Pelleted Sulla Forage (<i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L.) as a Resource for Sheep Feeding Systems: In Vitro Nutritional Value and Sustainability Perspectives
Enhancing forage protein is key to sustainable ruminant nutrition. The nutritive value of <i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L. was investigated by studying different preservation systems (fresh vs. dehydrated pellet vs. hay) (Exp. 1) and morphological fractions (flowers vs. leaves vs. stems) (...
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2025-08-01
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| author | Barbara Piccirillo Marialetizia Ponte Marianna Pipi Antonino Di Grigoli Adriana Bonanno Monica I. Cutrignelli Alessandro Vastolo Serena Calabrò |
| author_facet | Barbara Piccirillo Marialetizia Ponte Marianna Pipi Antonino Di Grigoli Adriana Bonanno Monica I. Cutrignelli Alessandro Vastolo Serena Calabrò |
| author_sort | Barbara Piccirillo |
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| description | Enhancing forage protein is key to sustainable ruminant nutrition. The nutritive value of <i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L. was investigated by studying different preservation systems (fresh vs. dehydrated pellet vs. hay) (Exp. 1) and morphological fractions (flowers vs. leaves vs. stems) (Exp. 2). For the fresh and pelleted systems, two cuts were used. Proximately, total polyphenols and condensed tannins were detected. In vitro fermentation characteristics were studied by incubating samples with buffered sheep rumen fluid, estimating methane production by volatile fatty acids. Fresh and pelleted sulla were more nutritionally advantageous than hay, in terms of metabolizable energy and protein-to-fiber ratio. Pelleting at the beginning of flowering proved to be a suitable forage for sheep feeding due to protein (15.1% DM), metabolizable energy (9.64 MJ/kg DM), structural carbohydrates (39.5% DM), and total polyphenols (13.5 GAE g/kg DM) content. This cut showed an in vitro fermentation rate (9.86 mL/h), organic matter degradability (55.7%), and volatile fatty acids (87.3 mmoL/g) that were higher (<i>p</i> < 0.05) than hay. Flowers and leaves showed higher (<i>p</i> < 0.05) levels of secondary metabolites than stems as well as lower methane production. These results suggest the potential influence of these compounds in reducing rumen emissions. Dehydration and pelleting resulted in an effective preservation method for maintaining nutrients in sulla forage. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Kabale University |
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| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-e1ddf0cbc524456180aae76d466db41a2025-08-20T04:00:54ZengMDPI AGAnimals2076-26152025-08-011515232210.3390/ani15152322Pelleted Sulla Forage (<i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L.) as a Resource for Sheep Feeding Systems: In Vitro Nutritional Value and Sustainability PerspectivesBarbara Piccirillo0Marialetizia Ponte1Marianna Pipi2Antonino Di Grigoli3Adriana Bonanno4Monica I. Cutrignelli5Alessandro Vastolo6Serena Calabrò7Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Sciences, University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Napoli, ItalyEnhancing forage protein is key to sustainable ruminant nutrition. The nutritive value of <i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L. was investigated by studying different preservation systems (fresh vs. dehydrated pellet vs. hay) (Exp. 1) and morphological fractions (flowers vs. leaves vs. stems) (Exp. 2). For the fresh and pelleted systems, two cuts were used. Proximately, total polyphenols and condensed tannins were detected. In vitro fermentation characteristics were studied by incubating samples with buffered sheep rumen fluid, estimating methane production by volatile fatty acids. Fresh and pelleted sulla were more nutritionally advantageous than hay, in terms of metabolizable energy and protein-to-fiber ratio. Pelleting at the beginning of flowering proved to be a suitable forage for sheep feeding due to protein (15.1% DM), metabolizable energy (9.64 MJ/kg DM), structural carbohydrates (39.5% DM), and total polyphenols (13.5 GAE g/kg DM) content. This cut showed an in vitro fermentation rate (9.86 mL/h), organic matter degradability (55.7%), and volatile fatty acids (87.3 mmoL/g) that were higher (<i>p</i> < 0.05) than hay. Flowers and leaves showed higher (<i>p</i> < 0.05) levels of secondary metabolites than stems as well as lower methane production. These results suggest the potential influence of these compounds in reducing rumen emissions. Dehydration and pelleting resulted in an effective preservation method for maintaining nutrients in sulla forage.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2322forage preservationsecondary metabolitespolyphenolscondensed tanninsin vitro fermentationmethane mitigation |
| spellingShingle | Barbara Piccirillo Marialetizia Ponte Marianna Pipi Antonino Di Grigoli Adriana Bonanno Monica I. Cutrignelli Alessandro Vastolo Serena Calabrò Pelleted Sulla Forage (<i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L.) as a Resource for Sheep Feeding Systems: In Vitro Nutritional Value and Sustainability Perspectives Animals forage preservation secondary metabolites polyphenols condensed tannins in vitro fermentation methane mitigation |
| title | Pelleted Sulla Forage (<i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L.) as a Resource for Sheep Feeding Systems: In Vitro Nutritional Value and Sustainability Perspectives |
| title_full | Pelleted Sulla Forage (<i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L.) as a Resource for Sheep Feeding Systems: In Vitro Nutritional Value and Sustainability Perspectives |
| title_fullStr | Pelleted Sulla Forage (<i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L.) as a Resource for Sheep Feeding Systems: In Vitro Nutritional Value and Sustainability Perspectives |
| title_full_unstemmed | Pelleted Sulla Forage (<i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L.) as a Resource for Sheep Feeding Systems: In Vitro Nutritional Value and Sustainability Perspectives |
| title_short | Pelleted Sulla Forage (<i>Hedysarum coronarium</i> L.) as a Resource for Sheep Feeding Systems: In Vitro Nutritional Value and Sustainability Perspectives |
| title_sort | pelleted sulla forage i hedysarum coronarium i l as a resource for sheep feeding systems in vitro nutritional value and sustainability perspectives |
| topic | forage preservation secondary metabolites polyphenols condensed tannins in vitro fermentation methane mitigation |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/15/15/2322 |
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