Effect of Guazuma ulmifolia tannins in the diet of Pelibuey lambs on animal performance and meat characteristics

The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the response of animal performance and meat characteristics of Pelibuey lambs to tannins of Guazuma ulmifolia Lam. in the diet. Twenty-eight male Pelibuey lambs (initial body weight of 23.6 +/- 1.0 kg; 5 months old) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments (T): T1, control (base diet); T2, diet 1.5% tannins; T3, diet 2.5% tannins; and T4, diet 1000 IU vitamin E. Vitamin E was used as a positive control treatment. The variables evaluated were daily weight gain (DWG), dry matter intake (DMI), feed conversion, and carcass and meat characteristics. The experimental design was completely randomized, and treatments means were compared with Tukey test (P<0.05). None of the evaluated variables were different between treatments (P>0.05), except meat color (P<0.05), with higher values of L*(34.88), a*(11.49), and b*(2.28) when tannins were added to the diet of the lambs, without affecting the dry matter intake. Including Guazuma ulmifolia foliage in sheep feeding could be a feasible alternative.