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Improving the Nutrition of Small Ruminants for a Sustainable Animal...
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Improving the Nutrition of Small Ruminants for a Sustainable Animal Performance and Product Quality

A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2021) | Viewed by 21242

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. José Luis Guzmán-Guerrero

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería, Universidad de Huelva, Campus de “El Carmen”, Avda. de las Fuerzas Armadas, s/n, 21007 Huelva, Spain
Interests: goats; reproduction; seasonality; melatonin; photoperiod; male effect; nutrition; nutritive evaluation; by-products; product quality
Prof. Dr. Manuel Delgado-Pertíñez

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Departamento de Ciencias Agroforestales, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingeniería Agronómica, Universidad de Sevilla. Ctra. Utrera, km. 1. 41013 Sevilla, Spain
Interests: grazing livestock systems; animal nutrition; effect of animal feeding on foods of animal origin; dairy and meat quality; bioactive components; agricultural by-products for animal food
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. A. Ignacio Martín-García

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
CSIC - Estación Experimental del Zaidín (EEZ), Granada 1, 18008, Spain
Interests: animal nutrition; milk quality; animal feeding; by-products nutritive evaluation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Small ruminant husbandry comprises a large number of indigenous breeds, some of them even endangered, that contributes to the livestock sustainability due to their high capacity to exploit food resources that other animal species cannot, such as mountain rangelands, semiarid areas, crop residues or agro-industrial by-products.

Currently, the use of by-products in animal feeding should be studied and promoted as a method to reduce environmental contamination and to contribute to sustainability through the circular economy. Thus, it is also highly relevant research to contribute to the reduction of emissions of both greenhouse gases and nitrogen into the environment. The search for new food sources that do not compete with human nutrition and to ensure global food security is also a priority.

It likewise increasingly researches on novel food supplements and additives to improve the nutritional, functional or sensory qualities of small ruminant livestock products (meat, milk, cheese, wool).

All these aspects aim to preserve this type of small ruminant-based systems, make them more sustainable and thus ensuring their continuity. Therefore, the objective of this special issue is to compile original manuscripts that represents a scientific advance in improving the nutrition of small ruminant in relation to animal performance and product quality and making animal husbandry more.

Prof. Manuel Delgado Pertinez
Prof. Dr. José Luis Guzmán-Guerrero
Dr. Ignacio Martín-García
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • small ruminant
  • nutrition
  • animal food
  • sustainability
  • agro-industrial by-products
  • pasture
  • nutritional supplements and additives
  • growth performance
  • production yields
  • product quality.

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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15 pages, 604 KiB  
Article
Supplementing the Diet of Dairy Goats with Dried Orange Pulp throughout Lactation: I. Effect on Milk Performance, Nutrient Utilisation, Blood Parameters and Production Economics
by José Luis Guzmán, Ignacio Martín-García, Alejandro Pérez-Écija, Manuel David García-Brenes, Luis Ángel Zarazaga and Manuel Delgado-Pertíñez
Animals 2021, 11(9), 2601; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11092601 - 4 Sep 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3425
Abstract
Dried orange pulp (DOP) can be incorporated into ruminant diets, but no reports have considered this strategy during the entire lactation period in goats. Two experiments were performed using lactating Payoya goats. In experiment 1, to study the effect, over 180 days, of [...] Read more.
Dried orange pulp (DOP) can be incorporated into ruminant diets, but no reports have considered this strategy during the entire lactation period in goats. Two experiments were performed using lactating Payoya goats. In experiment 1, to study the effect, over 180 days, of DOP on milk yield and composition, blood metabolites and economic values, 44 primiparous goats were allocated into three groups: control diet (concentrate plus lucerne) and DOP40 and DOP80 diets, in which DOP replaced 40% and 80%, respectively, of the cereals. Nutrient digestibility and rumen fermentation were also studied (experiment 2). The DOP diets did not affect milk yield and composition. DOP triggered lower intake and digestibility of ether extract and crude protein. Ruminal fermentation was unaffected by DOP, except for a decrease in butyrate for DOP80. The energy balance was unaltered by diet while the balance and retention of nitrogen decreased. Regarding plasma biochemistry, DOP supplementation caused changes that could indicate an improvement in hepatic function and reduced muscular damage and oxidative muscular stress. Moreover, DOP80 provided a profit increase of EUR 3.27/goat. In conclusion, the partial replacement of cereals by DOP is a profitable and healthy nutritional strategy in dairy goats and is suitable for the entire lactation period without compromising productivity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Nutrition of Small Ruminants for a Sustainable Animal Performance and Product Quality)
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18 pages, 8177 KiB  
Article
Supplementing the Diet of Dairy Goats with Dried Orange Pulp throughout Lactation: II Effect on Milk Fatty Acids Profile, Phenolic Compounds, Fat-Soluble Vitamins and Antioxidant Capacity
by Manuel Delgado-Pertíñez, Ignacio Martín-García, Yolanda Mena, Luis Ángel Zarazaga and José Luis Guzmán
Animals 2021, 11(8), 2421; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11082421 - 17 Aug 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3569
Abstract
Although dried orange pulp (DOP) as a short-term dietary supplementation has been proven an effective substitute for cereals in goat diets–without impairing milk quality–there have been no studies considering its use over the full lactation period. This study evaluated replacing cereal with DOP [...] Read more.
Although dried orange pulp (DOP) as a short-term dietary supplementation has been proven an effective substitute for cereals in goat diets–without impairing milk quality–there have been no studies considering its use over the full lactation period. This study evaluated replacing cereal with DOP in goat diets for the full 180-day lactation period on milk’s fatty acid (FA) and antioxidant composition. Payoya goats were assigned to three diet groups: a control group consuming a commercial concentrate with alfalfa hay as forage; a DOP40 or DOP80 group, wherein 40% or 80% of the cereal in the concentrate was replaced by DOP. The α-tocopherol and phenolic compounds levels and the antioxidant capacity in the milk increased as the DOP percentage increased. Including DOP might improve the FA indices of milk in the context of human health, especially when included at the end of lactation because it contributes to reducing the thrombogenicity index and increasing both the monounsaturated/saturated FA and polyunsaturated/saturated FA indices and the amounts of indispensables α-C18:3 n-3 and C18:2 n-6 cis. Ultimately, DOP presents a plausible alternative to cereals in the diet of goats throughout lactation to improve the nutritional milk quality, especially the healthy antioxidant capacity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Nutrition of Small Ruminants for a Sustainable Animal Performance and Product Quality)
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17 pages, 917 KiB  
Article
Milk Quality and Carbon Footprint Indicators of Dairy Sheep Farms Depend on Grazing Level and Identify the Different Management Systems
by Javier Plaza, Isabel Revilla, Jaime Nieto, Cristina Hidalgo, Mario Sánchez-García and Carlos Palacios
Animals 2021, 11(5), 1426; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11051426 - 16 May 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3492
Abstract
Currently, there are very few studies in the dairy sheep sector associating milk quality and indicators regarding carbon footprint and their link to grazing levels. For 1 year, monthly milk samples and records related to environmental emissions and management systems were collected through [...] Read more.
Currently, there are very few studies in the dairy sheep sector associating milk quality and indicators regarding carbon footprint and their link to grazing levels. For 1 year, monthly milk samples and records related to environmental emissions and management systems were collected through surveys from 17 dairy sheep farms in the region of Castilla y León (Spain), in order to relate this information to the use of natural pastures under free grazing. Indicators were constructed on the collected data and subjected to a multivariate statistical procedure that involved a factor analysis, a cluster analysis and a population canonical analysis. By applying multivariate statistical techniques on milk quality and carbon footprint indicators, it was possible to identify the management system of the farms. From an environmental point of view, farms with a higher grazing level (cluster 4) were more sustainable, as they had the lowest carbon footprint (lower CO2, N2O and CO2 equivalent emissions per sheep and year) and the lowest energy consumption levels, which were gradually lower than those of farms in cluster 3; both indicators were much lower than those of farms in clusters 1 and 2. The milk quality of cluster 1 and 2 farms was significantly lower in terms of total protein and fat content, dry extract, omega-3 fatty acid levels and α-tocopherol content than farms in clusters 3 and 4, which had higher accessibility to grazing resources. In sum, the higher the use of natural resources, the lower the external inputs the farms required and the lower environmental impact and energy costs they have. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Nutrition of Small Ruminants for a Sustainable Animal Performance and Product Quality)
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13 pages, 284 KiB  
Article
Carcass Composition, Meat Quality and Sensory Quality of Gentile di Puglia Light Lambs: Effects of Dietary Supplementation with Oregano and Linseed
by Giuseppe Scarpa, Simona Tarricone and Marco Ragni
Animals 2021, 11(3), 607; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11030607 - 25 Feb 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2372
Abstract
There is a growing demand by the modern consumer for meat containing less fat and lower levels of saturated fatty acids, which are considered to increase the risk of coronary heart disease. In southern Italy, the Gentile di Puglia breed is one of [...] Read more.
There is a growing demand by the modern consumer for meat containing less fat and lower levels of saturated fatty acids, which are considered to increase the risk of coronary heart disease. In southern Italy, the Gentile di Puglia breed is one of the most common on farms, and the light lambs are often consumed. The study evaluates the effect of a diet containing extruded linseed (Linum usitatissimum) on growth performances, carcass traits, and meat quality in Gentile di Puglia light lambs. Thirty-six male lambs are weaned at about 20 days of age, and divided into three groups—each group is either fed a control diet (C), a diet containing 3% extruded linseed (L), or a diet containing 3% extruded linseed and 0.6% oregano (Origanum vulgare) (L + O). The lambs’ growth performances and the slaughtering and dissection data did not differ between groups. Dietary treatments have no significant effect on the quality and chemical composition of Longissimus lumborum (Ll). The mount of linoleic acid in Ll meat is significantly higher in the L group, and this positively affected the total content of n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid, as well as the n-6/n-3 ratio. The good results obtained concerning the sensory traits meet the requirements of the market’s consumer. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Nutrition of Small Ruminants for a Sustainable Animal Performance and Product Quality)
21 pages, 2490 KiB  
Article
Long-Term Feeding of Dairy Goats with Broccoli By-Product and Artichoke Plant Silages: Milk Yield, Quality and Composition
by Paula Monllor, Raquel Muelas, Amparo Roca, Alberto S. Atzori, José Ramón Díaz, Esther Sendra and Gema Romero
Animals 2020, 10(9), 1670; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10091670 - 16 Sep 2020
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 3263
Abstract
The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of a 40% inclusion of broccoli by-product (BB) and artichoke plant (AP) silages in dairy goat diets on the milk yield, composition and animal health status during a full lactation. Feed consumption was [...] Read more.
The aim of this experiment was to study the effects of a 40% inclusion of broccoli by-product (BB) and artichoke plant (AP) silages in dairy goat diets on the milk yield, composition and animal health status during a full lactation. Feed consumption was lower in AP and BB animals due to their composition and higher moisture content, and BB animals showed a significant reduction in body weight. Milk from the BB treatment had the highest fat content, total solids and useful dry matter content (5.02, 13.9 and 8.39%, respectively). The Se level was slightly lower in AP and BB animals; however, the milk of these treatments was the lowest in Na and, in the case of BB animals, the richest in Ca (1267 mg/kg). Control and AP milk showed a similar fatty acid profile, although AP had a more beneficial aptitude for human health (lower ratio of n6/n3, 12.5). Plasma components, as metabolic parameters, were adequate for goats. It was concluded that a 40% inclusion of AP is an adequate solution to reduce the cost of feeding without harming the animals’ health or performance and to improve the nutritional milk quality. It is necessary to lower the BB level of inclusion to increase feed consumption. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Nutrition of Small Ruminants for a Sustainable Animal Performance and Product Quality)
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Review

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17 pages, 652 KiB  
Review
Reviewing the Benefits of Grazing/Browsing Semiarid Rangeland Feed Resources and the Transference of Bioactivity and Pro-Healthy Properties to Goat Milk and Cheese: Obesity, Insulin Resistance, Inflammation and Hepatic Steatosis Prevention
by Claudia Delgadillo-Puga and Mario Cuchillo-Hilario
Animals 2021, 11(10), 2942; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11102942 - 12 Oct 2021
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3387
Abstract
The rangeland is an ecological resource that provides multiple benefits for environment and agriculture. Grazing/browsing on rangelands is a useful and inexpensive means to produce food derived from animal products. The aim of this study was to review the benefits of producing milk [...] Read more.
The rangeland is an ecological resource that provides multiple benefits for environment and agriculture. Grazing/browsing on rangelands is a useful and inexpensive means to produce food derived from animal products. The aim of this study was to review the benefits of producing milk and cheese under this system in terms of bioactivity and the health benefits of their consumption in model animals. To conduct this review, we particularly considered the experiments that our research group carried out along the last fifteen years at the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán in Mexico. Firstly, we examined the forages consumed by goats on the rangelands in terms of plant bioactive compound occurrence and their concentration. Further, goat milk and cheese coming from (1) grazing animals, (2) animals managed indoors, and from (3) animals managed indoor supplemented with rich plant bioactive compounds, were analyzed. Milk was discussed to modulate the negative effects of high-fat diets in mice. Forages consumed by goats on the rangelands showed a close correlation between antioxidant activity assessed by the DPPH+ radical with total flavonoid and total polyphenol contents (TPC). Milk concentration of PUFA, MUFA, and n-3 fatty acids from grazing goats (4.7%, 25.2%, and 0.94% of FAME) was higher than milk from goats fed indoor diets (ID). Similar results were shown in cheese. TPC was higher in cheese manufactured with milk from grazing goats (300 mg of GAE/kg of cheese) when compared to cheese from milk goats fed ID (60 mg of GAE/of cheese). Acacia pods are a semiarid rangeland feed resource that transfers pro-healthy activity, inhibited in vitro lipid peroxidation (inhibition of TBARS formation) and diminished the damage induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additionally, in vivo assessment revealed that Acacia species increased free radical scavenging (DPPH), oxygen radical absorbance capacity, and anti-inflammatory activity. The results highlight that grazing/browsing practices are superior to indoor feeding in order to promote the transference of bioactive compounds from vegetation to animal tissue, and finally to animal products. Grazing management represents a better option than indoor feeding to enhance bioactivity of milk and cheese. Supplementation with rich-bioactive compound forages increased total polyphenol, hydroxycinnamic acids, and flavonoid concentrations in milk and cheese. The consumption of goat milk prevents obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation, and hepatic steatosis while on a high-fat diet induced obesity in mice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving the Nutrition of Small Ruminants for a Sustainable Animal Performance and Product Quality)
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