Maternal grape pomace-containing silage in dairy goats: Effects on doe-kid metabolic responses, milk quality, and offspring meat and gut-liver morphology.

This study evaluated the effects of supplementing lactating goats with polyphenol-containing silage produced from agro-industrial byproducts, including grape pomace, wheat straw, cheese whey, and molasses, on physiological responses and product quality in a dairy goat doe-kid system. Twenty-four lactating goats (49.8 ± 2.8 kg BW) at parturition and their single kids were randomly assigned to 2 dietary treatments (n = 12): a control diet (CON) and a diet including the silage (SIL-BP). Following a 14-d dietary adaptation period, the experimental period lasted 28 d. At the end of the feeding trial (d 42), blood samples from does and kids were collected to assess biochemical, inflammatory, and oxidative stress parameters, and milk samples from does were collected to determine composition and antioxidant capacity. Pooled milk was used for fresh cheese production, and cheese composition and antioxidant capacity were evaluated as descriptive outcomes. A subset of male kids (n = 3 per treatment; 47 d of age; BW 8.9 ± 0.8 kg) underwent slaughter to evaluate meat composition, fatty acid profile, and intestinal and liver histomorphology. Goats receiving SIL-BP showed lower plasma total and HDL cholesterol and reactive oxygen metabolites (dROMs), whereas other metabolic parameters, total oxidant status, and inflammatory cytokines remained unaffected. Kids from SIL-BP-fed dams had lower plasma cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase activity, and dROMs. The SIL-BP diet increased milk fat concentration and antioxidant capacity and was associated with higher antioxidant properties in fresh cheese. In kid meat, differences in fatty acid composition were observed between treatments, with higher polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower monounsaturated fatty acids in the SIL-BP group. In the offspring of SIL-BP-supplemented does, intestinal morphology showed reduced duodenal villus height and goblet cell density, along with increased cecal crypt depth. No impairment of liver histomorphology was observed, and the biological significance of the intestinal alterations remains uncertain. Overall, supplementing lactating goats with this co-silage was associated with selected metabolic and oxidative responses in does and kids, higher milk antioxidant capacity, and changes in the fatty acid composition of kid meat, whereas cheese results showed similar descriptive trends.