LAUSR

The aim of the study is to determine the effect of natural additives supplemented to the lamb diet on lamb performance, fatty acid (FA) composition of edible parts of lambs, and biochemical plasma indices. The study is carried out on 18 male lambs, allocated to three groups in a randomized complete block design. Control animals (CON) are fed a basic diet, while the experimental lambs additionally receive lingonberry leaves (VVI) or oak bark (QUE) (10 g d⁻¹), as a different source of tannins. Supplementing lambs with the VVI diet decreases fat content in the longissimus dorsi muscle (MLD). The VVI diet decreases monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) concentration (including C18:1 cis‐9) in the MLD, increases the proportion of C16:0, C16:1, C17:1, and C22:6 n‐3 in the semitendinosus muscle, as well as increases the n‐6/n‐3 ratio and thrombogenic index in the liver. The addition of QUE to lamb diets decreases C17:1 concentration and increases the content of C18:1 trans‐11 in the MLD. Tannins‐enriched diets increase low density lipoprotein concentrations in the blood plasma. The VVI diet increases the activity of alkaline phosphatase, while QUE supplementation decreases gamma‐glutamyl transferase activity in blood plasma. Modifications of FA composition in lamb tissues may suggest an indirect effect of tannins on FA ruminal biohydrogenation. Practical Applications: The use of VVI and QUE in lamb nutrition as natural resources is of a great interest to scientists. The present study shows that primarily VVI addition to lamb diets affects the quality of meat, due to higher proportion of catechin than QUE. Decreased concentration of fat, as well as increased proportion of C22:6 n‐3 and desirable fatty acids (including MUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acid, C18:0) after VVI supplementation increases health‐promoting properties of lamb meat and is related to humans. However, the presence of biologically active substances (tannins) in the examined additives makes it necessary to further research and discover their full potential in many areas.