Regulatory Effects of Cinnamon–Pepper–Chili Essential Oil Complex on Growth Performance, Immune Function, Complete Blood Count, and Intestinal Microbiota in Simmental CrossBred Cattle During the Late Fattening Stage

This trial aimed to investigate the effects of compound essential oils (EO) on the fattening performance, blood physiological&ndash:biochemical indices, and intestinal microbiota in late-fattening Simmental crossbred bulls. Twenty healthy Simmental crossbred bulls (Simmental &times: Charolais &times: Angus) with similar initial body weights of 442 (&plusmn:72.49) kg were randomly divided into two groups: a control group (basal diet, CON group) and a compound essential oil group (basal diet + 16 g/head/day, EO group). The trial included a 14-day pre-feeding period and a 42-day experimental period, totaling 56 days. The results showed the following: (1) The EO group exhibited a significantly higher average daily gain (ADG), immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin G (IgG), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX), glucose (GLU), dopamine (DA), basophil count (Baso), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), and platelet distribution width (PDW) compared to the CON group (p &lt: 0.05), while the mean corpuscular volume (MCV) was significantly lower (p &lt: 0.05). (2) Although the compound essential oil supplementation did not alter the relative abundance of major intestinal microbial taxa, it significantly improved the intestinal microbiota structure (p &lt: 0.05), increased fiberdegrading microbiota, and promoted short-chain fatty acid production. (3) The relative abundance of the intestinal microbiota norank_f__UCG-010 showed significant positive correlations with ADG, GSH-PX, IgG, DA, T-SOD, GLU, IgA, and Baso (p &lt: 0.05), while Christensenellaceae_R-7_group abundance was positively correlated with ADG, IgA, and Baso (p &lt: 0.05). In conclusion, the compound essential oil enhances healthy and efficient fattening in beef cattle by improving the intestinal microbial structure, increasing beneficial bacteria, regulating the nutrient metabolism through key bacterial genera, and enhancing the immune function, antioxidant capacity, and energy metabolism levels.