L.G. Helmer

TL;DR: Urea has been used as a protein replacement for ruminants for almost a century as discussed by the authors, and it has been known that ruminant animals have the unique ability to convert nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) to protein.

TL;DR: In this article, an expansion-processed mixture of grain starch and urea called Starea has been shown to increase urea utilization by ruminants, which is the result of more efficient utilization of the ammonia by conversion to microbial protein.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated Starea (an intimate mixture of gelatinized starch and urea) as a protein supplement for lactating dairy cows and found that cows fed grain rations supplemented with either soybean meal or Starea consumed more grain and produced more milk containing more protein than cows fed the same grain ration supplemented with urea.

TL;DR: The results appear to justify the conclusion that feeding the bloat-preventive agent in quantities up to 40g per day does not deleteriously affect dairy animals.