Singh et al., 2003. Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci., 16 (12): 1732-1737

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of feeding transgenic cottonseed (Bt.) vis-à-vis non-transgenic (non-Bt.) cottonseed on blood biochemical constituents in lactating Murrah buffaloes. Twenty Murrah buffaloes in mid-lactation were divided into 2 groups of 10 each. Animals of group I were fed with 39.5% non-transgenic cottonseed in concentrate mixture while the same percentage of transgenic (Bt.) cottonseed was included in the concentrate mixture fed to the animals of group II. Animals of both groups were fed with concentrate mixture to support their milk production requirements. Each buffalo was also offered 20 kg mixed green fodder (oats and berseem) and wheat straw ad libitum. The experimental feeding trial lasted for 35 days. There was no significant difference in the dry matter intake between the two groups of buffaloes. All the buffaloes gained body weight, however, the differences were non significant. Total erythrocyte count, hemoglobin content and packed cell volume were 9.27±0.70×106/μl, 13.01±0.60 g/dl and 34.87±1.47%, respectively in group I with the corresponding figures of 8.88±0.33, 12.99±0.52 and 31.08±1.52 in group II. The values of total erythrocyte count, haemoglobin content and packed cell volume did not differ significantly between the two groups of buffaloes. The concentration of plasma glucose, serum total proteins, albumin, globulin, triglycerides and high density lipoprotein were non
significantly higher in buffaloes fed non-transgenic cottonseed than in buffaloes fed transgenic cottonseed. The cholesterol concentration was significantly (p<0.01) higher in buffaloes of group I (136.84±8.40 mg/dl) than in buffaloes of group II (105.20±1.85 mg/dl). The serum alkaline phosphotase, glutamic-oxaloacetate transaminase and glutamic-pyruate transaminase activities did not differ significantly between two groups of buffaloes. However, serum glutamic-pyruate transaminase activity was considerably high in buffaloes fed nontransgenic cottonseed as compared to buffaloes fed transgenic cottonseed. Bt. proteins in serum samples of animals of group II were not detected after 35 days of feeding trial. It was concluded that transgenic cottonseed and non-transgenic cottonseed have similar nutritional value without any adverse effects on health status of buffaloes as assessed from haematobiochemical constituents