article · Animals
This study evaluated the effects of adding Moringa oleifera leaves to the feed of growing rabbits. Researchers fed 120 weaned New Zealand white rabbits on diets supplemented with different levels of leaf powder, up to 15 grams per kilogram of feed, over a 42-day trial. Rabbits receiving higher levels of the supplement showed significantly increased daily weight gain, higher final body weights, and improved feed conversion efficiency compared to those fed a standard control diet. The supplementation also improved carcass characteristics by increasing dressing percentages and reducing abdominal fat. In addition, the leaf supplement enhanced antioxidant enzyme activity, reduced oxidative stress markers in both blood and meat, and lowered serum cholesterol and triglycerides. Finally, meat from the supplemented rabbits contained higher protein levels, reduced fat content, and elevated beneficial omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Livestock producers seek alternative feed ingredients that improve animal growth while supporting health and sustainable production. This research demonstrates that incorporating Moringa oleifera leaves into animal feed can enhance growth efficiency and lower production waste. Crucially, it also improves the nutritional value of the resulting meat by raising healthy fatty acid levels and reducing fat content for consumers.
The findings are relevant to commercial animal feed manufacturers, livestock premix suppliers, and rabbit farmers looking for functional feed ingredients. As an applied feeding trial with clear inclusion rates up to 15 grams per kilogram, the approach is tested and close to practical farm-level adoption. However, commercial uptake will require verifying local supply chains, consistent leaf processing methods, and economic viability at scale.
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<i>Moringa oleifera</i> leaves (MOL) have gained great interest as a non-traditional feed ingredient due to their unique nutritional value. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of graded dietary supplementation levels with MOL on performance, carcass characteristics, antioxidant capacity, blood biochemical constituents, meat quality, and fatty acids profile of growing rabbits. A total of 120 weaned New Zealand white rabbits (6 weeks old) were randomly allotted into 4 dietary groups with 5 replicates each (<i>n</i> = 6), which were fed for 42 days with a basal diet as control or 3 experimental diets supplemented with 5, 10, or 15 g/kg MOL. The results showed that, compared to the control group, the dietary inclusion of MOL at a level of 10 and 15 g/kg DM linearly increased (<i>p</i> < 0.01) final live weight (2403.3 and 2498.2 vs. 2166.6) and average daily weight gain (36.5 and 35.51 g/d vs. 28.72 g/d), and enhanced feed conversion ratio (2.49 and 2.50 vs. 3.14). The dietary supplementation with MOL linearly increased dressing out percentage, spleen index, intestinal length, and decreased abdominal fat index (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Greater serum levels of total protein and globulin, but lower alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were observed in the MOL-fed rabbits (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Serum levels of total triglycerides, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (<i>p</i> < 0.05) were decreased linearly and quadratically in the MOL groups compared with the control. Glutathione peroxidase activity increased (<i>p</i> < 0.01), whereas malondialdehyde decreased (<i>p</i> < 0.01) linearly and quadratically in both serum and meat, in response to dietary MOL supplementation. Dietary MOL supplementation increased the meat crude protein content but lowered the relative content of ether extract in the meat (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The relative content of the meat n-3 PUFA was increased by about 33.71%, 29.46%, and 24.36% for the MOL<sub>0.5%,</sub> MOL<sub>1%,</sub> and MOL<sub>1.5%</sub> groups compared to control. In conclusion, MOL could be used at a level of 1.5g/kg of the growing rabbits' diets with beneficial impacts on performance, antioxidant capacity, and the nutritional value of the meat.
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DOI: 10.3390/ani11020248
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