Nutritional and metabolic parameters of ewe lambs fed yeast in the diet containing fibrolytic enzyme

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the dry matter digestibility, intake and metabolic profile of ewe lambs fed active or inactive yeasts in the diet containing fibrolytic enzyme. Twenty crossbred animals with an average weight of 33.4kg and an average age of six months were distributed in a completely randomized design. The treatments consisted of yeasts: Control (no yeast), Milk Sacc X® (active yeast), Active Flora® (active yeast + inactive yeast) and Rumen Yeast® (inactive yeast). Analysis of variance and SNK test were applied with a significance level of 5% for type I error. There was no difference for dry matter intake between treatments (P>0.05). There was a significant trend (P=0.0596) for dry matter digestibility, with higher values for the control treatment. There was a significant trend for blood metabolites (P=0.0705), in which the diet containing Milk Sacc® was superior to the other treatments for total protein concentration. In addition, there was a statistical difference (P<0.05) for urea concentration, in which control and Active Flora® treatments were superior to the others. The inclusion of active or inactive yeasts in the diet for ewe lambs containing fibrolytic enzyme reduces dietary digestibility, without affecting the dry matter intake, in addition, it increases urea and total protein levels without causing liver or kidney damage in ewe lambs.