Low Tannin Research Articles

Evaluation of the nutritional value of faba beans with high and low tannin content for use as feed for ruminants.

Faba bean varieties with low or zero tannin content have been developed in Canada to overcome the negative effects of condensed tannins on the utilization by ruminants of crude protein (CP) and starch. However, their nutritional value has not been evaluated for incorporation in dairy rations. The objectives of this study were to investigate (i) the chemical profile; (ii) the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) protein and carbohydrate subfractions; (iii) the energy values; (iv) the ruminal, intestinal, and total digestibility of CP; (v) the metabolizable protein (MP) supply to dairy cows; and (vi) the protein-inherent molecular spectral characteristics of brown-seeded (var. Fatima) faba beans with high tannin content and yellow-seeded (var. Snowbird) faba beans with low tannin content. The results revealed that Fatima beans had higher (P < 0.001) CP content than Snowbird (324 versus 295 g kg-1 dry matter (DM)), and lower (P < 0.01) starch content than Snowbird (411 g kg-1 DM versus 444 g kg-1 DM). Fatima had a lower (P=0.001) soluble subfraction (201 g kg-1 DM versus 220 g kg-1 DM) and higher (P < 0.05) slowly degradable fiber-bounded (24.9 g kg-1 DM versus 14.7 g kg-1 DM) and non-degradable (3.24 g kg-1 DM versus 0 g kg-1 DM) CNCPS CP subfractions than Snowbird. Fatima had higher (P=0.03) MP content (117 g kg-1 DM versus 111 gkg-1 DM) and metabolizable energy content (ME) 3.12 Mcal kg-1 versus 3.10 Mcal kg-1 ) than Snowbird. Molecular spectral intensities of amide I and II proteins (height and area) of Fatima were higher (P < 0.05) than those of Snowbird, reflecting their higher CP content. The ratio of protein spectral intensities, the amide I:amide II height ratio, and the α-helix:β-sheet height ratio differed (P < 0.05) between the two types of bean, highlighting differences in their inherent protein molecular structures. The (Fatima) faba beans with high condensed tannin content had higher MP and ME content. On average, both Faba beans had higher ME and MP content than barley grains, highlighting their promising nutritional value for dairy rations. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Germination improves the functional properties of soybean and enhances soymilk quality

SummaryThe effects of soybean variety and germination time on structural changes, antinutritional factor content, antioxidant activity of germinated soybean, and on the functional properties of soymilk were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that the antioxidant activity increased with increasing germination time. The content of antinutritional factors decreased with increasing germination time. Soybean varieties with the lowest tannin and trypsin inhibitor content were DN690 and HJ1. Lipoxygenase activity and phytic acid content showed no significant differences among soybean varieties. The content of α‐helices and β‐turns in soybean protein decreased with increasing germination time, while the content of β‐sheets was increased. Soybean protein was progressively broken down into smaller molecular peptides during the germination process. The digestion and content of soluble protein in soymilk increased with germination. In summary, we show that germination is an effective, cheap, and green method that improves the functional properties of soybean and soymilk.

Changes of nutritional components of pre-evaporated sorghum’s panicle during storage

Sorghum is a potential food ingredient with adequate nutritional content like other cereals, and has added value with high mineral Fe content. However, sorghum has the disadvantage of high tannin content which is antinutrient and susceptible to warehouse pests. Storage of sorghum in panicle form by providing hot steam treatment will provide added value because it can extend shelf life. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of evaporation treatment on sorghum quality during storage. This study used a completely randomized design with 3 replications. The tried factors included sorghum (S) varieties, namely: Numbu (S1), Local (S1); evaporation time (T), i.e. 0 minutes / without evaporation (T0), 15 minutes (T1), 25 minutes (T2), 35 minutes (T3); and shelf life (L); 0 months (L0), 2 months (L1), 4 months (L2). The results showed that the evaporation treatment was effective in maintaining the nutritional content of sorghum both Local and Numbu varieties, reducing yield loss due to warehouse pest attacks and reducing its tannin content. Treatment of sorghum panicle evaporation for 15 minutes, both Local and Numbu varieties of sorghum can maintain nutritional content for up to 4 months with an average water content of 11.37%, ash content of 1.89%, fat content of 2.65%, protein content 8.92%, carbohydrate 75.15%, yield loss of 9.94%, and normal aroma. Sorghum storage technology with the evaporation method can reduce tannin components so that it is an added value because it is expected that sorghum flour ingredients contain very low tannin and its contribution for food diversification.

PSVIII-17 Effect of high-tannin sorghum grain on in vitro rumen fermentation and methane production

Abstract The objective was to evaluate the potential of methane (CH4) mitigation of high-tannin sorghum (HTS) varieties (V). The experiment was arranged as a completely randomized block design with a 7 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments, including 6 HTS varieties (BRS72, Dekalb; 81G67, Dupont-Pioneer; QL-BR95, Lucava; 6001, ACA; NYX, Unisem; Red Bird, Warner Seeds; 20.1±3.2 g/kg condensed tannins), a low tannin sorghum (LTS, 0.3 g/kg condensed tannins) and two levels of polyethylene-glycol (PEG; 0 and 1 g). Three independent batch culture runs were conducted using a basal diet (0.5 g) containing 72% sorghum, 18% corn stover and 10% soybean meal. Total gas production (TGP), CH4 production, gas production kinetics and dry matter digestibility (DMD) were evaluated. Data were analyzed with R studio 1.4.1106 using a mixed model and the Tukey instruction for mean comparison. Interaction (V × PEG) was not significant (P = 0.16) for DMD. However, DMD decreased (P &amp;gt; 0.05) 6.1 percentage units with HTS varieties compared to LTS. Furthermore, PEG increased (P &amp;gt; 0.05) DMD by 1.78 percentage units. The V × PEG interaction tended to be significant for TGP (P = 0.09; mL/g DM), where sorghum 81G67 + PEG showed the lowest gas production (486 mL/g DM). Kinetics of gas production were also affected. Fermentation rate was higher (P &amp;gt; 0 .05) for the LTS variety (0.0373 %/h) and lower (P &amp;gt; 0.05) for sorghum 81G67 (0.0317 %/h), while maximum volume of gas was 5.9% higher (P &amp;gt; 0.05) when PEG was included. Methane concentration (%) was lowest (P &amp;lt; 0.05) with QL-BR95 sorghum but CH4 production (mL/g DM) was not affected (P = 0.38) by sorghum variety. Methane concentration and production increased (P &amp;gt; 0.05) 8.9 and 4.1% respectively with PEG inclusion. In conclusion, HTS negatively affected digestibility and rumen fermentation while PEG minimized such effects. Sorghum grain varieties with high tannin content had negligible effects on rumen methanogenesis.

Priming effect varies with root order: A case of Cunninghamia lanceolata

Plant litter inputs can influence soil organic carbon (SOC) decomposition via the priming effect. However, our understanding of the priming effect and underlying mechanisms is primarily from studies with leaf litter addition, while little is known about root litter effects, particularly of woody plants. Here, using a13C natural tracer approach, we conducted a 12-week incubation experiment to investigate litter decomposition and priming effect of mature-tree root orders (1st to 5th) of Cunninghamia lanceolata (Lamb.) Hook. We explored how litter decomposition and the priming effect were related to microbial biomass of main groups, enzyme activities, and root tissue chemistry. Root litter decomposition rates increased with increasing root order, especially during the first 4 weeks, which was likely due to higher non-structural C and lower tannin concentrations for higher order roots. A negative priming effect occurred at this initial intensive stage when microbes may have preferred utilizing litter-derived labile C. Subsequently, the priming effect switched to positive, and showed larger priming effects for the higher order roots than the lower order ones. Higher order roots also showed higher fungi to bacteria ratios and enzyme activities than the lower order roots. These patterns of fungi to bacteria ratios and enzyme activities and thus the priming effect could be attributed to the difference in carbon:nitrogen ratio among root orders. Overall, we for the first time provide strong evidence for the effect of root order on the priming effect, and thus highlight that separating root litter based on root order is necessary for accurately evaluating its influence on SOC decomposition.

Differences in mutualistic or predatory interactions between tree and rodent species as revealed by using a double-duplex passive integrated transponder tagging technique

Seed hoarding by rodents plays a significant role in shaping mutualistic or predatory interactions between tree and rodent species in forest ecosystems. However, it is still challenging to identify the seed-rodent interaction at individual level so as to reveal the differences in mutualistic or predatory interactions between seeds and rodents due to lack of efficient methods of tracking seed hoarding behaviour and seed fate. Here, by using the double-duplex passive integrated transponder tagging technique, we investigated seed hoarding behaviour of two rodent species (Niviventer confucianus with larger body size; Apodemus draco with smaller body size) on seeds of two tree species (Quercus variabilis with larger seeds, thicker seed coat, higher tannin and starch contents; Camellia oleifera with smaller seeds, thinner seed coat, and lower tannin but higher fat contents) in a subtropical forest of China. We found N. confucianus preferably consumed and scatterhoarded seeds of Q. variabilis. In contrast, A. draco preferably consumed and scatterhoarded seeds of C. oleifera. Our study showed significant difference in mutualistic or predatory interactions between trees and rodent species, which is likely to be associated with the functional traits of seeds and rodents. Our results suggest that the double-duplex passive integrated transponder tagging technique is useful in quantifying mutualistic or predatory interactions between multiple tree and rodent species.

A novel high yielding dual-purpose sorghum variety GDJ1 (Banas Surya) for semi-arid region of Gujarat

The new sorghum variety GDJ 1 (Banas Surya) breed through pedigree selection method from the cross between SPV 2113 × GFS 5 at Sorghum Research Station, Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada Agricultural University, Deesa, Gujarat. The variety GDJ 1 was tested in a preliminary evaluation trial (PET) in kharif 2016. It was found promising and further it was tested in state multilocation trials from kharif 2017 to 2019. It was also tested under the AICRP-sorghum IVT trial in kharif 2018 as SPV 2565 at fifteen locations (Zone-I, II and III) across the nation. The sorghum variety GDJ 1 was tested under a total of 20 state trials against various check varieties viz., CSV 20, GJ 39, GJ 42, GDJ 1 and GJ 43. The mean performance of GDJ 1 for grain yield over 21 locations, including the preliminary trial was 2506 kg/ha. In the case of dry fodder yield, the mean performance over 22 location, including the preliminary trial was 167.0 q/ha. In North Gujarat, based on seven testing trials GDJ 1 exhibited high grain yield (2576 kg/ha) with an increment of 50.0, 50.7 19.6, 21.5 and 41.8 per cent, respectively and dry fodder (228.7 q/ha) with an increment of 49.8, 52.3, 10.9, 49.6 and 34.2 per cent over the years and locations against checks GJ 39, GJ 42, GJ 43, GNJ 1 and CSV 20, respectively. It matures within 100-105 days, tall in nature, very long and broad leaves, the long symmetric semi-loose panicle have a medium neck with long branches and medium glume length. The grain is medium bold and yellow-white. From the quality point of view the released variety have a fair amount of protein in grain (10.1%) and dry fodder (9.20%) and low tannin (0.215 mg/g) in grain indicated the good quality of grain and dry fodder. It is moderately resistant to diseases like leaf blight, anthracnose, grain mold, ergot and lower infestation of shoot fly and stem borer.

Genetic stability analysis of tissue culture derived date palm cv. Dedhi plants using IRAP markers

Phoenix dactylifera cv. Dedhi is an excellent soft date palm cultivar of district Khairpur, Sindh-Pakistan with large size fruit, brittle texture and very low tannins at the Khalal stage. The population of this palm cultivar is currently threatened by pest and disease issues, a limited availability of offshoots and by the prevailing monoculture of semi-dry cultivars together with import of exotic elite cultivars into the region. Hence, the current study aimed to determine genetic stability of large-scale in vitro multiplied materials after their transfer to the field. The palms were phenotyped and then genotyped using two Inter-retrotransposons Amplified Polymorphism (IRAP) markers. Thirteen IRAP primers with 24 combinations were screened, of which 14 combinations produced 301 clear and reproducible bands which were all monomorphic. The IRAP banding patterns showed no variation among the tissue culture derived plants tested. No significant variation in fruit characteristics of the tissue culture derived plants was found when compared to mother plant. Using an optimized micropropagation protocol, number of plants unable to form inflorescences was reduced from 36.7% in the year 2016 to 10% in 2018. The study confirms the current micropropagation protocol to be effective for production of true-to-type plants and the applied marker system to be efficient for validating genetic stability of in vitro produced palms.

Chemical Characteristics of Cascara, Coffee Cherry Tea, Made of Various Coffee Pulp Treatments

Coffee cherry pulp contains caffeine, polyphenols and tannins which can cause environmental problems if discarded, but can be a potential source of antioxidants, phenolic compounds, and caffeine for functional drinks, like cascara. The chemical properties of cascara beverage from six different treatments of coffee cherry pulp were investigated. The pulp treatments were, P1 = pulp of coffee cherries which were kept in a sack for 12 hours before pulping (delayed pulping), P2 = pulp soaked in water for 12 hour, P3 = pulp left in a basket at room temperature for 12 hours, P4 = pulp/husk of dry process coffee, P5 = pulp of wet process coffee, P6 = pulp/husk of wine process coffee (prolonged dried coffee). The results show that the treatments did not affect the cascara beverage antioxidant activity which was between 53-78% DPPH inhibition. However, all treatments lowered tannin contents to about 35 mg/L, except for the P3 and P6 treatments. The cascara beverage caffeine content of P1, P2, and P3 treatments was low, around 0.20%, and about twice of that in the P4-P6 treatments. Cascara beverage of P4 contained the highest total acids and the lowest pH which was 4.18, whereas cascara tea/beverage of the wet process (P5 treatment) had high caffeine and low tannin contents with moderate pH and total acid content.

Biochemical characterization of fruits of Lycium spp. in Ukraine

Fruits of Lycium possess therapeutic properties due to which they are used in traditional and folk medicine and can be used as a kind of functional food. The objective of this study was to evaluate the biochemical characterization of Lycium L. (L. barbarum L., L. chinense Mill. and L. truncatum Y. C. Wang) fruits for 16 cultivars and varieties from the collections in the M. M. Gryshko National Botanical Garden of NAS of Ukraine (Kyiv). This study was aimed at determining the concentration of nutrients in the Lycium fruits. Individual genotypes of three Lycium species: L. barbarum, L.chinense, and L. truncatum, differed in such features as the content of dry matter, sugars, vitamin C, β-carotene, acidity, and tannins in the fruit. Fruits of Lycium spp. are a valuable source of nutrients such as vitamin C (4.38–121.0 mg 100g–1 FW), β-carotene content (1.45–5.52%), and tannin (0.12–1.34%). The sugar content (13.83–20.87%) and acidity of the fruit (0.23–4.62%) meet the consumers' requirements for fresh fruit. The cultivar Amber Sweet (L. chinense) had fruits of which the similarities between biochemical characteristics of different studies genotypes were the lowest. The cv. Amber Sweet was characterized by fruit with high sugar content, very high vitamin C content, average acid content, low tannins and β-carotene content, and the lowest dry matter content. Furthermore, a distinctive feature of the other tested genotypes was the yellow colour of the fruit. The data obtained can be used for further selective work.

European aspen with high compared to low constitutive tannin defenses grow taller in response to anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment

Boreal forests receive nitrogen-(N)-enrichment via atmospheric deposition and industrial fertilization. While it is known that N-enrichment can intensify interactions with natural antagonists, it remains poorly understood how genetic variability in plant defense chemistry can affect biotic interactions and height growth in N-enriched environments. We grew replicates of five low- and high-tannin Populus tremula genotypes, respectively, under three N-treatments (ambient, 15, and 150 kg N ha−1 yr−1). We assessed shoot blight occurrence (i.e. symptoms caused by Venturia fungi) during four growing seasons, and tree height growth during the same period. Damage by Venturia spp. increased with N-addition during all years, likely due to enhanced foliar quality. Low–tannin plants showed higher incidences of Venturia infection than high-tannin plants, regardless of the N-input-level. Height responded to an N-by-tannin-group interaction, which occurred because high-tannin plants grew taller than low-tannin plants at the high N-treatment, but not under the other N-levels. This pattern indicates that innate resource investment into tannin production yields a positive effect on growth under N-enriched conditions. Given that N-deposition is increasing globally, our research suggests that further studies are needed to investigate how N-enrichment interacts with plant defense traits globally. Moreover, our research suggests that N-deposition may provide an advantage for well-defended, high-tannin plants; and further, that genetic diversity in plant defense may be a key mechanism by which plant populations respond to this change.

The characteristic of different formula of low tannin sorghum instant porridge

Sorghum has a potential to be developed as staple food, however the main obstacle is high tannin content which causing bitter taste. Low conttent of tannin in sorghum flour could be a solution for widening the customer acceptance. Such product produced using low tannin sorghum is instant porridge. Therefore this study aimed to find optimum formula of instant porridge using low tannin sorghum flour. This study using two factors of instant porridge formula, first ratio of low tannin sorghum flour : tapioca (100 : 0; 90 : 10; 80 : 20; 70 : 30; 60 : 40) and the ratio of water (1 : 7; 1 : 9; 1 : 11). Result shows that optimum instant sorghum formula was found in 80 : 20 sorghum : tapioca flour, with the addition of 1 : 11 water ratio. This porridge has desirability value 0.716, water content 4.93%, ash 0.49%, fat 5.92%, protein 8.37% and carbohydrate 85.2%. Moreover the average score of total acceptance is about 4 (like). The optimum formula also has high-quality digestibility and dietary fiber (77.97% and 9.07 %, respectively). According to this study, instant sorghum porridge could be used as alternatives of nutritious and healthy food.

Responses of Lotus corniculatus to environmental change 3: The sensitivity of phenolic accumulation to growth temperature and light intensity and effects on tissue digestibility

Growth temperature and light intensity are major drivers of phenolic accumulation in Lotus corniculatus resulting in major changes in carbon partitioning which significantly affects tissue digestibility and forage quality. The response of plant growth, phenolic accumulation and tissue digestibility to light and temperature was determined in clonal plants of three genotypes of Lotus corniculatus (birdsfoot trefoil) cv Leo, with low, intermediate or high levels of proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins). Plants were grown from 10 °C to 30 °C, or at light intensities from 20 to 500 µm m-2 s-1. Plants grown at 25 °C had the highest growth rate and highest digestibility, whereas the maximum tannin concentration was found in plants grown at 15 °C. Approximately linear increases in leaf flavonol glycoside levels were found with increasing growth temperature in the low tannin genotype. Tannin hydroxylation increased with increasing growth temperature but decreased with increasing light intensity. The major leaf flavonols were kaempferol glycosides of which kaempferol-3-glucoside and kaempferol-3,7-dirhamnoside were the major components. Increases in both tannin and total flavonol concentrations in leaves were linearly related to light intensity and were preceded by a specific increase in the transcript level of a non-legume type chalcone isomerase. Changes in growth temperature and light intensity, therefore, result in major changes in the partitioning of carbon into phenolics, which significantly affects tissue digestibility and nutritional quality with a high correlation between tannin concentration and leaf digestibility.

Replacing maize with low tannin sorghum grains: lamb growth performance, microbial protein synthesis and enteric methane production

Context Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain with low tannin content may be suitable as an alternative to maize (Zea mays L.) grain in ruminant diets in terms of input costs and drought tolerance, and effects on growth performance and mitigation of methane (CH4) emissions. Aims The study aimed to evaluate the effects of substitution of maize with sorghum grain at different rates on ruminal microbial protein synthesis, CH4 formation and liveweight gain in growing ruminants. Methods Twenty-five Santa Inês lambs (bodyweight 19.0 ± 1.5 kg) were randomly divided into five dietary treatments. Control diet components (on a dry matter basis) were Tifton-85 hay (400 g/kg), maize (405 g/kg), soybean meal (165 g/kg) and commercial mineral supplement (30 g/kg). Sorghum diets comprised the basal diet with the maize grain proportionately substituted with sorghum grain at 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% (diets S25–S100). Lamb feed intake, growth performance, nutrient digestibility, nitrogen balance, microbial protein synthesis and CH4 emission were measured during an experimental period of 70 days. Key results Negligible variations of chemical composition were observed among the experimental diets, although numerical increases in condensed tannins were observed with increasing levels of sorghum replacement. There was no significant effect of level of sorghum inclusion on feed intake. Partial substitution of maize with sorghum grain increased lamb average daily gain linearly (P = 0.02) and quadratically (P = 0.002) compared with diets based on either grain alone, with the S50 lambs having the highest values. A linear decrease in dry matter digestibility (P = 0.02), organic matter (P = 0.02) and acid detergent fibre (P = 0.002) was observed for lambs receiving sorghum diets compared with the control. A significant linear (P = 0.023) effect was observed for retained nitrogen (g/day), with lambs fed S25 and S50 having higher values than those in other treatments. All partially substituted diets (S25, S50 and S75) reduced CH4 per unit bodyweight gain in a linear trend (P = 0.03), by 35%, 29% and 33%, respectively, and tended to increase (linear effect, P = 0.09) the calculated amounts of absorbed microbial protein compared with the control diet. Conclusions Low tannin sorghum grains can replace maize grains by up to 75% to maximise ruminal microbial biomass production for optimal lamb growth performance and reduced CH4 emission. Implications Animal productivity can be enhanced while mitigating the environmental impact of livestock production through the partial substitution of maize by low tannin sorghum grains in ruminant diets.

Toxicological evaluation of graded levels of freshly harvested bamboo (Bambusaarundinacea) and tridax (Tridax procumbens) leaves on blood chemistry of rabbits

Bamboo is a perennial plant, readily available throughout the year and has been reportedly used in feeding livestock such as cattle, horse and sheep but known to possess antioxidant due to the presence of biologically active components groups, the phenolics. Thus the effects of bamboo (Bambusa arundinancea) leaves partially or totally replacing tridax (Tridaxprocumbens) leaves on blood constituents of rabbits were studied using weaner rabbits in a 70-days experiment. Six diets were formulated such that the control diet (T1) had 0% leaves (concentrate/formulated feed) while the five other diets were offered at the ratio of 100:0 (T2), 75:25(T3), 50:50(T4), 25:75(T5) and 0:100(T6) of freshly harvested B. arundinancea and T. procumbens leaves, respectively. Feeds were offered at 4% of the rabbits'' live weight and apart from the control diet, the five other diets had 2% fixed concentrate and 2% experimental leaves ratio. Thirty-six weaned mixed sex and cross bred rabbits with an average weight of 1075±15.5g were allocated to a completely randomized design with six rabbits per treatment. The feeds were analysed for their antinutritional factors. The rabbits were slaughtered while the blood was harvested and used for the blood constituents. The percent ash was appreciably higher in bamboo than tridax leaves. The bioactive antioxidants flavonoids were detected in the leaves of bamboo and absent in tridax leaves. Both bamboo and tridax leaves had appreciably very low tannin. With exception of neutrophils, lymphocyte, eosinophil, basophil and MCHC, other haematological parameters were significantly (P&lt;0.05) affected. Diets had no effect on total protein, albumin, bilirubin, creatinine and ALP. It is concluded therefore that partial or total replacement of tridax with bamboo leaves had no deleterious effect on the health status of growing rabbits.

Potency of Low Tannin Sorghum Bran in Diets on Productive Performance and Meat Quality of Native Chicken

Sorghum bran is a by-product of sorghum flour production which can still be used as animal feed. The low palatability is a one of the obstacles in using sorghum bran as native chicken feed. The purpose of this study was to determine the potential use of sorghum bran as feed on the performance and meat quality of native chicken. 180 DOC native chickens were divided into 3 treatments and 6 replications using a completely randomized design for 60 days. The treatments used were different level of sorghum bran usage in the feed, namely; 0% (control), 10% (T1), 20% (T2). The data observed included feed consumption, growth, feed conversion ratio, carcass percentage and meat quality. Giving up to 20% sorghum bran in feed did not significantly affect the feed consumption, growth, feed conversion, carcass percentage, and meat quality of native chicken. Therefore, sorghum bran can be used as an energy source of feed up to 20% and has no negative effect on the performance and quality of local chicken meat

The study of East African grain sorghum samples in the conditions of the Rostov region

Sorghum is one of the main food and feed crops in the world. Rapid population growth in Africa requires a growing amount of local foods such as sorghum. Therefore, breeding work aimed at developing highly productive sorghum varieties and hybrids adapted to the soil and climatic conditions of Africa and the arid conditions of southern Russia is of great urgency. Therefore, it was necessary to identify the adapted samples with valuable economically valuable traits. The current study has been carried out on the experimental plots of the laboratory for grain sorghum breeding and seed production of the FSBSI “Agricultural Research Center “Donskoy”. As objects of the study there have been used the grain sorghum varieties of the National Research Institute of Semi-Arid Resources (NaSARRI) of the Republic of Uganda ‘Seso 1’, ‘Seso 3’, ‘Narosorg 1’, ‘Narosorg 2’, ‘Narosorg 3’, ‘Narosorg 4’, ‘Epuripur’, as well as the variety ‘Zernogradskoe 88’ sown as the standard variety. The study was conducted in accordance with the Methodology of State Variety Testing of Agricultural Crops and B. A. Dospekhov’s Methodology of a field trial. The purpose of the current study was a comprehensive estimation of grain sorghum varieties developed in the research institutions in Uganda under the conditions of the Rostov region to use the selected samples in further breeding work as sources of economically valuable traits. In the conditions of the Rostov region the Ugandan varieties belonged to the group of middle ripening and late ripening varieties. The plant height in the studied varieties varied from 155 to 210 cm. According to the trait “number of grains per panicle” the varieties had a large number of grains (1829–2530 pcs.). The main share of the NaSARRI varieties had a high percentage of raw protein in grain (13.6–14.9%). A low tannin content was established in the varieties ‘Seso 1’ (0.54%), ‘Epuripur’ (0.66%) and ‘Narosorg 1’ (0.71%).

Friction measurements of model saliva-wine solutions between polydimethylsiloxane surfaces

Wine can have a complex sensory profile and one important characteristic of the mouth feel in red wines is astringency, or a drying sensation felt when drinking. Evaluation of wine astringency or mouth feel has typically been done qualitatively by trained sensory panels. In this work, the friction of model saliva and wine mixtures was directly measured using the surface force apparatus (SFA). To mimic the tongue/palate, thin films of roughened polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) were the sliding surfaces. The studies used well-defined model solutions of saliva and wine with low and high tannin concentrations to focus specifically on the effect of tannin/proline-rich protein complexes on friction. Turbidity increased with tannin concentration, and higher friction forces were measured with increasing tannin concentration, also connecting turbidity to friction. Importantly, higher friction was shown to directly correlate with the amount of saliva-wine complexes confined between the sliding surfaces, increasing by about 50% from low tannin (0.2 g/L) to high tannin (1 g/L) model wine. These measurements demonstrate that adsorption of tannin/proline-rich protein complexes on model tongue/palate surfaces reduce lubricity, increase friction, and should correlate with astringency perception.

Generation Times of E. coli Prolong with Increasing Tannin Concentration while the Lag Phase Extends Exponentially.

The current study examines the effect of tannins and tannin extracts on the lag phase duration, growth rate, and generation time of Escherichia coli. Effects of castalagin, vescalagin, gallic acid, Colistizer, tannic acid as well as chestnut, mimosa, and quebracho extracts were determined on E. coli’s growth phases using the broth microdilution method and obtained by turbidimetric measurements. E. coli responds to the stress caused by the investigated antimicrobial agents with reduced growth rates, longer generation times, and extended lag phases. Prolongation of the lag phase was relatively small at low tannin concentrations, while it became more pronounced at concentrations above half the MIC. Moreover, for the first time, it was observed that lag time extensions follow a strict exponential relationship with increasing tannin concentrations. This feature is very likely a direct consequence of the tannin complexation of certain essential ions from the growth medium, making them unavailable to E. coli for its growth.

Effect of low tannin sorghum based feeds on broiler meat nutritional quality

This study determined the meat quality characteristics of different parts of a broiler carcass obtained from chicken fed on diets formulated using either maize ( Zea mays ) or sorghum ( Sorghum bicolor ) as the source of energy. Six diets that differed on the sorghum/maize replacement levels (0%, 20%, 40%, 60%, 80% and 100%) were fed to 120-day old broiler. The chicken meat was harvested after 8 weeks and meat from different parts of the carcasses were analysed for fatty acid profile, cholesterol, vitamins A and E content. Levels of 36.37%–80.32% of saturated fatty acids were detected in different cuts. The polyunsaturated fatty acids ranged at 12.36%–29.13% while the monounsaturated fatty acids accounted for 1.46%–4.84% for all the experimental diets. The highest levels of long chain unsaturated fatty acids (18.68%–22.87%) were detected in the thigh muscle meat of chicken fed on a 0% sorghum diet. Conversely, diet that had a 100% sorghum had undetectable level of unsaturated fatty acids. The highest cholesterol content of 30.61 mg/100g was detected in the thigh muscles of chicken with 100% sorghum inclusion. The vitamin E content in the thigh meat of chicken subjected to diets high on maize content were significantly higher (P ≤ 0.01) than those fed on high sorghum diets. Meat from chicken fed on high low tannin sorghum meals had significantly lower (P ≤ 0.01) cholesterol content of 8.63 to 3.44 mg/100g compared to 20.10 mg/100g from diets high on maize. The present study shows that partial substitution of maize with low tannin sorghum can improve the nutritional value of broiler meat. • Chicken fed on low tannin sorghum and maize diets as the key sources of energy and meat samples collected after 8 weeks of feeding. • Cholesterol deposits higher in high maize diets. • Deposition of Vitamin E and A not affected by diet in breast meat. • Deposition of Vitamin E affected by diet on thigh meat. • Cholesterol deposition in muscles affected by levels of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids.