Terms Of Palatability Research Articles

A comparison of tall fescue and orchardgrass silages for lactating cows

The feeding value of tall fescue silage (Festuca arundinacea schreb.) harvested at the boot stage of maturity with a crude protein (CP) content of 15.4% was compared to that of orchardgrass silage (Dactylis glomerata) harvested at the same stage of maturity with a CP content of 12.5%. Two feeding trials with lactating cows were used in this comparison. The first trial employed 10 cows in a 2 × 2 Latin- square, with treatment period 35 d in length. In the second experiment five cows were used in a preference trial where individual feed intakes, duration of feeding, and rate of forage consumption were monitored electronically for a period of 9 d.In the first trial, the cows consumed more tall fescue than orchardgrass silage (P < 0.05) (14.08 vs. 12.90 kg d−1 dry matter (DM)) but there were no differences between cows fed the two silages in milk yield (30.4 vs. 29.8 kg d−1) or milk compositon. Source of silage did not influence rumen fluid pH, molar percent of volatile fatty acids or plasma glucose; however, plasma urea-N levels were significantly higher (P < 0.05) (17.00 vs. 15.14 mg dL−1) when cows were fed tall fescue silage compared with when they were fed orchardgrass silage. In the preference trial employing electronically monitored forage feeding gates, all five cows demonstrated a preference for the tall fescue silage consuming a daily average of 9.83 kg DM for tall fescue compared with 3.73 kg for orchardgrass silage. Cows spent more time (P < 0.05) (68.3 vs. 14.1 min−1) and ate faster (69.6 vs. 54.0 g DM min−1) from the gates offering tall fescue silage compared with the gates offering orchardgrass silage. From the results of these two trials it was concluded that tall fescue silage was comparable to orchardgrass in supporting milk production and superior to orchardgrass in terms of palatability. Key words: Tall fescue, silage preference, lactating cows

The Search for an Optimized Treatment of Hypoglycemia

Recommendations for the treatment of insulin reactions are based more on habit than data. We investigated the efficacy in correcting blood glucose levels and alleviating clinical symptoms of hypoglycemia of seven orally administered carbohydrates--glucose in solution, tablets, and gel; sucrose in solution and tablets; a hydrolized polysaccharide solution; and orange juice--each of which provided 15 g of carbohydrate. Forty-one type I diabetic patients recently treated with insulin agreed to submit to artificially induced hypoglycemia by an intravenous injection of insulin. Corrective therapy was given when patients experienced symptoms and asked for treatment. Mean blood glucose levels 10 minutes after ingestion were found to be similar whether correction was dispensed with the tablets and the solutions of glucose, those of sucrose, or the polysaccharide preparation. However, almost no increment was obtained at this time point with the gel or the fruit juice. Fifteen and 20 minutes after carbohydrate intake, blood glucose levels were higher with the tablet forms than with the solutions, although differences only became signifiant for sucrose. Glycemic responses were again consistently lower with the sucrose gel and the orange juice. Clinical symptoms were alleviated in 14.0 +/- 0.8 minutes (mean +/- SEM) with sucrose and glucose in solution or tablets. We conclude that in moderately severe hypoglycemia, ingestion of 15 g of carbohydrate in the form of glucose or sucrose tablets or as a solution provides an effective therapy; both sugars seem equivalent. Even if sucrose lumps are better recommended in terms of cost and availability, they may not be recommendable in terms of palatability. Glucose gel or orange juice cannot be recommended, at least in light of our experimental procedure and at the dosage used therein.

The search for an optimized treatment of hypoglycemia. Carbohydrates in tablets, solutin, or gel for the correction of insulin reactions

Recommendations for the treatment of insulin reactions are based more on habit than data. We investigated the efficacy in correcting blood glucose levels and alleviating clinical symptoms of hypoglycemia of seven orally administered carbohydrates--glucose in solution, tablets, and gel; sucrose in solution and tablets; a hydrolized polysaccharide solution; and orange juice--each of which provided 15 g of carbohydrate. Forty-one type I diabetic patients recently treated with insulin agreed to submit to artificially induced hypoglycemia by an intravenous injection of insulin. Corrective therapy was given when patients experienced symptoms and asked for treatment. Mean blood glucose levels 10 minutes after ingestion were found to be similar whether correction was dispensed with the tablets and the solutions of glucose, those of sucrose, or the polysaccharide preparation. However, almost no increment was obtained at this time point with the gel or the fruit juice. Fifteen and 20 minutes after carbohydrate intake, blood glucose levels were higher with the tablet forms than with the solutions, although differences only became signifiant for sucrose. Glycemic responses were again consistently lower with the sucrose gel and the orange juice. Clinical symptoms were alleviated in 14.0 +/- 0.8 minutes (mean +/- SEM) with sucrose and glucose in solution or tablets. We conclude that in moderately severe hypoglycemia, ingestion of 15 g of carbohydrate in the form of glucose or sucrose tablets or as a solution provides an effective therapy; both sugars seem equivalent. Even if sucrose lumps are better recommended in terms of cost and availability, they may not be recommendable in terms of palatability. Glucose gel or orange juice cannot be recommended, at least in light of our experimental procedure and at the dosage used therein.