Abstract
Simple SummaryThe agro-industrial by-products from the pomegranate juice industry are rich in bioactive compounds. The inclusion of such by-products in the diet of lactating ruminants could improve the health benefits of milk and its technological properties, such as the cheese-making, especially in certain conditions. For example, during late lactation when the quality of milk naturally declines or during the dry season when the availability of good-quality pasture is limited. In addition, recycling agro-industrial by-products that are not edible by humans as an ingredient of the animal diet could reduce the feed costs and the feed-to-food competition in livestock production.Pomegranate pulp, a by-product of the pomegranate juice industry, contains a remarkable quantity of bioactive compounds that can favorably affect ruminant metabolism and milk quality. The present paper investigated the effect of dietary pomegranate pulp on milk yield and quality during late lactation in grazing ewes. Twenty Comisana ewes (150 ± 10 days in milk) were subdivided into control (CTRL) and pomegranate (PP) groups. The CTRL group received a corn-barley based concentrate, while the PP group received a concentrate containing 64.8% pomegranate pulp. Dietary treatment did not affect milk yield. CTRL milk had a greater percentage of β-casein and total casein, while αs1-casein percentage tended to be greater in the PP group. The PP milk showed a lower percentage of 14:0, 16:0, but a greater percentage of vaccenic, rumenic, and α-linolenic acid. Punicic acid was detected only in the PP milk. Total antioxidant capacity (ORAC) was greater in the CTRL milk as compared with the hydrophilic ORAC. Dietary pomegranate pulp increased milk health quality with no detrimental effects on milk yield. Therefore, pomegranate pulp could represent a strategy for improving milk quality and reducing feeding cost during a less profitable phases such as late lactation. Also, dietary pomegranate pulp, as an alternative to traditional feedstuffs, may lower feed-to-food competition in livestock production.
Highlights
Pomegranate is one of the most ancient cultivated trees traditionally used in folk medicine in the Middle East
The results reported in the present study indicated that the inclusion of pomegranate pulp in the diet of grazing ewes did not affect milk yield and gross composition during late lactation
These findings suggest that recycling pomegranate pulp as feedstuffs to reduce conventional concentrates could reduce both the feeding costs during a less profitable phase, such as the late lactation, and the feed-to-food competition in livestock production
Summary
Pomegranate is one of the most ancient cultivated trees traditionally used in folk medicine in the Middle East. Scientific investigations have provided evidence that the health properties of pomegranate. The juice contains a valuable quantity of anthocyanins, flavonoids, and hydroxyl benzoic acids [2]. While the peel is rich in hydrolysable tannins, among which punicalagin is the dominant and peculiar compound [3]. Pomegranate seeds are a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), among which punicic acid (PA; cis-9 trans-11 cis-13 18:3) has been proven to be beneficial for human health [4]. Pomegranate pulp is one of the by-products produced during pomegranate juice extraction and consists of variable proportions of peel, seeds, and residual pulp. The content of fiber, crude protein, and fat makes this by-product a suitable feed to be included at a high percentage in the diet of ruminants
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