Olive Pomace By-Products as Potential Functional Ingredient in Horse Nutrition

Agri-food industries are among the principal producers of waste and by-products in the world [1]. The greater awareness of the need to better exploit resources still available, led researchers to focus their efforts on getting valuable raw material from by-products that can be used not only as potential source of energy, but also as a source of bioactive molecules. Spain, Italy and Greece produce approximately 63% of international olive oil annual production [2].Olive pomace (OP) contains important quantities of polyphenols that have been shown not only to give plants their vibrant color but also exert an array of healthy biological activities (anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antiviral and antiallergic properties) when consumed not only in humans but also animals [3]. In this context of circular economy, the anti-inflammatory properties of the in vitro digested OP by-product were investigated for its potential use as a functional ingredient in horse feed. Our study showed that OP seems to be a valuable source of nutraceuticals that should be further investigate to both counteract inflammation and reduce olive oil by-products impact on the environment. Horses are incredibly adapted to use dietary fat for energy purposes and once adapted, they can use up to 20% fat in the diet; however, the level of fat or oil added to a concentrate is often limited to 5-10% by manufacturing constraints. A commercial feed containing OP has already been created (Premium Horse FitoFiocc, Di Pasquale Company-BioTrak Project) and a field study with a more representative sample of animals will be necessary to confirm the promising results obtained in the present study.