{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T13:11:17Z","timestamp":1785849077515,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"2","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,14]],"date-time":"2026-01-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1768348800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Bingtuan Science and Technology Program","award":["2023AB078"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["2023AB078"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100001809","name":"National Natural Science Foundation of China","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["32560822"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["32560822"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100001809","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Open Project of the State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production","award":["MYSKLKF201907"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["MYSKLKF201907"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Animals"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study evaluated the effects of replacing corn with defective jujube (DJ) on growth, digestibility, blood biochemical indices, meat performance, and the presence of Alternaria toxin residues in Karakul lambs. Thirty-six lambs were split into groups given 0%, 15%, or 30% DJ, replacing 0%, 45.45%, and 90.91% of corn. The trial lasted 75 days, with 15 days for adaptation and 60 days for measurement. Digestibility for crude protein and ether extract of male lambs increased in the DJ30 group over CON (p &lt; 0.05). High-density lipoprotein decreased in DJ30 (p &lt; 0.01), while triglycerides and total cholesterol in DJ30 dropped (p &lt; 0.05). Blood urea nitrogen and aspartate aminotransferase decreased in DJ15 and DJ30 (p &lt; 0.01). Superoxide dismutase and catalase rose in DJ30 (p &lt; 0.01), while malondialdehyde declined (p &lt; 0.05). Growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 increased in DJ30 (p &lt; 0.01). Feeding DJ did not affect meat production or quality. No Alternaria toxins were detected in rumen, liver, or meat. Feeding 15\u201330% DJ improved nitrogen utilization, lipid metabolism, and blood antioxidant levels in lambs and reduced the risk of liver damage, while no Alternaria toxin remained in organs. A 30% DJ substitution for corn is a safe strategy for lamb feeding.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/ani16020255","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,15]],"date-time":"2026-01-15T08:26:36Z","timestamp":1768465596000},"page":"255","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Dietary Defective Jujube as a Corn Substitute: Impacts on Growth Performance, Meat Traits, and Alternaria Toxin Exposure in Lambs"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"given":"Letian","family":"Zhang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Livestock and Forage Resources Utilization Around Tarim, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Haoyang","family":"Hui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Livestock and Forage Resources Utilization Around Tarim, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8917-0740","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Muhammad","family":"Faheem","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Bahauddin Zakariya University, Multan 60800, Pakistan"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0257-3825","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Yanfeng","family":"Xue","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ning","family":"Chen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"State Key Laboratory of Sheep Genetic Improvement and Healthy Production, Xinjiang Academy of Agricultural and Reclamation Sciences, Shihezi 832000, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6039-5540","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Xiaoling","family":"Zhou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"College of Animal Science and Technology, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"},{"name":"Key Laboratory of Livestock and Forage Resources Utilization Around Tarim, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, Tarim University, Alar 843300, China"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"4298","DOI":"10.3168\/jds.2023-24397","article-title":"Effect of jujube pulp on acid- and rennet-induced coagulation properties of milk","volume":"107","author":"Wang","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. 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