Blood serum metabolic profile and fatty acid composition in sheep fed concentrates with Camelina sativa cake and distillers dried grains with solubles

The both Camelina sativa cake and dried distillers grains with solubles, rich in unsaturated fatty acids, were previously used as dietary supplements to improve the energy value of the sheep diet and milk parameters. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of these additives to lactating ewes diet on the blood serum metabolic parameters, hormone concentration and fatty acid composition. A total of 39 milking ewes of Polish dairy sheep were divided into three groups: the control (C), the group fed Camelina sativa cake (CS) and the group receiving distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS). The following parameters were determined in blood serum: blood urea nitrogen, cholesterol, triglycerides, free fatty acids, glucose, alanine aminotransferase – ALT and aspartate aminotransferase – AST as well as insulin, leptin, triiodothyronine – T3 and thyroxine – T4. The obtained results indicated that both additives changed the blood serum profile of fatty acids and altered the concentration of some hormones and biochemical parameters. DDGS was found to have beneficial effects, manifested by the decrease of TG while FFA concentration were analtered. The reduced TG concentration was also observed in the blood serum of ewes fed with CS diet. Cholesterol level was increased in blood of ewes only after the administration of DDGS enriched diet. In both experimental groups, a reduced concentration of glucose and an increased concentration of insulin were recorded. Both additives strongly augmented T4 concentration in blood and lowered the T3/T4 ratio, especially in the DDGS fed group. MUFA content decreased under the influence of DDGS, while CS had no effect. DDGS treatment resulted in an increase of PUFA content and this increase was related to increased n-6 PUFA. The results obtained in the present experiment indicate that Camelina sativa cake and distillers dried grains with solubles administered to dairy sheep changed fatty acid contents and altered the concentration of selected hormones and biochemical parameters in blood.