Effect of fenugreek seeds and probiotic supplementation on antioxidant status and milk production in heat stressed beetal Goats

Twenty lactating Beetal goats were divided as Pre-summer group: (n=5) without supplementation and Summer group: (n=20). The latter group was further divided in sub-groups namely Group I: (n=5) Control, no supplementation; Group II: (n=5) supplemented with fenugreek seeds @ 10g/animal/day for 30 days; Group III: (n=5) supplemented with Yea Sacc^®1026 @ 2g consisting of 10 billion yeast cells/animal/day for 30 days and Group IV: (n=5) supplemented with fenugreek seeds and Yea Sacc^®1026 combination for 30 days. Summer stressed goats exhibited elevated levels of malondialdehyde and reduced the levels of Superoxide dismutase activity, Vitamin E, Vitamin C and reduced glutathione. Supplementation of fenugreek seeds and Yea Sacc^®1026 reduced levels of lipid peroxidation and improved the superoxide dismutase activity. Total average milk yield (kg/day) was the highest in group IV (0.988±0.03) followed by groups II (0.889±0.02) and III (0.785±0.012) which was significantly higher as compared to the unsupplemented group I (0.618±0.004).