BIOCHEMICAL ENERGY AND HEMATOLOGICAL PROFILE OF SHEEP SUPPLEMENTED WITH SOY MOLASSES

Soy molasses is a by-product of the soy industry, with low commercial cost and rich in carbohydrates and proteins. Despite the great variety of by-products and being potentially beneÞ cial, it is not fully understood how the interaction between the nutrients in this product and the physiological changes in sheep occurs. Thus, the objective was to evaluate the effects of supplementation levels with soy molasses on the energy metabolites and hematological parameters of sheep. The treatments consisted of 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12% of inclusion of soy molasses in dry matter basis for a basal diet of corn silage, which met the nutritional needs of the sheep in maintenance, distributed in a 5 × 5 Latin square design. The energy metabolites evaluated were: cholesterol, triglycerides, very-low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), and fructosamine. The hematological parameters were: red blood cells, hemoglobin, hematocrits, and platelets, in addition to leukocytes, rods, neutrophils, eosinophils, monocytes, and lymphocytes. Supplementation with soy molasses did not signiÞ cantly alter (P> 0.05) the serum concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides, VLDL, and fructosamine. There was no signiÞ cant difference in the blood cell, hemoglobin, hematocrit, and platelet concentrations in sheep receiving soy molasses supplementation (P> 0.05), which may indicate that the level of inclusion was sufÞ cient to meet the nutritional needs of the animals, without damage. Leukocyte, rod, neutrophil, eosinophil, monocyte, and lymphocyte concentrations did not change (P> 0.05) with the inclusion of soy molasses in the sheep’s diet, indicating the absence of intoxication, diseases, and infections. It can be concluded that supplementation with soy molasses does not alter the energy metabolites and hematological parameters of sheep in maintenance.