• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.20 no.11
• /
• pp.1721-1728
• /
• 2007

An in vitro and a feeding trial were conducted to investigate the effect of xylanase supplementation on the feeding value of growing pig diets containing high proportions of Chinese double-low rapeseed meals (DLRM). Seven diets were formulated to meet NRC (1998) nutrient requirements. Diet 1 based on corn-soybean meal was used as positive control 1, and diet 2, a practical diet which incorporated a conventional level of Chinese DLRM (60 g/kg diet), as positive control 2. Diet 3 contained a higher level of DLRM (100 g/kg diet) as the negative control. Diet 3 plus xylanase at 0.10, 0.25, 0.50 and 0.70 g/kg diet created diets 4, 5, 6 and 7, respectively. The seven diets were incubated in triplicate with the in vitro two-stage enzyme incubation method to predict responses of diets to xylanase in terms of digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF). In vitro, the negative control had the lowest CP and NDF digestibility. Both DM and CP digestibility were increased (p<0.05) owing to xylanase supplementation either at 0.50 or 0.70 g/kg diet, and NDF digestibility was improved following xylanase addition at all of the test levels. There was a high linear correlation ($r^2>90$, p<0.05) between the activity concentration of the enzyme when transformed into its logarithmic value and in vitro digestibility coefficients of DM, CP or NDF. In the feeding trial, 112 crossbred pigs were randomly assigned to seven dietary treatments with 16 replicate pens of one pig each. An obvious dose effect on growth rate was observed ($r^2=0.79$, p<0.05) within the inclusion levels of xylanase. Compared with the negative control, xylanase addition at 0.70 g/kg diet resulted in significantly increased ADG (878 g/d vs. 828 g/d, p<0.05), and a tendency towards improved growth rate (868 g/d vs. 828 g/d, p = 0.10) was also observed following the inclusion of xylanase at 0.50 g/kg diet. It would appear that the nutrient utilization of corn and Chinese DLRM diets by pigs could be enhanced by an appropriate amount of xylanase addition. The in vitro and in vivo results suggested that the in vitro incubation method is feasible for predicting responses of pigs to exogenous enzymes and identifying those preparations that possess potential for improvement of the nutritive values of feedstuffs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.24 no.11
• /
• pp.1547-1551
• /
• 2011

Bakery waste (BW) is much cheaper than barley (20 to 40% the price of barley). Bakery waste and barley grain have similar chemical composition; they contain 99 and 97% organic matter (OM), 1.1 and 1.8% fat, 18 and 15% neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and 14.0 and 14.5% crude protein (CP), respectively (DM basis). The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of substituting BW for barley grain in high concentrate fattening diets for lambs on nutrient intake, growth and carcass characteristics. Forty Awassi lambs (21.75${\pm}$1 kg) weaned at the age of 65 days were assigned randomly to four experimental fattening diets differing in BW ratio in a completely randomized design. The control diet (CON) contained 20, 60, 11, 7, and 2% (DM basis) wheat straw, barley grain, soybean meal, corn grain, and minerals and vitamin mix, respectively. Bakery waste substituted barley grain by 10, 20 and 30% of the diet DM in the LBW, MBW and HBW diets, respectively. The experiment lasted for 56 days. Dry matter intake (DMI) decreased (p<0.05) in LBW diet compared to the CON diet by approximately 10%. No further reduction in DMI was observed with the higher substitution levels. Metabolizable energy intake for the CON diet (3.6 Mcal/d) was also reduced (p<0.05) compared with LBW, MBW and HBW diets (3.4, 3.4 and 3.3 Mcal/d, respectively). Final body weight for lambs fed the CON diet (34.8 kg) was higher (p<0.05) compared with lambs fed the LBW, MBW and HBW diets (30.6, 32.0 and 31.1 kg, respectively). Growth rate for lambs fed the CON diet (232 g/d) was also higher (p<0.05) compared to lambs fed the LBW, MBW and HBW diets (170, 189, and 167 g/d, respectively). Feed to gain ratio was higher (p<0.05) for lambs fed the LBW, MBW and HBW diets (7.2, 6.6 and 7.3, respectively) compared with lambs that consumed the CON diet (5.7). Body weight gain cost was reduced by approximately 8% by the MBW and HBW diets as compared with the CON diet. Dressing percentage, full gut weight, empty gut weight and liver weights were all unaffected by the BW addition to the diets and averaged 48.9%, 6.8 kg, 2.8 kg and 0.444 kg, respectively. However, fat tail weight was increased (p<0.05) with the higher levels of the BW inclusion. In conclusion, substituting BW for barley grain reduced DMI and growth performance. However, when BW substituted barley grain at the 20 and 30% of the diet DM, body weight gain cost was reduced by approximately 8%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference
• /
• 2001.06a
• /
• pp.1141-1141
• /
• 2001

The aim of the study was to evaluate the performance of 3 calibration methods, modified partial least squares (MPLS), local PLS (LOCAL) and artificial neural network (ANN) on the prediction of chemical composition of forages, using a large NIR database. The study used forage samples (n=25,977) from Australia, Europe (Belgium, Germany, Italy and Sweden) and North America (Canada and U.S.A) with information relative to moisture, crude protein and neutral detergent fibre content. The spectra of the samples were collected with 10 different Foss NIR Systems instruments, which were either standardized or not standardized to one master instrument. The spectra were trimmed to a wavelength range between 1100 and 2498 nm. Two data sets, one standardized (IVAL) and the other not standardized (SVAL) were used as independent validation sets, but 10% of both sets were omitted and kept for later expansion of the calibration database. The remaining samples were combined into one database (n=21,696), which was split into 75% calibration (CALBASE) and 25% validation (VALBASE). The chemical components in the 3 validation data sets were predicted with each model derived from CALBASE using the calibration database before and after it was expanded with 10% of the samples from IVAL and SVAL data sets. Calibration performance was evaluated using standard error of prediction corrected for bias (SEP(C)), bias, slope and R2. None of the models appeared to be consistently better across all validation sets. VALBASE was predicted well by all models, with smaller SEP(C) and bias values than for IVAL and SVAL. This was not surprising as VALBASE was selected from the calibration database and it had a sample population similar to CALBASE, whereas IVAL and SVAL were completely independent validation sets. In most cases, Local and ANN models, but not modified PLS, showed considerable improvement in the prediction of IVAL and SVAL after the calibration database had been expanded with the 10% samples of IVAL and SVAL reserved for calibration expansion. The effects of sample processing, instrument standardization and differences in reference procedure were partially confounded in the validation sets, so it was not possible to determine which factors were most important. Further work on the development of large databases must address the problems of standardization of instruments, harmonization and standardization of laboratory procedures and even more importantly, the definition of the database population.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.23 no.8
• /
• pp.1022-1027
• /
• 2010

Effects of increasing dietary rice straw on chewing activity, ruminal fermentation, and fibrolytic enzyme activity in growing goats were investigated in a $4{\times}4$ Latin Square experiment. The goats were offered four diets with an increasing proportion of rice straw (i.e. 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20, respectively, on dry matter basis). Increasing level of rice straw increased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.05) the time spent on eating, ruminating, and chewing. The ruminal pH and acetate: propionate ratio were increased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.05), while the $NH_3$-N concentration was decreased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.01). Increasing level of rice straw in the diet increased ($P_{linear\;effect}{\leq}0.01$) molar proportion of acetate and isovalerate, and decreased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.01) molar proportion of propionate. The CMCase, xylanase and cellobiase activities in the rumen were decreased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.05) with increasing level of dietary rice straw, whereas the avicelase activity was increased ($P_{linear\;effect}$ <0.01). In summary, increased level of rice straw elevated the dietary neutral detergent fibre (NDF) content in the diet and had a great impact on chewing activity and ruminal fermentation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.15 no.8
• /
• pp.1139-1146
• /
• 2002

Sixty crossbred Anglo-Nubian goats (growing females), 18-24 mo of age, with a mean pre-experimental live weight of $20.9{\pm}0.44kg$ were used to investigate voluntary dry matter intake (DMI) and digestibility of supplements of Leucaena leucocephala (LL) leaves to a basal diet of guinea grass. The experiment was a 3 forms of presentation: fresh, wilted and $dry{\times}4$ levels of supplementation: 10, 20, 30 and 40% of total forage allowance with LL leaves. The goats were assigned based on weight and age to one of the twelve diets in a randomized manner and each level had five animals (replicates) per diet for 56 days. The form of presentation of LL leaves had effects on dry matter (DM) and nutrient composition. DM and NDF were higher in the dry LL leaves (p<0.05). In the diets, CP increased as the level of supplementation with LL leaves increased (p<0.05). Mean CP was similar in the fresh ($14.8{\pm}3.5%$), wilted ($14.3{\pm}3.3%$) and dry forms ($13.9{\pm}3.1%$). Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) decreased linearly (p<0.05) with increase in levels of supplementation. Organic matter (OM) followed the trend of CP concentration (p<0.05). Drying was observed to reduce the availability of CP at the different levels of supplementation and subsequently this affected the NDF of the diets. DM intake of the goats on the fresh and wilted LL leaves was significantly higher (p<0.05) than in those on the dry LL leaves. DM intake of the basal diet was observed to decrease as the level of supplementation (p<0.05) increased regardless of the form of presentation of LL. Growth rate was best (p<0.05) on the fresh form followed by wilted and the least in the dry form. Growth rate decreased linearly (p<0.05) with increase in the level of supplementation in the dry form. The form of presentation and level of supplementation influenced DM, CP and OM digestibility (p<0.05). Except for NDF, the digestibility of DM, CP and OM were better (p<0.05) in the goats on fresh LL leaves compared to the wilted and dry leaves. Based on the data on DMI, growth rate and apparent nutrient digestibility coefficients, the results suggest that LL leaves is best utilized when fed fresh or wilted to goats. In the dry form of presentation, the best level of supplementation without a reduction in voluntary DMI and growth rate is the 20%. In the fresh and wilted form, LL leaves could be fed up to the 40% level with improved DMI, growth rate and nutrient utilization.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.19 no.3
• /
• pp.396-401
• /
• 2006

A total of 72 castrated, crossbred ($Landrace{\times}Yorkshire$) piglets ($5.7{\pm}0.7kg$ BW) were allotted to one of three treatments including: a dry crumbled feed fed for 40 days; liquid feed provided for 10 days followed by dry crumbled feed for 30 days; and liquid feed provided for 20 days followed by dry crumbled feed for 20 days. Liquid feed was produced fresh each day by mixing water with dry crumbled feed at a ratio of 3:1. Pigs fed liquid feed for 10 days had a higher weight gain during the first 10 days (+16.8%; p = 0.01) and over the entire experimental period (+4.9%; p = 0.07) than pigs offered dry feed. Pigs fed liquid feed for 20 days also had a higher weight gain during the period from d 0 to 10 (+12.8%; p = 0.01), from d 10 to 20 (+8.5%; p = 0.06) and from d 0 to 20 (+9.7%; p = 0.01) than pigs offered dry feed. Pigs fed liquid feed for the first 10 days had higher feed intakes from d 0 to 10 (+22.6%; p = 0.01) and from d 0 to 40 (+5.3%; p = 0.02) than pigs offered dry feed. Pigs fed liquid feed for the first 20 days had a higher feed intake from d 0 to 10 (+21.8%; p = 0.01), from d 10 to 20 (+10.6%; p = 0.06), from d 0 to 20 (+14.6%; p = 0.01) and from d 0 to 40 (+6.6%; p = 0.02) than pigs offered dry feed. Feed conversion from d 0 to 40 tended to be poorer for pigs fed liquid feed during the first 20 days (p = 0.08) indicating an increase in feed wastage with liquid feeding. Nutrient digestibility at day 10 was unaffected by dietary treatment. However, at day 30, pigs fed liquid feed for 10 days had higher digestibility of dry matter (p = 0.08), energy (p = 0.10), crude protein (p = 0.03) and neutral detergent fibre (p = 0.05) than pigs fed liquid feed for 20 days. In conclusion, liquid feeding for 10 or 20 days increased the performance of weaned pigs during the specific time period that liquid feeding occurred but there were no carry over effects into subsequent production periods.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.30 no.12
• /
• pp.1764-1772
• /
• 2017

Objective: This study investigated the effects of different dietary energy sources on early postmortem muscle metabolism of finishing pigs. Methods: Seventy-two barrow ($Duroc{\times}Landrace{\times}Yorkshire$, DLY) pigs ($65.0{\pm}2.0kg$) were allotted to three iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous diets: A (44.1% starch, 5.9% crude fat, and 12.6% neutral detergent fibre [NDF]), B (37.6% starch, 9.5% crude fat, and 15.4% NDF) or C (30.9% starch, 14.3% crude fat, and 17.8% NDF). After the duration of 28-day feeding experiment, 24 pigs (eight per treatment) were slaughtered and the M. longissimus lumborum (LL) samples at 45 min postmortem were collected. Results: Compared with diet A, diet C resulted in greater adenosine triphosphate and decreased phosphocreatine (PCr) concentrations, greater activity of creatine kinase and reduced percentage bound activities of hexokinase (HK), and pyruvate kinase (PK) in LL muscles (p<0.05). Moreover, diet C decreased the phosphor-AKT level and increased the hydroxy-hypoxia-inducible $factor-1{\alpha}$ ($HIF-1{\alpha}$) level, as well as decreased the bound protein expressions of HK II, PKM2, and lactate dehydrogenase A (p<0.05). Conclusion: Diet C with the lowest level of starch and the highest levels of fat and NDF could enhance the PCr utilization and attenuate glycolysis early postmortem in LL muscle of finishing pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.8
• /
• pp.1183-1196
• /
• 2018

Objective: This study ascertained effects of roughage quality, period of day at meal termination and time lapse after feeding on digesta load in the rumen. Methods: Veld hay was untreated (poor roughage quality, PRQ), improved (improved roughage quality, IRQ) by treating with urea or semi-improved by spraying with urea (semi-improved roughage quality, SIRQ). Experiment 1a used four rumen fistulated sheep to determine in-sacco degradability. Twelve sheep ($56.3{\pm}4.59kg$) were blocked by weight and randomly allocated to IRQ (n = 6) and PRQ (n = 6) to determine solid and liquid passage rates. In experiment 1b, nine sheep ($37.6{\pm}9.34kg$) were blocked by weight and randomly allocated to IRQ (n = 4) and PRQ (n = 5) to determine digestibility. Sixteen sheep ($36.47{\pm}9.46kg$) were blocked by body weight and randomly allocated to IRQ (n = 8) and PRQ (n = 8). Two sheep were slaughtered for each sampling time in each treatment (IRQ and PRQ) at 0, 6, 12, and 24 h after feeding to determine rumen load. In experiment 2, eighteen goats ($25.4{\pm}9.08kg$) were blocked by weight and randomly allocated to IRQ (n = 6), SIRQ (n = 6), and PRQ (n = 6). Then all 18 goats were slaughtered soon after meal termination in the morning; afternoon and evening to determine the effect of period of day on rumen fill. Results: Rate of degradation and effective degradability were enhanced by improvement of roughage quality. Roughage quality had no effect on digestibility, but digestibility was higher in goats than sheep. Fractional passage rate of particles was higher for IRQ than PRQ, but similar for liquids. Digesta fractional clearance rates at 24 h after feeding were 0.018/h (IRQ) and 0.006/h (PRQ). Period of day had an influence on rumen load. Neutral detergent fibre load for goats were above 2.03 kg/100 kg body weight for all diet treatments. Conclusion: Following starvation, passage rate had negligible effects on emptying of rumen load.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.8
• /
• pp.1292-1300
• /
• 2020

Objective: To explore feed resources capable of replacing regular poor-quality fodder, this study was conducted to evaluate the effects of additives on the fermentation quality, in vitro digestibility and aerobic stability of mulberry leaves silage. Methods: The mulberry leaves were ensiled either untreated (control) or treated with 1×10⁶ cfu/g fresh matter Lactobacillus plantarum (L), 1% glucose (G), 3% molasses (M), a combination of 1% glucose and Lactobacillus plantarum (L+G), and a combination of 3% molasses and Lactobacillus plantarum (L+M). The fermentation quality and chemical composition were analyzed after 7, 14, 30, and 60 d, respectively. The 60-d silages were subjected to an aerobic stability test and fermented with buffered rumen fluid to measure the digestibility. Results: Inoculating lactic acid bacteria (LAB) resulted in more rapid increase in lactic acid concentrations and decline in pH of mulberry leaves silage as compared control. Higher acetic acid and lower ethanol and ammonia nitrogen concentrations (p<0.05) were observed in the LAB-inoculated silages as opposed to control during ensiling. The LAB-inoculated silages contained lower water-soluble carbohydrates compared with control during the first 14 d of ensiling, and lower neutral detergent fibre (p<0.05) concentrations as compared with non-LAB inoculated silages. Adding molasses alone increased (p<0.05) the digestibility of dry matter (DM). The aerobic stability of mulberry leaves silage was increased by LAB inoculation, whereas decreased by adding glucose or molasses. Conclusion: The LAB inoculation improved fermentation quality and aerobic stability of mulberry leaves silage, while adding glucose or molasses failed to affect the fermentation and impaired the aerobic stability. Inoculating LAB alone is recommended for mulberry leaves especially when ensiled at a relatively high DM.

• Animal Bioscience
• /
• v.34 no.2
• /
• pp.223-232
• /
• 2021

Objective: To investigate the improvement in utilization efficiency of total mixed ration (TMR) on Tibetan plateau, TMR were ensiled with different additives. Methods: A total of 150 experimental silos were prepared in a completely randomized design to evaluate the six treatments: i) control (without additive), ii) Lactobacillus buchneri (L. buchneri), iii) acetic acid, iv) propionic acid, v) 1,2-propanediol; and vi) 1-propanol. After 90 days of ensiling, silos were opened for fermentation quality and in vitro analysis, and then subjected to an aerobic stability test for 14 days. Results: Treating with L. buchneri, acetic acid, 1,2-propanediol and 1-propanol decreased propionic acid contents and yeast number, whereas increased (p<0.05) pH, acetic acid and ethanol contents in the fermented TMR. Despite increased dry matter (DM) loss in the TMRs treated with 1,2-propanediol and 1-pronanol, additives did not affect (p>0.05) all in vitro parameters including gas production at 24 h (GP24), GP rate constant, potential GP, in vitro DM digestibility and in vitro neutral detergent fibre digestibility. All additives improved the aerobic stability of ensiled TMR to different extents. Specially, aerobic stability of the ensiled TMR were substantially improved by L. buchneri, acetic acid, 1,2-propanediol, and 1-propanol, indicated by stable pH and lactic acid content during the aerobic stability test. Conclusion: L. buchneri, acetic acid, 1,2-propanediol, and 1-propanol had no adverse effect on in vitro digestibility, while ensiling TMR with the additives produced more acetic acid and ethanol, subsequently resulting in improvement of aerobic stability. There is a potential for some fermentation boosting additives to enhance aerobic stability of fermented TMR on Tibetan plateau.