Kevin J. Harvatine

Traditionally, nutrients were simply considered substrate for metabolism and nutritionists calculated the energy and protein delivered by different feedstuffs. However, some absorbed nutrients are bioactive and have the ability to modify physiological and metabolic processes. Nutritional modification of physiology has the potential to increase dairy production efficiency and profitability, but dietary associative effects in the rumen are difficult to predict and the nutrient-physiology interactions are complex.

Dr. Harvatine's research integrates traditional ruminant nutrition and modern molecular biology approaches. to investigate the regulation of metabolism and develop dietary intervention strategies to improve animal production. Harvatine’s expertise is in lipid metabolism with a major focus on increasing milk fat in dairy cows, but also conducts broader work in lipid metabolism.  His work spans from applied feeding experiments in dairy cows to mechanistic experiments in mice and cell culture. Specific research objectives include investigation of dietary factors that modify ruminal fatty acid biohydrogenation, the effect of acetae and fat supplements on milk fat synthesis and melting properties of butter, regulation of circadian and seasonal rhythms of milk synthesis, increasing fatty acid digestibility, and basic regulation of lipid synthesis with the continual goal of developing feeding strategies to improve the efficiency and performance of dairy cows. He has also investigated methods to increase healthy omega-3 fatty acids in layer and broiler chickens.

1. Adeniji, Y.A., C. Matamoros, R.E. Walker, and J. Harvatine. 2025. Relationship between oxygenated fatty acids and milk fat concentration during diet-induced milk fat depression in dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. Comm. 6:761-765. https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2025-0812.
2. Arif, M., B.A. Harsch, C. Matamoros, I.J. Salfer, R. Shepardson, and J. Harvatine. 2025. The effects of saturated fatty acid supplements on plasma and milk concentration of fatty acid esters of hydroxy fatty acids in dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. Comm. 6:766-772. https://doi.org/10.3168/jdsc.2025-0813.
3. Adeniji, Y. A., R. Bomberger, S. R. Goodall, A. N. Hristov, H. A. Stefenoni, and J. Harvatine. 2025. Effect of increasing dietary fat by feeding 15% whole cottonseed on milk production, total-tract digestibility, and methane emission in dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 108:2393-2406. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-25378.
4. Adeniji, Y. A., R. P. Shepardson, and J. Harvatine. 2025. Increasing dietary palmitic and stearic acid decreases de novo synthesis of milk fatty acids in dairy cows based on modeling natural carbon isotope enrichment. J. Nutr. 155:4023-4032. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tjnut.2025.08.028.
5. Ali, U., A. El-Zenary, and J. Harvatine. 2025. Meta-regression of the relationship between dietary 18c n-3 concentration and enrichment of n-3 fatty acids in liver and breast muscle of broiler chickens. Lipids. 60:251-260. https://doi.org/10.1002/lipd.12439.
6. Haile, A., D. E. Oliveira, Y. R. Boisclair, D. E. Bauman, and J. Harvatine. 2025. Potential involvement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in the inhibition of mammary lipid synthesis during diet-induced milk fat depression. J. Dairy Sci. 108:2036-2044. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-25575.
7. Homan, A. N., G. Ziegler, K. E. Kaylegian, and J. Harvatine. 2025. The effect of increasing dietary palmitic and stearic acid on melting properties of milk fat from holstein cows. J. Dairy Sci. 108:13381-13398. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2025-26837.
8. Salfer, I. J., P. A. Bartell, and J. Harvatine. 2025. Effects of timing of abomasal infusion of fatty acids on the daily rhythms of milk synthesis and plasma hormones and metabolites in dairy cows. J. Dairy Sci. 108:8920-8933. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2024-26215.
9. Matamoros, C., C.D. Dechow and J. Harvatine. 2023. Interaction of DGAT1 polymorphism, parity, and acetate supplementation on feeding behavior, milk synthesis, and plasma metabolites. J. Dairy Sci. 106:7613-7629. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2022-23209.
10. Harvatine, K.J. 2023. Importance of circadian rhythms in dairy nutrition. Animal Prod. Sci. https://doi.org/10.1071/AN23085.