Internal lipids of sheep wool when a water-soluble complex of fatty acids is included into their diet

Background. An effective way to increase the productivity of sheep is through the use of fats in their feeding. With this in mind, the effect of a water-soluble complex of fatty acids on the internal lipids of wool sheep has been studied. Materials and Methods. The diet of ewes of the Prekos breed of the research group included 3 % of a water-soluble complex of fatty acids – the essential lipid comp­lex (ELC): linoleic – 54.5 %, oleic – 24 %, palmitic – 10 %, arachidonic – 6 %, stearic – 4 %, and linolenic – 1.5 %. Wool productivity was calculated over a skin area of 36 cm2, and the live weight gain of lambs was measured at birth and again in 21 days. Free internal lipids were released by extraction in a Soxhlet apparatus, and bound lipids were released after preliminary alkaline hydrolysis. Wool strength was determined using the DSh-3M apparatus. Results. The emulsion of fatty acids contributes to the intensification of wool and milk production processes, as evidenced by an increase in wool growth in ewes by 28.8%, and an increase in the live weight of lambs by 9.7 %. The total amount of both free (Р <0.05) and bound internal lipids (Р <0.05) increased in the wool of experimental ewes. In the composition of free lipids, the content of non-esterified fatty acids (Р <0.05) and non-esterified cholesterol (Р <0.05) significantly decreases, while its esterified fraction increases (Р <0.01). The same trend was noted in covalently bound lipids, but only a decrease in non-esterified cholesterol in lambs was observed. These changes indicate a slowdown in lipid oxidation processes under the influence of the dietary factors applied. In the composition of both free and bound internal lipids, the content of ceramides significantly increased (Р <0.05), applying to both the wool of ewes and the lambs obtained from them. In bound lipids, in ewes, a significant increase in glucosyl ceramides was noted (Р <0.05), and in lambs, in cholesterol sulfate (Р <0.001). Changes in the quantitative and qualitative composition of internal lipids lead to an increase in wool strength from 7.38 to 8.03 cN/tex, i.e. by 8.8 % (Р <0.05). Conclusion. Feeding emulsion of fatty acids to ewes leads to an increase in productivity and positively influences both the quantitative and qualitative composition of internal lipids in the wool of ewes and their lambs.