Use of olive oil polyphenols in ruminant feeding as modulators for ruminal fermentations

By-products from the agro industry have been successfully studied being edible and rich in functional molecules such as PUFA and PPs, able to modulate rumen fermentation. The reuse of these sources, wherever is possible, meets the principles of 3R (Reuse, Reduce and Recycle). Moreover, the production chain of the by-product source is valorised reducing factory cost and pollution for the disposal. Specifically, in this project the olive oil production chain was considered being a developed sector in the Mediterranean area. The objective of this thesis was to valorise by-products from the olive oil production in ruminant diet that are rich in PUFA, such as OA and LNA, and PPs as oleuropein or hydroxytyrosol and tyrosol. Leaves and pomace were tested in feeding strategy for dairy ruminants.