Abstract
Zinc represents a ubiquitous element in cells with relevant roles in the metabolism of essential nutrients in animals. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary zinc supplementation on nutritional and aromatic properties of milk and Pecorino cheeses obtained from lactating ewes. Fifty-two commercial ewes were randomly assigned to two groups. The control group was fed with a conventional complete diet, while the experimental group received a daily supplementation of 375 mg/head of zinc oxide. At the end of the trial, which lasted 30 days, samples of milk and related cheese were collected in order to obtain information about the chemical composition and volatile profile. The experimental feeding strategy induced a significant increase in zinc concentration in milk. Furthermore, both in milk and cheese, was observed an increase in vaccenic, rumenic and total polyunsaturated fatty acids, with the consequent significant reduction of atherogenic and thrombogenic indices. The volatile profile of dairy products was also positively affected by dietary zinc intake, with an increase in concentration of hexanoic acid and ethyl esters. The present study suggests interesting possible effects of dietary zinc supplementation of ewes in improving the nutritional characteristics of fresh and ripened dairy products, although more specific and in-depth assessments should be performed on these new products, in order to characterize potential variations on consumers acceptability.
Highlights
Zinc (Zn) belongs to the family of transition metals and the considerable importance of this microelement lies in its fundamental role in the correct execution of several biochemical mechanisms which mostly provide for the activity of zinc-dependent enzymes [1]
Taking into account the milk production over the entire duration of the dietary zinc enrichment, no significant differences were evidenced between the two groups, reflecting the fact that such parameter was not affected by diet
No significant differences were observed as regards the ureic content and pH, whereas the experimental group (EG) samples showed a lower somatic cells count (SCC) with respect to the control group (CG) (p < 0.01)
Summary
Zinc (Zn) belongs to the family of transition metals and the considerable importance of this microelement lies in its fundamental role in the correct execution of several biochemical mechanisms which mostly provide for the activity of zinc-dependent enzymes [1]. It has been reported that almost the half of the soils in the world may be zinc deficient, causing decreased Zn content in plant. In many of these areas, where grazing livestock is widespread, zinc. For livestock under more defined conditions, such as poultry, swine, and dairy cattle, feeds are enriched with zinc salts to prevent deficiency [3]. The essentiality of Zn in livestock nutrition is well established, for this reason several feeding strategies have been tested over time to ensure the adequate dietary intake of all the necessary trace elements
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