Seasonal weight loss effect in the hepatic fatty acid composition in Australian Merino, Damara and Dorper sheep
2023
Palma, Mariana | Kilminster, Tanya | Scanlon, Timothy | Oldham, Chris | Greeff, Johan | Matzapetakis, Manolis | Almeida, André M. de
Seasonal weight loss (SWL) is one of the major limitations in small ruminant production in drought-prone regions. The study of breeds with higher tolerance to the effects of SWL is particularly important to define breed selection strategies. In this work we evaluated the effect of SWL in the hepatic fatty acids profile in three ovine breeds with different levels of tolerance: the Merino (susceptible to SWL), the Dorper (intermediate tolerant to SWL), and Damara (tolerant to SWL). Animals from each breed were divided into two experimental groups: a growth group and a restricted fed group. The more representative fatty acids in the three breeds were stearic acid, oleic acid and palmitic acid. Univariate analysis revealed interaction between breed and feed-restriction in eighteen of the total fatty acids identified. Multivariate analysis showed separation between growth and restricted animals in each of the three breeds. Variations observed in the three breeds are in general related with fatty acid mobilization from the adipose tissue. Dorper and Damara breed showed exclusive variations, related with muscular tissue maintenance and hepatic adaptations respectively. Generally, Damara and Dorper breeds performed better under nutritional restriction, in accordance with results previously obtained following other approaches.
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