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Cattle and sheep develop preference for drinking water containing grape seed tannin.
1United States Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Research Service, Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory, PO Box 459, Mandan, North Dakota 58554, USA. scott.kronberg@ars.usda.gov
Animal : an International Journal of Animal Bioscience
|July 25, 2013
Summary
Ruminant livestock can benefit from condensed tannins (CTs), but delivery is challenging. This study found that cattle and sheep learned to prefer drinking water containing grape seed tannin (GST), suggesting a practical method for CT delivery.
Area of Science:
- Animal Science
- Nutritional Biochemistry
- Ruminant Nutrition
Background:
- Condensed tannins (CTs) offer nutritional, environmental, and economic benefits to ruminant livestock.
- Current methods for delivering CTs to livestock are often impractical, as animals may avoid consuming them.
- Grape seed tannin (GST) is a purified form of CT that may offer a more palatable delivery option.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if cattle and sheep would learn to prefer drinking water containing purified grape seed tannin (GST).
- To assess the feasibility of using drinking water as a practical method for delivering CTs to ruminant livestock.
- To evaluate the intake of GST solutions and their effect on blood urea concentrations in cattle.
Main Methods:
- Preference trials were conducted with sheep and cattle offered water and varying concentrations of GST solutions.
- Animals were gradually acclimated to increasing GST concentrations in their drinking water.
- Liquid intake was measured daily, and blood urea concentrations were monitored in cattle.
Main Results:
- Both sheep and cattle developed a significant preference for water containing GST over plain water.
- Animals consumed greater volumes of the highest concentration GST solution (2% of daily dry matter intake) compared to plain water.
- GST consumption in cattle led to a reduction in blood plasma urea concentration.
Conclusions:
- Providing grape seed tannin (GST) in drinking water is a potentially practical method for increasing CT intake in sheep and cattle.
- Further research may explore the use of other CTs via drinking water for livestock.
- This method could enhance the nutritional and economic benefits of CTs for ruminant production.
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