Use of tanine in sheep feeding has positive results

Gilberto Kozloski, professor at the Department of Zootechnics at Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM). Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Maria Luiza De Grandi, journalist of Ciência Rural. Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.

Known by wine lovers, tannin is a chemical substance in the group of plant phenols, and can be detected in seeds, peels and fruit stems. In the drink, it assists in the conservation , since it provides more longevity and structure to the wine. The tannin extract of Acacia mearnsii, in turn, is an industrial source of tannin historically used in the leather industry. However, in recent years it has also been used as a food supplement for ruminants, which are herbivorous mammals, such as the ox and sheep, for example.

Previous studies have shown that tannin can improve nitrogen use by cattle and sheep (ÁVILA et al., 2015; ORLANDI et al., 2015; ORLANDI et al., 2020). Based on this, researchers from the Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM) evaluated the effect of food inclusion of the tannin extract of Acacia mearnsii on consumption, digestibility and nitrogen (N) retention in sheep. The article “Acacia mearnsii tannin extract as a food additive: impact on nitrogen consumption, digestibility and excretion in sheep fed a diet based on tropical grasses” was published in the Ciência Rural (vol. 50, nº 9).

For the experiment, six male and neutered sheep were observed for 21 days, receiving a diet based on grass hay and concentrate. The results showed that the addition of a low dose of Acacia Negra’s tannin extract did not affect the consumption or digestion of the diet by the sheep, but “tended to improve nitrogen retention by the animals.”, Explains researcher Gilberto Kozloski who integrated the authorship of the article.

Image: Uschi_Du

Available on the market, the tannic extract of Acácia Negra shaped rumen fermentation and its inclusion as a natural additive in the diet of cattle and sheep can be potentially positive in practice. “Tannins have the potential to reduce the degradation of carbohydrates and proteins in ruminants and, as a consequence, they can reduce methane emissions and increase the supply of metabolizable protein to animals.” adds Gilberto Kozloki.

References

ÁVILA, S. C. et al. Impact of a tannin extract on digestibility, ruminal fermentation and duodenal flow of amino acids in steers fed maize silage and concentrate containing soybean meal or canola meal as protein source. Journal of Agricutural Science [online]. 2015, vol. 153, no. 05, pp. 943–953 [viewed 15 December 2020]. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021859615000064. Available from: https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-agricultural-science/article/abs/impact-of-a-tannin-extract-on-digestibility-ruminal-fermentation-and-duodenal-flow-of-amino-acids-in-steers-fed-maize-silage-and-concentrate-containing-soybean-meal-or-canola-meal-as-protein-source/D9C285306D503503122F0B6421353132

ORLANDI, T. et al. Digestibility, ruminal fermentation and duodenal flux of amino acids in steers fed grass forage plus concentrate containing increasing levels of Acacia mearnsii tannin extract. Animal Feed Science and Technology [online]. 2015, vol.210, pp. 37-45 [viewed 16 December 2020]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2015.09.012. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377840115300213

ORLANDI, T. et al. Impact of a tannin extract on digestibility and net flux of metabolites across splanchnic tissues of sheep. Animal Feed Science and Technology [online]. 2020, vol. 261, pp. 114384 [viewed 16 December 2020]. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2019.114384. Available from: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0377840119310958

To read the article, acess

ORLANDI, T. et al. Extrato tanífero de Acacia mearnsii como aditivo alimentar: impacto sobre o consumo, digestibilidade e excreção de nitrogênio em ovinos alimentados com uma dieta a base de gramínea tropical. Cienc. Rural [online]. 2020, vol. 50, no. 09, ISSN: 1678-4596 [viewed 16 December 2020]. https://doi.org/10.1590/0103-8478cr20200095. Available from: http://ref.scielo.org/grr8v9

External links

Ciência Rural – CR: http://www.scielo.br/cr

Ciência Rural: http://coral.ufsm.br/ccr/cienciarural/