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Intake, digestibility, ruminal parameters, and performance in lamb fed with increasing levels of red propolis extract

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Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of increasing levels of red propolis extract (RPE) on the intake, digestibility, feeding behavior, rumen parameters, metabolic parameters, and performance of feedlot lambs. Thirty-five uncastrated male Santa Inês lambs with an initial weight of 17.08 ± 2.36 kg were used in a completely randomized design with five treatments (0, 7, 14, 21, or 28 mL RPE/animal/day). The animals were confined for 68 days. Red propolis extract induced a negative quadratic response (P < 0.05) in the intakes of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, ether extract, neutral detergent fiber, non-fibrous carbohydrates, and metabolizable energy. The apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter, organic matter, and neutral detergent fiber, as well as the rumen concentration of NH3-N, also responded quadratically (P < 0.05) to RPE. Feeding efficiency increased linearly (P < 0.05) with the inclusion of RPE, whereas rumination efficiency was maximum (P < 0.05) at the RPE level of 16 mL/day. Red propolis extract induced a linear response (P < 0.05) in serum total protein, albumin, creatinine, and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. There was a quadratic effect on final body weight and average daily gain with minimum values for inclusion of RPE of 12.89 mL/day and 10.93 mL/day respectively. Feed efficiency rose linearly (P < 0.05) with the increasing concentrations of RPE in the diet. The inclusion of 21 mL RPE/day (8.5 mg total flavonoids/mL) in the diet of feedlot lambs is recommended to reduce the rumen NH3-N production and increase the animals’ performance.

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Acknowledgements

Credit must be given for the help of the Pharmaceutical Sciences Institute of Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) in carrying out laboratory analysis. Thanks are due to the Federal University of Alagoas (UFAL) for the assistance in the execution of the experiment and the State University of Southwest Bahia (UESB) for the assistance with laboratory analyses.

Funding

This project was funded by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Bahia (FAPESB) and, in part, by the Foundation for Research Support of the State of Alagoas (FAPEAL).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Animal Science, State University of Southwest Bahia, Itapetinga, Bahia, 45700-000, Brazil

    Tarcísio Ribeiro Paixão, Ana Paula Gomes da Silva, João Wilian Dias Silva, Laize Vieira Santos & Robério Rodrigues Silva

  2. Department of Animal Science, Federal University of Alagoas, Arapiraca, Alagoas, 57072-970, Brazil

    Vitor Visintin Silva de Almeida & Aline Cardoso Oliveira

  3. Department of Animal Sciences, Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid, Mossoró, Rio Grande Do Norte, 59625-900, Brazil

    Dorgival Morais de Lima Júnior

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  1. Tarcísio Ribeiro Paixão
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by T. R. Paixão, R. R. Silva, and A. C. Oliveira. The first draft of the manuscript was written by A. P. G. Silva, J. W. D. Silva, L. V. Silva, and D. M. Lima Júnior and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Paixão, T.R., de Almeida, V.V.S., Oliveira, A.C. et al. Intake, digestibility, ruminal parameters, and performance in lamb fed with increasing levels of red propolis extract. Trop Anim Health Prod 54, 364 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11250-022-03376-4

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