Effect of dietary oils on growth, blood parameters and carcass quality in canarian goat kids

Abstract

Fats and oils are an important component of compound feed for farm animals because they provide energy to the animals as well as nutrients for optimal growth. The quality of fats and oils in animal feed also directly influences the subsequent quality of fat in meat. Based on their origin, fats are classified into animal, vegetable and blended or technical fats. The group of vegetable fats includes oils of a more saturated (palm, coconut), monounsaturated (maize, soya) or polyunsaturated (linseed, echium) nature. On the other hand, artificial lactation in small ruminants is an effective tool to improve the economic profitability of dairy farms, especially in herds with high genetic value. Broadly speaking, the system of artificial lactation in small ruminants makes it possible to rear animals on dairy farms, which are slaughtered at a live weight of 10 to 11 kg and which represent a secondary source of income for the farmer. These hatchlings generally take milk replacer for a period of 45-60 days of life. The most common sources of fat used in milk replacer in Europe are vegetable oils such as palm oil or coconut oil, medium chain fatty acids. Other fat sources such as lard or tallow are used in the United States. This formulation leads to a higher deposition of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids in the meat to the detriment of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids of the omega-6 and 3 series, such as arachidonic (AA), eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexanoic (DHA), which are precursors of eicosanoids, compounds that are involved in the regulation of multiple physiological processes such as immune and inflammatory responses. Therefore, there is currently a high demand for omegas-3 and 6 in human and animal nutrition and health, and numerous studies have been initiated to search for new natural sources from plants. The general objective of this study is to evaluate growth and carcass quality parameters of kids fed with a lacto-replacer enriched with different vegetable oils in their diet, in order to subsequently evaluate the possible increase of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the meat.