Evaluating the dose ‐dependent effects of curcumin nano‐micelles on rumen fermentation, nitrogen metabolism, and nutrient digestibility in heat‐stressed fattening lambs: Implications for climate change and sustainable animal production

This study evaluated the dose-dependent impacts of dietary curcumin nano-micelles (CNM) on rumen fermentation, nitrogen metabolism, and nutrient digestibility in heat-stressed fattening lambs. Thirty-two crossbred male lambs [ ˆIle-de-France × (Dalagh × Romanov)] were utilized within the current study. The initial weight of lambs was documented as averaged by 31.2 ± 1.55 kg, while they were in their 4th to 5th months of age. Animals were fed increasing doses of dietary CNM (0, 20, 40, and 80 mg/day) ov er 97 days, under severe heat stress conditions with average temperature-humidity index (THI) of 24.5. Quadratic improvements (p <  0.01) occurred in weight gain, average daily gain (ADG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) by 28.7%, 27.4%, and 23.9%, respectively, in the T40 group compared to the control. Additionally, T40 increased fiber digestion by 2.8% (p <  0.05). Furthermore, T40 quadratically improved parameters of rumen fermentation, including concentrations of NH3-N (p <  0.05), total volatile fatty acids (TVFA;p <  0.01), acetate (p <  0.05), and iso-valerate (p <  0.05), by 13.9%, 12.5%, 15.0%, and 43.5%, respectively, compared to the control. Quadratic increases were also observed in nitrogen balance (p <  0.05) and microbial protein synthesis (p <  0.01) by 19.8% and 37.6%, respectively, in the T40 group. Quadratic models estimated optimal CNM levels between 41.5 and 48.6 mg/day for multipl...
Source: Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition - Category: Zoology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research