Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the effects of tannin extract and n-3 fatty acid supplementation on nutrient digestibility, ruminal parameters, blood metabolites, and enzyme activity in lactating ewes. Thirty-six lactating ewes were allocated to 6 experimental groups. The dietary treatments were as follows: 1) control, 2) diet supplemented with 2% dry matter (DM) oak leaf tannin extract, 3) diet supplemented with 2% DM grape pomace tannin extract, 4) diet supplemented with 2% DM linseed oil, 5) diet supplemented with 2% DM oak leaf tannin extract and 2% DM linseed oil, and 6) diet supplemented with 2% DM grape pomace tannin extract and 2% DM linseed oil. The results showed the significant effects of treatments on final body weight, digestibility, and some blood metabolites (P < 0.05). Therefore, the treatment groups had higher final body weight, better nutrient digestibility, and higher values of blood parameters. In conclusion, our results showed that the dietary tannin extract and the n-3 fatty acid source improved nutrient digestibility and blood metabolites, and they had a trend of improving the ruminal volatile fatty acid profile while not having any adverse effects on the animals' performance.
Highlights
Tannins are polyphenolic polymers with a high molecular weight and a high number of hydroxyl groups, which enable them to bind different components and make new complexes [1]
This study was designed to survey the effects of the oak leaf (Quercus castanifolia) or grape pomace (Vitis vinifera) tannin extracts, individually or mixed, with linseed oil as an n-3 fatty acid source on performance, blood metabolites, hepatic enzyme activity, and ruminal parameters in lactating ewes
Materials Oak leaves were collected from the local habitat of oak trees located south of Ardabil Province, in the northwest of Iran; grape pomace was obtained from a juicer factory located in Urmia Province in the northwest of Iran; and linseed oil was bought from a commercial company in Fars Province, located in the south of Iran
Summary
Tannins are polyphenolic polymers with a high molecular weight and a high number of hydroxyl groups, which enable them to bind different components and make new complexes [1]. The effects of tannin-containing oak and grape pomace and linseed oil as an n-3 fatty acid source have been studied individually and in different animal species [9,10,11,12,13,14,15], but there is no report on the possible interactions between these tannin-rich feeds and the n-3 fatty acidrich oil. This study was designed to survey the effects of the oak leaf (Quercus castanifolia) or grape pomace (Vitis vinifera) tannin extracts, individually or mixed, with linseed oil as an n-3 fatty acid source on performance, blood metabolites, hepatic enzyme activity, and ruminal parameters in lactating ewes
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