Journal of Agriculture
and Environmental Sciences

The Antioxidant Activity and the Ruminal Fermentation Parameters of Moringa Oleifera L. among Sheep and Goats
Manel Belhi, Houcine Selmi, Chaabane Abbes, Saber Jedidi, Gouider Tibaoui, Hamadi Rouissi

Abstract
Tunisia is a country that is characterized by the diversity of its climate which allows the proliferation of many of its plants that are rich in bioactive substances and that help bring strong values as they can also be used in the fields of animal or human nutrition. In this context, we were interested in going through the physiochemical study and the antioxidant activities as well as the digestibility of the Moringa oleifera L. leaves that are refined in the Mornag region. To achieve this, we have created the physicochemical characterization of the plant (DM, MM, OM, CP, and FAT), the parietal carbohydrate content, the quantification of the phenolic compounds and the evaluation of the antioxidant activity of the Aqueous extracted after doing the DPPH test. Our results have proved that the Moringa oleifera leaves are rich in the mineral material (9.8 ± 0.06% DM) and in total protein (54.68 ± 0.4). The colorimetric dosage by maceration extraction, and by the use of two solvents, has shown us a change in the total polyphones content in favor of methanol (236.66 ± 1.53 mg EAG / g DM). On the other hand, the distilled water was characterized with a much higher capacity in extraction than that of methanol for the flavonoids. Hence, the study of antioxidant activity has also shown that the Moringa Oleifera leaves have a significant antioxidant power (IC50 = 137.65 μg / ml). In fact, the In vitro fermentation by the ruminal microbiota of ruminants has revealed that the total gas production generated by the anaerobic degradation, has the lowest value (30.33 ml) among sheep, while the highest volume (59.16 ml) was to be observed among goats. Similarly to this, the digestibility results of OM, VFA and ME has shown that the studied substrate was more digestible among goats than it was among sheep. These valuable results on Moringa can be used in the field of both pharmacology and animal nutrition because the Moringa leaves represent a feeding source of a high nutritional quality for the ruminants.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jaes.v7n1a9