Inclusão de óleo de pequi (Caryocar brasiliense cambes.) na alimentação de cavalos submetidos a testes físicos no semiárido

Abstract

One way to meet the energy requirements of horses is to add fat to the diet. Due to the absence of a gallbladder in their digestive tract, horses secrete bile, but do not store it, which facilitates the digestion of fats. Pequi oil (Caryocar brasiliense cambes.) contains high levels of lipids, in addition to the presence of fatty acids. The objective of this research was to include pequi oil in the diet of horses undergoing physical tests in the semi-arid region and to evaluate its apparent digestibility, consumption, ingestive behavior, blood and physiological parameters. Nine horses of the Mangalarga Marchador breed were used, males, adults, aged 10 ± 5 years and live weight of 390 ± 30 kg. Three treatments were used: Treatment I: Hay + Concentrate (Without added oil); Treatment II: Hay + Concentrate + 200 mL of pequi oil; Treatment III: Hay + Concentrate + 200 mL of soybean oil. Hay from Cynodon dactylon variety Jiggs as roughage and commercial concentrate with the addition of the respective oils. The experimental period lasted 63 days, with three periods of 21 days, 18 days of adaptation and three days of collection. The experimental design was the 3x3 Latin Square, with 3 treatments, 3 replications and 3 collection periods. To assess digestibility, total feces were collected, and ingestive behavior was assessed through observation of the animals. After each period, the animals were subjected to light intensity performance tests. They were walked for 10 minutes in a warm-up arena and then walked for 10 minutes running free gallop, on a straight 120 meter track, with light obstacles. Physiological parameters were measured (heart rate, respiratory rate and rectal temperature) and blood samples were taken with the animals at rest, immediately after, at 10 and 30 min. after the tests. Blood samples were collected by puncture of the jugular vein to evaluate the serum activity of the enzymes creatine kinase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase and the concentrations of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides and lactate using a spectrophotometer, and hematocrit through centrifugation. The data obtained were subjected to analysis of variance and the Tukey test at 5% significance. The physiological parameters showed normal behavior regarding the three diets and collection times. Serum enzymes increased immediately after exercise with a decrease in the following moments. The results for cholesterol, triglycerides and hematocrits were similar, as the animals showed increases immediately after exercise, and subsequent reductions. Consumption was not influenced by diet. The diet containing pequi oil provided better digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and neutral detergent fiber. Regarding ingestive behavior, there was no influence of the diets on the time spent by the animals consuming the three experimental diets. Pequi oil can be included in the diet of Mangalarga Marchador horses undergoing physical tests in the semi-arid region, as it did not affect the performance, consumption and digestibility parameters evaluated.