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. 2024 Aug 12;108(1):438.
doi: 10.1007/s00253-024-13265-5.

Moringa leaf meal exerts growth benefits in small ruminants through modulating the gastrointestinal microbiome

Chitra Nehra  1 , Vemula Harshini  1 , Nitin Shukla  1 , Priyank Chavda  1 , Kaksha Savaliya  1 , Sonal Patil  1 , Tejas Shah  1 , Ramesh Pandit  1 , Niteen V Patil  2 , Ashutosh K Patel  2 , Subhash Kachhawaha  2 , Ram N Kumawat  2 , Madhvi Joshi  1 , Chaitanya G Joshi  3
Affiliations

Moringa leaf meal exerts growth benefits in small ruminants through modulating the gastrointestinal microbiome

Chitra Nehra et al. Appl Microbiol Biotechnol. .

Abstract

This study investigated the impact of feeding 17% moringa leaf meal (MLM) on the ruminal and fecal microbial composition and body weight gain (BWG) performance of lambs (Ovis aries) and kids (Capra hircus). A total of n = 28 lambs (n = 14, no-moringa, n = 14, 17% moringa) and 24 kids (n = 12, no-moringa, n = 12, 17% moringa) were involved in the experiment and body weight was recorded fortnightly. Metagenomic shotgun sequencing was performed on 28, 22, and 26 ruminal solid, liquid fraction, and fecal samples from lambs, and 23, 22, and 23 samples from kids. Moringa supplementation significantly increased BWG in lambs (21.09 ± 0.78 to 26.12 ± 0.81 kg) and kids (14.60 ± 1.29 to 18.28 ± 1.09 kg) (p-value ≤ 0.01). Microbiome analysis revealed an elevated Firmicutes:Bacteroidetes ratio in the moringa diet group. Moringa-fed animals exhibited increased microbial genera associated with volatile fatty acids (VFAs) production (Prevotella, Anaerovibrio, Lachnospiraceae, Butyrivibrio, Christensenella) and starch and fiber digesters (Proteobacteria, Ruminococcus). The increase in the bacterial genus Sharpea suggested possible methane reduction and decreased proportion of pathogens, Aliarcobacter_ID28198, Campylobacter_ID194 and Campylobacter_ID1660076 suggest health benefits. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis demonstrated significant alterations in microbial gene pool and metabolic pathways related to carbohydrate, protein, lipid and energy metabolism, indicating potential improvements in animal health. Overall, moringa feeding showed higher energy recovery, improved growth, and potential benefits in methane reduction and reduced pathogenic bacteria.

Keywords: Growth performance; Moringa leaf meal; Rumen and fecal microbial diversity; Small ruminants.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Analysis of taxonomic metagenomic data of solid fraction of lambs’ rumen liquor between no-moringa and 17% moringa feed groups. (A) PCoA plot of bacterial community. (B) NMDS of bacterial community. (C-F) Alpha diversity: based on Simpson and Shannon diversity and Simpson and Shannon evenness. (G) Linear discrimination analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe). (H) Box + violin plot of significantly differentiated abundance profiles of bacterial genera
Fig.2
Fig.2
Analysis of taxonomic metagenomic data of liquid fraction of lambs’ rumen liquor between no-moringa and 17% moringa feed groups. (A) PCoA plot of bacterial community. (B) Non-metric dimensional scaling (NMDS) of bacterial community. (C-F) Alpha diversity: based on Simpson and Shannon diversity and Simpson and Shannon evenness. (G) Linear discrimination analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe). (H) Box + violin plot of abundance profiles of bacterial genera
Fig.3
Fig.3
Analysis of taxonomic metagenomic data of solid fraction samples of kids’ rumen liquor between no-moringa and 17% moringa feed groups. (A) PCoA plot of bacterial community. (B) NMDS of bacterial community. (C-F) Alpha diversity: based on Simpson and Shannon diversity and Simpson and Shannon evenness. (G) Linear discrimination analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe). (H) Box + violin plot of abundance profiles of bacterial genera
Fig.4
Fig.4
Analysis of taxonomic metagenomic data of liquid fraction samples of kids’ rumen liquor between no-moringa and 17% moringa feed groups. (A) PCoA plot of bacterial community. (B) Non-metric dimensional scaling (NMDS) of bacterial community. (C-F) Alpha diversity: based on Simpson and Shannon diversity and Simpson and Shannon evenness. (G) Linear discrimination analysis (LDA) effect size (LEfSe). (H) Box + violin plot of abundance profiles of bacterial genera
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