Effects Of Coconut Oil On Growth Performance,Ruminal Fermentation And Meat Quality In Lambs

This study evaluated the effects of coconut oil(CO)addition on growth performance,rumen fermentation,apparent nutrient digestibility,blood indexes,slaughter performance and meat quality of lambs.In the in vitro test,the amount of CO added in each group was 0%(control group),1%,3%,5%,7%and 9% of the dietary dry matter(DM),and the fermentation was performed for 48 h.In the breeding and slaughter test,twenty-four Hainan black goats kids with a body weight of 2.05 ± 0.16 kg were selected and randomly divided into control(0 g/d CO),LCO(4 g/d CO),MCO(6 g/d CO)and HCO(8 g/d CO)groups,respectively.The experimental period was 90 days,including 10 days of adaptation followed by 80 days of sample collection period.Ruminal p H increased(P<0.05),but the total volatile fatty acid(TVFA)concentration decreased(P<0.05)for the 5%,7%,and 9% groups.Methane(CH4)production and the number of protozoa decreased(P<0.05)for CO additional groups.Activity of carboxymethylcellulase reduced(P<0.05)for 7% and 9% groups.Activits of cellobiase,xylanase,and protease were lower for 5%,7% and 9% groups than for 1% and control(P<0.05).Populations of total bacteria,R.albus,R.flavefaciens,F.succinogenes,Rb.Amylophilus,and P.ruminicola decreased(P<0.05)for 7% and 9% groups.Body weight increased(P<0.05)and dry matter intake(DMI)of lambs decreased(P<0.05)for MCO group.Feed conversion ratio(FCR)before weaning improved(P<0.05)for CO additional groups.The apparent digestibility of DM and organic matter(OM)decreased(P<0.05)for HCO group.Neutral detergent fiber(NDF)and acidic detergent fiber(ADF)digestibility decreased(P<0.05)for CO additional groups.Ether extract(EE)digestibility increased(P<0.05)with CO addition.Ruminal p H increased(P<0.05)for LCO and HCO groups,Ruminal TVFA concentration,acetic acid molar proportion,ammonia nitrogen(NH3-N)concentration,and CH4 emissions decreased(P<0.05)for HCO group.Activities of carboxymethylcellulase,xylanase,pectinase,α-amylase and protease reduced(P<0.05)for HCO group.Populations of total bacteria,total protozoa,total methanogens,R.flavefaciens,R.albus,B.fibrisolvens,P.ruminicola and Rb.amylophilus decreased(P<0.05)for CO additonal groups.Serum triglyceride(TG)concentration for MCO group and serum growth hormone(GH)concentration for HCO group increased(P<0.05).Live weight and carcass weight increased(P<0.05)for MCO group.Loin muscle area increased(P<0.05)for CO additional groups.It is suggested that the addition of CO reduced the number of protozoa and the production of CH4,additional 6 g/d CO improved the growth performance and slaughter performance of lambs.Under this test condition,the optimal amount of CO is 6g/d.