Parkia platycephala pods in confined lamb diets: Fatty acid profile, ruminal biohydrogenation, and meat quality

This study was performed to evaluate the effects of replacing ground corn with Parkia platycephala pods (PPs) in lamb diets on the physicochemical characteristics of meat, the fatty acid profile in meat, and ruminal biohydrogenation (RBH). Twenty-eight castrated male lambs (20.05 ± 0.44 kg, 120 ± 10 days old) were distributed in a randomized block design constituting four treatments and seven replications. Four diets were formulated by replacing ground corn with PPs at increasing levels: 0 % PPs and 100 % ground corn (299.4 g/kg dry matter [DM]), 33 % substitution of ground corn (199.5 g/kg DM) with PPs (100.3 g/kg DM), 66 % substitution of ground corn (99.7 g/kg DM) with PPs (200.5 g/kg DM), and 100 % PPs (300.6 g/kg DM) and 0 % ground corn. The PPs resulted in a reduction in C18:1c9 intake; increased C12:0, C15:0, C18:1t9, C18:1t11, and C18:2n6; and reduced C18:0 in ruminal digesta, with a quadratic effect for C4:0 (P < 0.05). The RBH rate of C18:1c9 and C18:2n6 (P < 0.05) decreased as the PP levels in the diets increased. Regarding fatty acids in meat, there was a reduction in C16:1c9, C18:1c9, and cis-monounsaturated fatty acids and a quadratic effect for C14:1c9 and C18:2c9t11 (P < 0.05) as the PP levels in the diets increased. Levels of 66 % and 100 % PPs in the diets provided higher C18:2n6 in meat compared with the control diet (0 % PPs) and the diet containing 33 % PPs (P < 0.05). Under these experimental conditions, the replacement of corn with PPs in diets for lambs changed the fatty acid profile in the rumen digesta and lamb meat, promoting an increase in C18:1t11 in the rumen digesta. PPs can be used as an alternative ingredient in lamb feeding because they provide nutritional characteristics similar to those provided by corn.