Supplementation of Cinnamaldehyde and Garlic Oil on Pre- and Postweaning Growth Performance of Beef Cattle Fed Warm-season Forages.

Transcription

1 Supplementation of Cinnamaldehyde and Garlic Oil on Pre- and Postweaning Growth Performance of Beef Cattle Fed Warm-season Forages. P. Moriel, G. M. Silva, M. B. Piccolo, J. Ranches, J. M. B. Vendramini, and J. D. Arthington Synopsis The cattle industry is searching for alternative feed additives that can modify ruminal microbial fermentation. Daily supplementation of such plant extracts did not impact growth performance of Brangus cow-calf pairs, but reduced fly counts of heifers grazing limpograss pastures. Summary We determined the effects of daily supplementation of extracts of cinnamaldehyde and garlic oil on preand post-weaning growth, internal parasite load, and horn fly infestation of grazing beef cow-calf pairs. Twenty-four Brangus cow-calf pairs were allocated into limpograss or bahiagrass pastures and provided daily supplement fortification with (CNG) or without (CON) cinnamaldehyde and garlic oil (300 mg/animal) for 6 days before weaning. After weaning, heifers remained on their respective pre-weaning treatments for 72 days. Effects of forage type and treatment were not detected for pre-weaning growth performance, fecal egg counts, and plasma concentrations of glucose and plasma urea nitrogen of heifers and cows. However, CNG heifers on limpograss pastures had less horn fly counts at weaning compared to CON heifers on limpograss pastures. Effects of treatment were not detected for post-weaning growth, total fecal egg counts, and plasma haptoglobin. Horn fly count did not differ between CNG and CON heifers on days 35 and 72. Thus, daily supplementation of CNG oil extracts did not impact growth, metabolic measurements, and fecal parasite load. However, daily CNG supplementation reduced horn fly counts of heifers grazing limpograss pastures, but not heifers grazing bahiagrass pastures. Introduction The cattle industry is searching for alternative feed additives since the use of antibiotics in animal feeds were banned by the European Union legislation in 2006 (European Union, 2003). Plant extracts, such as cinnamaldehyde and garlic oil, are generally recognized as safe for human and animal consumption, and can modify ruminal microbial fermentation and end products formation in vitro (Busquet et al., 2005) and in vivo (Cardozo et al., 2006). The addition of cinnamaldehyde decreased concentrations of acetate and ammonia, but increased concentrations of propionate, small peptides, and amino acids in the ruminal fluid of Holstein steers fed barley straw-based diets (Cardozo et al., 2006). Similarly, the addition of garlic oil (30 and 300 mg/l) decreased acetate concentration and increased propionate and butyrate concentrations in ruminal fluid (Busquet et al., 2005). Despite the capacity to modify ruminal fermentation, few studies focused on growth performance of beef cattle fed cinnamaldehyde and garlic oil. Hence, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of daily supplementation of cinnamaldehyde and garlic oil on pre- and post-weaning growth, blood parameters associated with energy and protein metabolism, internal parasite load, and horn fly infestation of grazing beef cow-calf pairs. Materials and methods The experiment described herein was conducted at the Range Cattle Research and Education Center, Ona, Florida. At approximately 6 days before weaning, 24 cow-calf pairs were ranked by initial age and body weight, and randomly allocated into of 4 limpograss or 4 bahiagrass pastures (3 cows-calf pairs/pasture). All cows received daily concentrate supplementation at a target consumption rate of lb/cow (as-fed; 50:50 ground corn and cottonseed meal) in calf-exclusion feed bunks. All heifer calves received daily creep-feed supplementation at a rate of 2 lb/heifer (as-fed; 50:50 ground corn and cottonseed meal). Treatments were Range Cattle Research & Education Center, University of Florida Ona, FL.

2 randomly assigned to pastures (4 pastures/treatment), and consisted of: ) Daily supplement fortification with cinnamaldehyde and garlic oil (CNG; 300 mg daily). 2) No supplement fortification (CON). Cows and heifer calves received their respective supplementation for 6 days until weaning. Immediately after weaning, heifers were transferred to of 8 bahiagrass pastures and received daily supplementation of soybean hulls-based concentrate (% of body weight; dry matter basis) added with (CNG) or without (CON) the same commercial extract of cinnamon and garlic oil (300 mg/heifer daily) for 72 days. The name of commercial product and the respective concentration of each ingredient was omitted purposely as requested by sponsor. Cow shrunk body weight and BCS were assessed on days -6 and 0, whereas heifer shrunk body weight were collected on days -6, 0, and 72, after 2 hours of feed and water withdrawal. Fecal samples were collected on days -6, 0, 49 and 72 to determine total fecal egg count. Blood samples (0 ml) were collected from jugular vein for plasma harvest on day -6 (cows and heifers), day - (cows and heifers), and 72 (heifers only) to determine the plasma concentrations of glucose and urea nitrogen (indicators of energy and protein metabolism). Additional blood samples (0 ml) were collected from jugular vein of all heifers on days 0,, 3 and 7 to determine plasma concentrations of haptoglobin (indicator of inflammatory and stress response). Total horn fly populations were recorded on individual cows and heifers using video recording while in their respective pasture on days -6, -32, -2, 35, and 7. Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design using the MIXED procedure of SAS with Satterthwaite approximation to determine the denominator degrees of freedom for the test of fixed effects. Pasture was considered the experimental unit. Heifer or cow (pasture forage type) and pasture (forage type treatment) were included as random effects in all analyses. Body weight, average daily gain, BCS, fecal egg count, and plasma measurements were analyzed as repeated measures and tested for fixed effects of treatment, pasture type, day, and resulting interaction. The proper covariance structure for all repeated measures analyses were selected based on the lowest Akaike information criterion. Results were reported as least-squares means, and separated using PDIFF, if a significant preliminary F-test was detected. Significance was set at P 0.05, and tendencies if P>0.05 and 0.0. Results Effects of forage type, treatment, and any resulting interactions were not detected for growth performance and plasma glucose and urea nitrogen concentrations of heifers and cows (P 0.3; Table ). A treatment day effect was not detected for cows (P 0.23). Daily CNG supplementation decreased overall fly count on heifers grazing limpograss pastures (P = 0.007), but not heifers grazing bahiagrass pastures (P = 0.66; forage type treatment effect; Table 2). No effects of forage type, treatment, and any resulting interactions were detected for total fecal egg count of heifers and cows (P 0.). Although heifers supplemented with CNG tended (P = 0.08) to have less total fecal egg count than control heifers, this response was a reflection of CNG heifers starting the study with less total fecal egg count than control heifers (2.04 vs. 3.69±0.678 log 2 of eggs/g of fecal sample; P = 0.09). Effects of treatment and treatment day were not detected for post-weaning BW, ADG, shrink, and total fecal egg count (P 0.43; Table 3). However, a tendency for treatment day effect was detected for fly count (P = 0.0; Table 3). Fly count was greater for CNG vs. CON heifers on day 0 (P<0.006), but did not differ between CNG and CON heifers on days 35 and 72 (P 0.35). Effect of time, but not forage type, treatment, and any resulting interactions (P 0.23), was detected for plasma haptoglobin concentrations of heifers (P<0.000; Figure ).

3 In summary, daily CNG supplementation did not impact growth, plasma measurements of glucose and urea nitrogen, and fecal egg counts of heifers and cows during a 6-day pre-weaning phase. However, daily CNG supplementation (300 mg/head) decreased fly count of heifers, but not cows. Literature cited Busquet et al J. Dairy Sci. 88: Cardozo et al J. Anim. Sci. 84: European Union Off. J. Eur. Union 0/8/ 2003:L268/29 L268/43. Table. Pre-weaning growth performance and plasma concentrations of glucose and plasma urea nitrogen of heifers and cows. Treatment Item CON CNG SEM Forage Trt Trt Forage Trt time Heifers Body weight, lb day day Average daily gain, lb/day Plasma glucose, mg/dl Plasma urea nitrogen, mg/dl Cows Body weight, lb day -6,026, day 0,035,053 Body weight change, lb BCS day day BCS change Plasma glucose, mg/dl Plasma urea nitrogen, mg/dl Mean concentration of plasma glucose and urea nitrogen obtained on days -54 and 0.

4 Table 2. Overall pre-weaning fly count of heifers. Forage Treatment Bahiagrass Limpograss SEM Forage Trt CNG CON for comparison of forage type within treatment. 2 for comparison of treatment within forage type. Table 3. Post-weaning growth performance, fly count, and fecal egg count (FEC) of heifers. Treatment Item CON CNG SEM Trt Trt Day Heifer body weight, lb day day Average daily gain, lb/day Fly count/head day 0 252y 0x day 35 57x 33x day 72 2x 2x Mean Total FEC, log2 of eggs/g fecal sample day day day Mean x-y Within a row, means without a common superscript differ (P 0.05). FEC = Fecal egg count

5 Plasma haptoglobin, mg/ml y z yz yz x Day relative to weaning Figure. Post-weaning plasma concentrations of haptoglobin (mg/ml) of heifers. xyz Means without a common superscript differ (P 0.05).