Meta-analysis of hydroxycinnamic acids into finishing lambs’ diet: Growth performance, antioxidant status, and meat quality

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with hydroxycinnamic acids (HAs) on productive performance, antioxidant status in blood serum, and meat quality of finishing lambs using meta-analytic methods. Based on the selection criteria, 14 peer-reviewed publications were included in the final database. The weighted mean difference (WMD) between the experimental treatments (diets added with HAs) and the control treatments (diets without HAs) was evaluated using the random effects meta-analysis model. HAs supplementation had positive effects on daily weight gain (WMD = 13.46 g/d; P