Abstract
The current study aimed to evaluate milk fat and fatty acids profile, nutrients digestibility and lactating ewes' performance as a response to supplementing diets with spirulina algae or fish oil in lactating barki ewes. Three experimental diets were used as follow: Control diet based on 60:10:30 concentrate feed mixture (CFM), clover hay, and bean straw (T1); control diet supplemented with 10 ml of fish oil/ kg DM (T2), control diet supplemented with 5 g Spirulina Platensis / kg DM (T3). The results showed that T2 significantly improved nutrients digestibility (DM, OM, NDF, ADF, EE) as compared with control (T1). No differences (p>0.05) were recorded between experimental groups in different blood serum parameters, milk yield, energy corrected milk (ECM), milk fat (%) and milk total solids yield. Supplementing diet with Spirulina platensis (T3) increased CLA, C18:3 n6, C18:3 n3. T2 and T3 increased milk poly-unsaturated fatty acid and declined ∆9 desaturase index as compared with T1. The results of the current study suggested that supplementing diets with fish oil or Spirulina platensis had a potential positive impact in milk fatty acid profile which have a healthy benefit.