Current Feeding Practices Research Articles

Factors related to feeding practices of mothers to prevent stunting based on social-cognitive theory construct: A scoping review

The current child feeding practice is still suboptimal. There are several factors that affect child feeding practices. This review aimed to synthesize the available evidence on factors related to child feeding practices based on social-cognitive theory construct. The study was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) checklist and used five databases, including Scopus, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, PubMed and ProQuest. There were no restrictions in the year of publication. Based on the search strategy, 1179 articles were extracted resulting in 23 articles that were suitable for inclusion in the study. Factors related to child feeding practices included knowledge, self-efficacy and social support. Social support from health workers plays an important role in increasing maternal self-efficacy in feeding practices. Education interventions for mothers and husbands or other family members need to be carried out to increase knowledge, self-efficacy and social support in feeding practices.

Evaluating Nutritional Selection and Outcomes in Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Retrospective Review.

The rising incidence of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) has amplified the importance of nonpharmacological interventions in its management, which include the selection of feedings. With the goal of obtaining an accurate assessment of the effects of current feeding practices in NAS infants in our neonatal intensive care unit, we conducted a retrospective review of NAS infants at our hospital over a 3-year period to determine their nutritional selections and evaluate their length of stay (LOS), length of treatment (LOT), and growth outcomes. Retrospective chart review of term infants (≥37 weeks of gestation) with NAS. Maternal and infant demographics and characteristics were recorded. Infants were grouped based on majority (>50% of total feeding) nutritional selections and LOS, LOT, and growth parameters were evaluated. Linear regression was used to compare group outcomes. Significance was set at a p-value <0.05. A total of 70 infants were included and grouped based on majority feeds into maternal breast milk (MBM), standard term formula (STF), low lactose formula (LLF), and extensively hydrolyzed formula (EHF) groups. Feeding selections were provider-dependent and infants were placed on MBM or STF as an initial selection. In all infants included in our review, LLF was selected as the first choice following MBM or STF for increased gastrointestinal (GI) disturbance-related Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring scores and changed to EHF if LLF failed to improve the GI-related symptoms. The STF-fed infants had the shortest LOS, and none of these infants required pharmacological treatment. The LOT and LOS were similar in the MBM- and LLF-fed groups. Infants who were EHF fed had the longest LOT and LOS. All feeding groups demonstrated appropriate growth. Nutritional selections in our NAS infants were modified for the severity of their withdrawal symptoms. All nutritional modifications driven by severity of withdrawal symptoms supported favorable growth outcomes in the infants. · Our NAS infants were fed with multiple types of nutrition.. · Infants with severe NAS required more elemental feeds.. · All formula selections supported favorable growth..

Acceptance of farmed African catfish in Egypt: addressing consumer concerns and marketing challenges

African catfish farmers used animal waste as feed to reduce production costs, a practice that raised concerns among consumers, causing them to avoid it. Consequently, this study aimed to explore factors that influenced the acceptance of farmed African catfish. The data survey involving 2294 participants from Egypt was analyzed using descriptive statistics and the chi-square test. The results indicated that 67% of participants abstained from consuming it, while 2.30% consumed it regularly. The chi-square test revealed significant consumption pattern variations (p < 0.05) based on most demographic factors. Entirely, 43% were uninformed about the nutritional value, market availability, and the potential impact of using aquafeeds on pricing. About 55–57% lacked information on feeding practices, had quality concerns, viewed catfish consumption as a health risk, and were unaware of its prices. Additionally, 68% were worried about pollution, and 76% found the available information insufficient. The main reasons for this challenge lie in consumers’ health, religious, and psychological concerns. To address this, we propose a targeted marketing strategy focusing on improving safety and quality through safe and cost-effective aquafeeds. This involves requiring farmers to obtain quality certifications and adhere to best management practices, adding value to the product, and transparent communication with consumers to provide them with reliable information about cultivation practices and the nutritional value of African catfish. Effective collaboration among key stakeholders in implementation, efficient sector management, establishing an activity licensing system, and prohibiting current feeding practices will enhance sustainable demand and reverse the declining production trend of this promising species.

The influence of early and current feeding practices, eating behaviors, and screen time on dietary patterns in Polish toddlers - A cross-sectional study

Early nutrition has an important influence on a child's proper health and development, and understanding factors that may be related to desirable dietary patterns is key to improving the diet of future generations. The aim of this study was to assess whether early and current feeding practices, eating behaviors, and screen time viewing are associated with toddlers' dietary patterns. A cross-sectional sample of 467 mothers of toddlers (aged 1 year to 3) was surveyed between 2020 and 2022. Food consumption was evaluated by the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). The k-means algorithm was used to define dietary patterns on the basis of data collected from the FFQ and mealtime environment patterns, based on the data about practices during meals consumption. The odds of following a prohealth dietary pattern among early feeding factors were lower when infants ate commercial complementary foods more often. Distracted mealtime environment pattern increased the odds of following a non-eaters pattern, and commercial complementary foods pattern increased the odds of following a processed pattern. Currently, the odds of following a processed dietary pattern were higher when children were not breastfed and had higher screen time. Toddlers who ate during distraction and were more fussy had lower odds of following a prohealth dietary pattern, whereas higher enjoyment of food and satiety responsiveness increased the odds. The results indicate the need to increase parents' awareness about the importance of early factors in establishing dietary patterns.

Analysis of current equine feeding practices in the Netherlands and identification of potential nutrient leaching and environmental contamination factors

The aim of this study was to estimate the potential for nutrient leaching based on current feeding practices of horses in the Netherlands. An online survey of horse owners collected data on the demographics of the horses (n = 274) and feeding practices. The median age was 8 years, the majority being warmblood and geldings with a mean bodyweight of 542.4 ± 101.9 kg. Most horses (85 %) had access to a limited area of pasture (<200m2 per horse), with a median grazing time of 10 hours. Grass hay was the predominant conserved forage offered (77 %) within diets. Concentrate feeds were provided to most horses (93.8 %) as well as the dietary supplements (80 %). The majority of the horses were offered high levels of metabolizable energy (ME) (90 %), starch (mean 2.4 ± 0.8 g/kg bw) and sugar intake (mean 1.4 ± 1.2 g/kg bw) compared to NRC recommendations. The estimated potential nitrogen excretion per horse per day was 228 ± 134 g, or 8.47 kg of nitrogen per ton of manure. Consequently, the estimated daily fecal excretion rates of microminerals for each horse were as follows: Copper (Cu) at 141.0 ± 151.3 mg, Zinc (Zn) at 593.1 ± 504.4 mg, Manganese (Mn) at 957 ± 541.2 mg, and Cobalt (Co) at 2.3 ± 3.5 mg. The analysis indicated that many equine diets in the Netherlands offered excess ME, CP and the minerals Cu, Zn, Mn and Co. To mitigate these concerns, it is crucial to promote sustainable feeding practices and better educate horse owners.

272 - Evaluating current feeding practices for patients with newly placed gastrostomy tubes

272 - Evaluating current feeding practices for patients with newly placed gastrostomy tubes

Epidemiological Proileof Children with Malnutrition at Child Malnutrition Treatment Center (CMTC)in Saurashtra Region

Introduction: Adequate Nutrition is important for optimum growth, immunity, neurological and cognitive development of the child. Malnutrition leads to illness and mortality among under 5 children. Nearly 40% under 5 children are malnourished in Gujarat despite many nutritional programmes. Objectives: To assess the epidemiological factors of malnourished children at Child Malnutrition Treatment Centre (CMTC) and to ind outthe association between epidemiological factors and nutritional status of study participants. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted on Children admitted at CMTC at Narayan Nagar Urban Health Center, the only one and newly established CMTC in Rajkot city in year 2015. Study duration was 14 months. Interview of mothers of 120 children was conducted to know epidemiological factors of malnourished children. Weight on admission was noted from register. Pre-formed, semi-structured proforma used. Results: Out of 120 children, 5.8%, 55.8%, 34.2% and 4.2% were from &lt;1, 1-3, 3-5 and &gt;5 year age groups respectively. Nearly 40% children belonged to Socioeconomic Class IV. The proportion of Low Birth Weight children was 40%. Current feeding practice was appropriate in 10.8% children according to IMNCI guideline. Upper Respiratory Tract Infection occurred in 76.7% children with average 4.5 episodes. High birth order of children is statistically signi icant with severity of malnutrition. Birth weight and feeding practices of children were not associated with grade of malnutrition. Conclusion: Need based education of mothers for preventing low birth weight, exclusive breastfeeding, complementary feeding, quantity and type of routine diet etc. should be given.

The Impact of Physical and Environment Factors on Parental Presence for Oral Feeding in New Zealand Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

To identify physical environmental factors influencing family involvement in feeding in New Zealand neonatal units. Infant oral feeding development is critical for both short-term feeding skills and longer term neurodevelopmental outcomes. The neonatal environment is well-known as challenging for neuroprotection due to negative sensory exposure. The impact of environmental factors on oral feeding in New Zealand (NZ) neonatal units is currently unexplored, and knowledge of this could allow for evidence-based unit design. Focused ethnography at five neonatal units, a national survey of NZ neonatal professionals (n = 102), and five focus groups were carried out. Current oral feeding practice, and beliefs, experiences, and opinions of unit staff and family about these practices were explored. Data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Units were providing the best experience to families that they could with the resources they had available. Lack of physical space, lack of privacy, limited on-site accommodation for families, and lack of coordination between maternity and neonatal services were identified as impacting on family's comfort and sense of homeliness on the unit. Unit staff used furniture, screens, and external accommodation providers to support families where they could. The physical design of neonatal units in New Zealand provides barriers to family's spending time privately developing oral feeding. Solutions are proposed to increase the size of bedspaces, provide single-family rooms, create greater on-site family accommodation options, combine maternity and neonatal healthcare, and improve family comfort and therefore connection with their infant.

Dietary Transitions Toward Sustainable Horse Feeding.

Sustainability is the balancing act of optimizing the use of current resources without compromising the current or future environment. Within the agriculture sector the primary focus of sustainability has been to reduce environmental pollution, specifically greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions, nitrogen emissions, and leaching. For the equine industry the first step towards sustainability is the documentation and critique of current feeding and management practices to permit modifications to enable the industry meet social and legislative obligations. As a monogastric hindgut fermenter on a per kg bodyweight basis the horse has relatively lower GHG emissions compared to ruminants. However, there are several opportunities to further reduce the environmental impact of the equine industry. The majority of these relate to subtle changes, or consideration of, improving feed conversion, using alternative ingredients, and management of fecal material associated with intensive husbandry. To initiate the journey towards sustainability this review documents opportunities with current equine feeding and management practices to reduce the environmental impacts of the equine industry.

Remembered childhood mealtime experiences influence on early childcare and education staff

Parent feeding styles, behaviors, beliefs, and practices are associated with developing children's eating behaviors. However, many children spend considerable time in childcare; thus, are exposed to child-feeding practices of other adults, e.g., early care and education (ECE) staff. Limited research exists on how and whether current classroom feeding practices of ECE staff associate with their own childhood experiences. The About Feeding Children survey, conducted in 2005, examined self-reported feeding practices and beliefs and personal characteristics of ECE staff in Western United States. An exploratory factor analysis of questions related to childhood experiences (N = 1189), revealed two Mealtime Factors: Remembered Adult Control and Remembered Child Autonomy Support. Structural equation modeling was conducted to examine the hypothesis that these remembered experiences would be associated with current feeding practices (Structural Mealtime Strategies, Verbal Mealtime Strategies, and Beliefs about Mealtimes). For each outcome, models had good to moderate fit. Across models, Remembered Autonomy Support was associated with less control, bribing, autonomy undermining, and concern-based control beliefs and greater support at meals and autonomy promoting beliefs in teachers' classroom feeding practices. More research is called for to consider whether reflection on remembered childhood experiences might be beneficial to consider during ECE staff training related to feeding young children.

Current Postoperative Feeding Practices Following Surgical Repairs for Infants With Cleft Palate.

Nearly all surgeons have restrictive postoperative feeding protocols in place after primary cleft lip and cleft palate repairs. There are no standardized recommendations, potentially resulting in widely variable practices among cleft surgeons and teams. The purpose of this study was to examine current postoperative feeding practices for infants with cleft palate after lip and palate repairs. A survey of 50 questions was sent to members of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association (ACPA). Inclusion criteria included providers from North America that have either currently or previously served on a cleft palate team and reached the surgical question set within the survey. Sixty-four respondents met inclusion criteria. The majority were in speech-language pathology (47%) or nursing (41%) disciplines, involved in feeding consultations frequently (84%), and working in an outpatient setting (69%). After lip surgery, respondents recommended cleft-adapted bottle feeding (88%), spoon feeding (9%), cup feeding (13%), and syringe/squeeze bottle feeding (23%). The majority of respondents (69%) indicated infants could return to their preoperative feeding modality immediately after lip surgery. After palate surgery, respondents recommended cleft-adapted bottle feeding (55%), typical bottle feeding (3%), spoon feeding (36%), cup feeding (64%), and syringe/squeeze bottle feeding (30%). Infants could use a feeding system that required suction at an average of 20 days postoperatively and return to an age-appropriate diet at an average of 15 days postoperatively. The present study describes the wide variation of postoperative feeding guidelines used by cleft teams after lip and palate repairs.

A Retrospective Chart Review and Infant Feeding Survey in the Irish Phenylketonuria (PKU) Population (2016-2020).

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is an inherited disorder of protein metabolism. It is generally treated using dietary management with limited intake of phenylalanine (Phe). Partial breastfeeding (BF) is encouraged among mothers of infants with PKU, together with a Phe-free mixture of synthetic amino acids. Our aim was to describe our current BF rates and complementary feeding practices, as well as examining parental experiences of infant feeding. The objective was to better understand the challenges faced by families so that improvements can be made to clinical care. A chart review was carried out on 39 PKU patients, examining the BF rate and duration, use of second stage synthetic protein (SP), and average complementary feeding age. A parental questionnaire on complementary feeding and BF experience was designed: 26% of babies were partially breastfed at three months of age; 70% of mums would like to have breastfed for longer and cited PKU as a reason for stopping; 52% of parents reported challenges during the complementary feeding process including food refusal, protein calculation, and anxiety around maintaining good Phe levels. Suggestions to improve BF continuation and duration include active promotion of the benefits and suitability, access to lactation consultant, and peer support. The delay in introducing a second stage SP may contribute to long-term bottle use for SP. Improved patient education, written resources, and support is necessary to improve food choices and long-term acceptance of SP.

Developmental Feeding Stages and Their Impact on Child Feeding Behavior.

Previous research has shown that critical periods of feeding skills development exist and feeding problems can arise in children due to delays in attaining feeding developmental milestones. This study aims to delineate the transitional process of feeding development in healthy children and children with gastrointestinal diseases (GIDs) and to examine the relationship between feeding milestones and the appearance of later feeding problems. A cross-sectional case-control study among 711 healthy Greek children and 119 children with GID, aged 2-7 years. Parents completed the Greek version of the Behavioral Pediatrics Feeding Assessment Scale and "self-reported" questionnaires assessing child's feeding history. Differences in feeding behavior of preschoolers between the 2 groups were found concerning the time of introduction of complementary (pureed), lumpy, and table foods as well as finger feeding and regular cup-drinking. Age-specific milestones as proposed by guidelines were not reached. Late introduction of complementary and lumpy foods (>6 months and >9 months, respectively) as well as finger feeding (>9 months) were predictive of more problematic feeding behaviors later on. The trajectory of feeding development, including less studied feeding milestones, both in healthy children and children with GIDs, indicates that there are discrepancies between current feeding practices and infant feeding guidelines, and a tendency to delay the acquisition of all assessed feeding milestones.

Associations of in-hospital postpartum feeding experiences with exclusive breastfeeding practices among infants in rural Sichuan, China

BackgroundIn rural China, exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) prevalence is low and hospitals often fail to attain baby-friendly feeding objectives, such as ≥ 75% of newborns exclusively breastfed from birth to discharge. Empirical evidence for the impact of increased hospital compliance with recommended feeding guidelines on continued EBF in rural China is lacking. We sought to measure and model the association of newborns’ in-hospital feeding experiences with EBF practice in infancy to inform policies for EBF promotion.MethodsData were cross-sectional from 785 caregivers of infants < 6 months of age, collected from November to December 2019 in four underdeveloped counties/districts in Sichuan Province. In-hospital feeding practices were determined, and prevalence of current infant feeding practices was calculated from 24-h recall and categorized according to WHO/UNICEF Infant and Young Child Feeding categories as EBF, breastfed with non-milk liquids, mixed feeding, breastfed with solids, and not breastfed. Relative risk ratios were estimated using adjusted multinomial logistic regression to examine risk factors for non-EBF practices compared to EBF, including in-hospital feeding experiences. The regression model was used to investigate change in EBF prevalence under alternative in-hospital experiences.ResultsOnly 38.1% of under-six-month-old infants were being exclusively breastfed when data were collected; 61.8% and 77.6% had been fed water and infant formula, respectively, in the hospital. Infants who were fed water or formula before discharge were estimated as 2–3 times as likely to be non-EBF than EBF up to age six months. According to our model, EBF prevalence would have increased to 53.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 46.1, 61.2) had ≥ 75% of infants been exclusively breastfed and water-based feeds eliminated in-hospital.ConclusionsGiven the importance of infants’ first feeding experiences in the establishment and continuation of EBF, it is imperative that rural Chinese hospitals actively seek to limit infant formula feeds to medically indicated situations and eliminate water-based feeds.

Are Complementary Feeding Practices Aligned with Current Recommendations? A Narrative Review.

The complementary feeding introduction period (introduction of solid foods alongside breastmilk or formula) is defining in children's health; however, it appears that many parents do not follow complementary feeding guidelines. Our aim was to describe current parental feeding practices during complementary feeding in relation to current recommendations and explore determinants of adherence to guidelines. We included any relevant studies published within the last decade in French or English and summarized findings by recommendation category. The timing of complementary food introduction varied widely across and within continents (earlier in North America and often delayed in Asia). The introduction of allergenic foods tended to be delayed globally. Although some parents now begin complementary feeding with solid foods (i.e., baby-led weaning), delayed introduction of lumpy textures was still prevalent in the United States and in Europe. The consumption of iron-rich foods was predominantly low in Africa. Added sugars were globally introduced early, especially in America. Evidence for the prevalence of responsive feeding practices among parents is unclear due to the small number of studies. Determinants of complementary feeding practices included parental characteristics, such as age, education, socio-economic status, and race/ethnicity. Interventions aiming to increase adherence to complementary feeding guidelines must account for parental characteristics.

Facility-based care for moderately low birthweight infants in India, Malawi, and Tanzania.

Globally, increasing rates of facility-based childbirth enable early intervention for small vulnerable newborns. We describe health system-level inputs, current feeding, and discharge practices for moderately low birthweight (MLBW) infants (1500-<2500g) in resource-constrained settings. The Low Birthweight Infant Feeding Exploration study is a mixed methods observational study in 12 secondary- and tertiary-level facilities in India, Malawi, and Tanzania. We analyzed data from baseline facility assessments and a prospective cohort of 148 MLBW infants from birth to discharge. Anthropometric measuring equipment (e.g., head circumference tapes, length boards), key medications (e.g., surfactant, parenteral nutrition), milk expression tools, and human milk alternatives (e.g., donor milk, formula) were not universally available. MLBW infants were preterm appropriate-for-gestational age (38.5%), preterm large-for-gestational age (3.4%), preterm small-for-gestational age (SGA) (11.5%), and term SGA (46.6%). The median length of stay was 3.1 days (IQR: 1.5, 5.7); 32.4% of infants were NICU-admitted and 67.6% were separated from mothers at least once. Exclusive breastfeeding was high (93.2%). Generalized group lactation support was provided; 81.8% of mother-infant dyads received at least one session and 56.1% had 2+ sessions. At the time of discharge, 5.1% of infants weighed >10% less than their birthweight; 18.8% of infants were discharged with weights below facility-specific policy [1800g in India, 1500g in Malawi, and 2000g in Tanzania]. Based on descriptive analysis, we found constraints in health system inputs which have the potential to hinder high quality care for MLBW infants. Targeted LBW-specific lactation support, discharge at appropriate weight, and access to feeding alternatives would position MLBW for successful feeding and growth post-discharge.

Mini-Review: The importance of an integrated approach to assess trace mineral feeding practices in dairy cows

This mini-review was undertaken to demonstrate the impact of trace mineral feeding management of dairy cows on the ecosystem by discussing their role in the animal metabolism, dietary recommendations, current feeding practices, and their excretion in manure pertaining to five trace minerals, i.e., cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, and zinc. The first part of this mini-review relates the importance of trace minerals in dairy cow metabolism, and how recommendations are obtained. The following section showed that the transition period from the dry to the lactating phase is challenging for dairy cattle, and current trace mineral recommendations have been questioned for this period due to the role of some trace minerals in immunity and oxidative metabolism. Furthermore, trace mineral overfeeding is a common practice in intensive dairy production system in Canada, the USA, and the UK, which is far from precision nutrition. Trace minerals in excess of requirements are directly excreted into the manure. The practice of trace mineral overfeeding could have detrimental effects on the ecosystem when manure with high trace mineral concentrations is repeatedly spread on fields. In conclusion, an integrative approach assessing the impact of trace mineral overfeeding in cow diets on the ecosystem is needed.

Enhancing dairy productivity through best bet feeding interventions under smallholders in the central highlands of Ethiopia

Dairy cattle production is an integral part of smallholder farming systems in the central highlands of Ethiopia, but it is characterized by low milk productivity mainly due to nutritional constraints. This study assessed the comparative advantage of using improved forage-based feeding system over the traditional feeding practices on feed intake, milk yield and quality, and cost benefit analysis of crossbred dairy cows under smallholder farmers. The study was conducted at Welmera and Ejere districts on 12 farmers and two cows per farmer, and two dietary treatments were assigned to each cow randomly, and the study lasted 8 weeks. The treatments were: 1) intervention diet composed of oats-vetch mixture hay with concentrate supplementation at the rate of 0.5 kg/l of milk and 2) basal diet following farmers’ current feeding practices: crop residues and native hay, commonly soaked with local brewery residue (“Atela”) and water. The results showed that there was no difference in total dry matter intake between the two diets. However, the basal feed intake was higher in the traditional feeding practice by 11% whereas the concentrate intake was higher in the intervention diet by 25%. Crude protein intake was significantly higher (P&amp;lt;0.05) in the intervention group by 23%. As a result, milk yield was increased by 36% under oat-vetch mixed fodder-based feeding system as compared to the traditional feeding practice. Consequently, the amount of feed required per unit of milk was lower in the intervention group, indicating higher feed conversion efficiency as compared to the traditional feeding practice. On the other hand, there was no significant variation in milk composition between the two groups. Partial budget analysis indicated that the benefit from the intervention diet (95 birr/cow/day) was greater by 266% than that obtained from the traditional practice (45 birr/cow/day). Utilization of improved forage varieties was proven to play significant role in supplying good quality and abundant feed resource that increased milk yield and also fetch additional economic return for smallholder farmers compared to the existing traditional practice. In general, this study demonstrates that adoption of improved forage production and feeding practices along with sufficient training on balanced ration formulation has been observed to increase dairy productivity and food security through provision of sustainable livelihood opportunity for smallholder farmers.

Effect of Microalgal Diets on Sunray Venus Clam (Macrocallista nimbosa) Production and Fatty Acid Profile

The sunray venus (sunray) clam, Macrocallista nimbosa, is an alternative clam species reared in hard clam hatcheries in Florida. Current feeding practices follow those used for hard clam culture. This study aimed to identify whether a hard clam bi-algal Tisochrysis lutea and Chaetoceros neogracile diet was an optimal diet for post-set sunray clams or whether other microalgal dietary combinations could improve production. Six dietary bi-, tri-, or tetra-algal combinations consisting of four microalgae species (Tisochrysis lutea, Diacronema lutheri, Chaetoceros neogracile, and Thalassiosira weissflogii) were fed for 6 weeks; the growth, survival, and fatty acid profiles of post-set clams were evaluated. Clams fed equal proportions of T. lutea, D. lutheri, C. neogracile, and T. weissflogii had higher growth, while those fed equal proportions of T. lutea and C. neogracile had higher survival. The poorest-performing diet consisted solely of diatoms. A contrasting polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) profile was found in post-set clams fed flagellate- or diatom-only diets. Clams fed the bi-algal flagellate diet had a higher percentage of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) but a lower percentage of (n-6) PUFA, whereas those fed the bi-algal diatom diet had a higher percentage of arachidonic acid (ARA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) but a lower percentage of DHA. The percentages were similar and neither very high nor very low in clams fed the remaining dietary treatments. The results of this study show that sunray venus post-set clams can be successfully produced when fed a typical hard clam bi-algal flagellate and diatom diet, but they indicate that growth may be accelerated by the addition of other microalgae species.

Improving growth rates of Ongole crossbred bulls by formulation and level of supplement of by-products

Context Formulating diets using agro-industrial by-product concentrates to increase the growth performance and cost efficiency of Ongole crossbred bulls. Aims This study was conducted to evaluate the inclusion of agro-industrial by-products of dried cassava powder (DCP), mixed copra meal (CM), palm kernel cake (PKC) and soybean hull (SBH) into rations at low and high levels of feeding on bull liveweight gain and farmer profitability. Methods Fifty Ongole crossbred bulls with an initial bodyweight (BW) of 227 ± 66.5 kg and aged between 12 and 18 months, were arranged in a randomised complete-block design of five treatments, with 10 heads per treatment. The control group (T0) was provided the current feeding system (CFS) fed ad libitum. The supplemented treatments consisted of CFS ad libitum + concentrate (50% DCP, 25% CM, 25% PKC) at 1% BW/day (T1), CFS ad libitum + concentrate (50% DCP, 25% CM, 25% SBH) at 1% BW/day (T2), CFS ad libitum + concentrate (50% DCP, 25% CM, 25% PKC) at 2% BW/day (T3), CFS ad libitum + concentrate (50% DCP, 25% CM, 25% SBH) at 2% BW/day (T4). The experiment was conducted for 12 weeks. Key results The BW gain over 12 weeks (kg) for T0, T1, T2, T3 and T4 was 39.5, 56.2, 68.9, 57.5 and 62.1 kg respectively. The income over feed cost was significantly higher in T2. Conclusions Supplementation with by-products increased bull liveweight gain compared with current feeding practices. A concentrate supplementation of DCP mixed with CM and SBH at 1% BW/day was the most effective and profitable supplementation method to increase income of farmers in this district and there was no advantage of increasing the level of supplement. Implications A combination of DCP, CM and SBH to form a concentrate supplement and fed at 1% BW/day will increase bull liveweight gain and income of farmers.