Grape pomace improves performance, antioxidant status, fecal microbiota and meat quality of piglets

Abstract

In the present study, grape pomace (GP) was used as feed additive in the diet of weaned piglets in order to develop innovative feedstuffs and to investigate their potential beneficial effects on welfare, productivity and meat quality. For examining the antioxidant capacity of the experimental feeds, 24 piglets of 20 days old were assigned to two experimental groups receiving standard or experimental diet for 30 days. Blood and tissues collections were performed at four different time-points, 2, 20, 35 and 50 days post birth. The collected tissues were brain, heart, kidney, liver, lung, quadriceps muscle, pancreas, spleen and stomach. The following oxidative stress markers were assessed: reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase activity, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls (CARB) and H2O2 decomposition activity. The effect on bacterial growth was assessed by examining microbial populations in piglets' fecal microbiota. Furthermore, the average daily gain (ADG) was calculated and the fatty acid profile of quadriceps muscle was assessed. The results showed that piglets fed with the diet supplemented with GP, had significantly increased antioxidants mechanisms in almost all the tissues as shown by increases in GSH, H2O2 decomposition activity and TAC compared with control group. Piglets fed with the experimental diet exhibited decreased oxidative stress-induced damage to lipids and proteins as shown by decreases in TBARS and CARB in GP group compared with control. In addition, the experimental diet increased significantly ADG (by 23.65%) (P<0.05) and enhanced the growth of facultative probiotic bacteria (by up to 1.2 log colony forming units (CFU)/g) (P<0.05) and lactic acid bacteria (by up to 2.0 log CFU/g) (P<0.05) in GP group compared with the control group. GP supplementation inhibited the growth of pathogen populations such as Enterobacteriacae (by up to 1.8 log CFU/g) (P<0.05) and Campylobacter jejuni (by up to 1.0 log CFU/g) (P<0.05). Regarding fatty acid composition of meat, GP inclusion in piglets' diet increased significantly n-3 fatty acids (EPA; C20 : 5n-3, DHA; C22 : 6n-3, α-linolenic acid; C18 : 3n-3) and decreased significantly n-6/n-3 ratio compared with control (P<0.05). The results suggested that dietary GP supplementation may have a beneficial impact on piglets' welfare and may improve productivity as well as meat quality.

Effects of Dietary Grape Pomace Supplementation on Performance, Carcass Traits and Meat Quality of Lambs

“…However, at 42 and 70 days of age, a slight decrease in TBARS and protein carbonyls was observed. In another study by our research group, we also reported that diet enriched in polyphenols from GP reduced the n-6/n-3 ratio and improved the meat fatty acid profile in growing piglets (13). In a recent study, Muíño et al (38) showed that inclusion of another winery by-product (red wine extract) in the diet also reduced the n-6/n-3 ratio of lamb meat.…”

“…Recently, researchers have demonstrated the possibility of developing meat products with potential health benefits by introducing bioactive compounds with antioxidant properties into feedstuffs for animals (4,5). Our research group has also performed in vivo studies showing that by-products rich in polyphenols, generated from olive oil and the wine industry, improved antioxidant capacity, meat quality and welfare of productive animals, such as chickens, pigs and lambs (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13).…”

The Effect of Encapsulated Powder of Goji Berry (Lycium barbarum) on Growth and Survival of Probiotic Bacteria

“…Also, the final encapsulated powder of sample 3 had the highest content of total polyphenols, as well total polysaccharides, (followed by sample 2, which had the second-best prebiotic effect), to which the comparatively better prebiotic activity could be attributed to. In fact, other studies have also shown that plant polyphenols can act (at low concentrations) as stimulants of LAB or probiotic bacteria in food (e.g., yogurt) [55,56] or in vivo [57]. Kafantaris et al [57] reported that, when piglets were treated with grape pomace polyphenols, they had significantly lower levels of Enterobacteriaceae in their feces, and significantly increased levels of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp.…”

“…In fact, other studies have also shown that plant polyphenols can act (at low concentrations) as stimulants of LAB or probiotic bacteria in food (e.g., yogurt) [55,56] or in vivo [57]. Kafantaris et al [57] reported that, when piglets were treated with grape pomace polyphenols, they had significantly lower levels of Enterobacteriaceae in their feces, and significantly increased levels of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus spp. In others studies conducted on rats [58] and humans [59], proanthocyanidin-rich extracts from grape seeds showed prophylactic effects against chemotherapy-induced intestinal injury (mucositis) [58] and significantly increased the number of Bifidobacteria (by 0.5 log cfu/g of feces on average), while inhibiting other groups such as Enterobacteriacae (0.8 log cfu/g of feces on average) [59].…”

Supplementation of by‐products from grape, tomato and myrtle affects antioxidant status of dairy ewes and milk fatty acid profile

“…The higher value of both FRAP and ABTS assays compared with CON suggests a clear antioxidant capacity of GM, at tested dose. The antioxidant capacity of grape by‐products included in the diet has been previously observed in ruminants (Kafantaris et al, ) and monogastric (Brenes et al, ; Kafantaris et al, ). This effect is probably related to the high content of proanthocyanidins in GM, mainly composed of catechin, gallic acid and anthocyanin glucosides (Nudda et al, ).…”