Evaluation of herbal choline in productive performance and blood metabolites of ewes

Resumen

Objective: To evaluate the effect of different levels of protected herbal choline (CHP) on productive performance, carcass characteristics, and serum metabolites in ewes.

Design/Methodology/Approach: Fifty-two Hampshire × Suffolk ewes (29.95 ± 3.90 kg of initial live weight, PV) were randomly assigned to one within four treatments: 0, 0.3, 0.6 and 0.9% choline kg^-1 dry matter (MS). The experimental design was complete randomized, in order to detect linear or quadratic trends.

Results: No treatment effects were detected in the production variables, GD and AML with the addition of protected herbal choline in the diet (p>0.05). CHP linearly increased the concentration of cholesterol, glucose, albumins, globulins, total proteins (p≤0.05) and phosphatidylcholine (p≤0.10). The triglyceride concentration had a quadratic response (p≤0.05) to the addition of CHP.

Study limitations/Implications: The level of choline supplementation in sheep depends on whether the source is herbal or synthetic.

Findings/Conclusions: The addition of CHP in ewe diets raised the concentration of phosphatidylcholine, modified the concentration of protein and lipid metabolites. However, no improvements in production were found.