Effect of Caesalpinia coriaria Fruits and Soybean Oil on Finishing Lamb Performance and Meat Characteristics

Growth Performance, Meat Quality and Antioxidant Status of Sheep Supplemented with Tannins: A Meta-Analysis

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with tannins (TANs) on productive performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, oxidative stability, and blood serum antioxidant capacity of sheep through a meta-analysis. Using Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and PubMed databases, a systematic search was performed for studies published in scientific journals that investigated the effects of TANs supplementation on the variables of interest. Only studies with weaned or older sheep were included. The data analyzed were extracted from 53 peer-reviewed publications. The sheep included in the present study were between 2 and 6 months old, and between 12 and 31 kg of body weight. The effects of TANs were analyzed using random-effects statistical models to examine the standardized mean difference (SMD) between treatments with TANs and control (no TANs). Heterogeneity was explored by meta-regression and a subgroup analysis was performed for covariates that were significant. Supplementation with TANs did not affect dry matter intake, pH, color (L* and b*), Warner-Bratzler shear force, cooking loss and meat chemical composition (p > 0.05). Supplementation with TANs increased daily weight gain (SMD = 0.274, p < 0.05), total antioxidant capacity (SMD = 1.120, p < 0.001), glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity (SMD = 0.801, p < 0.001) and catalase (SMD = 0.848, p < 0.001), and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in blood serum (SMD = -0.535, p < 0.05). Supplementation with TANs decreased feed conversion rate (SMD = -0.246, p < 0.05), and the concentration of MDA (SMD = -2.020, p < 0.001) and metmyoglobin (SMD = -0.482, p < 0.05) in meat. However, meat redness (SMD = 0.365), hot carcass yield (SMD = 0.234), cold carcass yield (SMD = 0.510), backfat thickness (SMD = 0.565) and the Longissimus dorsi muscle area (SMD = 0.413) increased in response to TANs supplementation (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of tannins in sheep diets improves productive performance, antioxidant status in blood serum, oxidative stability of meat and some other characteristics related to meat and carcass quality.

In Vitro Anthelmintic Activity of Methanolic Extract from Caesalpinia coriaria J. Willd Fruits against Haemonchus contortus Eggs and Infective Larvae

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro lethal effect of a methanolic extract (ME) from Caesalpinia coriaria fruits against Haemonchus contortus eggs and infective larvae. The anthelmintic activity was assessed using the egg hatching inhibition assay (EHI) and the mortality test. The ME was assessed using five concentrations as follows: 6.15, 3.12, 1.56, and 0.78 mg/mL to eggs and 150, 100, 75, and 50 mg/mL to larvae, respectively. Ivermectin (5 mg/mL) was used as positive control and 4% methanol and distilled water were used as negative controls. The data of ovicidal and larvicidal effect were analyzed with a completely randomized design through ANOVA analysis using the general linear model (GLM) and lethal concentrations (LC₅₀ and LC₉₀) were estimated through a Probit analysis using the SAS program. A clear ME increased concentration dependence effect was observed in the EHI and mortality tests. The highest activity of the methanolic extract was observed at the highest concentration (P < 0.05) to obtain a similar effect to the positive control (ivermectin), with LC₅₀ = 78.38 and 0.00064 mg/mL and LC₉₀ =235.63 and 0.024 mg/mL, respectively, for larvae and eggs. The results indicate that the C. coriaria fruit ME possesses in vitro ovicidal and larvicidal properties (gallotannins: methyl gallate) against H. contortus that needs to be investigated more in vivo for the control of gastroenteric nematodes in ruminants.