Animal Feed Science and Technology最新文献

Understanding the rumen epithelial (RE) microbial community structure and population dynamics of young ruminant during development is fundamental in promoting the establishment of a well-developed rumen for animal health and production. In this study, 10-day-old Hu lambs were fed with milk replacer (B-10), milk replacer and starter (STA) or milk replacer and starter supplemented with alfalfa (S-ALF). The RE bacteria of lambs at d10, 17, 24, 38, 45 and 66 were assessed to characterize RE bacterial colonization during early life and its response to fiber intervention. In B-10 lambs, 434 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) belonging to 57 core genera were observed in the RE. A number of the fibrolytic bacteria (Butyrivibrio and unclassified Ruminococcaceae), the pectinolytic bacterium (Treponema), the protein and fat digester (p-75-a5), the short-chain fatty acids producers ([Eubacterium], Succiniclasticum, unclassified Succinivibrionaceae, and Clostridiales), and the non-fermentive bacterium (Mogibacterium) were induced by alfalfa intervention in the S-ALF group during preweaning period, which attributed to a more mature RE bacterial community. OTUs belonging to Butyrivibrio, Succiniclasticum, Bacteroidales, Desulfovibrio, Clostridiales, and Succiniclasticum induced by alfalfa intervention were positively correlated with rumen tissue genes involved in fatty acid metabolism, barrier function, and PI3K-Akt, FoxO, and calcium signaling pathways. During the postweaning period, the RE bacterial composition of STA group changed significantly, while the S-ALF group did not. Our results suggested that alfalfa induced changes in RE bacteria during preweaning period which was associated with rumen health. The findings provide guidance for improving rumen health by manipulating RE bacteria during early life.

The effects of infra-red beak treatment (IRBT) at hatch and the inclusion of oat hulls (OH) in the diet on growth performance, water intake (WI), preference behaviour for coarse particles and the development of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), was studied in brown-egg pullets from 1 to 35 days of age. The experimental design was completely randomized with 4 treatments arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial with beak treatment (IRBT vs. sham) and OH inclusion (0 vs. 30 g/kg diet) as main effects. Each treatment was replicated 20 times and the experimental unit was a cage with 10 pullets. Growth performance and water intake were determined by week and cumulatively. Preference behaviour for coarse particles and the development of selected organs of the GIT, were determined at 28 and 35 days of age, respectively. No interactions between IRBT and OH inclusion were detected for any of the traits studied at any age, and therefore, only main effects are discussed. Cumulatively (1–35 days of age), IRBT increased mortality (P<0.01) and reduced feed consumption (P<0.001), body weight (BW) gain (P < 0.01) and water intake (P < 0.001), but improved feed conversion (P < 0.001) of the pullets. Oat hulls inclusion did not affect BW gain, BW uniformity or energy conversion ratio, but reduced pullet mortality (P = 0.099) and water to feed ratio (P < 0.05). The interactions detected between age and IRBT on pullet performance were numerous. From 1–21 days of age, BW gain was better for the sham than for the IRBT pullets but an opposite effect was observed from 29 to 35 days of age (P < 0.01). Similarly, from 1 to 28 days of age, BW uniformity and WI were higher for the sham than for the IRBT pullets but no differences were detected from 29 to 35 days of age. Preference behaviour for coarse particles, measured at 28 days of age, was greater for the sham than for the IRBT pullets (P < 0.001). In summary, infra-red beak treatment increased mortality from 1 to 7 days of age and reduced pullet performance from 1 to 28 days of age but not thereafter. Young pullets show a clear preference to consume coarse particles. Oat hulls inclusion increased feed intake and decreased mortality and water to feed ratio of the pullets but did not affect energy efficiency or the development of the gastrointestinal tract.

The aquaculture industry in Mexico is searching for food ingredients that increase productivity without negatively affecting overall performance and health. Bovine plasma has been shown to contain a high concentration of bioactive compounds and growth factors that improve intestinal function and nutrient absorption. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effects of spray-dried bovine plasma (SDBP) on growth performance, protein efficiency, immune system, and survival in white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei). Four diets were formulated to contain 0%, 1.5%, 3%, and 6% SDBP in isoproteic and isolipidic diets. Then, 120 juveniles of L. vannamei (4.02 ± 0.03) were randomly distributed in 12 ponds of 500-L with filtered seawater under a recirculation system (RAS). The diets were randomly distributed among the experimental tanks, with three ponds assigned per experimental diet. The feed was offered three times a day for eight weeks. At the end of the experiment, shrimp fed the diet with 3% SDBP had significantly (p < 0.05) improved overall performance compared to the other dietary treatments. Also, diets enriched with SDBP presented a significant increase (p < 0.05) of hemocytes compared to the dietary treatment SDBP-0, with a positive correlation between the number of hemocytes and increasing SDBP content. Furthermore, diets with 3% and 6% SDBP had the highest survival rate (90.0% and 93.3%, respectively). In conclusion, SDBP added at 3% in shrimp diets resulted in improved growth, survival, and hemocyte count. Therefore, SDBP is an excellent alternative to maintaining healthy shrimp.

Ruminant production is an important source of animal proteins for human nutrition. However, ruminants contribute to about 30% of anthropogenic methane (CH₄) emissions worldwide. The reduction of CH₄ emissions could represent an important strategy against climate warming. Tannins can play an important role in the mitigation of CH₄ emissions from ruminants. However, their mode of action is not yet well known. Thus, the present study aimed to gain a better understanding of the effect of ellagic acid (EA) and gallic acid (GA) on rumen fermentation using a model of short-term in vitro rumen fermentation. The basal diet (hay) was supplemented with EA and GA in five treatments (mg/g dry matter): i) EA 75, ii) EA 150, iii) GA 75, iv) GA 150 and v) EA 75 + GA 75. After a 24 h incubation, pH, ammonia formation, gas production, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) and the microbial count were assessed. Total gas production and digestible organic matter (dOM) were decreased after all the treatments, except for GA 75. The treatments EA 150 and EA+GA significantly decreased CH₄ production per unit of dietary DM, dOM, CO₂ and SCFA. Ammonia production was significantly decreased by EA 150 and EA+GA. EA and GA differently affected the relative abundance of selected bacterial taxa in rumen microbiota. To conclude, EA 150 and EA+GA exerted a significant effect on the reduction of CH₄ emissions and ammonia formation, but affecting also the rumen degradability of the diet and the total SCFA production, whereas EA 75 and GA 75 were not effective as EA 150 and EA+GA on CH₄ and ammonia, but were less detrimental on feed degradability and SCFA. Further studies are needed to determine whether the beneficial and detrimental effects of tannins on rumen fermentation can be dissociated.

The objectives of the present study were to develop prediction equations for digestible energy (DE), metabolizable energy (ME), and coefficient of energy digestibility (ED) of swine diets using fecal nutrients as independent variables without dietary information and to validate the prediction equations. A total of 262 fecal samples obtained from growing pigs fed 27 diets in 4 experiments were used to develop prediction equations for DE, ME, and ED. These equations were validated using 95 fecal samples obtained from growing pigs fed 12 diets in an additional experiment. The diets were based mainly on corn, soybean meal, and other plant-originated feed ingredients. In the digestibility experiments, feces and urine were quantitatively collected using the marker-to-marker procedure. Diet and fecal samples were analyzed for dry matter (DM), crude protein, ash, and amylase-treated neutral detergent fiber (aNDF). The DE of the 27 diets ranged from 12,164 to 18,301 kJ/kg DM and ME of 24 diets ranged from 11,603 to 16,657 kJ/kg DM. Coefficients of ED for the 27 diets ranged from 0.667 to 0.919. Fecal ash was positively correlated with DE (r = 0.81; P < 0.001), ME (r = 0.66; P < 0.001), and coefficient of ED (r = 0.67; P < 0.001) whereas fecal aNDF was negatively correlated with DE (r = –0.66; P < 0.001), ME (r = –0.74; P < 0.001), and coefficient of ED (r = –0.67; P < 0.001). The prediction equations developed using fecal nutrients were: DE (kJ/kg DM) = 15,077 + (13.72 × ash) – (4.65 × aNDF) (R² = 0.71; P < 0.001); ME (kJ/kg DM) = 17,067 + (6.54 × ash) – (7.56 × aNDF) (R² = 0.63; P < 0.001); and coefficient of ED = 0.881 + (0.00037 × ash) – (0.00028 × aNDF) (R² = 0.57; P < 0.001) where nutrients are expressed as g/kg DM. Based on the regression analysis for validation of the equations, the prediction equations for DE and coefficient of ED using only fecal aNDF did not have mean bias or linear bias. In conclusion, DE values, ME values, and coefficient of ED for swine diets are correlated with fecal ash and aNDF concentrations and the energy values can be predicted using fecal ash and aNDF concentrations without dietary information.

This experiment evaluated the potential benefits of grape seed extract (GSE) supplementation on digestive enzyme activity, gastrointestinal morphology and barrier function of weaned beef calves. A total of 30 Simmental crossbred male calves with similar age (68 ± 6 d) and body weight (83.47 ± 4.59 kg) were randomly assigned to 2 groups: control (CON) (fed basal diet) and GSE (fed basal diet and 4 g/d GSE per animal). The experimental period was 60 d. Compared with CON group, the serum diamine oxidase and lipopolysaccharide concentrations in GSE group were reduced (P < 0.05), while the activity of ruminal cellulase and ileal trypsin and chymotrypsin displayed an opposite pattern (P < 0.05) between the groups. The ruminal papilla height and surface area of GSE group were higher (P < 0.05) than those of CON group. A similar pattern of ileal villus surface area and villus-to-crypt ratio was observed between the groups. Also, GSE supplementation increased (P < 0.05) the secretory immunoglobulin A content in the jejunum and ileum. The rumen, jejunum and ileum of GSE calves displayed lower (P < 0.05) tumor necrosis factor-alpha and higher (P < 0.05) interleukin-10 mRNA expressions. Calves supplemented with GSE increased (P < 0.05) the expressions of occludin and zonula occludens-1 in the rumen and ileum. The findings in this study suggested that GSE improved the gastrointestinal development of weaned beef calves.