Waste Peel From Pomegranate Juice Factories Makes Healthy Cattle Feed
Published: December 18, 2008
Source : American Chemical Society press release
Pomegranate peel left over from production of the juice renowned for its potential health benefits can make a nutritious feed supplement for cattle, researchers in Israel report in an article in the November 12 issue of ACS' biweekly Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. The peel packs some of the weight-boosting and health-enhancing effects of antibiotics and hormones without the detrimental effects, and researchers say it may yield meat with higher levels of beneficial antioxidants.
In the new study, Ariel Shabtay and colleagues note that consumption of pomegranate products is increasing amid reports that the fruit may help fight cancer, infections, and other diseases in humans due to its high levels of antioxidants.
Recent studies also have shown that boosting antioxidant levels in the diet of cattle may help improve their health. Those findings seemed to make pomegranate peel, a waste product of the pomegranate industry with higher antioxidant levels than the juice itself, an attractive candidate as a nutritional supplement for cattle feed.
Recent studies also have shown that boosting antioxidant levels in the diet of cattle may help improve their health. Those findings seemed to make pomegranate peel, a waste product of the pomegranate industry with higher antioxidant levels than the juice itself, an attractive candidate as a nutritional supplement for cattle feed.
To find out, the scientists fed calves either normal cattle feed or feed supplemented with pomegranate peels. After eight weeks, the calves supplemented with pomegranate had higher blood levels of alpha-tocopherol, a form of vitamin E that may help retain nutrients and extend the shelf life of meat by preventing spoilage. The pomegranate-fed animals gained more weight than the animals on standard feed.
"Nutritive and Antioxidative Potential of Fresh and Stored Pomegranate Industrial Byproduct as a Novel Beef Cattle Feed"
Authors: Ariel Shabtay, Harel Eitam, Yaakov Tadmor, Alla Orlov, Ayala Meir, Pnina Weinberg, Zwika G. Weinberg, Yaira Chen, Arieh Brosh, Ido Izhaki and Zohar Kerem
J. Agric. Food Chem., 2008, 56 (21), pp 10063-10070
DOI: 10.1021/jf8016095
Publication Date (Web): October 17, 2008
Copyright © 2008 American Chemical Society
Abstract
Pomegranate peel is a nutritive-rich byproduct whose amounts are extensively growing due to the exponential increase in the production of pomegranate juice and "ready to eat" arils. Pomegranate peel is a rich source for antioxidants and thus may serve in the prevention of cattle diseases and in the improvement of beef products, making it an attractive component in beef cattle diets. The present study aims to evaluate the effect of commonly used storage practices on the nutritive and antioxidative properties of pomegranate peel. In general, storage conditions preserved most antioxidant capacity. Ensiling ambivalently affected the nutritive values of the peel and promoted increased levels of antioxidative components. In addition to polyphenols, nonphenolic components, such as α- and γ-tocopherols, contributed to the total antioxidative capacity, and several minerals found in the peel added to its nutritional value. Dietary supplementation with fresh peels promoted significant increases in feed intake and α-tocopherol concentration in the plasma, with positive tendency toward increased weight gain of bull calves. All in all, the nutritive value and the antioxidant capacity of pomegranate peel turn it into a favorable health-promoting constituent of feedlot beef cattle diet.
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