Fate of Mimosine, Concentration of Blood Metabolites and Thyroid Hormones of Sheep Fed with Leucaena and Glyricidia Leaf Meal

The study conducted by Sri Suharti and colleagues in 2018 aimed to evaluate the concentration of mimosine, an anti-nutrient found in Leucaena leucocephala that can cause hair loss in sheep, in the blood, rumen, urine, faeces, blood metabolites, and thyroid hormones of sheep fed rations containing different levels of leucaena leaf meal. The experiment used two treatments: one with 15% Leucaena leucocephala and the other with 30%. The results showed that different levels of leucaena leaf meal did not significantly affect the mimosine concentration in the rumen, blood, urine, faeces, blood metabolites, and thyroid hormones. Mimosine disappearance from consumption to excretion was between 34-68%. The study concluded that the addition of 30% Leucaena leucocephala leaf meal could be used without a negative effect on blood metabolites and thyroid hormones of sheep.