Potential of Mulberry Leaf Biomass and Its Flavonoids to Improve Production and Health in Ruminants: Mechanistic Insights and Prospects

Animals

JuanJ. Loor¹  MuhammadSaif-ur Rehman²  MuhammadAdeel Arshad²  Jiaxiang Huang³  Mengwei Li³  Faiz-ul Hassan³ 

[1] Department of Animal Sciences, Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA;Institute of Animal and Dairy Sciences, Faculty of Animal Husbandry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad 38040, Pakistan;Key Laboratory of Buffalo Genetics, Breeding and Reproduction Technology, Ministry of Agriculture and Guangxi Buffalo Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Nanning 530001, China;

关键词: mulberry leaf biomass;    flavonoids;    antioxidant;    rumen fermentation;    methane mitigation;    performance;   

DOI  :  10.3390/ani10112076

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Leaf biomass from the mulberry plant (genus Morus and family Moraceae) is considered a potential resource for livestock feeding. Mulberry leaves (MLs) contain high protein (14.0–34.2%) and metabolizable energy (1130–2240 kcal/kg) with high dry matter (DM) digestibility (75–85%) and palatability. Flavonoid contents of MLs confer unique antioxidant properties and can potentially help alleviate oxidative stress in animals during stressful periods, such as neonatal, weaning, and periparturient periods. In addition, mulberry leaf flavonoids (MLFs) possess antimicrobial properties and can effectively decrease the population of ruminal methanogens and protozoa to reduce enteric methane (CH₄) production. Owing to its rich flavonoid content, feeding MLs increases fiber digestion and utilization leading to enhanced milk production in ruminants. Dietary supplementation with MLFs alters ruminal fermentation kinetics by increasing total volatile fatty acids, propionate, and ammonia concentrations. Furthermore, they can substantially increase the population of specific cellulolytic bacteria in the rumen. Owing to their structural homology with steroid hormones, the MLFs can potentially modulate different metabolic pathways particularly those linked with energy homeostasis. This review aims to highlight the potential of ML and its flavonoids to modulate the ruminal microbiome, fermentation, and metabolic status to enhance productive performance and health in ruminants while reducing CH₄ emission.

【 授权许可】

Unknown