Avocado in goats feeding: yield, composition and fatty acid profile of milk and ruminal parameters

• Grant number: 13/07146-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: July 01, 2013
• End date: June 30, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Agronomical Sciences - Animal Husbandry - Animal Production
• Principal Investigator: Heraldo Cesar Gonçalves
• Grantee: Heraldo Cesar Gonçalves
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia (FMVZ). Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Campus de Botucatu. Botucatu , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Paulo Roberto de Lima Meirelles

Abstract

In recent years there has been an intensification in demand for functional food. The goat milk, by its constitution, is considered a functional food, because of its low content of ±S1-casein and small size of fat globules, what reduces the allergenicity and makes the digestion easier, respectivelly. Because of these traits it's used to feed children with allergy to cow's milk, elder and infirm with digestive problems. As a negative point, the goat milk has in its constitution greater amount of long chain saturated fatty acid and lower amount of unsaturated fatty acid, beyond higher content of cholesterol than cow's milk, traits related to occurrence of deseases. On the other hand, the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) has been described as a substance with antimutagenic and anticarcinogenic properties, besides acting in reducing cholesterol. Its content in the milk fat depends on the diet fatty acid content and composition. Thus, diets with inclusion of rich souces of linoleic acid increase the synthesis of CLA. The avocado, due to its high content of monounsaturated fat, good productivity and harvest season which coincides with parturition and goat milk season, can be a good option to the milk producer as a substitute for corn in the diet. Therefore this project aims to evaluate the effects of adding avocado in natura and its oil in lactating goats diet, kept in pasture, on their milk production, composition and fatty acid profile, specially CLA. This project will consist of two experiments. In the first one, will be used six Anglo Nubians goats, kept in Tobiatã grass pasture, with approximately 45 days of lactation, 50 kg of body weight and production potencial of 2,5 kg of milk/day, divided in two Latin Square 3x3 to evaluate concentrate and forage consumption, milk production, composition and fatty acid profile. In the second one the same design will be used in three goats provided with rumen cannula to evaluate the ruminal parameters: pH, short chain fatty acids (SCFA) and amoniacal nitrogen (N-NH3). (AU)