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. 2021 Feb;101(3):1100-1110.
doi: 10.1002/jsfa.10720. Epub 2020 Sep 15.

Rumen bacteria and meat fatty acid composition of Sunit sheep reared under different feeding regimens in China

Bohui Wang  1   2 , Yulong Luo  1 , Yu Wang  1 , Debao Wang  1 , Yanru Hou  1 , Duo Yao  1 , Jianjun Tian  1 , Ye Jin  1
Affiliations

Rumen bacteria and meat fatty acid composition of Sunit sheep reared under different feeding regimens in China

Bohui Wang et al. J Sci Food Agric. 2021 Feb.

Abstract

Background: Rumen bacteria play a critical role in feed degradation and productivity. This study evaluated the impact of feeding regimen on the rumen microbial populations and fatty acid composition of the meat of sheep. Twenty-four Sunit sheep were raised on a grass pasture from birth to 9 months of age, at which time they were randomly divided into two feeding groups: pasture feeding (PF) and barn feeding (BF). Sheep in the PF group were allowed to graze freely on wild grassland for 3 months. Sheep in the BF group were confined for 3 months to a dry barn, in which they roamed freely with corn straw and corn.

Results: Sheep in the PF group had greater rumen bacteria diversity. The relative abundances of the genera Butyrivibrio_2, Saccharofermentans and Succiniclasticum were increased, and that of the genus RC9_gut_group was decreased, in the PF compared to the BF sheep. The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid contents were greater in meat from PF sheep than from BF sheep. In addition, the α-linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3, ALA) and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) contents were positively correlated with the abundance of Butyrivibrio_2.

Conclusion: Grazing may improve the diversity of rumen bacteria and increase the proportion of ALA and CLA in sheep meat. © 2020 Society of Chemical Industry.

Keywords: Sunit sheep; fatty acid; feeding regimens; rumen bacteria.

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References

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