Possibilities of using humic acid in diets for Saanen goats

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the effect of diets containing humic acid at different levels on some blood and milk components in Saanen goats. Saanen goats (2 years old, 52 kg live body weight) were fed three diets, containing 0 g kg(-1) humic acid (T-1), 1 g kg(-1) humic acid (T-2) and 3 g kg(-1) humic acid (T-3) in a 3x3 Latin square design experiment. Compared to the control group, T-1-treated group produced more milk/day (P<0.05; 2.45 vs. 2.11 kg d(-1)) and this yield was similar to that of T-2-treated group. The fat (3.55, 3.67 and 3.58 %), non-fat solids (SNF) (8.41, 8.30 and 8.58 %), protein (3.73, 3.60 and 3.92 %) and lactose percentages of milk (3.82, 3.83 and 3.77) were similar for T-1, T-2 and T-3 groups. Humic acid administration significantly reduced total cholesterol in blood (P<0.05; 124.1, 100.8 and 102.2 mg dL(-1)) for T-1, T-2 and T-3, respectively. The LDL cholesterol levels in blood serum of T-1, T-2 and T-3 groups were 23.49, 15.14 and 16.19 mg dL(-1), respectively (P<0.05). Further investigation is required to elucidate the effects of humic acid on goat performance.