Table 4. Blood metabolites in transition ewes fed two flaxseed types and two RUP levels.
| Level and type flaxseed | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No flaxseed | 10% whole flaxseed | 10% extruded flaxseed | SEM | p-value | ||||||
| 20%RUP (NFLR) | 40%RUP (NFHR) | 20%RUP (WFLR) | 40%RUP (WFHR) | 20%RUP (EFLR) | 40%RUP (EFHR) | Flax | RUP | Flax × RUP | ||
| Pre-lambing | ||||||||||
| NEFA (mmol/L) | 0.31 | 0.33 | 0.30 | 0.24 | 0.28 | 0.32 | 0.02 | 0.541 | 0.850 | 0.381 |
| BHBA (mmol/L) | 0.43 | 0.81 | 0.43 | 0.35 | 0.48 | 0.33 | 0.03 | 0.001 | 0.071 | 0.001 |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 67.2 | 73.0 | 67.2 | 72.8 | 75.2 | 87.0 | 1.96 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.262 |
| Blood urea (mg/dL) | 55.6 | 66.0 | 56.2 | 77.0 | 51.7 | 55.20 | 1.57 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.002 |
| Post-lambing | ||||||||||
| NEFA (mmol/L) | 0.15 | 0.23 | 0.37 | 0.32 | 0.17 | 0.33 | 0.02 | 0.003 | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| BHBA (mmol/L) | 0.51 | 0.39 | 0.37 | 0.42 | 0.45 | 0.57 | 0.03 | 0.009 | 0.320 | 0.006 |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | 67.5 | 76.7 | 64.7 | 67.7 | 68.0 | 81.7 | 2.30 | 0.004 | 0.002 | 0.091 |
| Blood urea (mg/dL) | 39.8 | 66.3 | 48.0 | 76.2 | 38.6 | 68.2 | 1.46 | 0.001 | 0.001 | 0.571 |
RUP rumen undegradable protein; NFLR, no flaxseed, low RUP; NFHR, no flaxseed, high RUP; WFLR, whole flaxseed, low RUP; WFHR, whole flaxseed, high RU; EFLR, extruded flaxseed, low RUP; EFHR, extruded flaxseed, high RUP; NEFA, non-esterified fatty acid; BHBA, β-hydroxybutyric acid.