Condensed tannins a livestock tonic

摘要

There is much more than alcohol in red wine, especially a magic natural ingredient called condensed tannins (CTs). Researchers are finding CTs beneficial in more ways than previously thought, not just for people but also livestock. CTs have long been known to prevent bloat in grazing animals because they reduce protein solubility and foam formation. Research in recent years has revealed they also enhance protein digestion, boost condition in tail-ender lambs (see AFJ, August 2001, on birds-foot trefoil), and even counter effects of parasitic worms in the animal gut. Recent findings from New Zealand trials have also shown CTs reduce the incidence of dagginess, either by reducing intestinal parasites (a major contributor to dagginess in sheep) or byreducing moisture content in sheep faeces. And now, scientists at AgResearch Grasslands in Palmerston North are looking at CTs for bioactivity against microbes resistant to antibiotics, with a view to resolving antibiotic resistance in livestock and possibly people. So what's in CTs for farmers? Quite a lot, it appears.