An in vivo trial was conducted in sheep to investigate the effect of three tropical tannin-rich plants (TRP) on methane emission, intake and digestibility. The TRP used were leaves of Glyricidia sepium, Leucaena leucocephala and Manihot esculenta that contained, respectively, 39, 75 and 92 g condensed tannins/kg DM. Methane was determined with the sulphur hexafluoride tracer technique. Eight rumen-cannulated sheep of two breeds (four Texel, four Blackbelly) were used in two 4 × 4 Latin square designs. Four experimental diets were tested. They consisted in a tropical natural grassland hay based on Dichanthium spp. fed alone (C) or in association with G. sepium (G), L. leucocephala (L) or M. esculenta (M) given as pellets at 44% of the daily ration. Daily organic matter intake was higher in TRP diets (686, 984, 1054 and 1186 g/day for C, G, L and M respectively; p < 0.05) while apparent organic matter total tract digestibility was not affected (69.9%, 62.8%, 65.3% and 64.7% for C, G, L and M respectively; p > 0.05). Methane emission was 47.1, 44.9, 33.3 and 33.5 g/kg digestible organic matter intake for C, G, L and M, respectively, and was significantly lower (p < 0.05) for L and M than for G and C. Our results confirm the potential of some TRP to reduce methane production. The strong decrease in methane and the increase in intake with TRPs may be due to their presentation as pellets.
Background: Leucaena leucocephala, as a shrub legume rich in condensed tannins, is a candidate for the integrated control of gastrointestinal parasitic pathogen nematodes. Here, we investigated the anthelmintic potential of the nutraceutical L. leucocephala, transformed into pellets, against Haemonchus contortus. Results: Creole goat kids were fed an iso-nitrogenous diet of Dichantium hay with alfalfa pellets or Leucaena pellets or an alfalfa-leucaena mixture in varying ratios. The artificial infection of kids with H. contortus led to infection levels comparable to those observed in the farm environment on the basis of egg excretion. The anthelmintic activity of Leucaena, compared to alfalfa, was demonstrated by its potential to reduce egg excretions (1524 vs. 3651 eggs/g) and the larval development of excreted eggs (3.5 vs. 24%). This anthelmintic potential was reported when the ratio of Leucaena incorporation in the diet was high (50% DM intake). The voluntary dry matter intake (79.3 vs. 77.0 g Large Weigth 0.75), the total tract dry matter digestion (0.585 vs. 0.620), and the growth (57.1 vs. 71.3 g/d) of kids fed Leucaena compared to alfalfa indicate that Leucaena has a high feed value. The Leucaena, even at the highest intakes in the diets, has not shown any signs of poisoning in kids. Conclusions: Leucaena fulfilled the conditions to be a good nutraceutical, and pelleting is a good method for its use.
In tropical and subtropical countries, livestock productivity may be affected by the availability of food resources and the high prevalence of gastrointestinal pathogenic nematodes. The classical method of control using anthelmintic drugs is becoming decreasingly efficient because of a generalised resistance of the gastrointestinal nematodes suppress (GIN) to most of the drugs. In small farms, protein-rich biomasses with significant amounts of condensed tannins (CT), which are known to have anthelminbtic properties, might be good candidates to produce nutraceuticals. This experiment was conducted to determine the feasibility of producing nutraceutical pellets from Manihot esculenta sp., Cajanus cajan and Leucaena leucocephala, considering the influence of agro-pedo-climatic conditions plant species and technological factors, such as drying and pelleting. The samples were harvested in two different agro-pedo-climatic zones and sundried under shelter (at 25 to 35°C) or in a ventilated oven (45°C) before pelleting. Chemical analysis on crude protein and condensed tannins were conducted. The chemical composition of the plants did not vary significantly with agro-pedo-climatic conditions. Sun-drying and oven-drying decreased the CT content of the plants. No effect of pelleting was recorded on crude protein and CT contents, except for C. cajan, for which a small decrease in CT content was observed. Protein-rich foliage types with CT contents above 50 g/kg of dry matter are potentially good candidates to produce nutraceutical pellets if they are dried using mild drying conditions, like sundrying under shelter.
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