An Interdisciplinary Assessment of Biochemical and Antioxidant Attributes of Six Greek <i>Vicia sativa</i> L. Varieties
Eleni D. Myrtsi,
Dimitrios N. Vlachostergios,
Christos Petsoulas,
Epameinondas Evergetis,
Sofia D. Koulocheri,
Serkos A. Haroutounian
Affiliations
Eleni D. Myrtsi
Laboratory of Nutritional Physiology and Feeding, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Bioscience, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
Dimitrios N. Vlachostergios
Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, Hellenic Agricultural Organization ELGO-DIMITRA, 41335 Larissa, Greece
Christos Petsoulas
Institute of Industrial and Forage Crops, Hellenic Agricultural Organization ELGO-DIMITRA, 41335 Larissa, Greece
Epameinondas Evergetis
Laboratory of Nutritional Physiology and Feeding, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Bioscience, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
Sofia D. Koulocheri
Laboratory of Nutritional Physiology and Feeding, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Bioscience, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
Serkos A. Haroutounian
Laboratory of Nutritional Physiology and Feeding, Department of Animal Science, School of Animal Bioscience, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
Common vetch (Vicia sativa L.) is one of the most cultivated feed crops with extensive agricultural diversity and numerous cultivars. This study concerns the first-time investigation of the dry plant biomass and grains of six vetch cultivars to define the detailed fingerprint of their phenolic and fatty acid content, along with their respective antioxidant potencies. The results revealed a substantial variation in the feed quality traits among the tested Vicia sativa varieties, highlighting the crucial role and influence the genotype plays in the achievement of high-quality livestock nutrition. Among the six varieties tested, Istros and M-6900 displayed a particularly intriguing phytochemical profile characterized by elevated phenolic content, significant antioxidant potency and remarkably high fatty acid indices. These findings are indicative of the great potential of these varieties to function as suitable candidates for incorporation into farm animal diets either in the form of dry biomass (hay) or as a grain feed additive.