Effect of dietary oil sources on fatty acid composition of ruminal digesta and populations of specific bacteria involved in hydrogenation of 18-carbon unsaturated fatty acid in finishing lambs

Soybean Oil, Linoleic Acid Source, in Lamb Diets: Intake, Digestibility, Performance, Ingestive Behaviour, and Blood Metabolites

The objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of soybean oil inclusion in diets on feeding behaviour, digestibility, performance, and blood metabolites of feedlot lambs. Forty non-castrated Santa Inês lambs with a mean age of 5 months and initial body weight of 34.88 ± 3.19 kg were used in a 40-day feeding trial. The lambs were distributed in five experimental diets with the inclusion of increasing soybean oil (SO) levels: 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 g/kg DM. The SO inclusion promoted a linear reduction in DM intake (p < 0.001), crude protein (CP, p < 0.001), non-fibrous carbohydrates (NFC, p < 0.001), and total digestible nutrients (TDN, p = 0.004). There was an increasing quadratic effect on the intake of ether extract (EE; p = 0.002) and decreasing for neutral detergent fiber (p = 0.005). The soybean oil inclusion promoted the greater apparent digestibility of CP (p = 0.016), EE (p = 0.005), NDFom (p < 0.001), and TDN (p < 0.001); on the other hand, the apparent digestibility of NFC (p = 0.005) was decreased. The average daily gain decreased (p < 0.001) with SO inclusion. The SO inclusion increased feeding time (p = 0.004), reduced the efficiency of DM rumination (p = 0.001), and reduced the concentration of blood N-ureic (p < 0.001). Considering the productive parameters, SO can be included in diets and it is recommended that we include SO of up to 41 g/kg DM in diets for fattening lambs as the ideal maximum level. The strategy implemented to adapt lambs to increasing levels of high-fat diet mitigated the detrimental effects of lipids on the rumen, with high-density energy intake being the constraining factor on performance.

The effect of supplementation with rubber seed kernel pellet on in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics and fatty acid profiles in swamp buffalo

BACKGROUND

Rubber seed kernel is a by-product derived from rubber tree plantations. It is rich in C18 unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and has the potential to be used as a protein source for ruminant diets. This investigation has been conducted to determine the influence of rubber seed kernel pellet (RUSKEP) supplementation on in vitro rumen fermentation characteristics and fatty acid profiles in swamp buffalo. Using a completely randomized design (CRD) and supplementation of RUSKEP at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10% dry matter (DM) of substrate.

RESULTS

The supplementation with RUSKEP had no effect on gas kinetics, cumulative gas production, or degradability. Ruminal pH decreased linearly (P < 0.01) and ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) concentration decreased quadratically (P < 0.01) by RUSKEP supplementation. The proportion of acetate (C2) decreased linearly (P < 0.01), but propionate (C3) and butyrate (C4) increased linearly (P < 0.01), resulting in a decrease in the acetate to propionate ratio (C2:C3) (P < 0.01) by RUSKEP supplementation. With an increasing level of dietary RUSKEP, there was a slight increase in UFA in the rumen by increasing the oleic acid (OA; C18:1 cis-9 + trans-9), linoleic acid (LA; C18:2 cis-9,12 + trans-9,12), and α-linolenic acid (ALA; C18:3 cis-9,12,15) concentrations (P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Adding up to 10% of RUSKEP could improve in vitro rumen fermentation and C18 unsaturated fatty acids, especially ALA, in swamp buffalo.

Protected or Unprotected Fat Addition for Feedlot Lambs: Feeding Behavior, Carcass Traits, and Meat Quality

Simple Summary

The use of lipids in ruminant diets aims to increase energy density without affecting the animal’s performance; however, its use can be toxic to the ruminal microbiota, which can be avoided with the use of protected fats. Diets with the inclusion of different fat sources (whole soybean grain, corn germ, calcium salt of fatty acids, and soybean oil) were tested to evaluate the effects of unprotected or protected fats on feeding behavior, carcass characteristics, and quality of the meat of feedlot lambs. The use of calcium salts from fatty acids in feedlot lambs’ diets improves the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the carcass and meat.

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of protected or unprotected fats in the diet of feedlot lambs on feeding behavior, productive characteristics, carcass traits, and meat quality. Forty male Dorper × Santa Inês lambs (22.27 ± 2.79 kg) were randomly assigned to treatments in a completely randomized design. The experimental treatments consisted of five diets: no added fat (NAF), whole soybeans (WSB), calcium salts of fatty acids (CSFA), soybean oil (SO), and corn germ (CG). The total intake of dry matter (DMI) (p < 0.001) and neutral detergent fiber (NDFI) (p = 0.010) were higher in the CSFA and NAF diets. Feeding behavior, morphometric measurements, physicochemical characteristics, and centesimal composition of the Longissimus lumborum muscle were similar between treatments (p > 0.05). The CSFA diet provided higher production (p < 0.05) and better-quality carcasses. The inclusion of fat sources increased the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (p < 0.05). The use of calcium salts of fatty acids in feedlot lambs’ diets provides better quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the meat and carcass.

Identifying and exploring biohydrogenating rumen bacteria with emphasis on pathways including trans-10 intermediates

Background

Bacteria involved in ruminal formation of trans-10 intermediates are unclear. Therefore, this study aimed at identifying rumen bacteria that produce trans-10 intermediates from 18-carbon unsaturated fatty acids.

Results

Pure cultures of 28 rumen bacterial species were incubated individually in the presence of 40 μg/mL 18:3n-3, 18:2n-6 or trans-11 18:1 under control or lactate-enriched (200 mM Na lactate) conditions for 24 h. Of the 28 strains, Cutibacterium acnes (formerly Propionibacterium acnes) was the only bacterium found to produce trans-10 intermediates from 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6, irrespective of the growth condition. To further assess the potential importance of this species in the trans-11 to trans-10 shift, different biomass ratios of Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens (as a trans-11 producer) and C. acnes were incubated in different growth media (control, low pH and 22:6n-3 enriched media) containing 40 μg/mL 18:2n-6. Under control conditions, a trans-10 shift, defined in the current study as trans-10/trans-11 ≥ 0.9, occurred when the biomass of C. acnes represented between 90 and 98% of the inoculum. A low pH or addition of 22:6n-3 inhibited cis-9, trans-11 CLA and trans-10, cis-12 CLA formation by B. fibrisolvens and C. acnes, respectively, whereby C. acnes seemed to be more tolerant. This resulted in a decreased biomass of C. acnes required at inoculation to induce a trans-10 shift to 50% (low pH) and 90% (22:6n-3 addition).

Conclusions

Among the bacterial species studied,C. acnes was the only bacterium that have the metabolic ability to produce trans-10 intermediates from 18:3n-3 and 18:2n-6. Nevertheless, this experiment revealed that it is unlikely that C. acnes is the only or predominant species involved in the trans-11 to trans-10 shift in vivo.

Invited review: Role of rumen biohydrogenation intermediates and rumen microbes in diet-induced milk fat depression: An update

To meet the energy requirements of high-yielding dairy cows, grains and fats have increasingly been incorporated in ruminant diets. Moreover, lipid supplements have been included in ruminant diets under experimental or practical conditions to increase the concentrations of bioactive n-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids in milk and meat. Nevertheless, those feeding practices have dramatically increased the incidence of milk fat depression in dairy cattle. Although induction of milk fat depression may be a management tool, most often, diet-induced milk fat depression is unintended and associated with a direct economic loss. In this review, we give an update on the role of fatty acids, particularly originating from rumen biohydrogenation, as well as of rumen microbes in diet-induced milk fat depression. Although this syndrome seems to be multi-etiological, the best-known causal factor remains the shift in rumen biohydrogenation pathway from the formation of mainly trans-11 intermediates toward greater accumulation of trans-10 intermediates, referred to as the trans-11 to trans-10 shift. The microbial etiology of this trans-11 to trans-10 shift is not well understood yet and it seems that unraveling the microbial mechanisms of diet-induced milk fat depression is challenging. Potential strategies to avoid diet-induced milk fat depression are supplementation with rumen stabilizers, selection toward more tolerant animals, tailored management of cows at risk, selection toward more efficient fiber-digesting cows, or feeding less concentrates and grains.

Effects of Fat Supplementation in Dairy Goats on Lipid Metabolism and Health Status

Simple Summary

There is an increasing demand for information on the nutraceutical properties of food. Due to its bioactive components and high digestibility, goat milk is an excellent functional food. Dietary fat supplementation can further enrich the value of goat milk by modifying its acidic profile. Nevertheless, animal health can also benefit from lipids supplied with rations. In this review, the relationships between dietary fats and goat health status are summarized. Particular attention is paid to describing the effects of specific fatty acids on lipid metabolism and immune functionality.

Abstract

Fat supplementation has long been used in dairy ruminant nutrition to increase the fat content of milk and supply energy during particularly challenging production phases. Throughout the years, advances have been made in the knowledge of metabolic pathways and technological treatments of dietary fatty acids (FAs), resulting in safer and more widely available lipid supplements. There is an awareness of the positive nutraceutical effects of the addition of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) to fat supplementation, which provides consumers with healthier animal products through manipulation of their characteristics. If it is true that benefits to human health can be derived from the consumption of animal products rich in bioactive fatty acids (FAs), then it is reasonable to think that the same effect can occur in the animals to which the supplements are administered. Therefore, recent advances in fat supplementation of dairy goats with reference to the effect on health status have been summarized. In vivo trials and in vitro analysis on cultured cells, as well as histological and transcriptomic analyses of hepatic and adipose tissue, have been reviewed in order to assess documented relationships between specific FAs, lipid metabolism, and immunity.

Rumen Biohydrogenation and Microbial Community Changes Upon Early Life Supplementation of 22:6n-3 Enriched Microalgae to Goats

Dietary supplementation of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-enriched products inhibits the final step of biohydrogenation in the adult rumen, resulting in the accumulation of 18:1 isomers, particularly of trans(t)-11 18:1. Occasionally, a shift toward the formation of t10 intermediates at the expense of t11 intermediates can be triggered. However, whether similar impact would occur when supplementing DHA-enriched products during pregnancy or early life remains unknown. Therefore, the current in vivo study aimed to investigate the effect of a nutritional intervention with DHA in the early life of goat kids on rumen biohydrogenation and microbial community. Delivery of DHA was achieved by supplementing DHA-enriched microalgae (DHA Gold) either to the maternal diet during pregnancy (prenatal) or to the diet of the young offspring (postnatal). At the age of 12 weeks, rumen fluid was sampled for analysis of long-chain fatty acids and microbial community based on bacterial 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. Postnatal supplementation with DHA-enriched microalgae inhibited the final biohydrogenation step, as observed in adult animals. This resulted particularly in increased ruminal proportions of t11 18:1 rather than a shift to t10 intermediates, suggesting that both young and adult goats might be less prone to dietary induced shifts toward the formation of t10 intermediates, in comparison with cows. Although Butyrivibrio species have been identified as the most important biohydrogenating bacteria, this genus was more abundant when complete biohydrogenation, i.e. 18:0 formation, was inhibited. Blautia abundance was positively correlated with 18:0 accumulation, whereas Lactobacillus spp. Dialister spp. and Bifidobacterium spp. were more abundant in situations with greater t10 accumulation. Extensive comparisons made between current results and literature data indicate that current associations between biohydrogenation intermediates and rumen bacteria in young goats align with former observations in adult ruminants.