Diet Digestibility Research Articles

Design, operation, and validation of metabolism crates for nutrition studies in alpacas (Vicugna pacos)

Metabolism studies in farm animals require reliable measurements of feed intake and water consumption, as well as the accurate collection of feces and urine. When designing metabolism crates, aspects such as: animal behavior, minimization of injury risks, and animal cleanliness should be considered. In the present study, morphometric measures taken from 30 Huacaya male alpacas (five years old) were the basis for designing an initial prototype of metabolism crates, which was built largely of metal for strength and durability, and has replaceable parts. Two of these metabolism crates were built and tested with experimental animals sequentially allocated in pairs during five days each. Based on the observed performance, both length and width of metabolism crates were adjusted (2.00 × 0.55 m respectively) for an up-graded design, which was tested during the validation phase. These features provided greater comfort and ease of handling of the experimental animals. Metabolism crates are illustrated by photos and drawings, which give dimensions and details of construction. At the end, five units were built. Validation of metabolism crates comprised the evaluation of animal performance of five alpacas fed at maintenance level of intake in terms of: daily feed intake and water consumption, fecal and urine excretion, and diet digestibility over a two-week experimental period. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics. Overall, both dry matter intake per kg of metabolic body weight (DMI: 42.7 ± 1.29 g/kg BW0.75), and water consumption (100 ± 7.1 ml/kg of BW0.75), which was equivalent to 2.3 times the observed DMI (kg/d), were in line with a number of previous studies conducted with alpacas for this feeding regime. Due to differences mainly related to diet composition, direct comparisons with studies in the literature in terms of fecal production and diet digestibility are difficult to draw. However, these results appear to be in line with expected performance for the given diet (70:30 oat hay and alfalfa pellets on a fed basis). Same applies to urine volume (428 ± 34.2 ml/d), which in the present study represented 19% of the daily water consumption. It is concluded that proposed metabolism crates are suitable for conducting nutritional studies with alpacas.

Comparison of feeding value, ruminal fermentation and bacterial community of a diet comprised of various corn silages or combination with wheat straw in finishing beef cattle

Corn silage is an important feedstuff for cattle because of the joint provision of starch and physical effective fiber and its palatability. However, the whole plant corn silage is underproduced in some regions until today and could not be popularized in beef cattle raising. The objective of this study was to compare the feeding value, ruminal fermentation and bacterial community of a diet comprised of various corn silages or combination with wheat straw in finishing beef cattle. One hundred eighty Simmental crossbred steers were blocked (60 steers/block) on the basis of initial BW. The animals were randomly assigned to 1 of 12 identical research pens (4 pens/block; 15 steers/pen), where each of the 4 research diets was assigned to 1 pen within each block as follows: (1) the whole plant corn silage-based diet was used as the control diet (WPCS), (2) the mixed forages-based diet was formulated by replacing a portion of whole plant corn silage with wheat straw (WPCSW), (3) the corn stalklage-based diet (CS), and (4) the sweet corn stalklage-based diet (SCS). The four diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isoenergetic with same forage to concentrate ratio. Experimental diets were fed for 90 d; a diet digestibility trial was conducted at the end of this period. There were no effects (P = 0.596) of treatment on dry matter intake, but average daily gain was greater for steers offered the WPCS diet, intermediate with WPCSW and SCS and lowest with CS (P < 0.001). Dry matter digestibility was greater (P = 0.005) for WPCS and SCS diets than for WPCSW and CS diets. The nutrients digestibility of CS was less than observed for WPCS diet (P < 0.05). The concentrations of ruminal volatile fatty acids were highest for WPCS diet, intermediate with WPCSW diet and lowest with SCS and CS diets (P < 0.001). Diets treatment had no effect on the α-diversity of rumen bacteria in steers (P > 0.05), but only caused the change of relative abundance of Ruminococcaceae and Prevotellaceae (P = 0.036 and 0.037, respectively). In conclusion, the WPCS-based diet exhibited the highest feeding value. The SCS and WPCSW offered suitable alternatives to a WPCS based diet offered to beef cattle, with limited negative influence on growth, apparent digestibility of nutrients and ruminal bacterial microbiota. In contrast, the value of a CS-based diet was relatively poor. However, it may still be economical to substitute WPCS with relative low-quality corn silage in feedlot cattle diets.

Stylosanthes silage as an alternative to reduce the protein concentrate in diets for finishing beef cattle

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of silage and concentrate on nutrients digestibility, ruminal fermentation, efficiency of nitrogen use and animal performance of feedlot beef cattle. Two experiments were conducted simultaneously evaluating the same diets. The forage: concentrate ratio was 50:50 and diets consisted of Stylosanthes (StS) or corn (CS) silages in combination with two concentrates: without (C1) or with soybean meal (C2). In experiment 1, four rumen and abomasum fistulated bulls with an average initial body weight (BW) of 200 ± 15.7 kg were distributed to a Latin square design with a 2 × 2 (S × C) factorial arrangement (experiment 1). Experiment 2 was conducted using 48 Nellore bulls with an average initial BW of 358 ± 30 kg, distributed to a complete randomized design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement and 12 replicates. In experiment 1, there was an S × C interaction tendency (P ≤ 0.09) for DM, OM, CP and NDF intakes. Greater intake of DM, OM, CP and NDF was observed for CS with C2. The intake of iNDF was greater (P = 0.01) for StS-based diets. There was a decrease tendency (P = 0.06) on the total CP digestibility in StS-based diets. Nitrogen balance was greater for CS-based diet (P = 0.04). There was an S × C interaction tendency (P = 0.10) for microbial synthesis efficiency (MSE). In experiment 2, C2-based diets showed greater (P < 0.01) intakes of DM, OM and CP. The average daily gain (ADG) and carcass average daily gain (CADG) were greater (P < 0.01) for diets containing the C2. Thus, it is concluded that StS can replace CS in diets of feedlot beef cattle. However, the concentrate source affects animal performance. Stylosanthes silage represents a sustainable alternative for animal production.

Feeding mango wastes to dairy goats: Effects on diet digestibility, ruminal fermentation, and milk yield and composition

The aim of this study was to assess the potential of mango wastes (0.65:0.35 pulp:peels mixture, PP) preserved in multinutrient blocks (MMB) for goats feeding that replaced part of a commercial concentrate for dairy goats, and contained 0.29 of the mango PP. The multinutrient blocks were formulated to have similar protein content than the concentrate. In addition, soybean meal was totally replaced with sunflower meal. Two diets composed of 0.4 of alfalfa hay and either 0.6 of a commercial concentrate (control diet) or 0.4 of concentrate and 0.2 of MMB (MAN diet) were fed to two homogeneous groups of Murciano-Granadina dairy goats of 8 animals each. Feed intake, diet digestibility, milk yield, composition and fatty acid (FA) profile, ruminal fermentation parameters, and urinary excretion of purine derivatives were measured. The daily intake of MMB averaged 83.9 g dry matter (DM) per goat and was accompanied by an average daily decrease of 71.0 g in concentrate intake (P = 0.324) and 41.0 g of increase in alfalfa hay intake. However, there were no differences between groups (P ≥ 0.253) in the intake of total DM, nitrogen and gross energy. Similarly, nutrient digestibility, utilization of both nitrogen (N) and energy, and urinary excretion of purine derivatives were similar (P ≥ 0.103) for both diets. Partial replacement of concentrate with MMB did not affect (P ≥ 0.358) milk yield and composition, but the milk from MAN-fed goats had greater (P = 0.038) saturated FA and lower (P = 0.047) polyunsaturated FA proportions than the milk from goats fed the control diet. Feeding the MAN diet also resulted in greater (P = 0.003) proportions of milk FA with less than 16 carbons and lower (P = 0.009) proportions of FA with more than 16 carbons compared with feeding the control diet. Similar values (P ≥ 0.213) of ruminal pH and concentrations of NH3-N and total volatile fatty acids were registered in both groups of animals, but goats fed the MAN diet had lower (P = 0.003) acetate and greater (P = 0.029) propionate proportions than those fed the control diet. Under the circumstances of the present study, the profit of milk production (€/d) tended (P = 0.056) to be greater for the MAN diet compared with the control diet. Although multinutrient blocks seem to be a feasible option to preserve mango wastes, more studies are needed to increase the intake of MMB by goats.

Feeding biochar to horses: Effects on nutrient digestibility, fecal characteristics, and blood parameters

Biochar, a carbon-rich product from the pyrolysis of biomass, is a potentially effective feed additive to improve diet digestion and gut health; however, its effect on the horse digestive system is unknown. Our goal was to evaluate the effects of supplementation of horse diet with biochar on total tract apparent digestibility of nutrients, fecal characteristics (pH, and concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFA) and ammonia-N), and blood serum parameters (metabolites, minerals, and vitamins). Eight Warmblood horses (mean ± SD; 613.8 ± 39.3 kg of body weight, BW) were used in a crossover design with two 15-day periods. Each 15-day period had a 10-day adaptation phase and a 5-day collection phase. Treatments were: (1) Control, basal diet consisted of meadow hay and crushed barley (80:20 on dry matter (DM) basis), and (2) Biochar, basal diet supplemented with 10 g of biochar/kg of diet DM. The horses were fed a total of 15 g DM/kg BW. Data were analyzed as a crossover design using the MIXED procedure of SAS. There were no statistical differences in nutrient digestibility between treatments; however, digestibility of all nutrients, except starch, was numerically higher in horses fed a diet with biochar. Fecal pH was higher (P = 0.015) in horses fed the diet supplemented with biochar than in those fed the control diet (mean pH 6.49 and 6.34, respectively). Increased fecal pH might be due to the high alkalinity of the biochar used. Neither the fecal concentration of total VFA (P = 0.295) nor the proportion of individual VFA (P > 0.05) were affected by the treatment. Concentrations of fecal ammonia-N were also unaffected (P = 0.887) by biochar. Biochar supplementation had no effect (P > 0.05) on serum concentrations of metabolites, minerals, or vitamins. In conclusion, our results suggest that dietary inclusion of biochar can be a safe and low-cost measure to ameliorate acidic pH in the hindgut of horses. However, differences in individual susceptibility to biochar effect on fecal pH warrant further investigation.

Effect of enzyme and yeast-based feed additives on growth, nutrient digestibility, meat quality and intestinal morphology of fattening rabbits

Non-antibiotic feed additives are nowadays increasingly used in animal feed industry as more and more reports are surfaced on antibiotic resistance. This study quantified the effects of enzymes and yeast supplementation, individually or in combination, on growth performance, diet digestibility, carcass quality, and ileum morphometry of fattening rabbits. Forty-eight indigenous male weaned rabbits (age, 37 ± 2 days; average body weight (ABW)) 340 ± 3.2 g) were assigned into four dietary treatments (16 replicates; 3 rabbits/replicate)). The four diets were (i) a basal (control) diet (without additives), containing concentrate (75% of the feed) and wilted mulberry leaves (25% of thetotal feed); (ii) basal diet plus enzyme blend (driselase-1®; cellulase, amylase and protease; 2 g kg-1 feed); (iii) basal diet with the addition of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (dry yeast TR 100; 2 g kg-1 feed); (iv) basal diet with the addition of mixture of the enzymes blend and S. cerevisiae (1 g each kg-1 feed). All rabbits had ad-libitum access to clean drinking water and experimental diets, with 16 h light for seven-weeks. The results revealed that all additives improved (P &lt; 0.05) weight gain (WG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) but did not alter feed intake than the control group. Although all additives increased (P &lt; 0.05) neutral detergent fibre (NDF) digestibility, the dry matter digestibility (DMD) was increased (P &lt; 0.05) only by the addition of enzymes blend. Furthermore, all additives increased (P &lt; 0.05) carcass yield without any negative effects on meat physical (pH, water release and cooking loss) and chemical (moisture, protein, fat and ash) properties (P &lt; 0.05). Moreover, villus height and crypt depth values were improved (P &lt; 0.05) with the incorporation of additives. This study demonstrates that addition of enzymes blend and yeast-based additives alone or in combination in rabbit diet improved nutrients digestion and intestinal health, which subsequently improved their growth and carcass quality.

Comparison of Molly and Karoline models to predict methane production in growing and dairy cattle

Numerous empirical and mechanistic models predicting methane (CH4) production are available. The aim of this work was to evaluate the Molly cow model and the Nordic cow model Karoline in predicting CH4 production in cattle using a data set consisting of 267 treatment means from 55 respiration chamber studies. The dietary and animal characteristics used for the model evaluation represent the range of diets fed to dairy and growing cattle. Feedlot diets and diets containing additives mitigating CH4 production were not included in the data set. The relationships between observed and predicted CH4 (pCH4) were assessed by regression analysis using fixed and mixed model analysis. Residual analysis was conducted to evaluate which dietary factors were related to prediction errors. The fixed model analysis showed that the Molly predictions were related to the observed data (± standard error) as CH4 (g/d) = 0.94 (±0.022) × pCH4 (g/d) + 31 (±6.9) [root mean squared prediction error (RMSPE) = 45.0 g/d (14.9% of observed mean), concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) = 0.925]. The corresponding equation for the Karoline model was CH4 (g/d) = CH4 (g/d) = 0.98 (±0.019) × pCH4 (g/d) + 7.0 (±6.0) [RMSPE = 35.0 g/d (11.6%), CCC = 0.953]. Proportions of mean squared prediction error attributable to mean and linear bias and random error were 10.6, 2.2, and 87.2% for the Molly model, and 1.3, 0.3, and 98.6% for the Karoline model, respectively. Mean and linear bias were significant for the Molly model but not for the Karoline model. With the mixed model regression analysis RMSPE adjusted for random study effects were 10.9 and 7.9% for the Molly model and the Karoline model, respectively. The residuals of CH4 predictions were more strongly related to factors associated with CH4 production (feeding level, digestibility, fat concentrations) with the Molly model compared with the Karoline model. Especially large mean (underprediction) and linear bias (overprediction of low digestibility diets relative to high digestibility diets) contributed to the prediction error of CH4 yield with the Molly model. It was concluded that both models could be used for prediction of CH4 production in cattle, but Karoline was more accurate and precise based on smaller RMSPE, mean bias, and slope bias, and greater CCC. The importance of accurate input data of key variables affecting diet digestibility is emphasized.

Varying isoleucine level to determine effects on performance, egg quality, serum biochemistry, and ileal protein digestibility in diets of young laying hens.

To ascertain an appropriate level of isoleucine for LSL-LITE layers (23- to 30-week-old), diets containing total isoleucine concentrations (levels) of 0.66 (Control), 0.69, 0.72, 0.75, 0.78, 0.81, and 0.84% were fed as 7 treatments (2730 kcal/kg metabolizable energy) x 7 replicates x 10 birds per replicate. Significance for performance, egg quality, serum biochemistry, and ileal digestibility of protein was determined at P ≤ 0.05. Level, week, and level*week (L*W) were significant for production, egg mass, and feed intake. Level and week were significant for FCR. Week was significant for weight gain. Level was significant for egg weight, specific gravity, and shell thickness; week was also significant for these external egg parameters as well as shape index and proportional shell thickness. L*W was significant for all except shape index. For internal egg measurements, level was significant for proportional yolk, proportional albumen, yolk index, and yolk:albumen. Week was significant for internal egg parameters while L*W significantly affected Haugh unit, proportional albumen weight, yolk index, albumen index, and yolk color. Level was significant for globulin and glucose in serum. Isoleucine at 0.72%, 0.81%, and 0.84% produced the lowest FCR, an important standard in the poultry industry. Considering the low FCR of 1.45 and cost for inclusion as a dietary ingredient, 0.72% isoleucine was chosen for further studies with varying quantities of other branched chain amino acids in diets for young laying hens.

The Improvement of Maize Cobs Quality through Soaking in Firewood Ash Filtrate and Its Impact on In Vitro Rumen Fermentability and Digestibility

Maize cobs can be used as a ruminant’s feed, but low digestibility and its quality can be improved by soaking in firewood ash filtrate (FAF). The study aimed to test FAF treatments' effect on rumen fermentation and digestibility using a completely randomized design. Firewood ashes were obtained from Sumedang, Indramayu, and Bogor Regencies. The maize cobs were soaked by FAF at a ratio of 1:1 (w/v) for 3 hours at different concentration, i.e. 0.05 w/v (FA5), 0.10 w/v (FA10), 0.15 w/v (FA15), and 0.20 w/v (FA20). In vitro evaluation was done to measure the fermentability and digestibility of diets containing maize cobs soaked by FAF 0.20 w/v at the levels of 10% (MFA10), 20% (MFA20), 30% (MFA30), and 40% (MFA40). The results showed that firewood ash contained Calcium (Ca, 10.03%), Magnesium (Mg, 1.45%), Sodium (Na, 0.91%), and Potassium (K, 3.11%). The pH of FAF ranged from 11.46 to 12.16. The levels of neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), lignin, cellulose, hemicellulose, and crude fiber (CF) decreased significantly (p <0.05) along with increased FAF concentration. The use of maize cobs soaked by FAF 0.20 w/v with 30% in the diets yielded the highest values of NH3, volatile fatty acids (VFA), dry matter digestibility (DMD), and organic matter digestibility (OMD) (p <0.05). The concentration of 0.20 w/v has resulted in the highest decrease in lignin content of maize cob while their uses up to 30% in the diets provided the best in vitro rumen fermentability and digestibility.

Effect of energy supplementation on intake, digestibility of diets and performance of grazing lambs during the rainy season.

This study aimed to evaluate different energy sources in multiple supplements on performance, intake, and digestibility of Santa Ines sheep grazing urochloa grass (Urochloa mosambicensis) during the rainy season. The experimental area was divided into seven paddocks of 4ha each, with an average of dry matter (DM) availability of 3.21 tn/ha. A completely randomized design was carried out, in which there were four treatments, and each treatment was repeated six times. Twenty-four intact lambs (average: 32.0kg of body weight) were supplemented with a mineral mixture, the control group (MM), mesquite pod meal (MPM), wheat bran (WB), or sorghum grain (SG) as energy sources. The digestibility of DM and crude protein (CP) in MPM and WB is higher than that in MM and SG groups. Neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility was similar between supplemented lambs, and it was higher than the MM. The supplementation promoted higher weight gain than in the control group (0.126 vs. 0.061g/day, respectively; P < 0.001). The supplementation increased the DM, and CP intake. The NDF intake only increased in the WB group. The CP digestibility was higher for the MPM and WB groups than that for MM and SG ones (P < 0.001). Sheep supplementation in the rainy season increased the average daily gain (ADG). Any supplement tested in the present study can be used during the rainy season. The choice for the supplement will depend on the availability and costs of the mesquite pod meal, sorghum grain, or wheat bran.

Sacha inchi meal as a fish-meal replacer in red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus × O. mossambicus) feeds: effects on dietary digestibility, growth metrics, hematology, and liver and intestinal histology

Sacha inchi meal as a fish-meal replacer in red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus × O. mossambicus) feeds: effects on dietary digestibility, growth metrics, hematology, and liver and intestinal histology

Effects of different dietary fat levels and sources on diet digestibility, fattening performance and meat quality of Holstein young bulls when substituted for dietary barley grain

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of substituting dietary barley grain by different sources and levels of fat on performance and meat quality of Holstein young bulls. Twenty-eight Holstein male calves, 274 ± 32 kg initial body weight, were used in a completely randomised design with a 2 × 2 factorial treatment arrangement for 100 d (with 10 d of adaptation). Seven animals were randomly allocated per treatment. Four dietary treatments were tested, which included: (1) diet supplemented with saturated fat (Energizer® RP10) at low level (diet with high barley and starch content), (2) diet supplemented with saturated fat at high level (diet with low barley and starch content), (3) diet supplemented with unsaturated fat (Persiafat) at low level (diet with high barley and starch content) and (4) diet supplemented with unsaturated fat at high level (diet with low barley and starch content). The dry matter intake, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio and carcass traits were not affected by supplemental fat sources and levels. Total tract digestibility of acid detergent fibre was improved after inclusion of both rumen-protected fat sources while other nutrient digestibilities were not affected by the fat sources or levels. In conclusion, partial replacing of dietary starch with fat supplements has not negative effects on calves’ performance and digestibility of neutral detergent fibre.

Digestibility of Dry Matter is Better and Manure Output is Lower in Growing Cattle Limit-Fed a High-Energy Diet During the Growing Phase Compared to a Traditional Roughage-Based Diet Fed for Ad Libitum Intake

Objective: Evaluate the impact on intake and digestion of a high-energy diet limit-fed at 85% of the ad libitum daily consumption of a roughage-based diet on a dry matter (DM) basis compared to a traditional roughage-based growing diet in growing cattle. Study Description: Eight ruminally cannulated crossbred Angus heifers (body weight = 450 ± 24 lb) were used in a cross-over design with two consecutive 15-day periods at the Kansas State University Beef Stocker Unit. Two dietary treatments were fed: (1) 45 Mcal of net energy for gain (NEg) per 100 lb of DM fed for ad libitum DM intake (45AL), or (2) 60 Mcal NEg per 100 lb of DM limit-fed at 85% of 45AL diet intake on a DM basis (60LF85%). Both diets contained 40% of DM as Sweet Bran (Cargill Animal Nutrition, Blair, NE). Heifers were fed once daily at 10:00 a.m. Each 15-day period included 10 days for diet adaption, 4 days for fecal sampling, and 1 day for ruminal sampling. Daily nutrient intake was measured and apparent total-tract diet digestibility using chromic oxide (Cr2O3) marker was determined. Results: Ruminal pH was greater (P < 0.01) from 10:00 p.m. to 10:00 a.m. just before feeding for heifers fed 60LF85% than 45AL heifers. Diet digestibility was improved by 5.2% (P < 0.01) and fecal DM output 35% lower (P < 0.01) in heifers fed 60LF85% than heifers fed 45AL. The Bottom Line: Heifers limit-fed a high-energy diet based on corn and Sweet Bran had greater ruminal pH during the overnight hours, better diet digestibility, and reduced output of manure than heifers full-fed a traditional roughage-based diet.

Syngenta Enogen Corn Fed as Corn Grain and Corn Silage in Diets Containing Corn Coproducts Did Not Enhance Diet Digestibility in Growing Heifers

Objective: Evaluate the effect of feeding corn grain and corn silage from Enogen corn (EC; Syngenta Seeds, LLC., Downers Grove, IL) or conventional corn (CON) in diets containing either wet distillers grain (WDG; ICM Biofuels, St. Joseph, MO) or Sweet Bran [proprietary wet corn gluten feed (WCGF); Cargill Animal Nutrition, Blair, NE] on intake and digestibility in growing cattle. Study Description: Eight ruminally cannulated crossbred heifers (initial body weight = 816 ± 94 lb) were used in an intake and digestibility study designed as a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square. Four consecutive, 15-day periods consisted of 10 days for diet adaptation, 4 days of fecal sampling, and 1 day of ruminal sampling. Heifers were fed once daily at 10:00 a.m. Chromic oxide (Cr2O3) was used as an external digestion marker to calculate apparent total-tract diet digestibility. Results: Heifers eating EC tended to have greater starch digestibility (P = 0.07) than heifers eating CON. No differences (P > 0.34) in dry matter or fiber digestibilities were observed between corn sources. There were coproduct × hour interactions for concentration of ruminal ammonia (P < 0.01) and two branched chain fatty acids, isobutyrate (P < 0.01) and isovalerate (P < 0.01). In heifers fed WCGF, isobutyrate and isovalerate concentrations reached a peak at 2 hours after feeding, then declined between 2 and 24 hours after feeding. Heifers fed WDG isobutyrate and isovalerate concentrations were greatest at 0 hours after feeding. Differences between concentrations of isobutyrate and isovalerate can be explained by differences in protein digestibility of WCGF and WDG. The Bottom Line: Enogen corn hybrids fed as dry rolled corn and corn silage in diets containing corn coproducts did not result in better diet digestibility compared to conventional corn hybrids, but diets containing WDG may offer better growth performance (Scilacci et al., 2022) for growing cattle due to more ruminally undegradable protein compared to diets containing WCGF.

Myoglobin diet affected the colonic mucus layer and barrier by increasing the abundance of several beneficial gut bacteria.

The study aimed to explore the in vitro digestion of a myoglobin diet and its relationship with the gut microbiota and intestinal barrier at two feeding time points. The in vitro study indicated that myoglobin diets had a higher α-helix content and lower digestibility. The particle sizes of the digested myoglobin diets were higher but their zeta potential values were lower than those of a casein diet. C57BL/6J mice were fed with a casein diet incorporated with 0, 0.38%, 1.13% and 3.39% myoglobin for 3 and 8 weeks. With the increase of the myoglobin content, the relative abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila increased significantly. Moreover, the content of short chain fatty acids tended to increase and then decrease as the myoglobin content increased at 3 weeks. Furthermore, the low-myoglobin diet upregulated the gene expression involved in colonic mucin and tight junction proteins by increasing the proportion of beneficial microbiota. However, the high-myoglobin diet had adverse effects.

Functional convergence of Yunnan snub-nosed monkey and bamboo-eating panda gut microbiomes revealing the driving by dietary flexibility on mammal gut microbiome

The gut microbiomes of non-human primates have received a great deal of attention due to their close relationship to humans. In recent years, these studies have mainly focused on the gut microbiome of wild primates, which will be helpful to understanding the evolution of primates and their gut microbiomes (e.g., gut microbiome plasticity and diet flexibility). However, there is still a lack of basic information on the gut microbiomes from wild populations. Here, we investigated the gut microbial composition (16S rRNA gene) and function (metagenome and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs)) of Yunnan snub-nosed monkey populations in Weixi County, Yunnan Province, China, that had diets either completely based on wild-foraging or were regularly supplemented with human provisioned food. We found a significant difference in the gut microbiome between these two populations: the gut microbiome of the wild-foraging (no food provision) population was enriched genes involved in the detoxification of bamboo cyanide (high proportion of bamboo shoot intake) and chitin (from insect diet) digestion, while the gut microbiome of the food provisioned (e.g., fruits) wild populations were enriched genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism. Moreover, the gut microbiome of the wild-foraging population shared a putatively functional convergence with the gut microbiome of wild bamboo-eating pandas: such as microbes and genes involved in the cyanide detoxification. Therefore, the gut microbiome of the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey displayed the potential plasticity in response to diet flexibility. Long-term food-provisioning of the wild population has led to dramatic changes in gut microbial composition, function, and even antibiotic resistance. The antibiotic resistance profile for the wild Yunnan snub-nosed monkey population could be considered the baseline and an important piece of information for conservation.

Effects of water quality on growth performance and health of nursery pigs.

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of providing drinking water of differing qualities on growth performance and health of nursery pigs. Weanling pigs (n = 450; 150 pigs/group; 10 pigs/pen) were assigned randomly to one of three experimental groups consisting of three water sources of varying qualities: 1) Water source A containing 1,410 ppm hardness (CaCO3 equivalent), 1,120 ppm sulfates, and 1,500 ppm total dissolved solids (TDS); 2) Water source B containing 909 ppm hardness (CaCO3 equivalent), 617 ppm sulfates, and 1,050 ppm TDS; and 3) Water source C containing 235 ppm hardness (CaCO3 equivalent), 2 ppm sulfates, and 348 ppm TDS. Pigs were provided ad libitum access to their respective water sources for the duration of the study which began at weaning (21 d of age) and ended 40 d later (61 d of age). Individual pig weights were recorded weekly along with feed intake on a pen basis. Occurrences of morbidity and mortality were recorded daily. Subjective fecal scores were assigned on a pen basis and blood samples were used to evaluate blood chemistry, cytokine concentrations, and phagocytic activity. A differential sugar absorption test was used to assess intestinal permeability. Fecal grab samples were used to establish diet digestibility, and drinking behavior was video-recorded to assess pigs’ acceptance of water sources provided. The statistical model considered fixed effects of water source, room, and their interaction with the random effect of pen. A repeated measures analysis was conducted to determine the effects of water quality over time. There were no differences (P > 0.440) among water sources in average daily gain (A, 0.46 kg/d; B, 0.46 kg/d; C, 0.47 kg/d) or average daily feed intake (A, 0.68 kg/d; B, 0.69 kg/d; C, 0.71 kg/d). Overall mortality of pigs was 0.44% and did not differ across the three water sources. There were no differences in apparent total tract digestibility of the diet, intestinal permeability, immune parameters, or blood chemistry attributable to quality of water consumed by pigs. Pigs did not show an aversion to the water sources provided, because total time pigs spent at the drinker did not differ (P > 0.750) among water sources on days 1 through 3 of the experiment. These data indicate that the water sources of differing quality studied did not affect growth performance or health of nursery pigs.

ВЛИЯНИЕ СЕЛЕНА И ПРОБИОТИЧЕСКОЙ ДОБАВКИ НА ПЕРЕВАРИВАЕМОСТЬ И ИСПОЛЬЗОВАНИЕ ПИТАТЕЛЬНЫХ ВЕЩЕСТВ РАЦИОНА ЦЫПЛЯТАМИ-БРОЙЛЕРАМИ

The results of study have been presented in the paper on selen contenting preparation effect with dif- ferent doses of probiotic additive on broiler diet digestibility and nutritives usage.

Avaliação da eficácia, inocuidade e depleção residual da flavomicina em novilhos confinados

Abstract Flavomycin is a non-ionophore additive little studied in finishing confined cattle. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of flavomycin on productive performance, ingestive behavior, carcass traits and biochemical parameters of steers finished in confinement. 32 whole steers, ½ Angus e ½ Nellore blood, from the same herd, with a mean age of 11 ± 1.5 months and initial body weight of 337 ± 6 kg were evaluated. The experiment was a randomized block design, consisting of two treatments and eight replications, as follows: Diet without flavomycin (control) and Diet with flavomycin (0.5 g FLAVIMPEX®80 animal day-1). There was no difference between treatments, the average dry matter intake of the animals was 10.03 kg day-1, feed efficiency was 0.158 kg, average daily gain was 1.593 kg day-1, apparent diet digestibility was 61.69%. The use of flavomycin was not effective in animal performance, and caused no changes in ingestive behavior and carcass traits of the animals. Total Plasma Protein, Aspartate amino-transferase and creatinine were lower for animals supplemented with flavomycin compared to the control group. In relation to the experimental period, there was a reduction in the levels of Total Plasma Protein, an increase in albumin, Gamma-Glutamyl Transferase and urea in cattle, but all remained within the reference range for the species.

Effects of lysine levels on performance, blood parameters, and nutrient digestibility of Duroc barrows in the starter phase.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of digestible lysine, at fixed amino acid ratios, in performance, blood parameters and diet digestibility of barrows from 15 to 30 kg. Fifty barrows of the Duroc breed with an average initial body weight of 14.95±3.22 kg were assigned to five treatments in a completely randomized experimental design with five replicates and of two animals per experimental unit. Treatments consisted of crude protein and lysine levels, maintaining a fixed ratio with the other digestible amino acids (8.4, 9.4, 10.4, 11.4, and 12.4 g kg-1lysine/kg of diet). The feed conversion decreased linearly according to lysine levels. The apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter and crude protein increased linearly, and the same response was observed for serum total protein and urea. The results indicate that digestible lysine level for Duroc barrows in the starter phase is 12.4 g kg-1 of diet, as it improved feed conversion ratio and apparent nutrient digestibility.