title: Effect of linseed supplementation of the gestation and lactation diets of dairy ewes on the growth performance and the intramuscular fatty acid composition of their lambs.
abstract: In this study, we investigated the effects of maternal gestation and/or lactation diets supplemented with extruded linseed (rich in 18:3n-3) on growth performance and long-chain polyunsaturated faaty acid (PUFA) accumulation in muscle tissues of suckling lambs. A total of 36 dairy ewes were fed a control diet (CON) and a diet containing linseed (LIN) during the last 8 weeks of gestation and/or the first 4 weeks of lactation. The four dietary treatments consisted of the following gestation/lactation feeding treatments: CON/CON, CON/LIN, LIN/LIN or LIN/CON. The lambs born from ewes fed the aforementioned diets were reared exclusively on milk and were slaughtered at 4 weeks of age. Profiles of ewes' milk fatty acids and that of intramuscular fat (IMF) of leg muscles from lambs were determined. Compared with the CON/CON, LIN/CON offspring tended to grow slower and to have reduced cold carcass weights. Moreover, the LIN supplementation only in the prepartum period (LIN/CON) resulted in greater PUFAn-3 accumulation in the IMF compared with the CON/CON offspring due to increased 20:5n-3 (1.20 v. 0.64 mg/100 mg of total FA), 22:5n-3 (1.91 v. 1.46;) and 22:6n-3 (1.25 v. 0.89) contents, respectively. Compared with the CON/CON diet, providing LIN only during lactation (CON/LIN) caused a greater PUFAn-3 content in the IMF mainly due to a greater 18:3n-3 (1.79 v. 0.75 mg/100 g total FA) concentration. Continuous PUFAn-3 exposure, both via the maternal gestation and lactation diet, had no additive effects on PUFAn-3 accumulation in tissues. The results suggest that linseed, as an 18:3n-3 source, seems to be more efficient in increasing long-chain PUFAn-3 in fetal than in suckling lamb tissues.
authors.affiliation: 1Dipartimento di Agraria,Sezione di Scienze Zootecniche,University of Sassari,Viale Italia 39,07100 Sassari,Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nudda
authors.affiliation: 1Dipartimento di Agraria,Sezione di Scienze Zootecniche,University of Sassari,Viale Italia 39,07100 Sassari,Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Battacone
authors.affiliation: 2Agroscope Institute for Livestock Sciences (ILS),1752 Posieux,Switzerland.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bee
authors.affiliation: 1Dipartimento di Agraria,Sezione di Scienze Zootecniche,University of Sassari,Viale Italia 39,07100 Sassari,Italy.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Boe
authors.affiliation: 1Dipartimento di Agraria,Sezione di Scienze Zootecniche,University of Sassari,Viale Italia 39,07100 Sassari,Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Castanares
authors.affiliation: 1Dipartimento di Agraria,Sezione di Scienze Zootecniche,University of Sassari,Viale Italia 39,07100 Sassari,Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lovicu
authors.affiliation: 1Dipartimento di Agraria,Sezione di Scienze Zootecniche,University of Sassari,Viale Italia 39,07100 Sassari,Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pulina
mesh_terms: D000821:Animal Feed / Q000032:analysis*; D000824:Animal Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D000818:Animals; D004032:Diet / Q000662:veterinary*; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000737:chemistry; D005260:Female; D019597:Flax; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology; D008892:Milk; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000737:chemistry; D036801:Parturition; D012756:Sheep / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D005227:Fatty Acids
keywords: extruded linseed