ABSTRACT
Lambs were assigned to four groups of seven and treated as follows for 12 days: control group (BP) was fed beet pulp; group T (tannin remedy) received the BP diet including 80 g/kg of quebracho extract; group S (saponin remedy) received the BP diet including 15 g/kg of quillaja extract; and group C had a free choice between T and S remedies. Lipid oxidation was lower in meat from S lambs compared to T lambs (P<0.05). Among the volatile compounds, lactate was lower in meat from S lambs compared to T animals (P=0.05). Metabolomic analysis showed that the T treatment increased ribose, fructose, glucose and sorbitol concentration in meat (P<0.05), while cholesterol was decreased by S and C treatments. The T treatment increased the concentration of C14:1 cis-9 (P<0.05). These findings indicate that treatments for parasite control containing tannins and saponins do not detrimentally affect sheep meat quality.
Subject(s)
Diet/veterinary , Food Quality , Meat/analysis , Saponins/chemistry , Tannins/chemistry , Animal Feed/analysis , Animals , Fatty Acids/analysis , Food Contamination/prevention & control , Food Parasitology , Food Storage , Haemonchus/drug effects , Haemonchus/growth & development , Haemonchus/isolation & purification , Larva/drug effects , Larva/growth & development , Lipid Metabolism , Meat/parasitology , Metabolomics , Muscle, Skeletal/chemistry , Quillaja/chemistry , Saponins/administration & dosage , Sheep, Domestic , Tannins/administration & dosage , Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances/analysis , Volatile Organic Compounds/analysisABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of saponins from Quillaja saponaria on fatty acid (FA) composition and cholesterol content in muscle Longissimus dorsi of lambs. A total of 24 Barbarine lambs were assigned to four dietary treatments: control diet (C) consisting of oat hay ad libitum and 400 g of concentrate (80% barley, 17.5% soybean meal and 2.5% vitamin and mineral supplement); C diet plus 30 ppm of Q. saponaria L. (QS30); C diet plus 60 ppm of Quillaja (QS60); C diet plus 90 ppm of Quillaja (QS90). Saponin supplementation reduced the concentration of C14:1 cis-9 (P = 0.001) and of its desaturation index (P = 0.002). None of the FA intermediates of ruminal biohydrogenation (BH) was affected by Quillaja saponin supplementation (P > 0.05). The concentration of C20:4n-6 was higher in the meat of animals receiving 60 ppm of Quillaja than C and QS30 groups. Supplementing 60 ppm of Quillaja reduced the ratio between α-linolenic and linoleic acids compared with the C group (P = 0.023). We did not find any significant effect of Quillaja saponins on muscle cholesterol level. Further investigations are necessary to assess the metabolic fate of saponins in the rumen and to understand whether there is an effect of saponin on Δ9-desaturase enzyme activity, ruminal BH and cholesterol metabolism in ruminants. Supplementing up to 90 ppm of Quillaja saponins did not produce detrimental effects on the overall meat FA profile.