Addition of curcumin to the diet of dairy sheep improves health, performance and milk quality

[Display omitted] •Curcumin in the diet of dairy sheep has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.•Curcumin increased milk production and reduced somatic cell counts.•Diet with curcumin reduced saturated fatty acid content in milk.•Curcumin increased total antioxidant levels and reduced protein oxidation in milk.•Curcumin increased digestibility of neutral detergent fiber. The objective of this study was to evaluate whether the addition of curcumin to the diet of lactating ewes had positive effects on animal health, productive performance and milk quality. Eighteen Lacaune females were divided into two groups: control (group C) and treated (group T). Animals of group T received a diet supplemented with curcumin at 100 mg/kg feed for 15 d. On days 0, 10 and 15, samples of blood and milk were collected. The number of total blood leukocytes was lower on days 10 and 15, as a consequence of the reduction in the number of neutrophils and lymphocytes in group T (P