Abstract
Sheep, cattle and goat are domestic ruminants of significant economic interest in the Mediterranean region. Although sharing the same pasture ranges, they ingest different plants and plant parts and, consequently different levels of tannins. This suggests an ability to detect and adapt ingestion according to animal physiological limits of tolerance for plant secondary metabolites. This review will detail the effects of dietary tannins on feeding behavior, and the role of the oral cavity in this process, with focus on such ruminant species. The role of salivary protein profile in tannin perception in the oral cavity, and as a defense mechanism, will be discussed.
Highlights
In animal production, nutrition is one of the most important factors, being determinant to productive performance
The oral cavity plays an important role in the process of tannin ingestion, both by being the place of detection of these plant compounds, and through the presence of salivary proteins which act as defense mechanisms
We present a summary of the current knowledge on the influence of dietary tannins in domestic ruminant species usually exploited in Mediterranean region
Summary
Nutrition is one of the most important factors, being determinant to productive performance. Affective factors, linked to past experiences, will affect the likeness and the consumption of a particular food item. This complexity is further increased by the interaction of these homeostatic and hedonic aspects [2,3]. The discrepancy in the tolerance to tannins among herbivores, in general, and ruminants, in particular, can be related to different defense mechanisms that each species present to PSMs. The oral cavity plays an important role in the process of tannin ingestion, both by being the place of detection of these plant compounds, and through the presence of salivary proteins which act as defense mechanisms. We will discuss in detail the importance of tannin-salivary protein interaction and the role of salivary protein profile in animal ingestive behavior
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