Effet de l'emploi de mélange de substances naturelles et de sous produits du cactus dans l'alimentation des petits ruminants

Abstract

This study aims to valorize the by-products of Opuntia ficus-indica—namely cladodes, peels, and seed cakes—for use in the nutrition of small ruminants. Chemical characterization of these biomasses was carried out using gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC MS), complemented by metabolic classification through the NPClassifier artificial intelligence tool. The results revealed a marked diversity of bioactive compounds: fatty acids were predominant in the cladodes, while peels stood out for their high content of terpenoids and steroids. Diversity indices (Shannon, Simpson), along with similarity indices (Bray-Curtis, Jaccard), confirmed the metabolic heterogeneity, with peels appearing as the most complex matrix. A molecular network was also constructed based on the identified metabolic classes, highlighting the structural and functional relationships among compounds derived from the different by-products. Furthermore, the effects of essential oils from Mentha suaveolens Ehrh. and Rosmarinus officinalis were evaluated on the in vitro fermentation of the three by-products at various concentrations. The results indicated a limited impact on nutritional and fermentation kinetics parameters, although moderate improvements were observed for cladodes. This dual approach, combining metabolomic profiling and fermentation analysis, underscores the potential of prickly pear by-products as a sustainable resource. The study paves the way for their optimized integration into animal feed and proposes a structured database of the identified metabolites, thereby contributing to more efficient, economical, and environmentally sustainable livestock nutrition.