Effect of Dietary Concentrate-to-Forage Ratios During the Cold Season on Slaughter Performance, Meat Quality, Rumen Fermentation and Gut Microbiota of Tibetan Sheep
Shijia Wang,
Wenhui Tang,
Ting Jiang,
Ru Wang,
Ruoxi Zhang,
Jingyu Ou,
Qiangjun Wang,
Xiao Cheng,
Chunhuan Ren,
Jiahong Chen,
Yafeng Huang,
Zijun Zhang
Affiliations
Shijia Wang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Wenhui Tang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Ting Jiang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Ru Wang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Ruoxi Zhang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Jingyu Ou
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Qiangjun Wang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Xiao Cheng
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Chunhuan Ren
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Jiahong Chen
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Yafeng Huang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Zijun Zhang
College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
This study aimed to investigate the effects of different dietary concentrate-to-forage ratios on slaughter performance, meat quality, rumen fermentation, rumen microbiota and fecal microbiota in Tibetan sheep. A total of sixty male Tibetan sheep were equally allocated into three dietary groups based on concentrate-to-forage ratios, i.e., 30:70 (C30), 50:50 (C50), and 70:30 (C70). Compared with the C30 group, sheep fed the C70 diet resulted in a higher (p p p p Butyrivibrio was lower (p = 0.031) in the C30 group, and that of Ruminococcus was higher (p = 0.003) in the C70 group compared with the C50 group. In feces, genus Monoglobus and UCG_002 were the most abundant in the C30 group (p Prevotella was significantly higher in the C70 group than in other groups (p = 0.013). Correlation analysis revealed possible links between slaughter performance and meat quality and altered microbiota composition in the rumen and feces of Tibetan sheep. Overall, feeding a C70 diet resulted in superior carcass characteristics and meat quality in Tibetan sheep, thus laying a theoretical basis for the application of short-term remote feeding during the cold season.
