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Abstract This study aimed to reveal the effect of traditional Chinese herbal medicine residues (TCHMR) on growth performance, hematology, ruminal microbiota, and economic benefits of Guizhou black male goats through the fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) diet technique. A total of 22 Guizhou black male goats with an initial weight of 21.77 ± 0.85 kg were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 11), with 11 goats in each group. The control group (CON) was fed a traditional total mixed ration (TMR) diet without the TCHMR. The TCHMR group was fed an FTMR diet containing 40%TCHMR. Compared with the CON group, the results showed that the incorporation of TCHMR into goat diets reduced feeding costs and Feed conversion ratio (FCR). On the contrary, it improved (P

This study aimed to reveal the effect of traditional Chinese herbal medicine residues (TCHMR) on growth performance, hematology, ruminal microbiota, and economic benefits of Guizhou black male goats through the fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) diet technique. A total of 22 Guizhou black male goats with an initial weight of 21.77 ± 0.85 kg were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 11), with 11 goats in each group. The control group (CON) was fed a traditional total mixed ration (TMR) diet without the TCHMR. The TCHMR group was fed an FTMR diet containing 40%TCHMR. Compared with the CON group, the results showed that the incorporation of TCHMR into goat diets reduced feeding costs and Feed conversion ratio (FCR). On the contrary, it improved (P < 0.01) feed quality, apparent digestibility of Dry matter (DM), Crude Protein (CP), Neutral detergent fiber (NDF), average daily gain (ADG), and dry matter intake. Interestingly, TCHMR also reduced (P < 0.01) acetate levels in the rumen of goats. Supplementally, TCHMR significantly increased (P < 0.01) the levels of GH, IgM, IgA (p < 0.05), and IFN-γ (P < 0.05), while significantly reducing (P < 0.01) the levels of IL-6, ALT, and AST in serum. Notably, at the phylum level, TCHMR significantly reduced (P < 0.01) the abundance of Bacteroidota and increased (P < 0.01) the abundance of Firmicutes. Moreover. at the genus level, TCHMR significantly reduced (P < 0.01) the abundance of Prevotella, F082, and Bacteroidales_RF16_group, while Muribaculaceae, Proteus, Lachnospiraceae_ND3007_group, and Ruminococcus were increased (P < 0.01). In conclusion, our current findings indicated that 40% TCHMR improved feed quality and the apparent digestibility of nutrients. Additionally, 40% TCHMR improved the growth performance and immunity of Guizhou black male goats, while also reorganizing the composition of ruminal microbiota. So far, under the conditions of this experiment, we have not found any negative effects of 40% TCHMR on goats. This study will be a new idea for developing feed resources, which will reduce environmental pollution and the cost of animal husbandry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Pleurotus ostreatus spent mushroom substrate has high production but low utilization, and it is rarely fed to ruminants. This study evaluated the effects of the substrate on feed utilization and liver serum indices from the perspective of duodenal microorganisms. The results showed that the substrate had a complex effect on apparent digestibility, with the highest digestibility observed at the 10% replacement level. The addition of the substrate also influenced serum alanine aminotransferase levels. Although it did not affect the richness and diversity of duodenal microorganisms, the substrate was susceptible to contamination by Trichoderma, which could alter the intestinal microbiota structure. In conclusion, Pleurotus ostreatus spent mushroom substrate can be used in ruminant feeding, but its proportion should be controlled, with the optimal replacement level identified as 10% in this study. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of Pleurotus ostreatus spent mushroom substrate (P.SMS), which is characterized by high production but low utilization, on feed utilization and liver serum indices from the perspective of duodenal microorganisms. Forty-five 3-month-old Hu sheep were randomly assigned to five groups and fed diets in which whole-plant corn silage (WPCS) was substituted with P.SMS at levels of 0% (Con), 5% (PSMS5), 10% (PSMS10), 15% (PSMS15), or 20% (PSMS20). The results indicated that the addition of P.SMS complexly influenced the apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, and crude protein, with PSMS10 showing the highest digestibility of these nutrients. P.SMS inclusion significantly affected serum alanine aminotransferase levels, with PSMS5 showing higher levels than both the Con and PSMS20 groups (p < 0.05). Importantly, the inclusion of P.SMS did not affect the richness and diversity of duodenal microorganisms. Significant differences in the phyla Verrucomicrobiota and Spirochaetota were observed between the Con and PSMS20 groups. The observed trend towards an increase in the genus Trichoderma (p = 0.057) suggests that P.SMS is susceptible to contamination by this genus, which in turn affects the structure of the intestinal flora. Furthermore, functional gene predictions indicated differences in amino acid metabolism among the groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, feeding with 10% P.SMS resulted in the highest digestibility without adversely affecting the structure of the duodenal community or liver function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research utilized Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to analyze and discuss the molecular structure of pig diets, aiming to provide new insights into the application of fermented feeds in livestock and poultry production. Moreover, the impacts of the fermented diet on growth performance, apparent digestibility, blood biochemical indices, and fecal microorganisms at different stages of pig fattening were also explored. Forty-eight pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Large white three-way hybrid) with a mean body weight of 16.55 ± 3.88 kg were randomly divided into three groups with four replicates per group and four pigs per replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet. The pigs in the fermented diet group (T1) were fed Pediococcus acidilactici (PA), Lactobacillus reuteri (LR), and Bacillus velezensis (BS) (ratio of 1:1:1) at a 6% inoculation dose. The pigs in the cooperative fermentation group (T2) were fed 6% PA, LR, BS, and a 0.2% compound enzyme preparation. The T1 and T2 diets were fermented with 45% water at 33 °C for 48 h. The pre-feeding period lasted 7 days, and the experimental period lasted 84 days. The experimental results showed that the bacterial enzyme cooperation fermentation process significantly increased the contents of crude protein, calcium, and phosphorus in the diet; increased the area of amide Ⅰ region; increased the apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber and phosphorus; significantly increased average daily gain; and decreased the feed-to-gain ratio in the late fattening and growth period. During the whole experiment, the serum concentrations of total protein and immunoglobulin A were significantly increased, the serum concentrations of superoxide dismutase and glucose were decreased, and the diversity and richness of fecal microorganisms were increased. These results show that the bacterial enzyme cooperative fermentation diet can improve the apparent digestibility of nutrients and improve overall health by increasing the area of amide Ⅰ region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A digestibility trial was conducted with twenty growing male, castrated pigs (German Landrace) to determine the apparent digestibility of the crude nutrients of hot-air dried lucerne plant tips (LTH, crude protein (CP): 274 g/kg dry matter [DM]), lucerne plant tips silage (LTS, CP: 275 g/kg DM) and lucerne whole plant silage (LS, CP: 222 g/kg DM). The lucerne plant tips (LT) were defined as the upper 40% of the total above-ground plant, harvested using a special harvesting technique. The total faecal matter was collected in metabolic cages over five days. Digestibility values were calculated from the difference between nutrient intake and faecal output. The highest organic matter digestibility (OMD) and CP digestibility (CPD) were observed for LTS (69.5% OMD, 68.8% CPD), followed by LTH (64.4% OMD, 60.0% CPD) and LS (56.5% OMD, 52.9% CPD). The LT are a valuable protein source for pigs irrespective of the conservation method employed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the global population growth and shortage of food, the competition between humans and animal for food will become increasingly fierce. Therefore, the development of unconventional energy feed cassava feed is of great significance. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of cassava root meal (CRM) on the growth performance, apparent digestibility, and organ and intestinal indices of broiler chickens. A total of 140 one-day-old chicks were randomly assigned to four dietary treatment groups [control diet (CT), 15% CRM (CRM15), 30% CRM (CRM30), and 45% CRM (CRM45)] with five replicates of seven birds per replicate. The results showed that the body weight of broiler chickens fed diets containing CRM were significantly lower than that in the CT group at 21 and 42 days of age, the average daily gain and average daily feed intake in the CRM group were significantly lower than those in the CT group from 1 to 21 days of age. However, from days 22 to 42, there were no significant differences between CRM15 and CT birds regarding average daily gain and average daily feed intake. but there was no difference in feed conversion rate between the CRM15 and CT groups. At 42 days of age, there were no significant differences between CRM15 and CT birds in in body measurements, the slaughter performance and the percentage of semi-eviscerated yield. The addition of CRM reduced the proportion of breast and thigh muscles during the feeding period, although we detected no significant difference between CRM15 and CT regarding the apparent digestibility of nutrients. Collectively, our findings indicate that 15% cassava was the optimal proportion for supplementing diets for broiler chicken production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Feed nutrition is one of the important factors for their health status in the breeding of captive Asian elephants (Elephas maximus), but there are few studies on the feed and digestibility of Asian elephants. Therefore, we selected five adult Asian elephants in captivity in Beijing Zoo to analyze the nutrient content of their winter diet, and determine apparent nutrient digestibility. The results showed that: the apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, crude fat, calcium and phosphorus were (51. 0 ± 2. 7)%, (67. 2 ± 2. 4)%, (48. 7 ± 2. 9)%, (57. 6 ± 3. 3)%, (48. 3 ± 8. 5)%，(61. 8 ± 6. 0)%， respectively. The experiment provided theoretical data of feed formulation and nutrient digestibility for captive Asian elephants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to study the effects of corn stalk silage with different energy levels on apparent digestibility, serum biochemical indexes, slaughter performance and meat quality of Jia county red bull. Sixty healthy Jia county red bulls (half male and half female) with similar body weight and month age were selected and divided into three treatment groups: A (low energy group), B (middle energy group) and C (high energy group) according to the single factor random block design, with 20 replicates in each group and 1 cow in each replicate. The experiment is divided into 7 d pre-trial period and 120 d positive trial period, in which the positive trial period includes three stages: the early 40 d, the middle 40 d and the end 40 d.The crude protein (CP) level of group A, B and C was 12.0%, and the average comprehensive net energy (NEmf) was 6.46, 6.37 and 6.47 MJ/kg, respectively. In the middle stage, the dietary CP levels in groups A, B and C were all 11.58%, and the average NEmf was 6.58, 6.64 and 6.62 MJ/kg, respectively. At the end of the period, the dietary CP levels in groups A, B and C were all 11.02%, and the average NEmf was 6.73, 6.83 and 6.93 MJ/kg respectively. The results showed that the average daily gain and dry matter intake of group B were the highest, which were significantly higher than those of group C (P<0.05), and the feed-to-weight ratio was the lowest, but there was no significant difference between the groups. The crude fat, crude protein, acidic detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, calcium and total phosphorus in group B were the highest, and there was no significant difference between groups. Cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol and high density lipoprotein cholesterol in group C were significantly higher than those in group A (P<0.05). Slaughter rate, carcass meat yield, eye muscle area and back fat thickness increased with the increase of energy level, and there was no significant difference between groups. The back label thickness of group C was significantly higher than that of group A (P<0.05). Energy level has no significant effect on pH, cooking loss, water loss rate, shear force and meat color, and the increase of energy level has a tendency to improve beef quality. The economic benefit of weight gain was the highest in group B. The results showed that appropriate dietary energy level could improve the production performance, meat quality and economic benefits of Jia county red bull. In this study, group B with medium energy has the best effect on production performance, apparent digestibility of nutrients, serum biochemical indexes and meat quality of Jia county red bull, and the economic benefit of breeding is the highest. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This experiment was designed to investigate the effects of cold season supplementation with different nutrient level diets on the production performance and apparent digestibility of nutrients and economic benefits of Tianzhu white yaks. Ten Tianzhu white yak bulls of 0.5, 2.5 and 4.5 years of age in good condition were selected and randomly divided into high nutritional level group (group H) and low nutritional level group (group L) for feeding, with 5 bulls in each group. The integrated net energy of feed (NEmf) of group H and group L were 97.84 MJ/kg and 81.54 MJ/kg, respectively, with a pre-feeding period of 15 d, and a positive test period of 90 d. The results showed that: daily weight gain, carcass weight, and slaughter rate of yaks at the three age between the two groups showed no significant differences (P>0.05), and the feed-to-weight ratio of the three age groups of group H was lower than that of group L yak. The apparent digestibility of dry matter and acid detergent fiber of group H at 0.5 years of age was extremely or significantly lower than that of group L (P<0.01 or P<0.05), and that the digestibility of dry matter and acid detergent fiber nutrients of group H at 2.5 years of age was significantly lower than that of group L (P<0.05), and the apparent digestibility of crude protein in group H at 4.5 years of age was highly significantly higher than that of group L, while the apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber was lower than that of group L (P<0.01). The apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and neutral detergent fiber of yaks in groups H and L at different ages increased significantly with age (P<0.01 or P<0.05). The profit of group L was higher than that of group H in all three age groups when yaks were fed with equal amounts of diets. The results showed that 35∶65 of ratio of dietary concentrate to crude in the cold season could significantly improve the production performance and economic benefits of Tianzhu white yaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study were conducted to determine the effect of different levels of flaxseed, whole and ground (8 and 15%), in late pregnancy on the performance of ewes. 30 Karakul ewes (ages between 2 and 2.5 years old, mean weight of 55±2.5 kg) were used in a completely randomised design with five treatments and six replicates. Treatments include: 1) control diet, a diet without flaxseed; 2) a diet containing 8% whole flaxseed (WFS-L); 3) a diet containing 15% whole flaxseed (WFS-H); 4) a diet containing 8% ground flaxseed (GFS-L); and 5) a diet containing 15% ground flaxseed (GFS-H). The addition of flaxseed (whole and ground) had no significant effect on dry matter intakes or body weight changes in ewes and lambs (P>0.05), but in comparison, crude protein and ether extract digestibility was significantly (P<0.05) higher in ewes fed whole and ground flaxseed compared to those fed the control diet. The yield and composition of colostrum were not affected by experimental treatments (P>0.05), except for colostrum protein, which increased by using treatments with whole flaxseed (P<0.05). Glucose and cholesterol in blood plasma were significantly increased in ewes fed whole and ground flaxseed compared to the control treatment. (P<0.05), and the highest blood glucose and cholesterol levels were observed in the treatment of 15% whole flaxseed. The research showed that whole flaxseed (15%) can be added to sheep's diets, and it can be concluded that processing flaxseed for ewes in late pregnancy might not be necessary to improve performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim was to study the effects of different levels of Chinese herbal medicine (mainly supplementing spleen) additives on growth performance, nutrient apparent digestibility and economic benefits of Simmental beef cattle. Forty Simmental cattle aged 12 months with an average body weight of (275.15± 3.50) kg were randomly divided into 4 groups with 10 replicates per group and 1 cattle per replicate. There was no significant difference in body weight between the groups. The cattle in the control group (CON group) were fed a basal diet, and the cattle in trial groups 1, 2 and 3 were fed additional 100, 150 g/(head·d) and 200 g/(head·d) of Chinese herbal medicine additive. The pretrial period lasted for 5 days and the experimental period lasted for 60 days. The results showed as follows: ①compared with the CON group, the average daily gain (ADG) of trial groups 1, 2 and 3 was increased by 39.71%, 22.06% and 17.65%, respectively (P>0.05); the ratio of feed to gain (F/G) in trial groups 1, 2 and 3 was decreased by 23.23%, 18.04%, 14.35% (P>0.05). ② Compared to the CON group, the apparent digestibility of NDF and ADF in each experimental group significantly increased (P<0.01), with the highest increase seen in experimental group 1, with increases of 0.96% and 2.79% respectively. The apparent digestibility of CP in experimental groups 1 and 2 significantly increased (P<0.01), with the highest increase observed in experimental group 1, with an increase of 2.85%. The apparent digestibility of EE in experimental groups 1 and 2 also significantly increased (P<0.05), with the highest increase seen in experimental group 1, with a 4.44% increase. There were no significant differences in CF, OM, and DM content among the groups (P> 0.05). ③ The total weight gain in trial group 1 was the highest, and the net profit was increased by 28.37% compared with CON group (P<0.05). Under the conditions of this experiment, the suitable amount of Chinese herbal additives is 100 g/(head·d), which can improve the average daily gain of Sim‐ mental cattle, reduce the ratio of feed to gain, improve the apparent digestibility of main nutrients, and increase the breeding efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objectives: In recent years, due to human concerns about the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria strain, especial attention has been paid to plant essential oil and extracts as replacer for growth promoter antibiotics. The results of in vitro studies have shown that essential oils and their constituents have the potential to alter ruminal fermentation and improve energy utilization in ruminants. One of the plants that has been recently considered is cinnamon with the scientific name of Cinnamomum verum. Therefore, this experiment was performed to investigate the effect of cinnamon essential oil on performance, nutrient digestibility and rumen fermentation in feedlot lambs. Material and methods: This experiment was carried out in a repeated measurement design (three one-month periods) with four treatments in a completely randomized design with using 20 Kurdish male lambs (n=5, average weight of 26.15 ± 4.06 kg) in the research farm of the faculty of Agriculture at University of Kurdistan. Treatments were: 1) Basal diet without cinnamon essential oil (control), 2) Basal diet plus 0.5 ml of cinnamon essential oil per head per day, 3) Basal diet plus 1 ml of cinnamon essential oil per head per day and 4) Basal diet plus 2 ml of cinnamon essential oil. Lambs were fed 2x /d at 0730 and 1800 with the daily essential oil dose provided at the 0730 feeding. Lambs BW was recorded before the morning feeding on d 0 and again on d 24 of every period using a digital scale. To determine the amount of dry matter intake, the amount of supplied feed and its residue was measured daily for each animal during the last week of every period. Nutrients digestibility was measured by acid-insoluble ash as internal marker. On the 24th day of each period, 4h after morning feeding rumen liquid samples were taken from lambs to measure NH3-N, pH and volatile fatty acids concentration. Background and objectives: Quantitative and qualitative knowledge of unknown alternative sources of feed in animal nutrition as well as their consumption methods in the diet can be of great importance. Due to the climatic conditions and the altitude above the sea level, the northern areas of the Zagros mountain range, from Talash forests to Gorgan forests, which are home to several species of oak trees; The use of oak tree fruit due to its nutritious compounds and relying on the appropriate processing method to reduce anti-nutritional compounds and increase its digestibility, has the potential to be investigated in the discussion of feeding livestock. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different levels of oak fruit processed with sodium hydroxide and urea on performance, apparent digestibility of nutrients, quantitative and qualitative traits of the carcass and some blood parameters of Zell fattening male lambs. Materials and methods: To perform this study, 20 fattening Zell and Atabai mixed lambs with a mean age of 5.5±0.38 months and an initial weight of 27±0.4 kg were used in a completely random design for 90 days. The experimental treatments included the control group (fed with a diet without oak fruit and polyethylene glycol) and treatments containing levels of 10, 20 and 40% in the dry matter of oak fruit processed with sodium hydroxide and urea. The feed consumed by the lambs was in the form total mixed ration at the level of appetite on two occasions (at 8:00 and 17:00). The oak fruit (Quercus castaneifolia) used in this research was collected in the late summer and early autumn from oak trees of the Bolandmazo species, Mazandaran province, Sari city. Experimental animals were weighed every 14 days with 12 hours of feed deprivation. Apparent digestibility of feed nutrients was determined by acid insoluble ash method on days 85-90 of the experiment. To measure the quantitative and qualitative traits of the carcass at the end of the 90th day of the experiment and after 24 hours of the last feed weighing, 3 lambs were selected from each treatment and killed after 12 hours of feed deprivation. To determine blood parameters at the end of the experiment, 3 to 4 hours after feeding, blood was taken from the jugular vein of the lambs using vacuum tubes containing anticoagulant. Results: The results of the growth performance showed that the treatment of 40% of processed oak fruit significantly had the highest amount of dry matter intke (1.77 kg), daily weight gain (244.3 g), final weight (49.10 kg) and also the lowest feed conversion ratio (7.25) (P<0.05). The results of apparent digestibility of nutrients showed that there was a significant difference between experimental treatments in terms of apparent digestibility of crude protein and NDF (P<0.05). The highest apparent digestibility of crude protein (77.89 %) and NDF (66.27 %) was observed in the treatment of 20% and 40% of processed oak fruit, respectively. The results of some blood parameters showed that there was a significant difference in the concentration of blood glucose and urea nitrogen between the experimental treatments (P<0.05). The highest concentration of blood serum glucose (73.24 mg/dl) was observed in the treatment of 40% processed oak fruit. In blood urea nitrogen concentration, the control group had the highest concentration (37.33 mg/dl) and the 40% processed oak fruit treatment (31.04 mg/dl) had the lowest concentration. In quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the carcass, the highest slaughter weight (49.10 kg), hot carcass weight (24.66 kg), cold carcass weight (24.10 kg), Leg (34.24) and Shoulder percentage (20.66) were found in the treatment of 40% processed oak fruit and the highest carcass yield (49.66 %) was found in the treatment of 20% processed oak fruit (P<0.05). Conclusion: The general results of the present study showed that the fattening end weight, daily weight gain, dry matter intake, lowest feed conversion ratio, as well as valuable parts of the carcass in fattening lambs were improved by consuming 40% processed oak fruit treatment. Apparent digestibility of raw protein and NDF was improved by using 20% and 40% levels of processed oak fruit, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The carnivorous Yellowtail Snapper Ocyurus chrysurus has the potential for production in aquaculture. However, there is a lack of studies investigating the digestibility of ingredients needed to formulate balanced diets for this species. Methods: The in vitro protein digestibility of fish meal (FM), poultry by‐product meal (PBM), poultry meal (PM), protiblend, canola meal (CM), soybean meal, and wheat gluten was evaluated using the pH‐stat technique. The in vivo digestibility was determined by formulating test diets with a 70:30 ratio of the reference diet and the test ingredients. Result: In terms of in vitro digestibility, FM, PBM, and PM exhibited the highest degree of hydrolysis (DH). Conversely, PBM displayed the lowest apparent digestibility coefficient of protein (ADCprotein) in the in vivo digestibility test. Meanwhile, FM, PM, and CM demonstrated higher values of protein digestibility. Beta regression between ADCprotein and the DH and ash content of the ingredients resulted in a high correlation (R2 = 0.94). Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that Yellowtail Snapper efficiently digested and absorbed FM, PM, and CM ingredients, which contain a lower content of ash. Impact statementSeveral fish species are overexploited in the production of fish meal, the primary ingredient in fish feed. Therefore, the comprehensive evaluation of potential ingredient substitutes for fish meal is imperative to foster the sustainable development of aquaculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study evaluated the digestibility of whole mango (Mangifera indica) meal (WMM) and determined the growth performance, intestinal enzyme activity, and metabolic and hematologic responses of tambaqui (Colossoma macropomum) juveniles fed diets containing different proportions of corn meal (CM) substitution by WMM. Fish fed with graded levels of WMM (0 (control), 80, 160, 240, and 320 g kg diet-1), replacing part of the dietary CM. The apparent digestibility coefficients of WMM were above 96%. Diets with WMM did not affect growth performance or intestinal enzyme activity. However, they showed a positive linear effect on plasma glucose, amino acids, and albumin levels and a negative linear effect on hepatic aspartate aminotransferase activity and hepatic glycogen, plasma cholesterol, and hemoglobin levels. Increased erythrocyte values and decreased plasma triglyceride levels were verified in fish fed 80 and 160 g WMM kg diet-1. In conclusion, the WMM may be a viable alternative to the tambaqui juveniles’ diet, and WMM could replace up to 16% of CM without harming the growth and health of tambaqui juveniles.

Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of dietary nicotinic acid (NA) on apparent nutrient digestibility, rumen fermentation, and rumen microbiota in uncastrated Xiangzhong black cattle. Methods Twenty-one uncastrated Xiangzhong black cattle (385.08±15.20 kg) aged 1.5 years were randomly assigned to the control group (CL, 0 mg/kg NA in concentrate diet), NA1 group (800 mg/kg NA in concentrate diet) and NA2 group (1,200 mg/kg NA in concentrate diet). All animals were fed a 60% concentrate diet and 40% dried rice straw for a 120-day feeding experiment. Results Supplemental NA not only enhanced the apparent nutrient digestibility of acid detergent fiber (p

This research utilized Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to analyze and discuss the molecular structure of pig diets, aiming to provide new insights into the application of fermented feeds in livestock and poultry production. Moreover, the impacts of the fermented diet on growth performance, apparent digestibility, blood biochemical indices, and fecal microorganisms at different stages of pig fattening were also explored. Forty-eight pigs (Duroc × Landrace × Large white three-way hybrid) with a mean body weight of 16.55 ± 3.88 kg were randomly divided into three groups with four replicates per group and four pigs per replicate. The control group was fed a basal diet. The pigs in the fermented diet group (T1) were fed Pediococcus acidilactici (PA), Lactobacillus reuteri (LR), and Bacillus velezensis (BS) (ratio of 1:1:1) at a 6% inoculation dose. The pigs in the cooperative fermentation group (T2) were fed 6% PA, LR, BS, and a 0.2% compound enzyme preparation. The T1 and T2 diets were fermented with 45% water at 33 °C for 48 h. The pre-feeding period lasted 7 days, and the experimental period lasted 84 days. The experimental results showed that the bacterial enzyme cooperation fermentation process significantly increased the contents of crude protein, calcium, and phosphorus in the diet; increased the area of amide Ⅰ region; increased the apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber and phosphorus; significantly increased average daily gain; and decreased the feed-to-gain ratio in the late fattening and growth period. During the whole experiment, the serum concentrations of total protein and immunoglobulin A were significantly increased, the serum concentrations of superoxide dismutase and glucose were decreased, and the diversity and richness of fecal microorganisms were increased. These results show that the bacterial enzyme cooperative fermentation diet can improve the apparent digestibility of nutrients and improve overall health by increasing the area of amide Ⅰ region.

Extended Abstract Introduction and Objective: The use of agricultural by-products instead of grain seeds in livestock diets has been an important issue for scientific study. One of these products is potato waste that, if properly processed by methods such as ensiling, can replace cereal seeds such as barley in the diet, due to the proper nutritional value of this product, improving animal growth performance, reducing feed costsand prevent food from being wasting. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of replacing different levels of potato waste silage with barley on growth performance, digestibility, and rumen and blood parameters of fattening lambs. Material and Methods: In this study, 30 Zell and Afshar mixed male lambs with a mean weight of 26±2 kg and mean age of 5.5±0.4 months were used in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 5 treatments and 6 replications for 90 days. The experimental treatments included the control treatment (without potato waste silage) and the treatments containing 25, 50, 75 and 100 potato waste silage replacement of barley seeds (based on dry matter). Results: The results of performance traits showed that there was a significant difference in fattening weight, daily weight gain, dry matter intake and feed conversion ratio between experimental treatments (p

Introduction: The primary objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of Flammulina velutipes mushroom residue (FVMR) in a fermented total mixed ration (FTMR) diet on the fattening effect and rumen microorganisms in Guizhou black male goats. Methods: A total of 22 Guizhou black male goats were allocated into two groups using the Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) experimental design. The average initial weight was 22.41 ± 0.90 kg and with 11 goats in each group. The control group (group I) was fed the traditional fermentation total mixed ration (FTMR) diet without FVMR. Group II was fed the 30% FVMR in the FTMR diet. Results: The results showed that compared with group I, the addition of FVMR in the goat diet could reduce the feed cost and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of group II (p < 0.01). Notably, the apparent digestibility of crude protein (CP), acid detergent fiber (ADF), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and dry matter (DM) were higher in group II (p < 0.01). The levels of growth hormone (GH), immunoglobulin A (IgA), and immunoglobulin M (IgM) in group II were higher than that of group I (p < 0.01), which the level of glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (ALT) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) was noticeably lower than that of group I (p < 0.01). 30% FVMR in FTMR diets had no effect on rumen fermentation parameters and microbial composition at the phylum level of Guizhou black male goats (p > 0.05). However, at the genus level, the relative abundance of bacteroidal_bs11_gut_group, Christensenellaceae_R-7_group and Desulfovibrio in group II was lower than in group I (p < 0.05), and the relative abundance of Lachnospiraceae_ND3007_ group was higher than in group I (p < 0.01). Discussion: In conclusion, the results of the current study indicated that 30% FVMR in the FTMR diet improves rumen fermentation and rumen microbial composition in Guizhou black male goats, which improves growth performance, apparent digestibility, and immunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), amino acid (AA), crude lipid (CL) and total phosphorus (TP) of CAP was determined for black sea bream (Acanthopagrus schlegelii) and Jian carp (Cyprinus carpio var. Jian) in this study. The test feed consisted of 70% basal feed and 30% CAP containing 0.1% yttrium trioxide as an inert marker. Three hundred and sixty black sea bream with an average body weight of (6.03±0.09) g were divided into 2 groups with 6 replicates per group and 30 fish per replicate. One control group was fed a basal diet, while the experiment group was fed an experimental diet. One hundred and eighty Jian carp with an average body weight of (45.00±0.50) g were divided into 2 groups with 3 replicates per group and 30 fish per replicate. One control group was fed a basal diet, while the experiment group was fed an experimental diet. The results showed as follows: the apparent digestibility of DM, CP, AA, CL and TP of CAP for black sea bream were 99.89%, 100%, 95.16%-100%, 88.60% and 100%. The apparent digestibility of DM, CP, AA, CL and TP of CAP for Jian carp were 78.68%, 95.00%, 96.12%-100%, 52.26% and 100%. On the whole, apparent digestibility of crude protein and amino acids of CAP was at a high level. The results of this study indicate that CAP is a good protein source for black sea bream and Jian carp. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Objectives]The experiment of this study was conducted to investigate the characteristics of fiber tolerance(assessed by apparent fiber digestibility), intestinal development and intestinal microorganism of Suhuai finishing pigs of different months of age, and to analyze the correlation between intestinal development, fiber apparent digestibility and intestinal microorganism. [Methods]Eighty-two Suhuai finishing pigs with similar birth conditions were selected and raised in the same feeding environment. The pigs were slaughtered at 7 or 8 months of age, and the contents of posterior colon samples were collected to determine the apparent digestibility of various nutrients in posterior colon segment at different months of age. The intestinal length and circumference were measured to analyze the intestinal development differences of Suhuai finishing pigs at different months of age. The correlations between apparent digestibility and intestinal length and circumference were also analyzed. And according to the apparent digestibility of fiber in the posterior segment of colon, 5 pigs in the high fiber digestibility group and 5 pigs in the low fiber digestibility group were selected at 7 and 8 months of age to analyze the abundance of common fibrolytic bacteria in the cecum and colon contents. [Results]The apparent digestibility of crude fiber(CF), neutral detergent fiber(NDF), acid detergent fiber(ADF), crude protein(CP)and ether extract(EE)of 8 months Suhuai pigs were significantly higher than those of 7 months Suhuai pigs(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the length of large intestine, small intestine and whole intestine, cecum and colon circumference between Suhuai pigs at 7 and 8 months of age. There was a significant positive correlation between cecum circumference and apparent digestibility of CF, ADF and EE(P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the abundance of Ruminococcus albus and Clostridium leptum in cecum and colon of Suhuai pigs at 7 and 8 months of age between high and low fiber digestibility groups. The abundance of Clostridium leptum in colon of Suhuai pigs aged 7 months was significantly higher than that in cecum in both high and low fiber digestibility groups(P<0.05). The abundance of Clostridium leptum in colon of 8-month-old Suhuai pigs in low fiber digestibility group was significantly lower than that of 7-month-old Suhuai pigs(P<0.05). [Conclusions]Different months age of Suhuai pigs had different characteristics of fiber tolerance. The digestive performance of Suhuai pigs improved with age, the nutrients apparent digestibility of Suhuai pigs aged 8 months was significantly higher than that of 7 months of age, and the fiber digestibility of Suhuai pigs was significantly positively correlated with cecum circumference. But the Ruminococcus albus and Clostridium leptum in intestinal contents might not be the key microorganisms affecting the fiber digestion of Suhuai pig. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fetal infection with bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) after 150 d results in transient fetal infections (TI). Twenty-five unvaccinated, yearling Hereford heifers, seronegative for antibodies to BVDV1 and BVDV2, were bred by artificial insemination with X chromosome-bearing sperm from 1 Angus sire to examine the impact of TI on postnatal growth, estimated dry matter digestibility, blood parameters, and carcass characteristics. On day 175 of pregnancy, dams were intranasally inoculated with either sham control or 4.0 log median tissue culture infectious dose noncytopathic type2 BVDV to generate control or TI offspring, respectively. All control dams remained seronegative and all BVDV-inoculated dams seroconverted by day 14 post-inoculation. All control offspring were seronegative and all TI offspring were seropositive for antibodies to type 2 BVDV at birth. All offspring were raised on pasture until weaning. At weaning, all calves were transported to our research feedlot facility, housed in 3 pens, and transitioned to a high-energy concentrate-based diet. Heifer body weights (BW) and jugular blood samples were collected every 28 d. On day 84 of the feeding period, titanium dioxide was added to the diet of 12, age-paired, individually fed, heifers (6 control and 6 TI heifers; approximately 1 yr of age) for 28 d and used to estimate dry matter digestibility. On days 105 and 240 ruminal fluid (approximately 900 mL) was collected from every animal using a stomach pump and analyzed for short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). After approximately 287 d on feed, heifers were transported to a USDA-inspected abattoir and harvested. TI heifers had lighter final BW (P  < 0.04) when compared to control heifers. Average daily gain was greater (P  < 0.01) in control compared to TI heifers. TI heifers had a 2.2% lesser (P  < 0.05) apparent dry matter digestibility, lighter (P  < 0.01) hot carcass weights, but similar ruminal SCFA compared to controls. Blood glucose concentrations were similar (P  > 0.8) between control and TI heifers. Ceruloplasmin activity (P  < 0.03) and the oxidized form of glutathione (GSSG; P  < 0.01), indicators of chronic inflammation, were increased in plasma from TI heifers compared to controls. Other indicators of oxidative stress were not impacted (P  > 0.10) by TI status. These data suggest that fetal BVDV transient infection negatively impacts growth throughout the feeding period, possibly by impacting gastrointestinal tract function and increasing systemic inflammation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two separate cross-over experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of incorporating wheat middlings into wet corn distillers grains with solubles (WDGS) on apparent diet digestibility and ruminal fermentation characteristics in growing and finishing diets. In experiment 1, four ruminally cannulated heifers (313 ± 42.9 kg) were limit fed a high-energy growing diet that included WDGS (CON) or WDGS + wheat middlings (CON + WM) at 40% of diet dry matter (DM). The diet also contained (DM basis) 39.5% dry-rolled corn, 7.5% supplement, and 13% warm-season grass hay. In experiment 2, four ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (321 ± 17.4 kg) were fed a finishing diet that included WDGS (CON) or WDGS + wheat middlings (CON + WM) at 30% of diet DM. The diet also contained (DM basis) 60.3% dry-rolled corn, 2.7% supplement, and 7.0% warm-season grass hay. Experiments consisted of two 15-d periods that were conducted concurrently. Each period included 10 d of diet adaptation, 4 d of fecal collection, and 1 d of ruminal fluid collection. Fecal samples were collected on days 11 to 14 of each period and composite samples were analyzed for chromium to estimate apparent diet digestibility. On day 15, ruminal fluid samples were collected prior to feeding and again at 2, 4, 6, 8, 12, 18, and 24-h post-feeding. In experiment 1, DM, organic matter (OM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) intake did not differ (P  ≥ 0.11) between diets; however, starch intake was greater (P  = 0.03) for heifers fed CON + WM compared with CON. Apparent DM, OM, NDF, and starch digestibilities were similar between diets (P  ≥ 0.13), but feeding CON + WM tended to lead to lesser (P  = 0.06) apparent ADF digestibility. Ruminal pH and total volatile fatty acid concentrations did not differ between diets (P  ≥ 0.16); however, ruminal ammonia concentrations tended to be less (P  = 0.09) for CON + WM compared with CON. In experiment 2, DM intake did not differ (P  = 0.65) between diets. Apparent DM digestibility was greater (P  = 0.01) for CON + WM compared with CON but the difference was small. Intake and apparent digestibility of OM, NDF, ADF, and starch did not differ (P  ≥ 0.25) between diets. Ruminal ammonia concentrations were lesser (P  = 0.03) while ruminal pH was greater (P  = 0.02) for CON + WM compared with CON. Overall, incorporation of wheat middlings into WDGS had minimal impacts on feed intake, apparent diet digestibility, and ruminal fermentation characteristics when fed to growing and finishing cattle. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction and Objective: The use of agricultural by-products instead of grain seeds in livestock diets has been an important issue for scientific study. One of these products is potato waste that, if properly processed by methods such as ensiling, can replace cereal seeds such as barley in the diet, due to the proper nutritional value of this product, improving animal growth performance, reducing feed costsand prevent food from being wasting. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of replacing different levels of potato waste silage with barley on growth performance, digestibility, and rumen and blood parameters of fattening lambs. Material and Methods: In this study, 30 Zell and Afshar mixed male lambs with a mean weight of 26±2 kg and mean age of 5.5±0.4 months were used in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 5 treatments and 6 replications for 90 days. The experimental treatments included the control treatment (without potato waste silage) and the treatments containing 25, 50, 75 and 100 potato waste silage replacement of barley seeds (based on dry matter). Results: The results of performance traits showed that there was a significant difference in fattening weight, daily weight gain, dry matter intake and feed conversion ratio between experimental treatments (p<0.05). The highest and lowest final weight, daily weight gain and dry matter intake were observed in the treatment containing 50% of potato waste silage and the control treatment, respectively. The results of the apparent digestibility of nutrients of experimental diets showed that there was a significant difference in the apparent digestibility of raw protein and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) between experimental treatments (p<0.05). The highest and lowest apparent digestibility of crude protein (CP) was observed in the treatment containing 50% of potato waste silage and the control treatment, respectively. The results of some blood serum parameters showed that there was a significant difference in the concentration of glucose, triglyceride, Low density Lipoprotein (LDL) and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) between the experimental treatments (p<0.05). The results of rumen fermentation parameters showed that there was a significant difference in the population of lactic acid bacteria, coliforms, protozoa, rumen liquid ammonia nitrogen, total volatile fatty acids (VFAs), acetic acid, propionic acid, butyric acid, valeric acid and isovaleric acid between experimental treatments (p<0.05). The highest population of lactic acid bacteria 100%, the lowest coli form population, the highest population of protozoa and the highest concentration of VFAs were observed in the treatment containing 100%, 70%, 100% and 50% of potato waste silage, respectively. Conclusion: The overall results of the present study showed that growth performance, the appearance of crude protein digestion, the total concentration of rumen fluid fatty acids and the population of bacteria and protozoa improved by consuming 50 % of potato waste silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Hydrobiology / Shuisheng Shengwu Xuebao is the property of Editorial Department of Journal of Hydrobiology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Objective: Two separate trials were conducted to evaluate the digestibility of a novel alternative ingredient, enhanced torula yeast (TY) Cyberlindnera jadinii, in diets for hybrid Striped Bass (HSB; White Bass Morone chrysops × Striped Bass M. saxatilis) and to evaluate graded inclusion levels of this product when replacing soybean products. Methods: In trial 1, the digestibility of TY was determined by testing a reference diet and a TY diet (reference and TY ingredient at an 80:20 ratio). A total of 90 fish were fed the experimental digestibility diets for 21 days, and fecal samples were collected using the stripping technique. In trial 2, a comparative feeding trial evaluated the replacement of soybean meal by TY on a crude protein basis at 50, 100, 200, and 300 g of TY/kg of experimental diet. A total of 150 HSB (18.6 ± 0.21 g/fish [mean + SE]) were distributed among fifteen 110‐L glass aquaria. Each diet was fed to triplicate groups of fish for 9 weeks. Result: In trial 1, apparent digestibility coefficients for protein, lipid, organic matter, and energy of TY were 0.97, 0.98, 0.75, and 0.75, respectively. The availability of essential amino acids also was generally high, ranging from 0.74 to 0.99. For trial 2, a second‐order polynomial regression indicated that the optimal inclusion levels of TY in diets were 102, 112, and 109 g/kg for weight gain, feed efficiency, and protein conversion efficiency, respectively. However, the muscle yield linearly decreased with the graded inclusion levels of TY. Linear increases in intraperitoneal fat, hepatosomatic index, and whole‐body lipid were observed as the inclusion of TY increased in the diet. Conclusion: In conclusion, nutrients from TY were well utilized by HSB, and it can replace soybean products without affecting growth performance, with the optimal TY inclusion level being 102–112 g/kg of diet. Impact statementThere is an increasing demand for environmentally friendly and cost‐effective alternative feed ingredients because of many fish species produced in intensive aquaculture requiring high‐quality protein ingredients. This study evaluated a torula yeast product that can be grown on complex carbohydrates derived from the wood industry, thereby converting low‐value substrates to a high‐quality protein ingredient. Based on results from separate digestibility and comparative feeding trials, nutrients from TY were well utilized by hybrid Striped Bass and the torula yeast product could replace soybean products without affecting growth performance, with the optimal inclusion level of 102–112 g per kg of diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study was to evaluate the effects of four types of microbial protease on growth performance, nutritional composition, apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC), physiological parameters and microbiota of genetically improved farmed tilapia (GIFT, Oreochromis niloticus). Six diets were prepared, including a positive control diet (protein 300 g/kg, high protein group, HP) and one negative control diet (protein 280 g/kg, low protein group, LP) and four proteases were added to the low protein diets, included HuPro protease (LPH), acid protease (LPAC), neutral protease (LPN) and alkaline protease (LPAK). Compared with the fish fed LP diet, the weight gain rate (WGR), specific growth rate (SGR), feed conversion rate (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and feed intake ratio (FIR) were improved in fish fed LPH diet. The ADC of dry matter in LPH diet was improved. The serum total protein (TP) in LPH diet was higher than the LP diets. The activities of total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) and catalase (CAT) in LPH group was higher than the LP and HP group, respectively. The protease activities of stomach and gut in fish fed LPH diet was higher than LP group. Shannon and Simpson indices in LPH group were higher than the LP group. The abundance of Fusobacteria in the six groups reached more than 70 % at the phylum level, and the largest difference in the relative abundance at the genus level was Cetobacterium. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the positive effects of HuPro protease on tilapias and selection of HuPro protease to the low protein diet is suitable.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different leaves on feed intake, nutrient apparent digestibility and nitrogen balance in forest musk deer. Twelve male forest musk deers (Moschus Berezovskii) of similar age and good health were used in a 6×6 Latin square design with 2 replicates per group. The ration consists of base material and the leaves. Green rattan, mulberry leaves, triangular maple leaves, elm leaves, Melia azedarach leaves and mixture of the above five leaves in equal proportion were used in each group. The results showed as follows: ① the intake of base material and leaves in mulberry leaves group had no significant difference from those in other groups (P>0.05). The intake of total ration in mulberry leaves group was significantly lower than that in mixed group (P<0.05), but had no significant difference with the rest groups (P>0.05). ② The apparent digestibility of dry crude protein (CP), crude ash, calcium, carbohydrate (CHO), total energy (GE) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) in mulberry leaves group were significantly higher than those in other groups (P<0.05). ③ The retention nitrogen and nitrogen utilization in mulberry leaves group were higher than those in other groups (P<0.05). It is concluded that the apparent digestibility and nitrogen utilization of ration are higher in mulberry leaves group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to analyze the effect of fermented feed on the production performance, slaughter performance, digestion and metabolism of nutrients and economic benefits of piglets, this paper analyzes the effect of fermented feed (taking grape pomace residue as example) on the nutrient apparent digestibility of piglets. Through the determination of tannin content in grape pomace residue, the nutritional value of grape pomace residue was evaluated, and the influence of feed with different grape pomace residue content on the nutrient apparent digestibility of piglets was analyzed, which provided scientific basis for the rational development and utilization of grape pomace residue and pig breeding. The results showed that grape pomace residue had a promotion effect on the nutrient apparent digestibility, production performance, slaughter performance, digestion and metabolism of nutrients and economic benefits of piglets, so it is an ideal feed material of piglets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Improving feed efficiency is crucial to the animal industry. Residual feed intake (RFI) is now regarded as an index of feed efficiency evaluation and is independent of growth characteristics. Our study aims to explore the alterations in growth performance and nutrient digestion in Hu sheep with different RFI phenotypes. Sixty-four male Hu sheep (body weight = 24.39 ± 1.12 kg; postnatal days = 90 ± 7.9) were selected for the study. After an evaluation period of 56 days and power analysis, samples were collected from 14 low RFI (L-RFI group, power = 0.95) and 14 high RFI sheep (H-RFI group, power = 0.95). The L-RFI sheep yielded a lower (P 0.05). The acid detergent fiber, neutral detergent fiber, organic matter, and crude protein apparent digestibility were higher (P 0.05) was found in urine N output (% of N intake) between the 2 groups. Furthermore, L-RFI sheep gave lower (P

Yaks (Bos grunniens), indigenous to the harsh Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, are well adapted to the severe conditions, and graze natural pasture without supplements all year round. Qaidam cattle (Bos taurus), introduced to the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau 1,700 years ago, are raised at a lower altitude than yaks, provided with shelter at night and offered supplements in winter. Based on their different backgrounds, we hypothesized that yaks have lower energy requirements for maintenance than cattle. To test this hypothesis, we measured average daily gain (ADG), apparent digestibilities, energy balance, rumen fermentation parameters, and serum metabolites in growing yaks and cattle offered diets differing in metabolizable energy (ME) levels (6.62, 8.02, 9.42 and 10.80 MJ/kg), but with the same crude protein concentration. Six castrated yaks (155 ± 5.8 kg) and 6 castrated Qaidam cattle (154 ± 8.0 kg), all 2.5 years old, were used in 2 concurrent 4 × 4 Latin square designs. Neutral and acid detergent fiber digestibilities were greater (P

The study was to investigate the effect of different levels of dietary xylooligosaccharides on growth performance, immune function, nutrient apparent digestibility and ruminal fermentation parameters of finishing Hu sheep. Sixty male lambs of 2.5 months old and weighing (20.10±1.59) kg were randomly divided into four groups, with three replicates in each group and five lambs in each replicate. The control group, group A, group B and group C were supplemented with 0, 150, 300 and 450 mg/kg xylooligosaccharides in basal diet, respectively. The pre-test period was 7 d, and the formal test period was 90 d. The results showed that there were no significant differences in body weight, average daily gain, average daily feed intake and feed to gain ratio among all groups ( P>0.05). The apparent digestibility of calcium of Hu sheep in group B and group C was significantly higher than that in control group ( P<0.05). Serum IgA content of Hu sheep in group C was extremely higher than that in control group ( P<0.01), and serum IgA content of lake sheep in group B was significantly higher than that in control group ( P<0.05). The serum IgG content of Hu sheep in groups B and group C was extremely higher than that in control group ( P<0.01). The study indicates that supplementation of 300 and 450 mg/kg xylooligosaccharides significantly increased the content of IgA and IgG in serum and the apparent digestibility of calcium, and increased the average daily gain of finishing Hu sheep. According to the production practice, it is suggested that 300 mg/kg of xylooligosaccharides should be added to the diet of finishing Hu sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have addressed the nutritional ecology of galagos. Observations of galagos in the wild reveal that they rely on fruits and invertebrates to varying degrees depending on their availability. We conducted a 6‐week comparative dietary analysis of a colony of captive‐housed northern greater galagos (Otolemur garnettii), which included five females and six males with known life histories. We compared two experimental diets. The first was fruit dominated and the second was invertebrate dominated. For each diet, we examined dietary intake and apparent dry matter digestibility over the course of 6 weeks. We found significant differences between the apparent digestibility of the diets, with the "invertebrate" diet being more digestible than the "frugivorous" diet. The lower apparent digestibility of the "frugivorous" diet was driven by the higher fiber contents of the fruits provided to the colony. However, variation in apparent digestibility of both diets was found among individual galagos. The experimental design used in this study may provide useful dietary data for the management of captive colonies of galagos and other strepsirrhine primates. This study may also be helpful for understanding the nutritional challenges faced by free‐ranging galagos through time and across geographic space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Simple Summary: Sika deer is a rare livestock resource in China, and the main purpose of breeding is to obtain antlers that can be used as medicinal herbs. As an important limiting amino acid for ruminants, the dietary level of methionine greatly affects the utilization efficiency of protein in feed. In this study, we investigated the effects of different dietary methionine levels on antler-bearing sika deer by supplementing methionine. The results of the study showed that methionine supplementation improved the quality of Sika deer antlers and increased the efficiency of the animals utilizing acid detergent fiber and neutral detergent fiber in the feed. In addition, methionine supplementation altered the composition of free amino acids in the rumen fluid and the composition of fecal bacteria in sika deer. Amino acid balance is central to improving the efficiency of feed protein utilization and for reducing environmental pollution caused by intensive farming. In previous studies, supplementation with limiting amino acids has been shown to be an effective means of improving animal nutrient utilization and performance. In this experiment, the effects of methionine on the apparent digestibility of nutrients, antler nutrient composition, rumen fluid amino acid composition, fecal volatile fatty acids and intestinal bacteria in antler-growing sika deer were investigated by randomly adding different levels of methionine to the diets of three groups of four deer at 0 g/day (CON), 4 g/day (LMet) and 6 g/day (HMet). Methionine supplementation significantly increased the apparent digestibility of organic matter, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) in the LMet group (p < 0.05). The crude protein and collagen protein of antlers were significantly higher in the LMet and HMet groups compared to the CON group and also significantly higher in the HMet group compared to the LMet group, while the calcium content of antlers was significantly lower in the HMet group (p < 0.05). Ruminal fluid free amino acid composition was altered in the three groups of sika deer, with significant changes in aspartic acid, citrulline, valine, cysteine, methionine, histidine and proline. At the phylum level, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were highest in the rectal microflora. Unidentified bacterial abundance was significantly decreased in the HMet group compared to the CON group. Based on the results of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) and Adonis analysis, there was a significant difference in the composition of the intestinal flora between the CON and HMet groups (p < 0.05). At the genus level, compared with the CON group, the abundance of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and Lachnospiraceae_UCG-010 in the LMet group increased significantly (p < 0.05), the abundance of dgA-11_gut_group in the HMet group decreased significantly (p < 0.05) and the abundance of Lachnospiraceae_UCG-010, Saccharofermentans and Lachnospiraceae_NK3A20_group increased significantly. Taken together, the results showed that methionine supplementation was beneficial in increasing the feed utilization efficiency and improving antler quality in sika deer, while affecting the composition of fecal bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Fat content is critical to milk quality, health and economic value. Fat content can be affected by diet composition. Diet-induced milk fat depression (MFD) is a specific reduction in milk fat synthesis caused by feeding cows high contents of rapidly fermentable carbohydrates or polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). However, the mechanisms involved in MFD have not been fully elucidated and substantial controversy remains. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide reference data for exploration of the relationship between milk fat synthesis and nutrient digestion as well as hindgut microbials. In this study, changes in milk performance, nutrient digestibility, hindgut fermentation parameters and microflora were observed by inducing milk fat depression (MFD) in dairy cows fed with a high-starch or a high-fat diet. Eight Holstein cows were paired in a completely randomized cross-over design within two 35 d periods (18 d control period and 17d induction period). During the control period, all cows were fed the low-starch and low-fat diet (CON), and at the induction period, four of the cows were fed a high-starch diet with crushed wheat (IS), and the other cows were fed a high-fat diet with sunflower fat (IO). The results showed that, compared to when the cows were fed the CON diet, when cows were fed the IS or IO diet, they had lower milk fat concentrations, energy corrected milk, 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield, feed efficiency and apparent digestibility of NDF and ADF. However, cows fed the IO diet had a lower apparent digestibility of ether extracts. In addition, we observed that when cows were fed the high-starch (IS) or high-fat (IO) diet, they had a higher fecal concentration of propionate and acetate, and a lower NH3-N. Compared to when the cows were fed the CON diet, cows fed the IS diet had a lower pH, and cows fed the IO diet had a lower concentration of valerate in feces. In the hindgut microbiota, the relative abundance of Oscillospiraceae_UCG-005 was increased, while the Verrucomicrobiota and Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group were decreased when cows were fed the IO diet. The relative abundance of Prevotellaceae_UCG-003 was increased, while the Alistipes and Verrucomicrobiota decreased, and the Treponema, Spirochaetota and Lachnospiraceae_AC2044_group showed a decreasing trend when cows were fed the IS diet. In summary, this study suggested that high-starch or high-fat feeding could induce MFD in dairy cows, and the high-fat diet had the greatest effect on milk fat; the high-starch or high-fat diet affected hindgut fermentation and apparent fiber digestibility. The changes in hindgut flora suggested that hindgut microbiota may be associated with MFD in cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of Rice straw and King grass on apparent digestibility, ruminal bacterial, and fungus composition in buffaloes. Three ruminal fistulated buffaloes were used in a 3 × 2 Latin square design. The dietary treatments were king grass and straw hay. Experimental animals were kept in individual pens and concentrate was offered at 1 kg/d while roughage was fed ad libitum. Each period lasted for 15d, with the first 12d for an adaptation period, followed by a 3-day formal trial period. King grass has higher digestibility of protein. Rice straw has higher digestibility to cellulose. The results showed that when buffaloes were fed king grass and straw, Bacteroidetes were dominant in the rumen normal flora, but firmicutes were not. In addition, the results of this experiment suggest that increasing protein content in diets may be beneficial to increase the relative abundance of Proteobacteria. Similarly, higher dietary fiber content may be beneficial for increasing relative abundance of Prevotella and Staphylococcus. The dominant fungi in ruminal fluid 2 h after ingestion were aerobic fungi. These aerobic fungi most likely entered the rumen with food. Whether and how long aerobic fungi can survive in the rumen needs more research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phosphorus is an essential mineral for aquatic animals to maintain the health of the skeletal system and many physiological functions. This study assessed the effects of two inorganic phosphorus sources on growth performance, apparent phosphorus digestibility, whole-body proximate composition, and physiological status in juvenile Pelodiscus sinensis. Two experimental diets were supplemented with 4% calcium phosphate monobasic (MCP) and 5.47% calcium phosphate dibasic (DCP), respectively, to obtain equal total dietary phosphorus (2.20%). 96 turtles (initial body weight: 5.40±0.03g) were randomly distributed into 12 tanks and fed the corresponding diets for 60d. Results showed that phosphorus sources have not significantly influenced the growth parameters, including the specific growth rate, feeding rate, and feed conversion ratio (P>0.05). No significant differences were observed in the hepatosomatic index and whole-body proximate compositions between MCP and DCP groups (P>0.05). The apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter and phosphorus in MCP group (53.22%) are slightly higher than that in DCP group (48.98%) but did not reach the statistically significant level (P > 0.05). Turtles in MCP and DCP groups are the same in plasma physiological parameters and have equal alkaline phosphatase activities in plasma and liver (P>0.05). In conclusion, calcium phosphate monobasic and calcium phosphate dibasic had the same biological phosphorus availability in diet for juvenile Pelodiscus sinensis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In order to identify new alternative raw materials as sources of protein for fish feed, the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of the protein and dry matter of Lemna minor duckweed included in a diet for cachama negra Colossoma macropomum and the effects of the productive performance in the fry stage, calculating its weight. To estimate the coefficients, the indirect method was used with the inert marker chromic oxide (Cr2O3), collecting the feces by Siphoning. 136 fingerlings (average weight 0.4 g) were used, which were randomly distributed in the aquariums (experimental units) with a volume of 27 liters, in groups of 17 fingerlings/aquarium. Two experimental diets were evaluated: the reference diet (T1) composed of 42% fishmeal, 14% cassava, 43% soybean and 1.0% Cr2O3, and the test diet (T2), composed of 71% fishmeal. of reference diet, 1.0% Cr2O3 and 28% of the test ingredient (duckweed flour). Four replicates per diet were evaluated. Feces were collected and immediately dried and stored at 60°C and –12°C, respectively, until analyzed for proximal composition and Cr2O3 levels. The experimental phase lasted 30 days, the results of weights per replicate in the biometrics were evaluated through a descriptive statistical analysis. No statistical differences (p>0.05) were found by biometry between the treatments, even so, higher productive yields were found with T2. Survival was T1=94.12%, and T2=100%. The CDA for dry matter and protein of the raw material were 92.57±3.60 and 77.97±0.91, respectively. The inclusion of this meal in diets for cachama fingerlings is feasible in terms of growth, weight gain and reduction of feed costs, in addition, the high ADC value shows that cachama negra can digest duckweed protein. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The germinated seeds of many plants are a natural source of substances that can be used to supplement food and increase its functionality. The seeds' metabolism may be modified during germination to produce specific health-promoting compounds. Fagopyrum esculentum Moench is a rich source of nutrients. Buckwheat seeds modified during germination may be helpful as an additive to new functional food products with anti-atherogenic properties. However, their effect and safety should be assessed in in vivo studies. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect that adding modified buckwheat sprouts (Fagopyrum esculentum Moench) to an atherogenic (high-fat) diet has on the morphology and digestibility parameters of rats. Buckwheat seeds were modified by adding the probiotic strain of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae var. boulardii. The study was carried out on 32 Wistar rats, and digestibility and blood counts were assessed during the experiment. There was no evidence of an adverse effect on the animals' weight gain and nutritional efficiency. However, the influence of diets with freeze-dried buckwheat sprouts on digestibility and morphological parameters was noticed. Fat digestibility registered a statistically significant decrease in the groups fed a high-fat diet with the addition of sprouts. The study shows a new direction in the use of buckwheat sprouts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gastrointestinal disease is the number one killer of horses. Little is known about the maintenance of microbes in the equine hindgut and how to distinguish a healthy gut in a live horse. Utilization of internal and external digestibility markers and starch fermentation has been extensively studied in ruminants and is the basis for research conducted on horses. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of two equine feed digestive aid supplements on hindgut health (HGH) as reflected in fecal pH and digestibility and to compare and validate DM digestibility measurements through the use of internal and external markers such as chromium oxide (CR), lignin (Lig), indigestible ADF (iADF), indigestible NDF (iNDF), and indigestible lignin (iLig). Nine mature Quarter horses (six geldings, three mares) were used in a crossover design, three feeding periods of 17 d (51 d total), using three treatments: control, no feed additive (CON), Smartpak (SP; Plymouth, MA), or Platinum Performance (PP; Buellton, CA). Both SP and PP contained a strain of Lactobacillus, whereas SP further supplied mannanoligosaccharides (MOS) and fructooligosaccharides (FOS) and PP supplied Saccharomyces boulardii. Within the 17-d period, horses were offered orchard grass hay and sweet cob grain and the assigned treatment daily and four CR cookies to deliver 8 g/d of CR for the last 7 d of each period. Total feces were collected from 15 to 17 d. Feed and fecal samples were dried, ground, and sent to ANALAB (Fulton, IL) for nutrient analysis. Duplicate samples of feed and feces were placed in ruminally cannulated cows for in situ determination of iADF, iNDF, and iLig to estimate digestibility. Estimated CR fecal output, CR DMI, and DM digestibilities were evaluated using the root mean square prediction error percentage of the observed mean (RMSPE), concordance correlation coefficient (CCC), and Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency methods. Marker predictive ability tests showed iADF to have the least amount of bias with the smallest RMSPE (4%), largest CCC (0.43), and the largest amount of random bias (error of dispersion = 0.45). Supplementation of PP decreased CR DM digestibility (P < 0.02). Smartpak increased fecal pH (P < 0.09), but PP had no effect on fecal pH. Therefore, SP had a beneficial effect on HGH that is believed to be due to MOS and FOS.

This experiment was conducted to assess the possibility of replacing fishmeal (FM, Fishmeal content of the control group: 30%) with corn gluten meal (CGM) at the following levels: 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, and 60%. The experimental diets, formulated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric, were studied for their effects on growth, feed utilization, digestive enzyme activity and apparent nutrient digestibility in juvenile white shrimps, Litopenaeus vannamei (initial mean weight = 0.71 ± 0.01 g). Seven hundred twenty healthy and uniformed-size shrimp were distributed to six groups of three replicates, each with 40 shrimp in each tank (0.5 m3). Each experimental diet was fed to shrimp four times daily to apparent satiation at 7:00, 11:30, 17:00, and 21:30, respectively, for 8 weeks. At the end of the experiment, the total weight of fish in each tank was weighed and randomly selected for testing, including fish nutrient composition and digestive enzyme activity. Results showed that no significant differences were observed in the weight gain rate (WGR), feed coefficient rate (FCR) and specific growth rate (SGR) of shrimp after 30% FM was replaced with CGM (P > 0.05), but these indicators significantly decreased at higher replacement rates. As CGM content increased, the content of crude protein and phosphorus in the shrimp decreased significantly (P < 0.05), whereas the crude fat content first increased significantly and then decreased (P < 0.05). Compared to the control group, the protease activity was significantly lower in the 40% group and the lipase activity was significantly lower in the 60% group (P < 0.05). Amylase activity was significantly increased with increasing CGM levels (P < 0.05). The digestibility of protein and lipid was significantly reduced by CGM replacement of more than 30% FM (P < 0.05). As CGM content increased, the digestion of energy and dry matter was first significantly increased and then significantly decreased (P < 0.05). In the 30, 40, and 60% groups, the digestibility of all amino acids (AA), except methionine (Met), arginine (Arg) and serine (Ser), was significantly lower than in the control group (P < 0.05). In summary, FM could be partially replaced by CGM in the feed of L. vannamei. Based on the broken-line regression analysis of WGR, the optimal dietary CGM replacement was 27.47%.

A feeding trial was designed to evaluate effects of soybean meal replacement (SBM) with sesame seed cake (SSC) at 0 (SSC0), 25 (SSC25), 50 (SSC50), 75 (SSC75), and 100 (SSC100) % in isoproteic (30%) and isolipidic (8%) diets on the growth performance, digestive function and serum and hematological parameters in Cyprinus carpio. Four hundred and fifty common carp juveniles (83.09 g) were randomly distributed into 15 tanks with a flow-through system. Triplicate groups of fish were hand-fed one of the diets to visual satiation thrice daily for 90 days. The survival rate, growth performance and somatic indices did not show significant differences between treatments. Among feed utilization indicators, nitrogen retention efficiency was significantly higher in SSC25 than in other treatments. Lipid retention efficiency significantly increased from SSC50 to SSC100. The number of white blood cells was significantly higher in SSC0 than other treatments. Significantly higher hemoglobin was observed in SSC75 as compared to SS0 and SSC25. Serum biochemical parameters did not significantly differ between dietary treatments. Dietary SSC resulted in significant increase in calcium ADC and activity of digestive trypsin, chymotrypsin, lipase, α-amylase, and alkaline phosphatase. Significantly higher villi height and intestinal muscle layer width were observed in fish fed the SSC75 diet. The villi width in SSC25 and SSC50 was significantly less than in SSC0. Comparable growth performance, feed utilization, apparent digestibility, digestive function, hematological and serum factors indicated the possibility of 75–100% substitution of SBM by SSC in the diet of juvenile C. carpio.

IntroductionThe aim of this study was the evaluation of nutrient excretion patterns in samples of feces collected every 2 h to define the best sampling protocol for estimation of apparent digestibility.MethodsFour multiparous mid-lactation Holstein cows, housed in a tie stall barn and milked twice a day (0800; 1900 h), were enrolled. Dry total mixed ration (TMR) without silages was fed once (0800 h) per day. Feces were sampled every 2 h for 72 h. Each sample was divided in 3 portions: hourly sample sample (8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 00, 2, 4, 6), 8-h composite sample (00–06, 08–14 and 16–22), and a 24-h composite sample. Complete chemical analyses were performed and total tract nutrient digestibility was calculated using undegraded neutral detergent fiber at 240 h of in vitro fermentation (uNDF240h) as a marker. Feeding and rumination patterns were also recorded during the trial.Results and discussionFor some parameters, excretion was not constant throughout the day: neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom), undegraded neutral detergent fiber at 24 h of in vitro fermentation (uNDF24h), uDNF240h, total tract crude protein digestibility (TTCPD), total tract neutral detergent fiber digestibility (TTaNDFomD), total tract potentially degraded neutral detergent fiber at 240 h of in vitro fermentation digestibility (TTpdNDF240hD) with minimal values after new TMR delivery and maximal values 12 h after feed delivery. Feeding and ruminating behavior seemed to have an important role in the excretion pattern, due to the pushing and evacuating effect they have. Considering our results, two fecal samples at 12 and 24 h after the TMR delivery are suggested. For one daily sample, 12 h post time of most stable and constant rumination 0000–0600 h, which is also 8 h post feed delivery is suggested.

The study was conducted to investigate the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADC) of nutrients in commonly used protein sources for largemouth bass. A reference diet and test diets with 70% reference diet and 30% feedstuff were formulated with yttrium oxide as a digestibility indicator. Overall, the ADC of dry matter of tested protein ingredients was 69.5%–96.4%, and the ADC of dry matter in animal protein sources was significantly higher than in the other five plant protein sources. The ADC of crude proteins ranged from 89.1% to 97.3% for all tested feedstuffs. The ADC value of total amino acids in the tested ingredients is consistent with that of the protein. The ADC of crude lipid of tested ingredients ranged from 45.4% to 96.2%, and the lowest and highest values were observed in porcine haemoglobin powder and pet‐grade poultry by‐product meal, respectively. The ADC of total phosphorus of animal protein ingredients, except porcine haemoglobin powder, was significantly higher than that of plant protein ingredients, except fermented soybean meal. The results revealed the difference in availability of nutrients in plant and animal protein sources for largemouth bass, which could provide a theoretical basis for the selection of protein sources of commercial feed for largemouth bass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]