Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Grugliasco, Italy.
Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bari, Valenzano, Italy.
J Anim Physiol Anim Nutr (Berl). 2022 Mar;106(2):313-326. doi: 10.1111/jpn.13643. Epub 2021 Sep 22.
Horses reared for meat production are fed high amounts of cereal grains in comparison with horses raised for other purposes. Such feeding practice may lead to risk of poor welfare consequences. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two feeding practices on selected metabolic parameters and production aspects. Nineteen Bardigiano horses, 14.3 ± 0.7 months of age, were randomly assigned to two groups-one fed with high amounts of cereal grains (HCG; n = 9; 43% hay plus 57% cereal grain-based pelleted feed) vs. one fed with high amounts of fibre (HFG; n = 10; 70% hay plus 30% pelleted fibrous feed)-for 129 days. At slaught on abattoir, biological and tissue samples were collected to evaluate the microbiological contamination of mesenteric lymph nodes and liver; selected meat quality traits (chemical composition and fatty acid profile of the Longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle); and the oxidative status of the horse. A linear mixed model was used: dietary treatment and sex were fixed effects and their interaction analysed on production and metabolic parameters as dependent variables. Results showed an increased intestinal permeability in the horses fed HCG compared to HFG, according to the significant increased total mesophilic aerobic bacteria counts in mesenteric lymph nodes (p = 0.04) and liver samples (p = 0.05). Horses in HCG showed increased muscle pH (p = 0.02), lighter muscle colour (L) (p = 0.01), increased intramuscular fat concentrations (p = 0.03), increased muscle glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities (p = 0.01 and p = 0.03, respectively). Moreover, horses in HCG had lower muscle water holding capacity at interaction with sex (p = 0.03, lower in female), lower muscle protein content (p = 0.01), lower concentration of muscle PUFAs (p = 0.05) and lower plasma catalase activities (p = 0.05). Our results showed that feeding a high cereal grains diet can have global effects on horse physiology, and thus represents a threat for their welfare.
用于肉生产的马与用于其他目的的马相比，摄入大量谷物。这种喂养方式可能会导致福利不佳的风险。本研究的目的是研究两种饲养方式对选择代谢参数和生产方面的影响。19 匹 Bardigiano 马，年龄 14.3±0.7 个月，随机分为两组-一组用高谷物（HCG；n=9；43%干草加 57%谷物颗粒状饲料）喂养，一组用高纤维（HFG；n=10；70%干草加 30%颗粒状纤维饲料）喂养-共 129 天。在屠宰场，收集生物和组织样本，以评估肠系膜淋巴结和肝脏的微生物污染；选择肉品质特性（胸腰最长肌的化学组成和脂肪酸谱）；和马的氧化状态。使用线性混合模型：饮食处理和性别是固定效应，对生产和代谢参数进行分析。结果表明，与 HFG 相比，HCG 喂养的马肠道通透性增加，根据肠系膜淋巴结（p=0.04）和肝脏样本（p=0.05）中总需氧细菌总数的显著增加。HCG 组的马匹肌肉 pH 值升高（p=0.02），肌肉颜色较浅（L）（p=0.01），肌肉内脂肪浓度增加（p=0.03），肌肉谷胱甘肽过氧化物酶和超氧化物歧化酶活性增加（p=0.01 和 p=0.03）。此外，HCG 组的马在与性别相互作用时肌肉水分保持能力较低（p=0.03，雌性较低），肌肉蛋白质含量较低（p=0.01），肌肉多不饱和脂肪酸（PUFAs）浓度较低（p=0.05），血浆过氧化氢酶活性较低（p=0.05）。我们的研究结果表明，饲喂高谷物日粮会对马的生理产生全身性影响，从而对其福利构成威胁。
