Table 1
Chemical composition (% of dry matter, DM) and fatty acid content (in % of total fatty acid methyl esters, FAME) of pasture hay, fresh pasture grazed and alfalfa pellets fed to Churra Tensina ewes during the peripartum period1
Diet HAY GRE
pasture hay fresh pasture grazed alfalfa pellets2
Chemical composition
Dry matter M (DM, % of fresh matter) 87.5 18.9 93.3
Crude protein, CP 12.0 20.1 15.7
Neutral detergent fibre, NDF 50.4 42.3 35.5
Acid detergent fibre, ADF 26.8 21.6 23.8
Fatty acids
C12:0 0.38 0.23 0.66
C14:0 0.65 0.68 1.14
C16:0 14.13 15.54 13.94
C16:1 cis-9 0.40 0.77 0.21
C17:0 0.73 0.27 0.32
C18:0 3.35 3.02 2.80
C18:1 n-9 3.38 2.98 3.71
C18:1 trans-11 (VA) 0.11 0.20 0.02
C18:2 cis-9 cis-12 7.53 8.51 18.65
C18:3 n-6 1.94 0.54 0.30
C18:3 n-3 14 21.89 18.90
C20:0 18.82 23.44 23.01
SFA 38.60 43.19 37.76
MCFA 1.03 0.91 1.80
LCFA 36.30 42.00 39.75
UFA 27.36 34.89 45.90
MUFA 3.89 3.95 3.94
PUFA 23.47 30.94 41.96
PUFA n-6 9.47 9.05 18.95
PUFA n-3 14 21.89 23.01
n-6/n-3 0.68 0.41 0.82
UFA/SFA 0.71 0.81 1.22

1SFAs (saturated fatty acids) were calculated as the sum of C12:0 + C14:0 + C16:0 + C17:0 + C18:0 + C20:0; MCFAs (medium-chain fatty acids) were calculated as the sum of C12:0 + C14:0; LCFAs (long-chain fatty acids) were calculated as the sum of C16:0 + C18:0 + C20:0; UFAs (unsaturated fatty acids) were calculated as the sum of (MUFA + PUFA); MUFAs (monounsaturated fatty acids) were calculated as the sum of (C16:1 + C17:1 + C18:1n-9 + C18:11n-7 + C20:1); PUFAs (polyunsaturated fatty acids) were calculated as the sum of (C18:2 t-t + C18:2c-c + C18:3n-6 + C18:3n-3 + CLA + C20:2 + C20:3 + C20:4 + C20:5 + C22:5 + C22:6).

2Supplement during 11 days in the pre-partum grazing ewes, when snow limited pasture availability.

Dervishi et al. BMC Veterinary Research 2012 8:106   doi:10.1186/1746-6148-8-106

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