and survival of livestock and poultry. The physiological processes that regulate this balance are sensitive to various factors such as diet, environmental conditions, and metabolic disorders. Any disruption can lead to metabolic problems that negatively impact growth, reproduction, immunity, and overall performance. The acid-base balance in animals refers to the maintenance of the blood’s pH within a narrow range, typically 7.35–7.45. It is regulated by three main systems:
Buffer systems
The bicarbonate buffer system is the most significant, comprising bicarbonate ions (HCO3 –) and carbonic acid (H2CO3). It resists rapid pH changes by neutralizing excess acids or bases.
Respiratory regulation
Animals adjust blood pH by modulating the rate and depth of respiration, which affects carbon dioxide (CO2) levels. Increased CO2 leads to acidosis, while decreased CO2 causes alkalosis.
Renal regulation
The kidneys excrete hydrogen ions (H+) and reabsorb bicarbonate, playing a long-term role in maintaining acid-base homeostasis.
Disruptions in these systems can lead to two primary conditions: Acidosis: A state where the blood becomes too acidic (pH < 7.35).
Alkalosis: A condition where the blood becomes too basic (pH > 7.45).
Common metabolic problems.

Metabolic profile testing (MPT) refers to the use of a battery of tests for the diagnosis of subclinical nutritional and metabolic disease in dairy cows on a herd basis. Typically, blood samples from 5-7 animals per production group are tested for various analytes. MPT is most useful in the diagnosis and management of periparturient disease. Specific nutrient imbalances, either deficiency or excess, in the diet of late-gestation cows have been related to increased prevalence of milk fever, hypomagnesemia, retained placentas, downer cow syndrome, mastitis, udder edema, ketosis, hepatic lipidosis, and displaced abomasums.

Metabolism - sum total of all chemical reactions in living cells

Catabolic reactions - degrade macromolecules and other molecules to release energy

Anabolic reactions - used to synthesize macromolecules for cell growth, repair, and reproduction

Can divide metabolism into 4 groups: carbohydrates, lipids, amino acids, nucleotides.

INTRODUCTION

The metabolism of carbohydrates is vital for plant growth and development, and to the yield of major plant products such as starch and sucrose. Starch, sucrose and fructose are the three important carbohydrates which are utilized in most of the higher plants. The majority of sucrose that is synthesized in higher plants during photosynthesis is exported to non-photosynthetic cells (ap Rees, 1992). Starch serves as an important storage for carbohydrate residues. The degradation (breakdown) of starch ensures retaining of important life processes in plants when there is carbon shortage, for instance, during night period in leaves or in resting organs such as potato tubers.

6.1 Metabolism
Dietary components like carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins are continuously broken down and synthesized through various chemical reactions (exergonic or endergonic) that are concerned with energy. These processes not only break them down but also interconvert them for their synthesis. Dietary components, when utilized, are known as nutrients the body. The number of reactions occurring in living cells maintains the body cells and fluid’s homeostasis and dynamic status. To keep the dynamic state of a cell, many reactions are going on to synthesize or break down the different types and sizes of molecules. The total of these reactions is known as metabolism.
The metabolism may be anabolic or catabolic. Further, it may be aerobic or anaerobic, depending on oxygen availability. These four terms are explained below:
I. Aerobic and Anaerobic Metabolism
• Aerobic metabolism-- In aerobic metabolism, the carbohydrates (substrate) in the presence of oxygen are metabolized to release energy, carbon dioxide, and water. The released energy is converted to ATP by two processes in the mitochondria (the Krebs cycle and oxidative phosphorylation). In oxidation, the electrons released from a glucose molecule are transferred to reduced NAD+ and FAD. The oxygen (electron acceptor) is reduced to water. Water formation [from H2(g) and O2(g)] is an exothermic reaction. The energy released from the chemical bond of glucose is captured as ATP, and heat is released.

Introduction to Metabolism Metabolism is the sum of all biochemical reactions (physical and chemical processes) occurring within the body to sustain life. In total, it encompasses all the processes converting the energy from nutrients into usable forms, thereby facilitating the synthesis of biomolecules necessary for sustaining life. This process occurring in all living organisms ensures that a continuous supply of energy and precursors is maintained to perform cellular functions, such as growth, reproduction, maintenance and response to environmental stimuli. Therefore, studying the body’s metabolism provides insights into the physiology, mechanism of disease occurrence and potential therapeutic interventions. Specifically, metabolism is a highly regulated process involving a set of biochemical reactions that can be broadly grouped into: a) Catabolism involves the breakdown of complex molecules into simpler components, releasing energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Catabolic reactions assist in the extraction

Introduction
Metabolism encompasses a series of cellular reactions essential for sustaining life in living organisms. These reactions are part of interconnected pathways within cells, ultimately providing the necessary energy for cellular functions. The importance and evolutionary benefits of these pathways are evident as they are conserved across animals, plants, fungi, and bacteria. In eukaryotes, metabolic pathways operate within the cytosol and
mitochondria, with glucose and fatty acids being the primary sources of cellular energy in animals. Metabolism is organized into distinct pathways to optimize energy capture or minimize energy expenditure. It can be divided into two main processes: anabolism, which involves the synthesis of complex macromolecules, and catabolism, which involves their degradation.
Carbohydrates are the major source of energy in the animal’s diet. Absorbed glucose could be utilized by the animal for several functions. The first priority is the formation of glycogen in the liver, which is stored in muscle and hepatic tissue. However, the body stores very little as glycogen (a starch-like compound), and glycogen could be rapidly hydrolyzed back to glucose through a process called glycogenolysis. This helps in maintaining blood
glucose at a narrow range in normal healthy animals. The second priority is oxidation to form energy (a major function) and is described in the next sections. Since glycogen storage is limited, excess glucose is converted to fat and is stored in adipose tissue. This is accomplished by the breakdown of glucose to pyruvate through a process called glycolysis, which is then available for fat synthesis. The catabolism of glucose occurs in two metabolic pathways: glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid (TCA; also called citric acid or Kreb’s) cycle.
Glycolysis: Enzymes for glycolysis are located in the cytosol of the cell, and glycolysis occurs in this part of the cell. Glycolysis is the breakdown of 6 C glucose into two 3 C end product pyruvates in aerobic metabolism and lactic acid in anaerobic metabolism. It is a catabolic pathway involving oxidation and yields ATP and NADH (reduced NAD) energy. Glycolysis is the pathway by which other sugars (e.g., fructose, galactose) are catabolized by converting them to intermediates of glycolysis. Fructose can be converted to fructose-6- phosphate by hexokinase. Galactose can enter glycolysis by being converted to galactose- 1-phosphate followed by conversion (ultimately) to glucose-1-phosphate and subsequently to glucose-6-phosphate (G6P), which is a glycolysis intermediate.

Metabolomic databases provide essential information for identifying metabolites, interpreting experimental results, analyzing pathways, and understanding biochemical relationships. This chapter introduces major databases used in metabolomics and explains their roles in modern biological research. Resources such as KEGG, BRENDA, HMDB, MetaboLights, METLIN, and LIPID MAPS provide information on metabolites, enzymes, pathways, structures, spectra, diseases, and experimental datasets. The chapter discusses their applications in metabolite identification, pathway analysis, biomarker discovery, systems biology, and translational research. It also considers challenges including data volume, database completeness, continuous updating, standardization, and integration with other omics resources.

Metabolomic research depends on analytical technologies capable of detecting and characterizing large numbers of chemically diverse metabolites. This chapter introduces the principal analytical platforms used for metabolite analysis, with emphasis on mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry, capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry, and NMR are examined in relation to metabolite separation, identification, and quantification. The chapter also considers sample preparation, analytical workflows, advantages and limitations of different platforms, and complementary approaches for achieving broader metabolome coverage. These techniques provide the analytical foundation for metabolic profiling, biomarker discovery, pathway analysis, and systems-level biological investigations.

Abstract

Dietary phytochemicals and herbal medicines are under intensive investigation for their potential as chemopreventive agents against various diseases due to the wide variety of microbial and plant functionally relevant secondary metabolites. The chemical diversity of phytochemicals, as well as phytochemicals and complex metabolic interactions between the biological systems may exceed the capacity of the platforms of traditional analysis, and therefore pose major challenges in the study of chemopreventive phytochemical compounds.

Milk, commonly referred to as the “ideal food,” is an essential source of nutrition for human consumption. Because of the growing human population and the rising demand for milk and milk products, there is more interest in and concern about the quality and safety of dairy products. Milk comprises chemical substances with various functions in the human body, such as carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and trace elements (vitamins, minerals, etc.) (Guetouache et al., 2014).

Every aspect of the living organism is the sum total result of the metabolism carried out within its cells and in other organisms. Metabolism is the sum total of the chemical reactions occurring in the cell or organism. Metabolism is of two kinds:

1. Anabolism- It is also known as constructive metabolism as it involves synthesis of complex substances from the simpler ones, which are required for growth, maintenance and storage in the organism. Example: Formation of starch from glucose.
2. Catabolism- It is also known as destructive metabolism as it involves breaking of the complex substances into simpler ones, leading to release of the energy required for performing various activities of living beings. Example: Respiration.

Metabolite is the end product or the intermediate product of a biological pathway. Metabolite can be classified into two types mainly: