Effect of dietary grape pomace on fats digestibility in horses

Abstract

The present study aimed to analyse dried grape pomace as a possible source of crude fat and polyunsaturated fatty acids in equine nutrition, as well as its effect on apparent digestibility of crude fat and selected fatty acids. Twelve clinically healthy sport horses were used in the feeding trial (Slovak warm blood breed). Animals were divided into three groups; control group (without supplementation) and two experimental groups where diets were enriched by 200 g and 400 g of dried grape pomace, respectively. Digestibility analysis was carried out by total faeces collection method. Crude fat of feeds and faeces, extracted by Soxhlet-Henkel method, was subsequently subjected to fatty acid profile analysis by gas chromatography. Grape pomace contained 96.17 g.kg-1 of crude fat with linoleic (70.03% in fat) and oleic (15.86% in fat) as the most abundant fatty acids. An indication (P>0.05) of higher digestibility of crude fat and oleic acid in both experimental groups, in comparison with control group, was detected. The digestibility of palmitic, linoleic, α-linolenic and cis-11-eicosenoic acids was not affected by dried grape pomace consumption (P>0.05). Based on the results of this experiment, dried grape pomace had no significant effect neither on digestibility of crude fat nor on the selected fatty acids. However, this winery by-product could be used as an alternative source of crude fat in equine diets.

Keywords

• crude fat
• equine
• polyunsaturated fatty acid utilisation
• wine by-products