Haemato-biochemistry, serum minerals, immune status, and meat quality of goats fed diet supplemented with sulphate reducing bacteria with sulphur

An experiment was conducted to examine the effect of feeding sulphate-reducing bacteria (SRB, Streptococcus caviae RM296) as a microbial feed additive, either alone or with sulphur, on haematobiochemistry, serum minerals, immune status and meat quality of goats. Thirty-six 5-6 months old growing male kids (average body weight of 10.08±0.21 kg), were distributed in six groups of six animals each, following a completely randomized design. The six groups were T1, T2, T3, T4, T5, and T6 fed on a basal diet; control (without additive), with SRB (1x10⁶ CFU/ml) at 0.5 ml/kg BW, sulphur at 0.095% DMI (total sulphur in diet 0.28 %), sulphur at 0.095% DMI + SRB at 0.5 ml/kg BW (total sulphur in diet 0.28 %), sulphur at 0.19% DMI (total sulphur in diet 0.38 %), sulphur at 0.19% of DMI + SRB at 0.5 ml/kg BW (total sulphur in diet 0.38 %), respectively. The animals were fed as per the ICAR (2013) feeding standards for 150 days. The basal diet was comprised of a concentrate mixture (21.17% CP) and maize hay (6.23 % CP) in an equal ratio. There was no significant (P>0.05) difference in the levels of haemoglobin, PCV, glucose, total protein, albumin, urea, cholesterol, and serum enzymes (AST, ALT, and ALP), serum minerals (zinc, copper, iron, and manganese), immune response (humoral and cell-mediated), and meat quality (carcass characteristics), yield of wholesale cut, weight of vital organs among the treatment groups. The moisture, protein, fat, and total ash contents in the Longissimus dorsi and Semitendinosus muscles were also similar in all six groups. It is evident from the results that SRB (S. caviae RM296) as a microbial feed additive had no impact on the health and immunity status of goats.