Effects of dietary pomegranate seed cake supplementation on performance, carcass characteristics and meat quality of growing lambs

Feeding pomegranate pulp to Ghezel lambs for enhanced productivity and meat quality

Agrifood by-products contain nutrients and bioactive compounds that can be used in the diets of livestock - thereby value-adding to an otherwise waste product of environmental and economic significance. This study investigated the effect of dietary pomegranate pulp in the total mixed ration of Ghezel lambs, evaluating its effect on growth performance, blood parameters, carcass traits, as well as meat quality and shelf life. 3-month-old Ghezel lambs (individually housed, n = 8) were randomly assigned to be either non-supplemented (control) or supplemented with 100 g/kg DM of sun-dried pomegranate pulp for 28 days, post-adjustment. Results showed that supplementation of lamb diets with pomegranate pulp significantly increased liveweight and average daily gains, while not significantly affecting dry matter intake. Lamb serum urea and alkaline phosphatase concentrations and hot carcass weight were increased with pomegranate pulp supplementation. Compared to control lambs, the meat from lambs fed the supplemented diet had higher concentrations of intramuscular fat, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acid, total unsaturated fatty acid, and meat phenolic compounds. Pomegranate pulp supplemented lambs also had a higher ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids; and produced liver tissue with less fat and ash contents. Meat oxidative status (thiobarbituric acid reactive substance) and quality (water holding capacity, colour, and pH) were improved when lambs were supplemented with pomegranate pulp. These findings demonstrate that using pomegranate pulp as a feed for Ghezel lambs has advantageous effects on animal performance and meat quality, offering valorisation of an agrifood by-product.

Effect of feeding pomegranate seed pulp on Awassi lambs' nutrient digestibility, growth performance, and carcass quality

Background and Aim

The use of alternative feeds in feeding livestock as an alternative to traditional feeds has been used for many years, on the one hand, to lower the price of feed and, on the other hand, to raise the profitability of raising livestock. The study aimed to investigate the effect of feeding pomegranate seed pulp (PSP) on the growth performance and carcass characteristics and the health of Awassi lambs.

Materials and Methods

Twenty-four male lambs (16.9 ± 0.42 kg) were assigned randomly to one of two isonitrogenous (160 g/kg crude protein of dietary dry matter [DM]) treatment diets. The diets were the control (CON) and PSP-containing diet (100 g/kg of dietary DM; PSP100). The experimental period was 70 days preceded by 7 days of adaptation to diets. Feed intake was measured and lambs were weighed on day one and then biweekly. On day 49, eight lambs (four lambs per treatment) were chosen randomly and placed in metabolic cages for a digestibility trial. At the end of the trial, lambs were slaughtered to evaluate carcass characteristics and meat quality. The data were analyzed using Proc Mixed procedures of SAS.

Results

The results revealed that nutrient intake was greater (p < 0.05) in lambs fed PSP100 than those fed the CON diet. Nitrogen intake and nitrogen retention were greater (p < 0.05) for lambs who consumed the PSP100 diet compared to CON. Final weight, total gain, and average daily gain were greater (p < 0.05) with lambs fed PSP100. Hot and cold carcass weights were higher (p < 0.05) by the PSP100 group than by the CON group. Carcass cut weight increased (p < 0.05) with feeding PSP100 diet. No differences were detected in blood parameters except high-density lipoprotein content, which was greater (p < 0.05) in the PSP100 group compared with the CON group.

Conclusion

It could be concluded that adding PSP to lambs' diets improved growth and carcass measurements positively and did not negatively affect lambs' health; therefore, it is recommended to use PSP as an alternative to traditional feeds in lambs formulated rations.

Insights into the role of major bioactive dietary nutrients in lamb meat quality: a review

Feed supplementation with α-linolenic acid (ALA) and linoleic acid (LA) increases their content in muscle, ALA increases n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and decrease n-6/n-3 ratio in muscle, and LA increases rumenic acid. However, high LA supplementation may have negative effects on lambs’ lipid oxidative stability of meat. When the sources of ALA and LA are fed as fresh forage, the negative effects are counterbalanced by the presence of other bioactive compounds, as vitamin E (mainly α-tocopherol) and polyphenols, which delay the lipid oxidation in meat. There is a wide consensus on the capability of vitamin E delaying lipid oxidation on lamb meat, and its feed content should be adjusted to the length of supplementation. A high dietary inclusion of proanthocyanidins, phenolic compounds and terpenes reduce the lipid oxidation in muscle and may improve the shelf life of meat, probably as a result of a combined effect with dietary vitamin E. However, the recommended dietary inclusion levels depend on the polyphenol type and concentration and antioxidant capacity of the feedstuffs, which cannot be compared easily because no routine analytical grading methods are yet available. Unless phenolic compounds content in dietary ingredients/supplements for lambs are reported, no specific association with animal physiology responses may be established.

Partial replacement of forage and concentrate with pomegranate pulp (peel and seed) silage and pomegranate seed pulp in Mehraban fattening lambs: effect on performance and carcass characteristics

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of partial replacement of forage and concentrate with pomegranate pulp silage (PPS) and dried pomegranate seed pulp (PSP) on performance, dry matter intake (DMI), and carcass characteristics of fattening Mehraban lambs. Twenty-four male lambs (mean body weight 27.0 ± 3.5 kg) were fed with three isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets (n = 8 per diet), consisting of a control diet, a PPS diet containing 27.2% pomegranate pulp silage, and a PSP diet containing 31.4% dried pomegranate seed pulp. The experimental diets were fed ad libitum as total mixed rations for 65-day fattening period, on two meals per day, and then the growth performance, feed intake, and carcass characteristics were determined. The initial BW, final BW, average daily gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not different among the experimental diets. The amount of DMI in PSP diet was higher than that in the control diet (P = 0.023) but was not different between the control and PPS diets. There was no significant difference among diets for carcass characteristics. Using PPS and PSP in the diets decreased (P < 0.05) the kidney fat, but had no impact on the heart, liver, kidneys, spleen, and lungs. The results showed that PPS and PSP could be used to replace part of the diet for fattening lambs, while decreasing the dietary cost without having any negative effects on animal performance.