Effects of maternal calcium propionate supplementation on offspring productivity and meat metabolomic profile in sheep
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This study determined the effect of dietary calcium propionate (CaPr) as a source of energy supplementation during the First Half of Gestation (FMG), the Second Half of Gestation (SMG), and during All Gestation (AG), on offspring post-weaning growth performance, meat quality, and meat metabolomic profile. Thirty-one pregnant ewes were assigned to one of four treatments: a) supplementation of 30 gd-1 of CaPr during the first half of gestation (day 1 to day 75, n = 8) (FMG); b) supplementation of 30 gd-1 of CaPr during the second half of gestation (day 76 to day 150, n = 8) (SMG); c) supplementation of 30 gd-1 of CaPr during all gestation (AG, n = 8); d) no CaPr supplementation (control; CS, n = 7). The ewes were ad libitum fed a basal diet based on oat hay and corn silage. Ewes were distributed in a completely randomized unbalanced design to four treatments. The FMG group had lower (P <= 0.05) birth weight and weaning weight than the CS group. However, the average daily gain was similar across all treatments. Empty body weight and FMG had lower values (P <= 0.05) than the other groups. Both FMG and AG had lower hot carcass weight (P <= 0.05) compared to CS, while CaPr treatments resulted in reduced hot carcass yield (P <= 0.05). Meat color and texture were similar among treatments. A principal component analysis between gestation stages showed a trend for separating CS and FMG from SMG and AG, and that was explained by 93.7%25 of the data variability (PC1 = 87.9%25 and PC2 = 5.8%25). Regarding meat metabolomic profile, 23 compounds were positively correlated between all treatments. Only 2 were negatively correlated (eicosane and naphthalene 1,2,3); but tetradecanoic acid, hexadecane, undecane 5-methyl, (-)-alpha, hexadecenoic acid, octadecanoic acid, and octadecane had a highly significant correlation (P <= 0.05). Overall, dam supplementation with CaPr during different periods of gestation provoked changes in meat metabolites related to the biosynthesis of fatty acids in lambs without negative changes in lamb\%27s growth performance and carcass quality.
