Effect of dietary supplementation with Allium mongolicum Regel extracts on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and the fat color and flavor-related branched-chain fatty acids concentration in ram lambs

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with Allium mongolicum Regel extracts on the growth performance, carcass characteristics, fat color, and concentrations of three branched-chain fatty acids related to flavor in ram lambs. Methods: Sixty 3-month-old, male, small-tailed Han sheep were selected and randomly allocated into four groups in a randomized block design. Four feeding treatments were used: i) a basal diet without supplementation as the control group (CK); ii) the basal diet supplemented with 10 g/lamb/d Allium mongolicum Regel powder as the AMR group; iii) the basal diet supplemented with 3.4 g/lamb/d Allium mongolicum Regel water extract as the AWE group; and iv) the basal diet supplemented with 2.8 g/lamb/d Allium mongolicum Regel ethanol extract as the AFE group. Results: The results demonstrated that the dry matter intake was lower for the AFE group than that in other groups (p = 0.001). The feed conversion ratio was greater for the AFE than that in other groups (p = 0.039). Dietary supplementation with Allium mongolicum Regel powder and its extracts decreased the concentrations of 4-methyloctanoic acid (MOA) (p