Milk Replacer Supplementation with Docosahexaenoic Acid from Microalgae Does Not Affect Growth and Immune Status in Goat Kids

Abstract

Consumption of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), has beneficial effects for consumers’ health. Consequently, there is an increased interest in enhancing meat fatty acid profiles (i.e., PUFA and DHA content) through diverse nutritional strategies. This study aimed to investigate the effect of supplementing a microalgae-derived product rich in DHA on growth and immune system development in newborn goat kids. In this experiment, newborn goat kids were fed milk replacer (MR) supplemented with three levels of a microalgae-derived product rich in DHA (DHA‐Gold®, Martek Biosciences, MD, USA). Groups were designed as follows: MR-NS (milk replacer without DHA‐Gold® supplementation; n = 10), MR-DHA-9 (9 g of DHA‐Gold®/L milk replacer; n = 10) and MR-DHA-18 (18 g of DHA‐Gold®/L milk replacer; n = 10). The immune status of the kids was evaluated by the plasma IgG and IgM concentrations, as well as by the complement system and chitotriosidase activities. Dietary supplementation with DHA did not affect either growth or innate and humoral immunity (p > 0.05). This study concludes that supplementation with DHA does not cause negative effects on growth and immune status in newborn goat kids.

Immunity and Behaviour of Lambs Born from Ewes Fed a Flushing Diet Containing EPA and DHA

“…In this study, a high-fat concentrate containing DHA and EPA had no significant effect on immunoglobulin in the colostrum of ewes. This result aligns with another study that reported that feeding EPA and DHA has no significant effect on lambs' colostral IgG and serum IgG concentration (Moreno-Indias et al 2020). Colostrum synthesis depends on the diet consumed by Ewe during gestation (Banchero et al 2015).…”