Malic Acid Supplementation on Rumen Fermentation, Nutrient Digestibility, Performance and Carcass Traits in Lambs: A Meta-Analysis and Meta-Regression Considering Dietary Moderators
= 0.057) to increase body weight gain (BWG; ES = 0.325) and final body weight (FBW; ES = 0.234). Malic acid supplementation did not affect carcass traits or overall nutrient digestibility. Meta-regression consistently identified fiber intake-related variables as major moderators of the effects of malic acid. Overall, the effects of malic acid supplementation on lamb performance appear to be primarily driven by its modulation of rumen fermentation and strongly conditioned by dietary context.
Authors
- Tiago Antônio Del Valle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8093-7132)
- Leonardo Tombesi da Rocha (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2362-7589)
- Júlio Viégas (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2169-9570)
- Francine Basso Facco (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8182-9766)
- Paola de Oliveira Selau (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-3488-4047)
- Kamily Pech Oliveira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6649-9912)
- Fernando Skonieski
- Amanda de Vasconcelos Zucheto
Institutions
- Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná (BR)
- Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (BR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Animals
- Published
- 2026-04-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/ani16081263
- Primary Topic
- Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior
- Universidade Federal de Santa Maria
- Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná