Application of Olive By-Products in Livestock with Emphasis on Small Ruminants: Implications on Rumen Function, Growth Performance, Milk and Meat Quality

• Published in: Animals (Basel) Vol. 11; no. 2; p. 531
• Main Authors: Tzamaloukas, Ouranios, Neofytou, Marina C., Simitzis, Panagiotis E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 18.02.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Antioxidants; bioeconomics; By products; Cattle; Costs; Diet; dietary supplements; environmental impact; Fatty acids; Feeds; Fermentation; fiber content; growth performance; Lignin; Livestock; meat; meat quality; Milk; milk quality; milk yield; monounsaturated fatty acids; Nitrogen; nutritive value; olive by-products; Olive oil; Polyphenols; Proteins; Review; rumen fermentation; ruminants; meat quality; ruminants; olive by-products; monounsaturated fatty acids; milk quality
• ISSN: 2076-2615; 2076-2615
• DOI: 10.3390/ani11020531

The olive oil industry has a leading position in the Mediterranean countries, resulting in the production of considerable quantities of the respective by-products (OB) that constitute an important environmental issue. OB contain valuable nutrients and bioactive components that can be re-used under the bioeconomy strategy, and several chemical, physical, and biological processes have been evaluated with the intention to improve their nutritional value. One feasible application of OB is their incorporation in the diets of livestock and especially ruminants due to their high fiber content. As indicated by numerous studies, OB dietary supplementation increases the levels of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and decreases that of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) in the milk and meat of ruminants with beneficial effects for consumers’ health. At the same time, environmental impact and feeding costs are reduced without detrimental effects on ruminal fermentation, nutrients utilization, growth performance, carcass traits, milk yield and composition.