The Effect of Herbal Feed Additives in the Diet of Dairy Goats on Intestinal Lactic Acid Bacteria (LAB) Count

Sixty dairy goats of the Polish white improved breed were randomly assigned to five feeding groups of twelve animals each. The animals received a supplement containing seven herbs at 20 or 40 g/animal/day (experimental groups 1 and 2) and a supplement containing nine herbs at 20 or 40 g/animal/day (experimental groups 3 and 4)m, along with pelleted concentrate feed. Group 5 (the control group) received pelleted feed without any herbal supplements. A significant effect of herbal feed additive on lactic acid bacteria (LAB) count was observed (p < 0.001). The highest number density of LAB was found in the goats receiving the feed additive with nine herbs at 20 g/animal per day (p < 0.05). There was a statistically significant effect of lactation stage on intestinal LAB count (p < 0.001). Regardless of the feeding group, the highest number density of LAB was found in animals at the peak of lactation. The LAB count was also affected by the interaction of diet group × lactation stage (p < 0.0001). A probiotic strain of Lactobacillus fermentum was identified in the faecal samples of goats receiving the herbal additive, but not in the controls. Genetic identification of the microorganisms isolated from the faeces of the experimental goats did not reveal the presence of harmful mould spores, although spores of the fungus Aspergillus fumigatus were detected in the controls.

The effect of herbs added to the summer diet sheep on the lipid fraction profile of raw milk for cheese making and rennet cheese produced from it

A study was conducted on samples of raw sheep milk and bundz rennet cheese produced from it. The milk was obtained from ewes of the Koluda prolific dairy breed, from June to August. The sheep were housed indoors and fed alfalfa green forage, hay, and a mixture of concentrate feeds. Three feeding groups were established: group I ‒ control, fed without the addition of herbs to the concentrate feed, and groups II and III, in which a herb mixture was added to the concentrate feed in the amount of 10 and 20 g/sheep/day, respectively. Six experimental batches of bundz rennet cheese were made from the milk, and the effect of the addition of herbs to the diet on the lipid profile of the milk and cheese was analysed. The results indicate that the experimental factor had no statistically confirmed effect on the lipid profile of the raw milk used to make cheese. However, the milk fat from sheep fed a diet with herbs at 20 g/sheep/day showed a tendency towards reduced content of SFA (by 3.6%) and increased content of UFA (by 6.8%) and DFA (by 7.2%) relative to the control group. The experimental factor had essentially no statistically confirmed effect on the fatty acid profile of the cheese, apart from an 11.3% increase in the content of n-6 PUFA (P≤0.05) in the fat of bundz produced from the milk of sheep fed a diet with herbs at 20 g/sheep/day with respect to the control group. The cheese fat also showed a tendency towards lower content of SFA (by 3.4%) and OFA (by 4.8%) and higher content of UFA (by 7.4%), MUFA (by 7.1%), PUFA (by 9.4%), n-3 PUFA (by 11.5%) and DFA (by 7.6%) compared to the control group. The experimental factor had no statistically confirmed effect on cholesterol content in the raw milk or the bundz cheese produced from it.

The effect of herbs added to the winter diet sheep on the lipid fraction profile of raw milk for cheese making and rennet cheese produced from it

A study was conducted on samples of raw sheep milk and rennet cheese produced from it. The milk was obtained from ewes of the coloured variety of Polish Merino, from February to April. The sheep were housed indoors and fed preserved roughage and a mixture of concentrate feeds. Three feeding groups were established: group I ‒ control, fed without the addition of herbs to the concentrate feed, and groups II and III, in which a herb mixture was added to the concentrate feed in the amount of 10 and 20 g/sheep/day, respectively. Six experimental batches of bundz rennet cheese were made from the milk, and the effect of the addition of herbs to the diet on the lipid profile of the milk and cheese was analysed. The results indicated that the addition of herbs to the winter diet of sheep in the amount of 10 and 20 g/sheep/day significantly increased the content of the acid C4:0 in the raw milk used for cheese making, by 11.5% and 20.0%, respectively (P≤0.01), relative to the control group. C4:0 content in the raw milk was also increased in group III by 7.6% compared to group II (P≤0.05). The herbs had no statistically confirmed effect on other parameters of the health-promoting quality of the milk fat and the rennet cheese. In the cheese fat from group I produced from sheep milk obtained in the period from 69 to 137 days of lactation, there was an increase in the content of SFA and a decrease in UFA during the course of the experiment. The addition of herbs to the concentrate feed of the sheep improved the fatty acid profile of the fat of bundz cheese made from milk obtained from the 97th day of lactation. The experimental factor also reduced the cholesterol content in the raw milk in group II by 26.8% and in group III by 21.2% (P≤0.01) compared to group I. It did not affect the content of this lipid in rennet cheese.