Evaluation of grape pomace from red wine by‐product as feed for sheep

BACKGROUND This work aimed to study the chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of seeds and pulp from grape pomace. In sacco degradability, ruminal fermentation of grape pomace fractions and plasma lipid peroxidation were also studied in sheep fed with or without grape pomace. RESULTS Seed and pulp fractions of grape pomace had different values for cell walls (523 vs 243 g kg−1 dry matter (DM)), crude protein (CP, 104 vs 138 g kg−1 DM), ether extract (EE, 99.0 vs 31.7 g kg−1 DM), polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA, 69.6 vs 53.3%) and extractable polyphenols (55.0 vs 32.1 g kg−1 DM). The in vitro true digestibility, DM in sacco degradability and CP degradability of seeds and pulp were also different (0.51 vs 0.82, 0.30 vs 0.45 and 0.66 vs 0.39 respectively). The ammonia‐N concentration and total volatile fatty acids (VFA) in ruminal liquid were significantly lower and plasma lipid peroxidation was also numerically lower in sheep that consumed grape pomace. CONCLUSION The nutritive value of grape pomace varies depending on the proportion of seeds and pulp. The interest of this by‐product in sheep feeding could be related to its polyphenol and PUFA content, which could improve meat and milk quality. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry