• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.22 no.7
• /
• pp.1060-1068
• /
• 2009

The buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is an important contributor to milk, meat, power, fuel and leather production in many developing countries. Buffaloes can be categorized into Asian and Mediterranean buffaloes. Asian buffalo includes two subspecies known as Riverine and Swamp types. Riverine (water buffalo) and Swamp buffaloes possess different genetics (50 vs. 48 chromosomes, respectively), morphology (body frame, body weight, horn shape and skin color) and behavior (wallowing in mud or water) and thus, are reared and used for different purposes. Low per head milk yield, poor reproductive performance (seasonal breeding behavior, anestrous, and longer calving interval) and low growth rate in buffaloes have been attributed to insufficient supply of nutrients. In many parts of Asia, where the buffalo is an integral part of the food chain and rural economy, irregular and inadequate availability of quality feedstuffs and their utilization are hampering the performance of this unique animal. Balanced nutrition and better management can enhance buffalo productivity. Many efforts have been made in the last few decades to improve nutrient supply and utilization in buffaloes. Recent research on locally available feed resources such as crop residues, and industrial by-products, dietary addition of micronutrients, use of performance modifiers and use of ruminally protected fat and protein sources have shown significant potential to improve growth, milk yield and reproductive performance of buffaloes. However, a number of issues, including establishment of nutrient requirements for dairy and beef, development of buffalo calf feeding systems, nutritional management of metabolic and reproductive anomalies, and understanding and exploitation of the buffalo gut ecosystem, need to be addressed. Extensive coordinated research and extension efforts are required for improved buffalo nutrition in developing countries.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.47-53
• /
• 2022

Objective: An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of increasing levels of spineless cactus (0%, 33%, 66%, and 100%) used as a substitute for wheat bran in buffalo diets on quantitative and qualitative traits of the meat and carcass. Methods: Twenty Murrah buffaloes at 18 months of age, with a mean initial weight of 292.9±57.3 kg, were randomly allocated to four treatments with five replicates. The animals were slaughtered after 90 days in the feedlot. The effects of spineless cactus as a replacement for wheat bran in the diet of the buffaloes on the carcass and meat traits, slaughter weight, carcass yield and carcass measurements were studied. Results: Increased spineless cactus levels led to linear reduction in average daily gain, slaughter weight, hot and cold carcass weight, compactness index and in the amount of muscle in the carcass, and there is no difference between the control treatment and the 33% replacing level for these parameters. The quality of the meat was not influenced by the treatments. Conclusion: Spineless cactus can replace wheat bran by up to 33% in sugarcane-based diets for buffaloes, without influencing quantitative and qualitative traits of the meat and carcass.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.17 no.4
• /
• pp.485-490
• /
• 2004

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of feeding ammoniated wheat straw treated with and without HCl on meat quality and various sensory attributes of growing male buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) calves. Due to urea-ammoniation, the CP content of wheat straw increased from 2.90 to 6.96%. The addition of HCl along with urea during urea-ammoniation further increased the CP content to 10.09%. The proximate composition (% fresh basis) of psoas major, longissimus dorsi and semitendinosus were comparable among the groups. However, comparatively higher cumulative muscle mean protein and ash percentage and lower moisture percentage in groups II and III in comparison to group I indicated the desirable effect of feeding AWS and HCl-AWS. The cumulative muscle mean pH in group III (5.54) was comparatively lower than group I (5.65) and II (5.62). The cumulative group mean pH and water holding capacity (% water retained) in semitendinosus was comparatively lower than psoas major and longissimus dorsi. The cumulative muscle mean SSP (g%) was significantly (p<0.05) lower in group III (41.78) than group I (42.45). The cumulative group mean cooking loss (%) was significantly (p<0.01) lower in psoas major (31.61) and longissimus dorsi (29.78) than semitendinosus (35.10). The cumulative group mean SFV (kg/$cm^{2}$) of psoas major, longissimus dorsi and semitendinosus were 6.38, 6.32 and 6.56, respectively, being lowest in psoas major and highest in semitendinosus. However, the cumulative muscle mean SFV (kg/$cm^{2}$) in group I, II and III were 6.53, 6.56 and 6.17, respectively, being lowest in group III and highest in group II. The scores of the cooked (2% common salt) buffen for various sensory attributes viz. appearance, flavour, juiciness, texture, mouth coating and overall palatability were comparable among the groups. Results suggested that feeding of ammoniated wheat straw treated with and without HCl to growing male buffalo calves for 180 days had no adverse effect on the meat quality and various sensory attributes.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.35 no.11
• /
• pp.1656-1665
• /
• 2022

Objective: Water buffalo, an important domestic animal in tropical and subtropical regions, play an important role in agricultural economy. It is an important source for milk, meat, horns, skin, and draft power, especially its rich milk that is the great source of cream, butter, yogurt, and many cheeses. In recent years, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to play pivotal roles in many biological processes. Previous studies for the mammary gland development of water buffalo mainly focus on protein coding genes. However, lncRNAs of water buffalo remain poorly understood, and the regulation relationship between mammary gland development/milk production traits and lncRNA expression is also unclear. Methods: Here, we sequenced 22 samples of the milk somatic cells from three lactation stages and integrated the current annotation and identified 7,962 lncRNA genes. Results: By comparing the lncRNA genes of the water buffalo in the early, peak, and late different lactation stages, we found that lncRNA gene lnc-bbug14207 displayed significantly different expression between early and late lactation stages. And lnc-bbug14207 may regulate neighboring milk fat globule-EGF factor 8 (MFG-E8) and hyaluronan and proteoglycan link protein 3 (HAPLN3) protein coding genes, which are vital for mammary gland development. Conclusion: This study provides the first genome-wide identification of water buffalo lncRNAs and unveils the potential lncRNAs that impact mammary gland development.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.37 no.1
• /
• pp.18-28
• /
• 2017

Pastirma is a dry-cured meat product, produced from whole beef or water buffalo muscles. This study was carried out to investigate the effect of production stages (raw meat, after curing, after $2^{nd}$ drying and pastirma) on the total lipid, neutral lipid, phospholipid and fatty acid composition of phospholipid fraction of pastirma produced from beef M. Longissimus dorsi muscles. The pH and colour ($L^*$, $a^*$ and $b^*$) analyses were also performed in raw meat and pastirma. It was found that pastirma production stages had significant effects (p<0.01) on the total amounts of lipid, neutral lipid and phospholipid, and the highest amounts of lipid, neutral lipid and phospholipid were detected in pastirma. In pastirma, neutral lipid ratio was determined as $79.33{\pm}2.06%$ and phospholipid ratio as $20.67{\pm}2.06%$. Phospholipids was proportionately lower in pastirma than raw meat. Pastirma production stages affected pentadecanoic acid (15:1) (p<0.01), linoleic acid (18:2n-6) (p<0.05), ${\gamma}-linoleic$ acid (18:3n-6) (p<0.05), erucic acid (22:1n-9) (p<0.05), docosapentaenoic acid (22:5n-6) (p<0.05), total unsaturated fatty acid (${\Sigma}USFA$) (p<0.05) and total saturated fatty acid (${\Sigma}SFA$) (p<0.05) ratios of phospholipid fraction and also the moisture content (p<0.01). Pastirma process also affected pH and colour ($L^*$, $a^*$ and $b^*$) values (p<0.01), and these values were higher in pastirma than raw meat.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.13 no.5
• /
• pp.580-586
• /
• 2000

Data collected between 1981 and 1991 at the Philippine Carabao Center at Central Luzon State University (PCC-CLSU) were used for the comparison of growth, milk yield and draughtability of Murrah-Philippine crossbred and Philippine native buffaloes. Body weights and body measurements were available at 3-month intervals from birth to 36 months of age for a total of 34 $Murrah{\times}Philippine$ native buffalo F1 crossbreds (CBB; 21 cows, 13 bulls) and 32 Philippine native buffaloes (PNB; 16 cows, 16 bulls). Lactation records were available for 14 CBB and 19 PNB cows. Data for draughtability under wet and dry ploughing conditions were available for 4 CBB and 4 PNB steers. The results indicate that crossbreds grow faster (0-9 months of age: cows $442{\pm}19$ vs. $301{\pm}21g/day$, bulls $305{\pm}23$ vs. $296{\pm}21g/day$; 9-36 months of age: cows $227{\pm}10$ vs. $147{\pm}12g/day$, bulls $282{\pm}13$ vs. $138{\pm}12g/day$), mature earlier and produce more milk (1st lactation: $1139{\pm}153$ vs. $450{\pm}112kg$; 2nd lactation: $1115{\pm}132$ vs. $488{\pm}136kg$) than native buffaloes, but have a poorer draughtability (wet ploughing; force as % of body weight $8.8{\pm}0.2$ vs. $12.2{\pm}0.6$; dry ploughing: cut depth $10.98{\pm}0.25$ vs. $11.92{\pm}0.13cm$, velocity $0.50{\pm}0.03$ vs. $0.60{\pm}0.02m/sec$, force as % of body weight $9.0{\pm}0.6$ vs. $11.3{\pm}0.7$). The correlation coefficients between body weight and body measurements at birth and at 3-month intervals indicate that heart girth has a relatively high correlation with body weight, especially in crossbreds. It is concluded that in Philippine smallholder farming systems in which meat and milk production are secondary to draught power, the native buffalo is preferable from the point of view of input needed to maintain the number of animals kept for a required draught force.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.58 no.6
• /
• pp.681-687
• /
• 2020

Giardia lamblia is a common enteric pathogen associated with diarrheal diseases. There are some reports of G. lamblia infection among different breeds of cattle in recent years worldwide. However, it is yet to know whether cattle in Jiangxi province, southeastern China is infected with G. lamblia. The objectives of the present study were to investigate the prevalence and examine the multilocus genotypes of G. lamblia in cattle in Jiangxi province. A total of 556 fecal samples were collected from 3 cattle breeds (dairy cattle, beef cattle, and buffalo) in Jiangxi province, and the prevalence and genotypes of G. lamblia were determined by the nested PCR amplification of the beta-giardin (bg) gene. A total of 52 samples (9.2%) were positive for G. lamblia. The highest prevalence of G. lamblia was detected in dairy cattle (20.0%), followed by that in beef cattle (6.4%), and meat buffalo (0.9%). Multilocus sequence typing of G. lamblia was performed based on sequences of the bg, triose phosphate isomerase and glutamate dehydrogenase loci, and 22, 42, and 52 samples were amplifiable, respectively, forming 15 MLGs. Moreover, one mixed G. lamblia infection (assemblages A and E) was found in the present study. Altogether, 6 novel assemblage E subtypes (E41*-E46*) were identified for the first time. These results not only provided baseline data for the control of G. lamblia infection in cattle in this southeastern province of China, but also enriched the molecular epidemiological data and genetic diversity of G. lamblia in cattle.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.592-599
• /
• 2014

This study presents trends and projected estimates of methane and nitrous oxide emissions from livestock of India vis-$\grave{a}$-vis world and developing countries over the period 1961 to 2010 estimated based on IPCC guidelines. World enteric methane emission (EME) increased by 54.3% (61.5 to $94.9{\times}10^9kg$ annually) from the year 1961 to 2010, and the highest annual growth rate (AGR) was noted for goat (2.0%), followed by buffalo (1.57%) and swine (1.53%). Global EME is projected to increase to $120{\times}10^9kg$ by 2050. The percentage increase in EME by Indian livestock was greater than world livestock (70.6% vs 54.3%) between the years 1961 to 2010, and AGR was highest for goat (1.91%), followed by buffalo (1.55%), swine (1.28%), sheep (1.25%) and cattle (0.70%). In India, total EME was projected to grow by $18.8{\times}10^9kg$ in 2050. Global methane emission from manure (MEM) increased from $6.81{\times}10^9kg$ in 1961 to $11.4{\times}10^9kg$ in 2010 (an increase of 67.6%), and is projected to grow to $15{\times}10^9kg$ by 2050. In India, the annual MEM increased from $0.52{\times}10^9kg$ to $1.1{\times}10^9kg$ (with an AGR of 1.57%) in this period, which could increase to $1.54{\times}10^9kg$ in 2050. Nitrous oxide emission from manure in India could be $21.4{\times}10^6kg$ in 2050 from $15.3{\times}10^6kg$ in 2010. The AGR of global GHG emissions changed a small extent (only 0.11%) from developed countries, but increased drastically (1.23%) for developing countries between the periods of 1961 to 2010. Major contributions to world GHG came from cattle (79.3%), swine (9.57%) and sheep (7.40%), and for developing countries from cattle (68.3%), buffalo (13.7%) and goat (5.4%). The increase of GHG emissions by Indian livestock was less (74% vs 82% over the period of 1961 to 2010) than the developing countries. With this trend, world GHG emissions could reach $3,520{\times}10^9kg$ $CO_2$-eq by 2050 due to animal population growth driven by increased demands for meat and dairy products in the world.

• Food Science of Animal Resources
• /
• v.36 no.5
• /
• pp.617-625
• /
• 2016

Pastırma, a dry-cured meat product, is produced from the whole muscle and/or muscles obtained from certain parts of beef and water buffalo carcasses. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of different levels of sodium nitrite on changes in the physicochemical and microbial quality during the production of pastırma. The changes in residual nitrite, salt, pH, moisture, thiobarbutiric acid reactive substances (TBARS), colour (L*, a*, b*), total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB), lactic acid bacteria (LAB), Micrococcus/Staphylococcus (M/S), mould-yeast (M-Y), and Enterobacteriaceae counts of pastırma with 0, 50, 100 and 150 ppm sodium nitrite were determined during the production. The nitrite levels and the production stages had significant effects (p<0.01) on residual nitrite, TBARS, pH, salt, and colour values. The TBARS values of the pastırma with nitrite were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the control. The final TAMB, LAB, M/S, and M-Y counts of pastırma with 150 ppm nitrite were significantly (p<0.05) lower than the control. Also, the a* (relative redness) values of control pastırma were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the pastırma with nitrite. The production stages had a significant effect (p<0.01) on the moisture.