Effects of Salsola tragus as a Forage Source During Fattening on Productivity and Meat Metabolomics of Rambouillet Lambs

The aims of the current study were to characterize the natural compounds of Salsola tragus via GC-MS and determine its effects as a forage source on lamb growth, in vitro rumen fermentation kinetics, carcass quality, cellular damage, and metabolomic meat interaction. Twenty-one Rambouillet lambs were randomly assigned to one of three experimental diets (seven lambs per treatment): (1) a control diet (W/o-Salsola) containing 300 g/kg dry matter (DM) of sorghum stover; (2) a diet with a medium inclusion of Salsola tragus (15-Salsola), which contained 150 g/kg DM of Salsola tragus and 150 g/kg DM of sorghum stover; and (3) a diet comprising 300 g/kg of Salsola tragus (30-Salsola). The results showed there were no differences (p > 0.05) in lamb growth performance during the fattening phase. The in vitro gas analysis demonstrated that the 30-Salsola treatment increased lag time h−1 (p < 0.05) and reduced gas production (p = 0.03). The metabolomic analysis findings suggest that the treatments that included Salsola tragus significantly positively affect the metabolomic composition of meat (p < 0.05). The use of 15-Salsola as a source of forage is promising for feeding lambs during the fattening phase.