Kevin Harvatine

Associate Professor of Nutritional Physiology

Kevin Harvatine

Research Summary

Investigation of dietary factors that modify ruminal fatty acid biohydrogenation, regulation of synthesis of milk components, and basic regulation of lipid synthesis with the continual goal of developing feeding strategies to improve the efficiency and performance of dairy cows

Huck Graduate Students

Huck Affiliations

Most Recent Publications

Determination of the relationships between rumination time, milk fat production, and milk fatty acid profile using real-time rumination data

F. Gambonini, D. Cunningham, R. Fry, Kevin Harvatine, J. Pate, J. Moats, T. Ott, J. Dairy Sci. on p. 66

Effect of increasing dietary fat by feeding 15% whole cottonseed on milk production, total-tract digestibility, and methane emission in dairy cows

Y. A. Adeniji, R. Bomberger, S. R. Goodall, A. N. Hristov, H. A. Stefenoni, K. J. Harvatine, 2025, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 2393-2406

Daily rhythms of glucose, insulin, and nonesterified fatty acid responses to an intravenous glucose tolerance test in dairy cows

Anay Ravelo, Cesar Matamoros, Kevin Harvatine, Isaac Salfer, 2025, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 5462-5474

Potential involvement of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors in the inhibition of mammary lipid synthesis during diet-induced milk fat depression

A. Haile, D. E. Oliveira, Y. R. Boisclair, D. E. Bauman, K. J. Harvatine, 2025, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 2036-2044

The effect of the biohydrogenation-induced milk fat depression in dairy cows on milk odd and branched chain fatty acids across multiple studies.

M. Arif, E. Palmer, M. Baldin, D.E. Rico, Kevin Harvatine, 2025, Journal of Dairy Science

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

Usman Ali, Ahmed El-Zenary, Kevin Harvatine, 2025, Lipids

Economic analysis of high-oleic soybeans in dairy rations

Charles F. Nicholson, Mark W. Stephenson, Louis Armentano, Kevin Harvatine, 2024, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 3642-3650

Effect of feeding increasing levels of whole cottonseed on milk and milk components, milk fatty acid profile, and total-tract digestibility in lactating dairy cows

Reilly B. Pierce, Yusuf A. Adeniji, Rebecca Bomberger, S. Richard Goodall, Kevin J. Harvatine, 2024, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 2916-2929

Effect of choline supplementation on milk production and milk lipids in post peak lactating Holstein cows.

Cesar Matamoros, Andrew Patterson, Kevin Harvatine, 2024, J. Dairy Sci.

Effect of palmitic acid and a blend of palmitic and stearic acid on milk production of Holstein cows when fed in a low-fat diet.

Yusuf Adeniji, Kevin Harvatine, 2024, J. Dairy Sci. on p. 173

Most-Cited Papers

Acetate dose-dependently stimulates milk fat synthesis in lactating dairy cows

Natalie L. Urrutia, Kevin J. Harvatine, 2017, Journal of Nutrition on p. 763-769

Microbiota-Dependent Hepatic Lipogenesis Mediated by Stearoyl CoA Desaturase 1 (SCD1) Promotes Metabolic Syndrome in TLR5-Deficient Mice

Vishal Singh, Benoit Chassaing, Limin Zhang, Beng San Yeoh, Xia Xiao, Manish Kumar, Mark T. Baker, Jingwei Cai, Rachel Walker, Kamil Borkowski, Kevin J. Harvatine, Nagendra Singh, Gregory C. Shearer, James M. Ntambi, Bina Joe, Andrew D. Patterson, Andrew T. Gewirtz, Matam Vijay-Kumar, 2015, Cell Metabolism on p. 983-996

Effect of dietary supplementation of sodium acetate and calcium butyrate on milk fat synthesis in lactating dairy cows

N. Urrutia, R. Bomberger, C. Matamoros, K. J. Harvatine, 2019, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 5172-5181

Alterations in ruminal bacterial populations at induction and recovery from diet-induced milk fat depression in dairy cows

D. W. Pitta, N. Indugu, B. Vecchiarelli, D. E. Rico, K. J. Harvatine, 2018, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 295-309

Rapid changes in key ruminal microbial populations during the induction of and recovery from diet-induced milk fat depression in dairy cows

D. E. Rico, S. H. Preston, J. M. Risser, K. J. Harvatine, 2015, British Journal of Nutrition on p. 358-367

Feeding laying hens stearidonic acid-enriched soybean oil, as compared to flaxseed oil, more efficiently enriches eggs with very long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids

Robert G. Elkin, Yun Ying, Kevin J. Harvatine, 2015, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry on p. 2789-2797

Effect of conjugated linoleic acid and acetate on milk fat synthesis and adipose lipogenesis in lactating dairy cows

N. Urrutia, K. J. Harvatine, 2017, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 5792-5804

Annual rhythms of milk and milk fat and protein production in dairy cattle in the United States

I. J. Salfer, C. D. Dechow, K. J. Harvatine, 2019, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 742-753

Effect of 2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio)butanoate (HMTBa) on risk of biohydrogenation-induced milk fat depression

M. Baldin, G. I. Zanton, K. J. Harvatine, 2018, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 376-385

The effects of feeding rations that differ in fiber and fermentable starch within a day on milk production and the daily rhythm of feed intake and plasma hormones and metabolites in dairy cows

Mutian Niu, Y. Ying, Paul Bartell, K. J. Harvatine, 2017, Journal of Dairy Science on p. 187-198

News Articles Featuring Kevin Harvatine

Apr 08, 2025

Feeding dairy cows whole cottonseed byproduct boosts milk fat, researchers find

In a new study, a team led by researchers at Penn State demonstrated that supplementing dairy cattle feed with 15% whole cottonseed can increase milk fat concentration and yield.

Full Article

Mar 01, 2024

It's not just you. Eggshells really are chipping more.

The reason egg are getting harder to crack without shells in the egg

Full Article

Jan 11, 2023

Radio clip from WESA-FM

Radio clip from WESA-FM featuring Kevin Harvatine

Full Article

Dec 21, 2022

Chronic inflammation may lead to low milk production in breastfeeding moms

Eighty percent of mothers breastfeed their newborns, but only 25% breastfeed exclusively for the six months recommended by United States Dietary Guidelines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Full Article

Nov 29, 2022

Too much of a good thing: Over-supplementation of chickens' diet backfires

When it comes to supplementing the diet of laying hens with omega-3 fatty acids to enrich their eggs — making them more heart healthy for consumers.

Full Article

May 25, 2022

Three Physiology Students Awarded USDA Fellowships

Three graduate students in the Huck Institutes' Integrative and Biomedical Physiology program have recently been awarded fellowships by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to support their continued research.

Full Article

Aug 11, 2020

Physio Student Cesar Matamoros Receives USDA Predoctoral Fellowship and Sloan Scholarship

Physio grad student Cesar Matamoros is the recipient of a grant that aims to develop the scientific workforce in the agricultural sciences, and another which aims to support students from underrepresented minority groups

Full Article