Impact of Dietary Supplementation with Moringa oleifera Leaves on Performance, Meat Characteristics, Oxidative Stability, and Fatty Acid Profile in Growing Rabbits

Abstract

Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) have gained great interest as a non-traditional feed ingredient due to their unique nutritional value. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of graded dietary supplementation levels with MOL on performance, carcass characteristics, antioxidant capacity, blood biochemical constituents, meat quality, and fatty acids profile of growing rabbits. A total of 120 weaned New Zealand white rabbits (6 weeks old) were randomly allotted into 4 dietary groups with 5 replicates each (n = 6), which were fed for 42 days with a basal diet as control or 3 experimental diets supplemented with 5, 10, or 15 g/kg MOL. The results showed that, compared to the control group, the dietary inclusion of MOL at a level of 10 and 15 g/kg DM linearly increased (p < 0.01) final live weight (2403.3 and 2498.2 vs. 2166.6) and average daily weight gain (36.5 and 35.51 g/d vs. 28.72 g/d), and enhanced feed conversion ratio (2.49 and 2.50 vs. 3.14). The dietary supplementation with MOL linearly increased dressing out percentage, spleen index, intestinal length, and decreased abdominal fat index (p < 0.01). Greater serum levels of total protein and globulin, but lower alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were observed in the MOL-fed rabbits (p < 0.01). Serum levels of total triglycerides, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (p < 0.05) were decreased linearly and quadratically in the MOL groups compared with the control. Glutathione peroxidase activity increased (p < 0.01), whereas malondialdehyde decreased (p < 0.01) linearly and quadratically in both serum and meat, in response to dietary MOL supplementation. Dietary MOL supplementation increased the meat crude protein content but lowered the relative content of ether extract in the meat (p < 0.05). The relative content of the meat n-3 PUFA was increased by about 33.71%, 29.46%, and 24.36% for the MOL0.5%, MOL1%, and MOL1.5% groups compared to control. In conclusion, MOL could be used at a level of 1.5g/kg of the growing rabbits’ diets with beneficial impacts on performance, antioxidant capacity, and the nutritional value of the meat.

Growth Performance, Carcass Traits, Muscle Fatty Acids, Intramuscular Fat, Cholesterol, and Antioxidant Status in Rabbits Supplemented with Kigelia pinnata Leaf Meal

“…Plant polyphenols can enhance lipolysis, energy expenditure, and thermogenesis, induce B‐oxidation, and inhibit the growth and differentiation of adipocytes. [ 41–43 ] In tandem with our findings, the supplementation of M. oleifera , [ 11 ] and L. leucocephala leaf meal [ 40 ] reduced abdominal fat in rabbits.…”

“…Correspondingly, the supplementation of Moringa oleifera leaf lowered ether extract and enhanced crude protein of Longissimus muscle in rabbits. [ 11 ]…”

“…[ 47 ] In addition, plant polyphenols can impede micelles synthesis in the small intestine thus reducing the absorption of cholesterol in the intestine. [ 48 ] A reduction in muscle cholesterol was observed in rabbits supplemented with Moringa oleifera leaf meal, [ 11 ] and Laurus nobilis leaf meal. [ 49 ]…”

Growth Performance, Antioxidant Activity, Immune Status, Meat Quality, Liver Fat Content, and Liver Histomorphology of Broiler Chickens Fed Rice Bran Oil

“…Synthetic antioxidants are included in the diets of poultry to avoid or limit lipid peroxidation in the meat products [ 9 ]. Due to the consumers’ awareness about consuming natural feed ingredients, nutritionists are seeking for natural antioxidants to replace synthetic ones [ 5 , 10 ]. These natural antioxidants have numerous advantages for instance lowering the incidence of metabolic diseases and improving the shelf life of meat, thus optimizing food safety and security [ 5 ].…”

Impact of Replacing Different Levels of Panicum maximum in Rabbit Diets on Growth Performance, Hemato-Biochemical Profile, and Histological Responses of Some Internal Organs

“…Abo El-Haded et al (2017) found that plasma creatinine and urea nitrogen levels were not significantly affected (p > 0.05) by a diet with 12.5 % or 19 % Moringa Oleifera leaf meal in rabbits. Selim et al (2021) reported the different dietary supplementation with Moringa Oleifera (5, 10, or 15 g/kg diet) did not affect (p > 0.05) the serum urea and creatinine concentrations. Finally, the obtained results revealed that all values of determined blood biochemical parameters fall within the range of normal values for New Zealand White rabbits which were recently determined by Özkan and Pekkaya (2019).…”