334 Effect of Dietary Supplementation of Peanut Skins with and Without Polyphenols on the Performance, Rumen Fermentation and Carcass Characteristics of Florida-native Sheep

Abstract

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of peanut skins (PS) with and without polyphenols on the performance, rumen fermentation, and carcass characteristics of Florida-Native Sheep. Thirty-three intact lambs were randomly blocked by body weight (BW) (33.5 ± 0.1 kg; 11 lambs per treatment) and distributed in three isonitrogenous (17.1%) and isocaloric (2.5 Mcal/kg) diets: 1) Control diet, 2) Diet + 20% of intact peanut skins (IPS) and, 3) Diet + 20% of treated PS without polyphenols (TPS) for 42 d + 7 days of adaptation. Then, lambs were slaughtered to evaluate carcass characteristics and rumen fermentation. Dry matter intake (DMI), BW, and blood samples were collected and analyzed using the effects of treatment, week, interactions, and the random effect of animals. Dietary IPS and TPS did not (P > 0.05) affect DMI (1.14, 1.15 vs 1.04 kg/d) and final BW (35.9, 35.8 vs 36.8 kg) compared to the control. Dietary TPS reduced (P < 0.01) blood glucose levels compared to IPS and control (67.9 vs 74.6, 75.7 mg/dL) but IPS had lower (P = 0.03) blood urea nitrogen than TPS and control (5.79 vs 6.0, 6.32 mmol/L). Both IPS and TPS decreased (P < 0.01) total volatile fatty acid concentration (37.9, 14.2 vs 45.8 mmol/L) and increased rumen pH (7.1, 6.9 vs 6.7) compared to the control. Carcass weight was similar between treatments, TPS reduced (P = 0.01) dressing percentage compared to IPS and control (42.6 vs 45.2, 46.6%), both IPS and TPS reduced liver weight compared to control (230, 223 vs 302 g). Conversely, IPS and TPS increased (P < 0.01) alpha-tocopherol concentration (3.73, 4.0 vs 1.24 mg/g) in lean meat compared to control. This study showed that IPS increased the incorporation of antioxidants in meat without affecting animal performance.