Effect of garlic powder supplementation on rumen microbiota and histology, and blood metabolites in Barki lambs

Abstract Background Garlic (Allium sativum) contains different bioactive compounds that have antimicrobial activities, which might modify rumen fermentation and improve animal performance. This study investigated the effect of garlic powder supplementation on growth performance, rumen fermentation a...

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Main Authors: Alaa Emara Rabee, Afaf A. El Shereef, Mahmoud S. Nassar, Mohammed A. H. El-Rayes, Rasha S. Mohammed, Salah Abo Bakr
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-02-01
Series:BMC Veterinary Research
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04521-5
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author Alaa Emara Rabee
Afaf A. El Shereef
Mahmoud S. Nassar
Mohammed A. H. El-Rayes
Rasha S. Mohammed
Salah Abo Bakr
author_facet Alaa Emara Rabee
Afaf A. El Shereef
Mahmoud S. Nassar
Mohammed A. H. El-Rayes
Rasha S. Mohammed
Salah Abo Bakr
author_sort Alaa Emara Rabee
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Garlic (Allium sativum) contains different bioactive compounds that have antimicrobial activities, which might modify rumen fermentation and improve animal performance. This study investigated the effect of garlic powder supplementation on growth performance, rumen fermentation and microbiota, blood metabolites, and immunity in Barki lambs. Twelve Barki lambs were assigned into two dietary treatments (n = 6): basal diet (control group) or basal diet supplemented with garlic powder as 2% of dry matter (DM) intake. The basal diet consisted of alfalfa hay and a concentrate feed mixture. Results The results showed that garlic supplementation enhanced the growth performance, blood immunoglobulins IgG and IgA, rumen pH, and the proportions of propionic, isobutyric, and isovaleric (P < 0.05). Moreover, the rumen ammonia, predicted methane, and microbial alpha diversity were declined due to garlic supplementation (P < 0.05). Principal Co-ordinate analysis (PCoA) revealed that microbial communities were clustered according to dietary treatments. The bacterial community was dominated by phyla Bacteroidota and Firmicutes. The supplementation improved the relative abundance of the family Ruminococcaceae, genus Prevotella and Butyrivibrio which were correlated positively with growth performance and blood immunity (P < 0.05). Conclusions The results explain that garlic powder could modify rumen microbiota to improve rumen fermentation, immunity, and growth performance in growing lambs.
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spelling doaj-art-d33b50b83acb4cd0b8da02aeb107dc802025-08-20T02:16:40ZengBMCBMC Veterinary Research1746-61482025-02-0121111110.1186/s12917-025-04521-5Effect of garlic powder supplementation on rumen microbiota and histology, and blood metabolites in Barki lambsAlaa Emara Rabee0Afaf A. El Shereef1Mahmoud S. Nassar2Mohammed A. H. El-Rayes3Rasha S. Mohammed4Salah Abo Bakr5Animal and Poultry Nutrition Department, Desert Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Land ReclamationAnimal and Poultry Nutrition Department, Desert Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Land ReclamationAnimal and Poultry Nutrition Department, Desert Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Land ReclamationAnimal and Poultry Physiology Department, Desert Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Land ReclamationAnimal and Poultry Health Department, Desert Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Land ReclamationAnimal and Poultry Nutrition Department, Desert Research Center, Ministry of Agriculture and Land ReclamationAbstract Background Garlic (Allium sativum) contains different bioactive compounds that have antimicrobial activities, which might modify rumen fermentation and improve animal performance. This study investigated the effect of garlic powder supplementation on growth performance, rumen fermentation and microbiota, blood metabolites, and immunity in Barki lambs. Twelve Barki lambs were assigned into two dietary treatments (n = 6): basal diet (control group) or basal diet supplemented with garlic powder as 2% of dry matter (DM) intake. The basal diet consisted of alfalfa hay and a concentrate feed mixture. Results The results showed that garlic supplementation enhanced the growth performance, blood immunoglobulins IgG and IgA, rumen pH, and the proportions of propionic, isobutyric, and isovaleric (P < 0.05). Moreover, the rumen ammonia, predicted methane, and microbial alpha diversity were declined due to garlic supplementation (P < 0.05). Principal Co-ordinate analysis (PCoA) revealed that microbial communities were clustered according to dietary treatments. The bacterial community was dominated by phyla Bacteroidota and Firmicutes. The supplementation improved the relative abundance of the family Ruminococcaceae, genus Prevotella and Butyrivibrio which were correlated positively with growth performance and blood immunity (P < 0.05). Conclusions The results explain that garlic powder could modify rumen microbiota to improve rumen fermentation, immunity, and growth performance in growing lambs.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04521-5GarlicBarki lambsGrowthImmunityRumen fermentation and microbiota
spellingShingle Alaa Emara Rabee
Afaf A. El Shereef
Mahmoud S. Nassar
Mohammed A. H. El-Rayes
Rasha S. Mohammed
Salah Abo Bakr
Effect of garlic powder supplementation on rumen microbiota and histology, and blood metabolites in Barki lambs
BMC Veterinary Research
Garlic
Barki lambs
Growth
Immunity
Rumen fermentation and microbiota
title Effect of garlic powder supplementation on rumen microbiota and histology, and blood metabolites in Barki lambs
title_full Effect of garlic powder supplementation on rumen microbiota and histology, and blood metabolites in Barki lambs
title_fullStr Effect of garlic powder supplementation on rumen microbiota and histology, and blood metabolites in Barki lambs
title_full_unstemmed Effect of garlic powder supplementation on rumen microbiota and histology, and blood metabolites in Barki lambs
title_short Effect of garlic powder supplementation on rumen microbiota and histology, and blood metabolites in Barki lambs
title_sort effect of garlic powder supplementation on rumen microbiota and histology and blood metabolites in barki lambs
topic Garlic
Barki lambs
Growth
Immunity
Rumen fermentation and microbiota
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12917-025-04521-5
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