Abstract
This study was conducted to investigate effects of inorganic and organic sulfur supplements on cashmere growth and their differences. Thirty-six six-month-old female Liaoning cashmere goats with a body weight of approximately 25 kg and good health were randomly assigned to three treatments: control, ZnSO4 and HMBi (2-hydroxy-4-(methylthio) butyric acid isopropyl ester). The three groups were fed a basal diet, a ZnSO4 diet (supplemented with 0.63% ZnSO4.H2O) and an HMBi diet (supplemented with 1.27% HMBi), respectively. Blood and cashmere samples were collected at the end of the three-month experimental period. The plasma concentrations of total protein, urea nitrogen, ammonia and amino acids; the cashmere content of amino acids and sulfur contents; the cashmere growth rates; and the diameter of the cashmere fibres were determined. The results indicated that dietary supplementation with ZnSO4 or HMBi can decrease the plasma urea nitrogen concentration and increase concentrations of total protein and methionine in plasma. In addition, the two types of sulfur supplements appeared to increase the methionine, cysteine and sulfur contents in cashmere fibres. Furthermore, the supplements can accelerate cashmere growth, with no significant effect on cashmere fineness. The promotion of cashmere growth probably stems from the improvement in the protein metabolic balance, sulfur retention and sulfur-containing amino acids synthesis in cashmere goats following the ZnSO4 or HMBi supplementation. In general, the ZnSO4 supplement promotes greater cashmere growth than the HMBi supplement under the experimental conditions.
Highlights
The physicochemical properties of wool are determined by its sulfur content and disulphide bond structure
The results indicated that dietary supplementation with ZnSO4 or hydroxy4-(methylthio) butyric acid isopropyl ester (HMBi) can decrease the plasma urea nitrogen concentration and increase concentrations of total protein and methionine in plasma
Dietary supplementation with ZnSO4 or HMBi can increase the concentration of plasma total protein and decrease the concentration of plasma urea nitrogen in cashmere goats
Summary
The physicochemical properties of wool are determined by its sulfur content and disulphide bond structure. Dietary supplementation with inorganic sulfur or with ruminally protected sulfurcontaining amino acids (SAA) is a practical approach to meet the nutritional requirements of ruminants (Qi et al, 1994b). Many studies have indicated that sulfur supplementation promotes the synthesis of ruminal microbial protein, as well as cellulose digestion, wool growth and improves wool quality (Reis & Schinckel, 1963; Bray & Hemsley, 1969; Qi et al, 1994a). Previous studies have shown that 0.23% was the optimal level of dietary sulfur in Liaoning cashmere goats (Zhang & Cong, 2009; Cong et al, 2010). Sulfur can promote wool growth by participating in the protein synthesis of ruminal microorganisms. The sulfur in ruminal microbial protein is in the form of sulfides, which are converted from sulfate and SAA (Bray & Till, 1975)
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