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Home / Equine Research Bank / Animals (Basel) / Effect of Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) Groats-Based Mixed F...
Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(2); doi: 10.3390/ani10020272

Effect of Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) Groats-Based Mixed Feed Supplements on Diet Nutrient Digestibility and Blood Parameters of Horses.

Abstract: Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) and its by-products are common supplements used in equine diets and are claimed to have beneficial health effects. In this study, the effect of linseed groat-based fibrous feed supplements on diet digestibility was studied. Also, possible detrimental health effects due to continuous feeding of supplemental feeds containing linseed were examined by evaluating blood parameters. The experimental design was arranged as two balanced 3 × 3 Latin Squares. The horses were individually fed at the maintenance energy level, the forage-to-concentrate ratio being 70:30, with three diets: (A) Control diet consisting of dried hay and whole oats; (B) Control diet + Feed 1; and (C) Control diet + Feed 2. Feed 1 contained 70% of linseed groats, 15% dried carrot, 10% dried garlic and 5% molasses. Feed 2 contained 65% linseed groats, 15% molassed sugar-beet pulp, 10% dried garlic, 5% dried carrot and 5% molasses. Digestibility data were obtained by using chromium mordanted straw as an indigestible external marker for the estimation of apparent digestibility. Blood samples were collected from the jugular vein at the end of each feeding period to evaluate the possible effects of the supplemented diets B and C on the health of the horses. Diets B and C had a higher digestibility of crude protein compared to the control diet A (p < 0.05). In addition, the digestibility of ether extract was higher in the supplemented diets than in the basal feeding (p < 0.01). There were no statistically significant differences or trends (p > 0.05) in the blood parameters between the treatments. It is concluded that linseed groat-based supplements (offering approximately 6.3%-6.7% linseed groats in the diet's dry matter (DM), or 0.8 g/kg BW/d), and feed containing soluble fibre sources (sugar-beet pulp, dehydrated carrot), improved the crude protein and fat digestibility of hay-oats diets of horses, and can be used, for example, in feeding strategies replacing grains in the horse rations in order to reduce the intake of starch without any adverse effects on the blood parameters and health of the horses.
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Publication Date: 2020-02-10 PubMed ID: 32050686PubMed Central: PMC7070253DOI: 10.3390/ani10020272Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This article investigates the impacts of linseed-based feed supplements on the digestibility of horse diets. The study does not find any adverse health effects linked to continuous use of these supplements, which also reportedly enhance protein and fat digestibility.

Study Design

  • The study has been formulated as two balanced 3 x 3 Latin Squares.
  • Three different diets were administered to horses individually at maintenance energy level with a forage-to-concentrate ratio of 70:30.
  • Diet A was the control diet and was made up of dried hay and whole oats. Diet B included diet A plus Feed 1, while diet C included diet A plus Feed 2.
  • Feed 1 was a mix of 70% linseed groats, dried carrot (15%), dried garlic (10%) and molasses (5%). Feed 2 comprised 65% linseed groats, molassed sugar-beet pulp (15%), dried garlic (10%), dried carrot (5%) and molasses (5%).
  • Following feeding, digestibility data was extracted using chromium mordanted straw as an indigestible marker to measure apparent digestibility.

Impact on Digestibility and No Adverse Health Effects

  • Diet B and C showed greater digestibility of crude protein and fats when compared to diet A.
  • Blood samples were collected from the horses’ jugular veins at the end of feeding periods to measure potential effects of supplemented diets B and C on horse health.
  • Both diets showed no significant differences or trends in blood parameters, suggesting that they had no adverse health effects on the horses.

Conclusion

  • The study highlights the positive benefits of linseed groat-based supplements, particularly when they contain soluble fibre sources like sugar-beet pulp and dehydrated carrot, as they can improve the digestibility of protein and fat in hay-oats horse diets.
  • These supplements could, therefore, potentially replace grains in horse rations in efforts to reduce starch intake, without adversely affecting horse health.

Cite This Article

APA
Saastamoinen M, Särkijärvi S. (2020). Effect of Linseed (Linum usitatissimum) Groats-Based Mixed Feed Supplements on Diet Nutrient Digestibility and Blood Parameters of Horses. Animals (Basel), 10(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10020272

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 2

Researcher Affiliations

Saastamoinen, Markku
  • Production Systems, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), FI-31600 Jokioinen, Finland.
Särkijärvi, Susanna
  • Production Systems, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), FI-31600 Jokioinen, Finland.

Grant Funding

  • no number / Neomed Ltd

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest. The funder had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript, or in the decision to publish the results.

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
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