Natural sources of antioxidants - a necessity for animal health and welfare and product quality in organic livestock production (193995)

Fat-soluble vitamins, like vitamin E, are important for ruminants in respect to maintain an optimal immune function, reproduction traits and a high quality of milk and meat. In organic production it is important to find alternatives to synthetic vitamins, as vitamin E (tocopherol). Synthetic vitamin E consists of 87.5 % tocopherol molecules with a non-natural configuration and biological ineffective. Thus, the possibility for supplying with natural vitamins or antioxidants easy to handle will be of great importance for organic farmers. In the present project we will screen seaweed species for their content of alfa-tocopherol and their anti-oxidative activity in order to find potential new natural feed additive sources. The effects of seaweed meal and natu ral E vitamin supplement on the dairy cow milk content of alfa-tocopherol, oxidative stability of milk and sour/cultured cream, and immunology and gastrointestinal micro biota in sheep and their off-springs will be tested experimentally in two feeding exp eriments with dairy cow and sheep, respectively.