Supplementation of bee pollen in high concentrate diets enhances the health status and production performance of goats.

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of supplementing bee pollen (BP) in high-concentrate diets (HCD) on the health status and production performance of goats. Twenty Jintang Black goats, similar age and weighing 33.36&#x202f;&#xb1;&#x202f;1.34&#x202f;kg, were randomly assigned to the CON group (basal diet) and the BP group (basal diet&#x202f;+&#x202f;0.5% BP) for a 30-day feeding trial. Results indicated that BP supplementation significantly increased average daily gain by 36.55% (&#x202f;<&#x202f;0.05), and decreased Feed-to-Gain ratio (&#x202f;<&#x202f;0.05) of goats. Apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber was also significantly improved (&#x202f;<&#x202f;0.05). Regarding rumen fermentation parameters, BP significantly increased valeric acid concentration, reduced acetate-to-propionic acid ratio, and elevated microbial protein production. From the perspective of rumen microbial community, BP increased the diversity and evenness of rumen microbial. The relative abundance of Actinobacteriota, Fibrobacterota,,,, andwas significantly higher in the BP group than in the CON group (&#x202f;<&#x202f;0.05). In terms of metabolism, BP exerted positive effects on indicators related to hepatocyte damage, muscle injury, lipid metabolism, protein metabolism, and endotoxin levels. For immune function, BP enhanced immune responses by reducing interleukin (IL)-1&#x3b2; and Tumor Necrosis Factor-&#x3b1; (TNF-&#x3b1;) levels (&#x202f;<&#x202f;0.05) and increasing immunoglobulin levels (&#x202f;<&#x202f;0.05), thereby improving overall immunity. Moreover, BP significantly enhanced the body's antioxidant capacity by increasing the activities of antioxidant enzymes, such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (&#x202f;<&#x202f;0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that major acute-phase protein, TNF-&#x3b1;, and IL-1&#x3b2; all exhibited significant negative correlations with certain differential microorganisms (&#x202f;<&#x202f;0.05). In conclusion, 0.5% BP supplementation in HCD improves goat production performance by optimizing rumen fermentation and microbial community, enhancing immunity and antioxidant capacity, and regulating metabolic function, providing a theoretical basis for BP application in ruminant production under high-concentrate feeding conditions.