Effect of a blend of artificial sweetener and capsicum on productive performance and blood chemistry in growing lambs

Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a blend (CapSw) of capsicum (3% approximate concentration of Capsicum oleoresin, Cap) and a high-intensity artificial sweetener (93% approximate concentration of sodium saccharin, Sw) on the growth performance, blood chemistry and cell counts, markers of fat mobilization, and hormones in growing ewe lambs. Thirty-six lambs (47.4 ± 2.62 kg of body weight, Dorset and Suffolk × Hampshire) were used in a 7-wk randomized complete block design experiment. Following a week of adaption, lambs were housed in 9 pens (4 lambs/pen) and pens were blocked based on lambs’ average body weight into 3 blocks of 3 pens each. Treatments were control (basal diet without additives), basal diet with low level of CapSw (86 mg/head per day) and basal diet with high level of CapSw (172 mg/head per day). CapSw tended to linearly decrease (P =  0.002) dry matter intake and had no effect on average daily gain of the lambs and feed efficiency. Treatment had no effects on blood cell counts and concentrations of non-esterified fatty acids, beta-hydroxybutyrate, and glucose. Blood serum insulin concentration was quadratically (lowest in low level of CapSw treatment) decreased (P =  0.002) by CapSw. CapSw tended to quadratically increase (P =  0.07) cortisol and had no effect on haptoglobin concentration in blood serum. In this experiment, dietary supplementation of a blend of capsicum oleoresin and a high-intensity artificial sweetener had no effect on growth performance of lambs, but it appeared to have effect on insulin secretion.