Improve Animal Production Research Articles

Optimization of metabolite extraction and analytical methods from shrimp intestine for metabolomics profile analysis using LC-HRMS/MS

Intestinal microbiota and metabolites play important roles for further improvement of animal production. Metabolomics of shrimp intestine to understand roles and their relationship to the host is hampered by the lack of metabolome profiling method. This study aims to develop extraction and analytical methods to allow accurate metabolic analysis in shrimp intestine. Conditions for extraction and LC-HRMS/MS analysis were optimized. Extraction with ethyl acetate:acetone (15:2 v/v) acidified with 0.5% acetic acid, elution with acetonitrile:water acidified with 0.01% acetic acid for 25min, and mass fragmentation at 15% HCD were the optimal conditions, yielding the highest signal intensity and numbers of putative metabolites. Our method enabled in-depth study for shrimp-microbial interaction at metabolite level.

The Role of Breeding and Genetics in Animal Production Improvement in the Developing Countries

Accessibility of creature protein for human utilization is extremely low in the nonindustrial nations fundamentally in light of low usefulness of existing animals; available resources to further develop efficiency through reproducing are talked about and some essential issues requiring further examination called attention to.

Camel (Camelus dromedarius) production in Northern Nigeria: An appeal to the Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS)

Camel production is known in supplying protein to man such as meat and milk, agricultural practices, transportation of goods in tones from one place to another, camel racing among others. However, its production and acceptability is low. Thus, a study was aimed at exploring the potentials of one humped camel production and its importance to the rural dwellers in the arid and semi–arid zones of Nigeria. However, Nigerian Institute of Animal Science (NIAS) would be in the right position considering its mandate on repositioning animal science practices to integrate camel production into modern practices for optimum utilization. The hardy nature of camelsmade it to survivewhere other breeds of livestock such as cattle, sheep and goatmay not survive or their production potentialsmay be low.However, camel production does not need much capital to invest due to its hardy nature and simplicity. Modern ways of improving animal production if applied on camel will boost the production potentials.

Potency of selected herbs on inhibition of ammonia producing bacteria

In effort to combat environmental pollution, improve animal production and avoid drug residue, producers have resorted to the use of phytobiotics to inhibit ammonia producing microbes in the gut. Freshly harvested Azadirachta indica, Carica papaya, Saccharum officinarum, Chromolaena odorata, Eucalyptus camadulensis and Mangifera indica leaves were air dried, blended and extracted using five concentrations of solvent (100% water, 70% water + 30% methanol, 50% water + 50% methanol, 30% water + 70% methanol and 100% methanol). The antibacterial activities of the extracts and antibiotics (doxycycline) as control, were tested according to standard procedures against both gram positive (Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus) and gram negative (Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae) ammonia producing bacteria. In most cases, it was observed that the inhibitory effect of methanolic extracts of Azadirachta indica, Carica papaya, Saccharum officinarum, Chromolaena odorata, Eucalyptus camadulensis and Mangifera indica leaves were not significantly different from that of synthetic antibiotics, doxycycline, when tested against the test bacteria, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Vibrio cholera. However, leave extracts showed significantly better inhibitory effect on Escherichia coli than the antibiotic drug. It can be concluded, therefore, that the leaf extracts of Azadirachta indica, Carica papaya, Saccharum officinarum, Chromolaena odorata, Eucalyptus camadulensis and Mangifera indica can serve as alternative to synthetic drugs in animal production due to their effective actions against microbial organisms.

Molecular speciation and aromaticity of biochar-manure: Insights from elemental, stable isotope and solid-state DPMAS 13C NMR analyses

The use of biochar (BC) in feedlot cattle diets has recently been explored as an approach to simultaneously improving animal production and reducing enteric methane (CH4) emissions. This study examines the impact of BC on manure properties and whether BC affects manure composition and carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) outputs from feedlot steers offered a barley-based diet with BC at 0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0% (BC0, BC0.5, BC1 and BC2) of diet dry matter. Manure was sampled three times over a 235 day feeding trial conducted in southern Alberta, Canada. Results showed that BC2 increased total C and the C/N ratio by 5.7 and 6.6% relative to BC0, respectively (P < 0.05), while total N exhibited a quadratic response from BC0 to BC2 (P = 0.005). Manure 15δN signatures, ranging from +3.83 to +7.34‰, were not affected (P > 0.05) by BC treatment. DPMAS 13C NMR revealed similar structural features among BC0 and BC2; indigestible BC had a minor impact on the bulk-C speciation of manure organic matter (OM). Compositional changes were limited to the aromatic-C region of the 13C NMR spectra. Fused-ring domains, mainly pyrogenic-C, were increased by 1.56-fold at BC2 relative to BC0. Overall, results demonstrated that BC stabilizes recalcitrant-C in manure OM, potentially sequestering soil-C when applied to croplands. This approach provides an added value to its use in ruminant diets, mainly from a nutrient cycling perspective. However, whole-farm studies are further required to validate the incorporation of BC into beef production systems.

347 Choosing an external marker for measuring intake and digestibility in ruminants

Abstract Proper nutrition is key to maintaining and improving animal productivity. Measuring intake and site and extent of digestion is essential for appropriate diet formulation. However, it is extremely difficult to accurately account for the dynamic nature of the ruminant digestive tract. External markers have long been used as a tool to measure digesta output, yet proper marker selection can be challenging. The aim of this review is to provide guidance in the selection of external markers in ruminant nutrition studies. External markers must satisfy certain requirements in order to be considered a valid marker. These requirements include, but are not limited to, being inert in the gastrointestinal tract, mixing with the digesta, and having high recovery rate in the feces. In addition, laboratory analysis needs to be easily reproducible within and amongst laboratories. Health hazards of the marker must also be kept in mind for the laboratory worker and the animal. There are a number of elements that have been utilized as external markers. Currently in the literature, chromic oxide (Cr2O3), long-chain alkanes (C32 to C36) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) are the most commonly used external markers. Each have been extensively evaluated and have their own positive and negative attributes. Results comparing fecal recoveries has been extensively reported in various diets fed to large and small ruminants. Of the three most widely utilized external markers, all have demonstrated adequate fecal recoveries, reasonable estimates of total duodenal and fecal digesta flows or output. Therefore, the selection of the appropriate marker comes down to the ease and accuracy at which analysis can be conducted, dosage rate, minimum dosage frequency, and safety to the user and animal.

302 Phenomics and its potential impact on livestock development in low income countries: Innovative applications of emerging related digital technology

Abstract Infrastructure and institutional frameworks supporting sustainable phenotyping systems are lacking in most developing countries, which are characterized by subsistence agricultural systems with small, highly dispersed farms having few animals, which makes performance recording inefficient, unattractive and expensive. Nevertheless, capturing performance data in near real time using digital devices for livestock improvement is fast gaining ground in many emerging economies around the world because of technological advancements made in the use of information and communications technologies (ICT), mobile devices and a myriad of digital innovations. Several initiatives in developing countries have demonstrated that ICT models for livestock performance recording in small-holder farming systems coupled with appropriate feedback to farmers for improved management and decision making is sustainable. More work needs to be done in developing and designing simple, efficient, inexpensive, non-evasive and sturdy phenotyping devices to support the collection of a range of existing or new quantitative data relating to animal welfare, production, reproduction, product quality, feed efficiency, etc. on farms. Most suitable technologies will be those that will support routine data collection to be transmitted in real time/near real time, but can also function without the internet, and can be easily incorporated into genetic/genomic improvement programs with a community-based breeding program approach. Animal scientists will need to collaborate with an interdisciplinary team of scientists (software developers, engineers, programmers, etc.) to design these next generation of innovative technologies needed for phenotypic data collection. Efficient methods for data collection will generate a lot of data and will need trained scientists to transform this data into information needed for improving animal production systems. Application of these technologies will be critical in attracting youth into agriculture and thus ensure sustainable systems for phenomics in developing countries.

Effect of Leucaena leucocephala and corn oil on ruminal fermentation, methane production and fatty acid profile: an in vitro study

Aims This in vitro study aimed to examine the effect of proportions of Leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit) to Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach) or levels of corn oil (CO) and their interaction on ruminal fermentation, methane (CH4) production and fatty acid profile. Methods The experiment was conducted as a 4 × 3 factorial arrangement following a completely randomised design with two factors. The treatments were according to the proportion of Leucaena and Napier grass (in g/kg DM, Treatment (T)1 = 0:750 (control), T2 = 250:500, T3 = 500:250, T4 = 750:0). Three levels of CO (in mg rumen fluid, CO1 = 0, CO2 = 10, CO3 = 20 respectively) were added to each of the diet, giving a total 12 dietary treatments. Key results Replacing Napier grass with Leucaena at 500 g/kg (T3) and 750 g/kg (T4) levels increased the molar volatile fatty acid concentration, microbial protein synthesis (P &amp;lt; 0.001) and ammonia nitrogen concentration (P = 0.003), whereas ruminal protozoa concomitantly decreased (P &amp;lt; 0.05). The addition of CO at 10 mg also reduced the number of ruminal protozoa compared with the control (P &amp;lt; 0.001). A significant Leucaena × CO interaction was observed on the increase of ammonia nitrogen and microbial protein synthesis, and CH4 production was simultaneously suppressed (P &amp;lt; 0.001). There was also a significant Leucaena × CO interaction on increasing concentration of C18:1 cis-9, C18:2 cis-10 cis-12 and α-linolenic acid, which thus contributed to the increase of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids accumulation in the culture (P &amp;lt; 0.001). However, the concentration of C18:0 was not influenced by the treatments (P &amp;gt; 0.05). Conclusion This study demonstrated that the inclusion of Leucaena into a Napier grass-based diet at 500 g/kg and 750 g/kg DM positively affected rumen fermentation, reduced CH4 formation and increased beneficial fatty acids in the rumen. Although CO had similar positive effects on CH4 production and targeted beneficial fatty acids, it reduced the microbial protein synthesis at inclusion of 20 mg/mL DM. Overall, there were synergistic interactions between Leucaena and CO in reducing CH4 production and improving the fatty acid profile in the rumen. Implications It is possible to improve animal productivity while reducing the environmental impact of livestock production through inclusion of tannin-containing Leucaena and CO in ruminant diets in tropical regions where C4 grasses typically have low nutritive value.

Status of Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and Animal Production.

In December 2019, a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) that caused severe disease clusters was first reported in Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province. This viral disease, which is reported to originate from a seafood market where wild animals are illegally sold, has been transmitted among humans worldwide through close contact. Given the growing number of infected people worldwide and the disastrous consequences in all aspects of life, COVID-19 is a serious public health issue that requires special attention. In some countries, the epidemic curve of infection which was in the plateau phase or decreasing phase during the lockdown period increases day by day since the reopening, indicating the second phase of contamination. Therefore, the preventive measures recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) must be respected to stop the spread of the disease. The international crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affects many sectors, including animal production and its related industries. Indeed, with the cessation of imports and exports between countries, it is not possible to provide feeds that are considered as basic raw materials in livestock raising. This situation impairs animal movements, decreases production inputs availability, and negatively affects the economy. The sustainability of animal production is also affected by a shortage of workers due to the lockdown/curfew, the strong decrease in the purchasing power of the consumer, and the intensification of health care tasks. To prevent contamination of animal products and the spread of the disease with food, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends frequent disinfection of food and human contact surfaces at production sites using an appropriate antiseptic. The purpose of this review article is to describe the current status of COVID-19 and investigate its effects on animal production. We propose potential approaches to keep animal products processing units and staff safe from SARS-CoV-2 infection and some strategies to improve animal production quantity and economy.

Efficacy of Dietary Supplementation with Capsicum Annum L on Performance, Hematology, Blood Biochemistry and Hepatic Antioxidant Status of Growing Rabbits.

Simple SummaryThe inclusion of phytochemicals in animal diets is a strategy that has been used to improve animal productivity by increasing the production yield. The addition of red-hot pepper (RHP) powder enhances productive rabbit performance and immunological, biochemical, and antioxidant statuses. Rabbits fed 2% RHP powder had higher weights. Thus, adding 1 or 2% RHP powder to rabbit diets is an easy, simple, and safe option for producers. The slaughter index and physical blood characteristics red blood cells (RBC’s), packed cell volume (PCV), hemoglobin (Hb), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscle hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscle hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were significantly improved by feeding growing rabbits on RHP levels. Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and very-low were distinctly (VLDL-C) decreased (p < 0.05) when feeding rabbits either 1 or 2% RHP supplemented diets. Furthermore, supplementing the rabbit’s diet with 1% RHP led to a significant increase (p < 0.001) in the total antioxidant capacity when compared to the rabbits fed with the basal diet. Additionally, the thyroxin concentration was increased with RHP supplementation. A remarkably significant effect on serum and hepatic oxidative stress responses was observed with RHP supplementation.Animals fed with a high amount of a wide range of antioxidants in their diet are significantly protected against oxidative stress. Powerful antioxidant substances such as vitamin E, vitamin C, and carotenoids are present naturally in red-hot pepper (RHP). This study hypothesized that using RHP may provide protection against oxidative stress and enhance animal physiological responses. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the effect of feeding New Zealand white rabbits with RHP-supplemented diets on their physiological and biochemical responses. New Zealand White rabbits (age = 6 weeks, n = 48) were split equally into three groups (n = 16 in each group). One group was fed a basal diet only (control group), with the other two groups fed a basal diet along with 1 and 2% RHP. Mass spectrometric analysis for the RHP methanolic extract showed some phenolic compounds, such as p-coumaric, sinapinic acids, vanillic, and luteolin, as well as catechin and its isomers. Hepatic antioxidant enzymes (SOD, GSH, GSH-Px, and CAT) were significantly elevated (p < 0.05) by feeding rabbits diets supplemented with 1 or 2% RHP. The addition of RHP significantly enhanced immune-responses; phagocytic activity, chemotaxis, TIg, IgG, IgM, and IgA increased when growing rabbits were fed RHP compared with the control group. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of 1 or 2% RHP may play a role as an enhancer of growth and immune response in growing rabbits.

Effect of an Essential Oil Blend on Dairy Cow Performance during Treatment and Post-Treatment Periods

Essential oils (EOs) and their active components are attracting a lot of attention as sustainable feed additives due to their known antimicrobial properties against a variety of microorganisms, including bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. They also have biological therapeutic, antioxidant, and flavor properties. They can be used for modifying the rumen environment and improving animal productivity. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of supplementation with 2.5 and 5 g/head/day of an essential oils blend (EOB) of clove, oregano, and juniper in equal proportions on milk production and quality, and physiological status of early lactating Holstein dairy cows for 8 weeks of treatment followed by 8 weeks of posttreatment. The results revealed an improvement in milk yield (p ≤ 0.02) and feed efficiency (p ≤ 0.001) with EOB at a dose of 2.5 g/head/day. The percentages of milk protein and lactose were increased (p ≤ 0.03) with a high dose of EOB inclusion during the treatment period as compared with the control group. Milk fat percentage, fat-corrected milk, and energy-corrected milk were not significantly affected by EOB supplementation. The supplementation of EOB tended to decrease milk total bacterial and somatic cell counts when compared to the control group. The supplementation of EOB at both doses increased serum total protein (p ≤ 0.02) and globulin (p ≤ 0.05), and decreased cholesterol level (p ≤ 0.001) and creatinine (p ≤ 0.001) as compared to the control group. Furthermore, the results show that the low dose of EOB had more desirable effects on milk yield, milk total bacterial count, milk somatic cell count, and feed efficiency than the high dose, suggesting that lower doses may not inhibit rumen microbial populations. Moreover, the low doses of EOB could be used as sustainable natural alternatives to antibiotics in livestock diets.

Role of Caraway, Fennel and Melissa Addition on Productive Performance of Lactating Frisian Cows.

The use of aromatic and herbal plants as a feed additive became a new trend in feeding dairy cows to enhance animal productivity. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of adding some herbal and aromatic plants (Melissa, Fennel and Caraway) at 0.7% of total DM of rations. Three herbal plants were evaluated in this study (melissa, fennel and caraway) by using thirteen Holstein Friesian cows. Cows were in 3rd and 5th lactation seasons were used as one experimental group by swing over design in lactation experiment (control then T1 then T2 then T3 then control). Nutrients digestibility, milk production, milk composition and blood constituents were determined. Data indicated that nutrients digestibility and nutritive value were improved with herbal plants addition, especially with caraway treatment which recorded significantly (p>0.05) the highest values. In the same trend, Actual milk yield, 4% FCM and fat content were significantly (p>0.05) increased when cows fed rations supplemented with fennel and caraway. The addition of melissa decreased the concentration of Total Saturated Fatty Acids (TSFA) in the milk. Normal ranges for blood parameters with no negative impact on animal health were observed with experimental rations. It could be concluded that caraway addition at 0.7% of the total dry matter of dairy rations, has a great potential to improve animal productivity and enhance the quality of milk fatty acids profile.

Articles of Significant Interest in This Issue

Studies of the cattle rumen have uncovered correlations between animal production and the rumen microbial community. Young et al. (e00861-20) improve on previous work to adapt buccal swab sampling as a proxy for rumen microbial contents by applying random forest classifier and regression models to a time course survey of cannulated cows. They found that swabs taken 1 hour prior to feeding were the most representative of rumen contents, and they identified 10 oral or feed-associated microbial taxa that could be removed from analysis. This has implications with regard to the routine collection of microbial samples from cattle for use in improving animal production systems.

Ruminal Fermentation Pattern, Bacterial Community Composition, and Nutrient Digestibility of Nellore Cattle Submitted to Either Nutritional Restriction or Intake of Concentrate Feedstuffs Prior to Adaptation Period.

Beef cattle are key contributors to meat production and represent critical drivers of the global agricultural economy. In Brazil, beef cattle are reared in tropical pastures and finished in feedlot systems. The introduction of cattle into a feedlot includes a period where they adapt to high-concentrate diets. This adaptation period is critical to the success of incoming cattle, as they must adjust to both a new diet and environment. Incoming animals are typically reared on a variety of diets, ranging from poor quality grasses to grazing systems supplemented with concentrate feedstuffs. These disparate pre-adaptation diets present a challenge, and here, we sought to understand this process by evaluating the adaptation of Nellore calves raised on either grazing on poor quality grasses (restriction diet) or grazing systems supplemented with concentrate (concentrate diet). Given that nutrient provisioning from the diet is the sole responsibility of the ruminal microbial community, we measured the impact of this dietary shift on feeding behavior, ruminal fermentation pattern, ruminal bacterial community composition (BCC), and total tract digestibility. Six cannulated Nellore bulls were randomly assigned to two 3 × 3 Latin squares, and received a control, restriction, or concentrate diet. All cohorts were then fed the same adaptation diet to mimic a standard feedlot. Ruminal BCC was determined using Illumina-based 16S rRNA amplicon community sequencing. We found that concentrate-fed cattle had greater dry matter intake (P < 0.01) than restricted animals. Likewise, cattle fed concentrate had greater (P = 0.02) propionate concentration during the adaptation phase than control animals and a lower Shannon’s diversity (P = 0.02), relative to the restricted animals. We also found that these animals had lower (P = 0.04) relative abundances of Fibrobacter succinogenes when compared to control animals during the pre-adaptation phase and lower abundances of bacteria within the Succinivibrio during the finishing phase, when compared to the control animals (P = 0.05). Finally, we found that animals previously exposed to concentrate were able to better adapt to high-concentrate diets when compared to restricted animals. Our study presents the first investigation of the impact of pre-adaptation diet on ruminal BCC and metabolism of bulls during the adaptation period. We suggest that these results may be useful for planning adaptation protocols of bulls entering the feedlot system and thereby improve animal production.

Milk Production, N Partitioning, and Methane Emissions in Dairy Cows Grazing Mixed or Spatially Separated Simple and Diverse Pastures.

Simple SummaryIt is possible to increase performance of grazing dairy cows while decreasing their environmental impact through incorporating high-quality pasture species that synthesize high bioactive compounds in diverse pastures. In this study, cows grazed combination of simple pastures containing perennial ryegrass and white clover or diverse pastures containing forbs known to contain bioactive compounds that can reduce methane emissions and nitrate leaching soils. The two types of pastures were grown either as mixed or spatially separated in adjacent strips. Our study indicated that spatial separation had little impact on cows’ performance, but pastures containing diverse plant species improved the production of protein and lactose in milk and reduced environmental impact, specifically by improving nitrogen utilization of cows and reducing the emission of methane per amount of feed eaten by the cows.Increasing pasture diversity and spatially separated sowing arrangements can potentially increase the dry matter intake of high-quality forages leading to improved animal production. This study investigated the effects of simple (two-species) and diverse (six-species) pastures planted either in mixed or spatially separated adjacent pasture strips on performance, N partitioning, and methane emission of dairy cows. Thirty-six mid-lactation Jersey cows grazed either (1) simple mixed, (2) simple spatially separated, (3) diverse mixed, or (4) diverse spatially separated pastures planted in a complete randomized block design with three replicates. Compared to simple pasture, diverse pasture had lower CP content but higher condensed tannins and total phenolic compounds with an overall positive effect on yield of milk solids, nitrogen utilization, including a reduction of N output from urine, and methane yields per dry matter eaten. The spatial separation increased legume and CP content in simple pasture but decreased NDF in both diverse and simple pastures. In conclusion, increasing diversity using pasture species with higher nutritive value and secondary compounds can help improving the production while decreasing the environmental effect of dairy farming, while spatial separation had a minor effect on feed intake and yield, possibly due to overall high-quality pastures in early spring.

The Impact of Antioxidant Supplementation and Heat Stress on Carcass Characteristics, Muscle Nutritional Profile and Functionality of Lamb Meat.

The impact of antioxidant supplementation and short-term heat stress on lamb body weight gain, meat nutritional profile and functionality (storage stability of lipids and colour) of lamb meat was investigated. A total of 48 crossbred ((Merino × Border Leicester) × Dorset) lambs (42 ± 2 kg body weight, 7 mo age) were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments (n = 16) by liveweight (LW) that differed in dosage of vitamin E and selenium (Se) in the diet. Vitamin E and Se levels in the control (CON), moderate (MOD) and supranutritional (SUP) dietary treatments were 28, 130 and 228 mg/kg DM as α-tocopherol acetate and 0.16, 0.66 and 1.16 mg Se as SelPlex™/kg DM, respectively. After four weeks of feeding in individual pens, including one week of adaptation, lambs were exposed to two heat treatments. Animals were moved to metabolism cages for one week and subjected to heat treatments: thermoneutral (TN; 18-21 °C and 40-50% relative humidity) and heat stress (HS; 28-40 °C and 30-40% relative humidity) conditions, respectively. Final LW and hot carcass weight were influenced by dietary treatments with higher final live weight (FLW) (p = 0.05; 46.8 vs. 44.4 and 43.8 kg, respectively) and hot carcass weight (HCW) (p = 0.01; 22.5 vs. 21.3 and 21.0 kg, respectively) recorded in lambs fed the SUP as opposed to the CON and MOD diets. Vitamin E concentration in the longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle tended to be higher in lambs fed MOD or SUP diets than the CON group. Lipid oxidation of aged meat at 72 h of simulated retail display was reduced by antioxidant supplementation. Short-term (one week) heat stress treatment significantly increased muscle linoleic acid and total omega-6 concentrations compared with the CON group. The results demonstrate that four-week antioxidant supplementation at the SUP level improved animal productivity by increasing LW and carcass weight and the functionality of meat exhibited by reduced lipid oxidation. An increase in muscle omega-6 fatty acid concentration from short-term heat stress may induce oxidative stress via proinflammatory action.

Cloning, nucleotide sequencing, and bioinformatics analyses of growth hormone mRNA of Assaf sheep and Boer goats reared in Egypt

BackgroundIdentification of molecular characterization of genes underlying livestock productive traits may allow applying advanced biotechnology techniques to improve animal productivity. Growth hormone (GH) controls body growth rate, milk production, reproduction as well as carbohydrate, lipid, and protein metabolism. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the genetic variations of growth hormone cDNA sequences between Assaf sheep (As_GH) and Boer goat (Bo_GH) that mainly used for genetic improvement in Egypt using bioinformatics analysis. Growth hormone cDNA was isolated from the pituitary gland tissue of Assaf sheep Boer goat and subcloned into pTZ57R/T cloning vector for sequencing. ResultsMolecular weight of As_GH cDNA was 665 bp and was 774 bp for Bo_GH cDNA. The complete coding sequences (CDS) of As_GH and Bo_GH were registered in the GenBank database under accession number (AC: MH128986 and AC: MG744290, respectively). High homology percentage was observed (99.5%) between AS_GH and Bo_GH protein sequences with one different amino acid in the As_GH protein sequence (Arg194). The protein sequence of As_GH has only one motif signature; Somatotropin_1 from 79 to 112 aa compared to Bo_GH protein sequences and GenBank database that had two motifs signature. The growth hormone cDNA sequence of Assaf sheep has a unique three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (A637A638G639) that encodes for arginine (Arg194); this insertion mutation (AAG) was not found in the growth hormone cDNA sequences of Boer goat in the present study and GenBank database breeds. This mutation can be used to develop SNPs markers for Assaf sheep. ConclusionsGH sequence of Assaf and Boer goat is highly conserved and the homogeny in the codon region (99.5%). The Assaf sheep GH sequence has a unique three SNPs that may be used to develop SNPs markers for such breed. Further studies are needed to investigate the genetic variations of growth hormone gene in different sheep and goat breeds in Egypt and document the relationship between these variations and the productive performance of animals.

Management of Enteric Methanogenesis in Ruminants by Algal-Derived Feed Additives

In this paper, we critically review the current state of nutritional management strategies to reduce methane emissions resulting from enteric fermentation in livestock production. In this context, it highlights the novel strategy regarding the use of macroalgal- and microalgal-derived feed additives. Several feed management strategies for ruminants focus on the inclusion of nutritional supplements, increasing proportion of starch, or supplementation with high-energy lipids. These strategies aim to improve animal productivity, whilst at the same time reduce methane emissions. Algae supplements are currently investigated as novel ingredients for decreasing methanogenesis, with the potential production of algal biomass also contributing to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Thus, utilisation of algal biomass as a feed concentrate in dietary supplementation presents a sustainable and environmentally friendly strategy. This review summarises the current stage of research on dietary strategies and their influences on the metabolic processes during enteric fermentation. This information is essential for developing strategies to mitigate methane emissions in the livestock industry. We specifically present the opportunities that algae could offer as a feed additive for methanogenic reduction in cattle. The data compiled from the peer-reviewed literature revealed synergistic effects of algal biomass on methane reduction and animal productivity. However, the challenges regarding the mass cultivation of macro- and microalgae were noticed. Considering the diversity of algal species, future research should increase screening efforts to include more species and dosage evaluation, along with efforts to see if such effects are sustained over time.

Use of lucerne hay in ruminant feeds to improve animal productivity, meat nutritional value and meat preservation under a more variable climate

This study investigated the effect of low energy (LE) and high energy (HE) diets fed to Crossbred and Merino sheep on carcass weight, meat nutritional value (essential fatty acids) and preservative (shelf life) aspects. Animals were slaughtered after seven weeks of feeding and the longissimus lumborum (LL) and rectus femoris (RF) muscles collected for measurement of fatty acid concentration and retail colour. Liveweight and carcass weight at slaughter were not affected by dietary treatments. Adding lucerne hay as an ingredient to LE diet increased (P < .001) omega-3 fatty acids concentrations and lowered (P < .001) the omega-6: omega-3 ratio in meat. The redness of meat for LL and RF muscles at simulated retail display was higher (P < .05) for lambs fed LE than lambs fed HE diet. Results indicate that adding lucerne hay as an ingredient in ruminant diets has potential for maintaining liveweight (wellbeing) of animals as well as nutritional value and preservative aspects of meat.

Contribution of Livestock Production to Global Greenhouse Gas Emission and Mitigation Strategies

Understanding the interaction of livestock production and climate change is currently the main issue in global warming. This paper reviews the contribution of livestock production in greenhouse gas emission and its mitigation strategies. The potential contribution of individual large ruminants are 200-500 litters of methane per day while small ruminants produces 20-40 litters of methane per day. The major greenhouse gas related to livestock production are methane and nitrous oxide which contribute approximately about 14.5% global GHG emissions. Limiting emissions from livestock, without compromising food security, is an important limit greenhouse gas emissions. The main choices for reducing greenhouse gas emission in livestock production are more related to improving animal production. Mitigating emission of CH4 by means of improved management of biogas and manure, reducing CH4 emission from enteric fermentation through improved efficiency and diet, husbandry as well as genetic management are some of strategies used in mitigating enteric emission of methane from livestock. The other one is mitigating emission of nitrous oxide through more efficient use of nitrous fertilizer, proper manure management and by using different feed additives.