Awassi sheep and Baladi goat milk composition in extensive production systems in Lebanon and cardoon inclusion in sheep diet

Extensive production systems are the most widespread in Lebanon for Awassi sheep and Baladi goats. There is a shortage of data regarding the management, feeding technique, production level and milk quality. The objective of this thesis was to investigate through a survey the sheep and goat farms conditions in Lebanon and to analyze the milk composition with focus on fatty acid profile of Awassi sheep and Baladi goats. Forty-three farms from different production systems (semi nomadic, sedentary, and transhumant), and at different altitudes (<500 m; 500-1000m; 1000-1500m and >1500m) were interviewed. Also, 64 milk samples of Awassi sheep and Baladi goats were collected from 10 farms and were analyzed for their fatty acid profile. Results have showed that herd composition and management vary among the production system and the altitude and are markedly affected by the availability of rangelands. The milk fatty acid composition differed between breeds and the production system and altitude of the farms, as consequence of environmental and feeding conditions. The use of byproducts in small ruminant feed is gaining importance due to their nutritional value and their positive effects on animal health. The second aim of this thesis was to study the effect of cardoon floor, and cardoon polyphenolic extracts on the production, composition, and fatty acid profile of milk in dairy Sarda ewes. Two experiments have been carried out in Sassari, the first one aiming to replace the soya in sheep diet with 250 and 550 g/head of cardoon extracted flour; while the second experiment the addition of cardoon polyphenolic extracts was done by adding increasing doses starting from 5, 10 and 20 g/head. Results have evidenced that the supplementation of cardoon byproducts in dairy sheep diets, did not exert negative effects on the production traits and animal health status if used in the tested doses. However, at high levels, cardoon byproducts supplementation could exert some detrimental effects, due to the high variation of bioactive compounds composition especially polyphenols.