Animal Science Journal最新文献

This study aimed to evaluate the inclusion of insect larvae meal (Tenebrio molitor) on the apparent total digestibility of dry matter (DM), gross energy (GE), ether extract (EE), crude protein (CP), neutral and acid detergent fiber (NDF and FDA), and the apparent and standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids (Exp.1) and to evaluate the inclusion of insect meal with iron and manganese supplementation on growth performance and serum hemoglobin concentration by collecting blood (day zero), on the 14th and 32nd days of the experiment (Exp.2). The standardized ileal digestibility values for amino acids and crude protein of insect meal were similar to those found for soybean meal, with high metabolizable energy values (Exp.1), and there was no difference in performance for any of the variables analyzed (p ≥ 0.05) in any of the periods (Exp.2). For serum hemoglobin values, there was no interaction (p ≥ 0.05) between the treatments used and the collection days; however, hemoglobin values increased (p < 0.05) at each collection time. It can therefore be concluded that insect meal for pigs can be considered an alternative ingredient to soybean meal as a source of protein in piglet nutrition due to high digestibility of amino acids without deleterious effect on productive performance.

We evaluated the effect of dietary substituting corn silage (CS) for alfalfa hay (AH) on feed intake, lactation performance, and energy utilization efficiency of crossbred Hu ewes. In a completely randomized experiment, 12 lactating crossbred ewes (3 ± 1.5 DIM) were fed one of three isoenergetic diets with forage-to-concentrate ratio of 70:30. The three experimental diets (CON, CS1, and CS2) were formulated by replacing AH with different levels of CS (0%, 30%, and 60%, respectively). Energy balance was determined through a metabolism and respiration trial. We observed identical trends for feed intake and gross energy intake (GEI); the GEI ranged from 0.97 to 1.34 (MJ/kg BW^0.75 day) among the treatments. Around 26%–33% of the GEI was lost as feces, 56%–60% for heat production, 14%–16% for milk production, 5%–6% for methane emission, and 3% for urinary energy. The metabolizable energy requirement for maintenance of crossbred Hu ewe was estimated to be 484.7 kJ/kg body weight^0.75/day. Furthermore, the energy digestibility and metabolizability of the CS diets were significantly greater than those of the CON diet. Substituting AH for up to 60% CS increased energy utilization efficiency without detrimental effects on milk production in crossbred Hu ewes fed a forage-based diet.

In vitro maturation (IVM) produces offspring from domestic animals; however, the blastocyst rate after IVM was low. We previously reported that the developmental competence of oocytes derived from follicles with blood vessels absent on the surface (non-vascularized follicles: NVF) is quite low compared to those derived from follicles with blood vessels present on the surface (vascularized follicles: VF). Thus, it is important to develop technique to improve the quality of NVF-derived oocyte by IVM. Since it has been reported that reactive oxygen species (ROS) reduces oocyte quality, in this study, we investigated whether curcumin that is known as antioxidant could improve oocyte quality derived from NVF. As results, cultivation of NVF Cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs) with curcumin significantly improved cumulus expansion and oocyte meiotic maturation of NVF COCs compared to those of NVF COCs without curcumin. Cultivation with curcumin of NVF COCs significantly improved the proliferative activity of cumulus cells. Furthermore, the cultivation significantly reduced ROS activity and increased mitochondrial activity. Hence, it was revealed that the addition of curcumin to the maturation medium increased mitochondrial activity and reduced ROS levels in NVF-derived cumulus cells and oocytes, thereby improving the maturation of oocytes within COCs.

A trial was conducted to research the impact of reducing dietary crude protein (CP) levels from 14.8% to 12.6% in the finishing diet (90–120 kg of body weight) of lean pigs, with an essential AA supply (8.8 g Lys, 2.1 g Met, 6.7 g Thr, 5.5 g Ile, and 6.7 g Val, per kilogram of feed) in intact males and females under commercial setting. The productive performances and nitrogen (N) balance, blood markers related to protein metabolism, apparent digestibility of nutrients, carcass, and meat quality were evaluated. This dietary CP restriction did not impair the growth performances, decreased the N excretion, and did not affect the apparent digestibility of most nutrients, except phosphorus digestibility, which was reduced in the low-CP diet. The responses to this dietary CP restriction were independent of sex, except the serum urea concentration and total proteins, which were only steadily reduced in intact males fed the low-CP diet. The low-CP diet reduced the nutritional pork quality by increasing the moisture content, although the technological characteristics of meat were not affected. Further studies are required to improve the sex-tailored feeding strategies for high-conformed lean pigs in an environmentally friendly context.

This study evaluated carcass weight and physicochemical properties of loin and leg meat parts of Saanen castrated goats (n = 4) reared by grazing for 5 months in an abandoned rice field with concentrate supplements, comparing with meat of goats (n = 4) reared by confined feeding with grass silage and concentrate. Carcass and meat part weights of goats in the grazing group were lower (p < 0.01) than confined group. Shear force and cooking loss of meat showed no differences between the feeding groups. For meat color, L* value of loin meat tended to be lower (p < 0.15) for the grazing group compared with the confined group. Moisture content tended to be higher, but fat content tended to be lower (p < 0.15) in loin meat for the grazing group. Carnosine and alanine contents in loin meat were higher (p < 0.05) for the grazing group. Polyunsaturated fatty acid composition in meat was higher (p < 0.05), whereas monounsaturated fatty acid composition was lower (p < 0.05) for the grazing group. Phytanic acid content in both meat parts showed higher value (p < 0.05) for the grazing group. These results indicate that goat meat produced by grazing system in an abandoned rice field contains beneficial compounds for human health.