Kevin Harvatine
Associate Professor of Nutritional Physiology

-
Wm. Henning
University Park, - kjh182@psu.edu
- 814-865-6334
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
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
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
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
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
. Changes in oxo and hydroxy fatty acids in milk fat during diet-induced milk fat depression
Yusuf Adeniji, Cesar Matamoros, Kevin Harvatine, 2024, 2024 International Symposium of Ruminant Physiology
Effect of increasing dietary fat by feeding oilseeds on melting properties of milk fat in Holstein cows.
Muhammad Husnain, H. Reisinger, Greg Ziegler, Kerry Kaylegian, Kevin Harvatine, 2024, J. Dairy Sci. on p. 434
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.
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
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
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
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