This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different doses of flavonoids from Allium mongolicum Regel on the production performance and neuroendocrine hormones in meat sheep and to determine the optimum dosage of Allium mongolicum Regel flavonoids to add to the basal diet of dry lot-feeding meat sheep. Sixty meat sheep (initial body weight = 39.9 ± 3.2 kg; 6-month-old) were randomly assigned to 4 groups (15 sheep per group). The sheep in the control group were fed a basal diet, and the 3 experimental groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with flavonoids at 11, 22 and 33 mg/kg. Blood samples were collected via the jugular vein at d 0, 15, 30, 45, and 60 to determine the neuroendocrine hormone levels. The fasting weight of the sheep was measured during the experimental period, and feed offered and refusals were recorded daily. The basal diet supplemented with flavonoids from 11 to 33 mg/kg significantly increased the daily weight gain and average daily feed intake (P < 0.05) and significantly decreased the feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05), but there were no differences among the supplementation groups (P > 0.05). Starting on d 30, the growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) levels in the sera of the sheep in the supplementation groups increased significantly (P < 0.05), and the increases occurred in a time-dependent manner. Compared with control group, after d 30, the serum corticosterone (CORT) levels were reduced in the sheep that consumed the basal diet supplemented with 22 mg/kg flavonoids (P < 0.05), but among the other experimental groups, there was a non-significant effect (P > 0.05). The serum adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels were increased by the supplementation of flavonoids, but compared with the control group, the effect was not significant. The basal diet supplemented with flavonoids at levels from 11 to 33 mg/kg had a significant effect on the production performance and neuroendocrine hormone levels of meat sheep, and the effect occurred in a time-dependent manner. The effect was especially obvious after 30 d of feeding.

The present study was to evaluate the effects of dried Allium mongolicum Regel (AMR) powder and its water- and fat-soluble extracts (AWE and AFE) on the growth performance, serum metabolites, immune responses, antioxidant status, and meat quality of lambs. A total of 32 male small-tailed Han lambs (5 months old; initial body weight = 34.8 ± 0.40 kg) were used in a 60-d feeding experiment after a 15-d adaptation period. The lambs were randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 8) and fed a basal diet (control, CON group), the basal diet supplemented with dried AMR powder at 10 g/d per lamb (AMR group), the basal diet supplemented with AWE at 3.4 g/d per lamb (AWE group), or the basal diet supplemented with AFE at 2.8 g/d per lamb (AFE group). Blood samples were collected on d 0, 30, and 60 in the feeding experiment (n = 8). At the end of the experiment, the lambs were sacrificed and the longissimus dorsi muscles collected. Growth performance was not significantly affected by dietary supplementation of AMR, AWE and AFE (P > 0.05). However, significantly lower albumin (P = 0.006), total protein (P = 0.006), globin (P = 0.025), and blood urea nitrogen (P = 0.024) concentrations were observed in AFE group relative to CON and AMR groups. Similarly, a significantly lower lactate dehydrogenase activity (P = 0.018) was observed in AFE group relative to AWE group, but not in other groups (P > 0.05). In addition, significantly increasing trends in glutathione peroxidase (P = 0.06) in AMR, AWE, and AFE groups were observed relative to the control group. Furthermore, significantly lower drip loss (P = 0.011) across the treatment groups and cooking loss (P = 0.048) were observed in the AMR group relative to the control group. Taken together, these results indicate that AMR and its extracts had no significant effect on lamb growth performance, antioxidant status, and immune responses, but could significantly improve meat quality without the occurrence of pathological kidney and liver lesions.

Sixty male Small-tailed Han sheep (initial body weight: 42.5 ± 4.1 kg) were assigned randomly and averagely into four groups to evaluate effects of flavonoids extracted from Allium mongolicum Regel (AMR) on meat quality and composition of fatty acids related to flavor in longissimus dorsi muscle of lambs. Lambs of four groups were fed a basal control diet (C), and basal diet + three different amounts of flavonoids extracted from the AMR; those were 11 mg kg⁻¹ (Flav 11), 22 mg kg⁻¹ (Flav 22), or 33 mg kg⁻¹ (Flav 33), respectively. Dressing percentage, loin eye area, cooking loss, and pressing loss were affected by treatments (P < 0.05). Percentage of intramuscular fat, the concentrations of eicosapentaenoic acid, C18:0, total saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acid, and 4-methyloctanoic acid in longissimus dorsi muscle were changed by treatments (P < 0.05). Addition of AMR to diet improved the meat quality and had favorable effects on fatty acid composition related to meat flavor in longissimus dorsi muscle.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with Allium mongolicum Regel extracts on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, fat color, and concentrations of three branched-chain fatty acids related to flavor in ram lambs. Methods: Sixty 3-month-old, male, small-tailed Han sheep were selected and randomly allocated into four groups in a randomized block design. Four feeding treatments were used: i) a basal diet without supplementation as the control group (CK); ii) the basal diet supplemented with 10 g/lamb/d Allium mongolicum Regel powder as the AMR group; iii) the basal diet supplemented with 3.4 g/lamb/d Allium mongolicum Regel water extract as the AWE group; and iv) the basal diet supplemented with 2.8 g/lamb/d Allium mongolicum Regel ethanol extract as the AFE group. Results: The results demonstrated that the dry matter intake was lower for the AFE group than that in other groups (p = 0.001). The feed conversion ratio was greater for the AFE than that in other groups (p = 0.039). Dietary supplementation with Allium mongolicum Regel powder and its extracts decreased the concentrations of 4-methyloctanoic acid (MOA) (p<0.001), 4-ethyloctanoic acid (EOA) (p<0.001), and 4-methylnonanoic acid (MNA) (p = 0.044) in perirenal adipose tissue compared to those observed in the CK lambs. Dietary supplementation with Allium mongolicum Regel powder and its extracts decreased the concentrations of MOA (p<0.001) and EOA (p<0.001) in dorsal subcutaneous adipose tissue compared to those in the CK lambs. The concentrations of MOA (p<0.001) and EOA (p = 0.002) in omental adipose tissue were significantly affected by treatment, although there was a tendency for lower MNA (p = 0.062) in AMR, AWE, and AFE lambs than that in CK lambs. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that Allium mongolicum Regel and its extracts could significantly promote feed efficiency, although dry matter intake decreased and could decrease the MOA and EOA concentrations related to characteristic flavor and odor of body fat in lambs, except for tail adipose tissue.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of Allium mongolicum Regel ethanol extract (AME) on the concentration of three branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) related to flavor, fermentation parameters and the bacteria and their correlations in the rumen of lambs. A total of thirty 3-month-old male, Small-tailed Han sheep (33.60 ± 1.23 kg) were randomly distributed into 2 groups as follows: control group (CON) was fed a basal diet and AME group was fed a basal diet supplemented with 2.8 g⋅lamb^–1⋅d^–1A. mongolicum Regel ethanol extract. AME supplementation decreased (P = 0.022) 4-methyloctanoic acid (MOA) content and tended to lower (P = 0.055) 4-methylnonanoic acid (MNA) content in the rumen. Compared to CON group, the ruminal concentrations of valerate and isovalerate were higher (P = 0.046 and P = 0.024, respectively), and propionate was lower (P = 0.020) in the AME group. At the phylum level, the AME group had a lower abundance of Bacteroidetes (P = 0.014) and a higher abundance of Firmicutes (P = 0.020) than the CON group. At the genus level, the relative abundances of Prevotella (P = 0.001), Christensenellaceae_R-7_group (P = 0.003), Succiniclasticum (P = 0.004), and Selenomonas (P = 0.001) were significantly lower in the AME group than in the CON group, while the relative abundances of Ruminococcus (P < 0.001), Quinella (P = 0.013), and Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group (P = 0.001) were significantly higher. The relative abundances of Prevotella (P = 0.029, R = 0.685; P = 0.009, R = 0.770), Christensenellaceae_R-7_group (P = 0.019, R = 0.721; P = 0.029, R = 0.685), and Succiniclasticum (P = 0.002, R = 0.842; P = 0.001, R = 0.879) was positively correlated with MOA and MNA levels, and the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014_group (P = 0.033, R = −0.673) was negatively correlated with MOA. The relative abundance of Christensenellaceae_R-7_group (P = 0.014, R = −0.744) and Prevotellaceae_UCG-003 (P = 0.023, R = −0.706) correlated negatively with the EOA content. In conclusion, these findings suggest that the AME affected the concentration of BCFAs, fermentation parameters and the rumen bacteria in the rumen of lambs.