Abstract

Yakutia is a zone of continuous permafrost distribution, and its uniqueness lies in the fact that it has a kind of hidden biological resource that allows herbivores to survive even in conditions of limited floristic diversity. The current paper focuses on the disclosure of this resource, which we believe is in the nutritional value of permafrost plants. We have studied the content of total lipids and their essential polyunsaturated fatty acids in summer and autumn vegetative plants. According to the goal stated, we have pioneered the use of thin-layer and gas-liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to show seasonal changes in the content of total lipids and their essential polyunsaturated fatty acids in the following plants: annual Avena sativa L. of standard and late sowing dates, and perennial Bromopsis inermis Leys before and after summer mowing in the conditions of Central Yakutia. Artificial shortening of the vegetation period of grasses has led to their preservation by natural cold (green cryo-feed). We have found that an increase in the amount of lipids in cereal plants occurs with the onset of low hardening air temperatures in the autumn period, in particular, a significant increase in linoleic С18:2(ω-6) and α-linolenic С18:3(ω-3) acids compared with indicators of summer vegetative plants. The detected process may indicate an increase in the energy intensity of frozen feed, thereby determining the important role of cryo-feed for pre-winter fat accumulation in herbivores in the cryolithozone. In the body of animals, soluble sugars of autumn vegetative or winter-green plants growing or frozen by natural cold and used as autumn and winter feed are converted into medium- and long-chain essential polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega-6 and omega-3 families (arachidonic, and eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, respectively) and to a large extent help to winter. The use of grown green cryo-feed as a vitamin supplement for farm animals during a long stall period will open up new opportunities in increasing the productivity of livestock breeding in Yakutia in the future and help optimize the flow of substances and energy along the trophic cryo-feed – animal – human chain. Essential PUFAs, namely linoleic and α-linolenic acids, play an essential role in health and prolonging human life.

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