• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.967-973
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• 2000

A metabolism trial was conducted with 28 Najdi rams allocated into seven dietary groups to evaluate the effect of dietary inclusion of Salicornia bigelovii Torr biomass on nutrient digestibility, rumina I fluid metabolites and nitrogen and mineral balances. Either the stems (ST) or spikes (SP) of this seawater-irrigated halophyte were incorporated into complete diets at rates of 0, 10, 20 and 30% levels, replacing equal amounts of rhodesgrass hay in a ground mixed control diet. Digestibility of DM, OM, EE, NFE and fecal and urinary nitrogen were not affected by increased level of ST in the diet. As level of ST increased from 0 to 20% in the diets, CP digestibility and nitrogen retention approached their maximum (p<0.01), whereas CF digestibility reached its minimum (p<0.01). On the other hand, except for EE, digestion of all nutrients and nitrogen retention were linearly depressed (p<0.01) as SP increased in the diets from 10 to 30% level. Concentration of ammonia-N, total VFA and pH values in the rumen fluid were lower (p<0.01) with the ST- or SP-fed diets than with the control diet. Increasing level of ST or SP in the diet was associated with an increase (p<0.01) in the proportion of acetate and a decline (p<0.01) in molar percentage of propionate in the ruminal fluid. Sodium absorption increased (p<0.01) with increased ST and SP in the diets up to the 10 and 20% level, respectively, followed by constant absorption values up to the 30% level. When the level of ST in the diet gradually increased to 30%, a concomitant increased (p<0:01) in Ca and P absorption were obvious; whereas, increased level of SP in the diets from 0 to 30% resulted in noticeable (p<0.01) depression in Ca and P apparent absorption.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.378-385
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• 2013

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of variety and growing conditions of wheat on broiler performance and nutrient digestibility. One hundred and sixty-four wheat samples, collected from a wide range of different sources, locations, varieties and years, were analyzed for a range of chemical and physical parameters. Chemical and physical parameters measured included specific weight, thousand grain weight (TG), in vitro viscosity, gross energy, N, NDF, starch, total and soluble non-starch polysaccharides (NSP), lysine, threonine, amylose, hardness, rate of starch digestion and protein profiles. Ninety-four of the wheat samples were selected for inclusion in four bird trials. Birds were housed in individual wire metabolizm cages from 7 to 28 d and offered water and feed ad libitum. Dry matter intake (DMI), live weight gain (LWG) and gain:feed were determined weekly. A balance collection was carried out from 14 to 21 d for determination of apparent metabolizable energy (AME), ME:gain, DM retention, oil and NDF digestibility. At 28 d the birds were sacrificed, the contents of the jejunum removed for determination of in vivo viscosity and the contents of the ileum removed for determination of ileal DM, starch and protein digestibility. The wheat samples used in the study had wide-ranging chemical and physical parameters, leading to bird DMI, LWG, gain:feed, ME:GE, AME content and ileal starch and protein digestibility being significantly (p<0.05) affected by wheat sample. A high level of N fertilizer application to the English and NI wheat samples tended to benefit bird performance, with increases of up to 3.4, 7.2 and 3.8% in DMI, LWG and gain:feed, respectively. Fungicide application also appeared to have a positive effect on bird performance, with fungicide treated (+F) wheat increasing bird DMI, LWG and gain:feed by 6.6, 9.3 and 2.7%, over the non-fungicide treated (-F) wheats. An increase (p<0.1) of 9.3% in gain:feed was also observed at the low seed rate of 40 compared to 640 seeds/$m^2$. It was concluded that the type of wheat sample and environmental growing conditions significantly affects bird performance when fed wheat-based diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.17 no.8
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• pp.1139-1144
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• 2004

In Exp. 1, a total of 36 pigs (6.55$\pm$0.10 kg average initial body weight and 21 d average age) were used in a 14 d growth study to determine the effects of replacing spray-dried plasma protein (SDPP) with spray-dried egg protein containing specific egg yolk antibody (SDEP) on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in weaned pigs. The pigs were blocked by weight and assigned to treatments based on sex. There were three pigs per pen and four pens per treatment. Dietary treatments were 0, 3, or 6% SDEP and contained 6, 3, or 0% SDPP, respectively. Through the entire experimental period, average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), and gain/feed tended to decrease as the concentration of SDEP increased in the diets. However, there were no significant differences among the treatments (p>0.05). As the addition of SDEP in the diets increased, apparent digestibilities of dry matter (DM) and nitrogen (N) were decreased without significant (p>0.05). For Exp. 2, 36 pigs (2.63$\pm$0.04 kg average initial body weight and 10 d average age) were used in a 14 d growth study to determine the effects of antibiotic replacement with SDEP on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in early-weaned pigs. The pigs were blocked by weight and assigned to treatments based on sex. There were three pigs per pen and four pens per treatment. Dietary treatments included 1) ANTIBIOTIC (corn-dried whey-soybean meal based diet+0.08% antibiotics, 4 mg of tiamuline hydrogen fumarate; 10 mg of sulfadimidine per kg of complete diet), 2) SDEP0.1 (corndried whey-SBM based diet+0.1% SDEP), and 3) SDEP0.2 (corn-dried whey-SBM based diet+0.2% SDEP). ADG and gain/feed of pigs fed the SDEP0.2 diet were higher than for pigs fed the ANTIBIOTIC diet without significant (p>0.05). Pigs fed the diet with SDEP0.2 tended to have increased apparent digestibilities of DM and N compared to pigs fed the ANTIBIOTIC diet without significant (p>0.05). In conclusion, the dietary SDEP seemed to be partial replacing the SDPP portion of high nutrient dense diet for weaned pigs. Also, dietary SDEP seemed to be approximately 0.2% or more when the pigs fed the antibiotic-free diet for early-weaned pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1178-1183
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• 2012

A 5-wk trial with 96 ($(Landrace{\times}Yorkshire){\times}Duroc$) pigs ($BW=26.56{\pm}0.42kg$) was conducted to investigate the effect of eugenol and cinnamaldehyde as feed additive in growing pigs. Pigs were assigned to 1 of 3 treatments in a randomized complete block design according to their sex and BW. Each treatment contained 8 replications with 4 pigs (2 gilts and 2 barrows) per pen. Treatments included: control (basal diet; CON); (basal diet+1,000 mg eugenol/kg; ET); (basal diet+1,000 mg cinnamaldehyde/kg; CT). Administration of eugenol and cinnamaldehyde did not did not affect (p>0.05) the growth performance and apparent total tract digestibility. Dietary CT and ET led to a higher (p<0.05) lymphocyte concentration compared with CON. The inclusion of CT and ET decreased (p<0.05) the fecal E. coli concentration (p>0.05). Pigs fed the diets supplemented with eugenol and cinnamaldehyde had reduced (p<0.05) $NH_3$ and $H_2S$ concentration throughout the experiment. In conclusion, results obtained in the present study indicated that supplementation of eugenol and cinamaldehyde had no effect on growth performance of pigs but exhibited lymphocyte-enhancing activity and decreased the fecal E. coli concentration and fecal noxious gas content ($NH_3$ and $H_2S$).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.208-213
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• 2007

The objective of the experiment was to determine the optimum cultural [moisture levels (55, 60 and 70%), days of fermentation (7, 14 and 21), temperature (25 and $35^{\circ}C$) of incubation)] and nutritional parameters (urea addition (0 and 2%) and variable levels of single super phosphate (0.25 and 0.50% SSP)) for bio-processing of the mustard (Brassica campestris) straw (MS) under solid-state fermentation (SSF) system. The performance of SSF was assessed in terms of favorable changes in cell wall constituents, protein content and in vitro DM digestibility of the MS. Sorghum based inoculum (seed culture) of Ganoderma lucidum to treat the MS was prepared. The 50 g DM of MS taken in autoclavable polypropylene bags was mixed with a pre-calculated amount of water and the particular nutrient in the straw to attained the desired levels of water and nutrient concentration in the substrate. A significant progressive increase in biodegradation of DM (p<0.001), NDF (p<0.01) and ADF (p<0.05) was observed with increasing levels of moisture. Among the cell wall constituents the loss of ADF fraction was greatest compared to that of NDF. The loss of DM increased progressively as the fermentation proceeded and maximum DM losses occurred at 28 days after incubation. The protein content of the treated MS samples increased linearly up to the day $21^{th}$ of the incubation and thereafter declined at day $28^{th}$, whereas the improvement in in vitro DM digestibility were apparent only up to the day $14^{th}$ of the incubation under SSF and there after it declined. The acid detergent lignin (ADL) degradation was slower during the first 7 days of SSF and thereafter increased progressively and maximum ADL losses were observed at the day $28^{th}$ of the SSF. The biodegradation of DM and ADL was not affected by the variation in incubation temperature. Addition of urea was found to have inhibitory effect on fungal growth. The effect of both the levels (0.25 and 0.50) of SSP addition in the substrate, on DM, NDF, ADF, cellulose and ADL biodegradation was similar. Similarly, the protein content and the in vitro DM digestibility remain unaffected affected due to variable levels of the SSP inclusion in the substrate. From the results it may be concluded that the incubation of MS with 60 percent moisture for 21 days at $35^{\circ}C$ with 0.25 percent SSP was most suitable for MS treatment with Ganoderma lucidum. Maximum delignification, enrichment in the protein content and improvement in in vitro DM digestibility were achieved by adopting this protocol of bioprocessing of MS.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.248-256
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• 2003

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of expander processing and enzyme supplementation of wheat-based diets on growth performance and nutrient digestibility in finishing pigs. For Exp. 1, 60 finishing pigs (average initial BW of 49.5 kg) were fed meal, standard pellets and expanded pellets in a 70 d growth assay. From 49.5 to 79.0 kg, 79.0 to 111.8 kg, and overall (49.5 to 111.8 kg), ADG and ADFI were not affected by pelleting or standard vs expander conditioning (p>0.22). However, from 49.5 to 79.0 kg, pigs fed pellets have greater gain/feed than pigs fed mash (p<0.04), and pigs fed expanded pellets tended to have greater (p<0.10) gain/feed than pigs fed standard pellets. Overall (i.e. from 49.5 to 111.8 kg), gain/feed (p<0.02) and apparent fecal digestibilities of DM (p<0.001) and N (p<0.02) were improved by pelleting the diets. Also, expander processing further improved gain/feed (p<0.06) and digestibility of DM (p<0.04) compared to standard steam conditioning. Scores for keratinization (p<0.002) and ulceration (p<0.003) of the stomach were increased by pelleting, but the mean scores for the various treatments ranged only from 0.05 to 1.08 (i.e., low to mild keratosis and ulceration). For Exp. 2, 80 pigs (average initial BW of 54.1 kg) were fed mash and pellets (standard or expander) without and with xylanase. The enzyme was added to supply 4,000 units of xylanase activity/kg of diet. Adding xylanase to the mash diet improved gain/feed from 90.7 to 115.9 kg (p<0.04) of the growth assay and digestibility of DM (p<0.05) on d 39. However, in pelleted diets, adding the enzyme did not improve growth performance or digestibility of nutrients. Pelleting tended to increase scores for ulceration (p<0.06), and enzyme supplementation decreased stomach keratinization scores for pigs fed the standard pellets (p<0.01). However, as in Exp. 1, the mean scores for all treatment groups were quiet low (i.e., ranging from normal to mild). In conclusion, pelleting improved efficiency of growth, but additional benefits from expander conditioning were observed only in Exp. 1. Finally, xylanase tended to improve growth performance and nutrient digestibility, only in pigs fed mash diets but not in pigs fed pellets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.788-801
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• 2020

Objective: This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of diets containing different wet rice distillers' by-product (RDP) levels on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood profiles and gut microbiome of weaned piglets. Methods: A total of 48 weaned castrated male crossbred pigs, initial body weight 7.54±0.97 kg, and age about 4 wks, were used in this experiment. The piglets were randomly allocated into three iso-nitrogenous diet groups that were fed either a control diet, a diet with 15% RDP, or a diet with 30% RDP for a total of 35 days. Chromium oxide was used for apparent digestibility measurements. On d 14 and d 35, half of the piglets were randomly selected for hemato-biochemical and gut microbiota evaluations. Results: Increasing inclusion levels of RDP tended to linearly increase (p≤0.07) average daily gain on d 14 and d 35, and decreased (p = 0.08) feed conversion ratio on d 35. Empty stomach weight increased (p = 0.03) on d 35 while digestibility of diet components decreased. Serum globulin concentration decreased on d 14 (p = 0.003) and red blood cell count tended to decrease (p = 0.06) on d 35, parallel to increase RDP levels. Gene amplicon profiling of 16S rRNA revealed that the colonic microbiota composition of weaned pigs changed by inclusion of RDP over the period. On d 14, decreased proportions of Lachnospiraceae_ge, Ruminococcaceae_ge, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, and Bacteroidales_ge, and increased proportions of Prevotellaceae_ge, Prevotella_2, and Prevotella_9 were found with inclusion of RDP, whereas opposite effect was found on d 35. Additionally, the proportion of Lachnospiraceae_ge, Ruminococcaceae_ge, Ruminococcaceae_UCG-005, and Bacteroidales_ge in RDP diets decreased over periods in control diet but increased largely in diet with 30% RDP. Conclusion: These results indicate that RDP in a favorable way modulate gastrointestinal microbiota composition and improve piglet performance despite a negative impact on digestibility of lipids and gross energy.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.286-293
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• 2020

Objective: Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of corn particle size and lipid form on the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of energy and nutrients in diets for growing pigs. Methods: In Exp. 1, thirty barrows (initial body weight [BW], 53.1±3.9 kg) were allotted to 1 of 5 diets formulated with 96.9% corn ground to 441, 543, 618, 659, and 768 ㎛, respectively. In Exp. 2, thirty-six barrows (initial BW, 54.7±3.6 kg) were allotted to 1 of 6 diets formulated by including 2% or 15% corn germ (CG 2 or CG 15), 1% or 6% corn oil (CO 1 or CO 6), 1% CO+2% corn germ meal (CO 1+CGM 2), or 6% CO+15% corn germ meal (CO 6+CGM 15), respectively. Results: The ATTD of gross energy (GE) and the digestible energy (DE) in diet and corn grain linearly decreased as the corn particle size increased (p<0.05) from 441 to 768 ㎛. Particle size had a quadratic effect (p<0.05) on the ATTD of neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber in diets, and which firstly increased and then decreased as the corn particle size increased from 441 to 618 ㎛ and 618 to 768 ㎛, respectively. The ATTD of GE, ether extract (EE), and the DE in CO 1 diet and CO 6 diet was greater (p<0.05) than that in CG 2 diet and CG 15 diet, respectively. The ATTD of EE in CO 6 diet and CO 6+CGM 15 diet was greater (p<0.05) than that in CO 1 diet and CO 1+CGM 2 diet. Conclusion: Less than 618 ㎛ was recommended for corn particle size in growing pig's diet and extracted lipid had greater digestibility than the intact lipid in corn. Higher concentration of extracted CO had greater digestibility of EE compared with lower concentrations of CO diet.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.490-500
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• 2020

Objective: To investigate effect of mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) larvae hydrolysate on nutrient ileal digestibility compared to those of dried mealworm larvae meal, fermented poultry by-product, and hydrolyzed fish soluble in growing pigs. Methods: A total of 12 crossbred ([Landrace×Yorkshire]×Duroc) growing pigs with average body weight of 28.70±0.32 kg were surgically equipped with simple T-cannulas. A total of 12 pigs were assigned to individual metabolic crates and allotted to one of four treatments with 3 replicates in a fully randomized design. Results: Apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of dry matter (DM) was the highest in pigs fed HML diet. AIDs of crude protein (CP) were higher in pigs fed HML and DMLM diets than those in pigs fed the other two diets. AID of total amino acid was higher (p = 0.06) in pigs fed HML diet. AIDs of lysine (Lys), methionine (Met), and threonine (Thr) were similar in pigs fed DMLM and HML diets, but were higher (p = 0.05, p<0.05, and p = 0.05, respectively) than those in pigs fed FPBM or HFS diet. Pigs fed HML diet had higher standardized ileal digestibilities (SIDs) of DM and CP (p<0.05 and p<0.05, respectively) compared to pigs fed the other FPBM and HFS diets. SIDs of total amino acid were not different (p = 0.06) between treatments. For SIDs of Lys, Met, and Thr, pigs fed HML and DMLM diets showed higher SIDs (p = 0.05, p<0.05, and p<0.05, respectively) than pigs fed FPBM and HFS diets. SIDs of non-essential amino acids (aspartic acid, glycine, and alanine) were higher (p<0.05, p<0.05, and p<0.05, respectively) in pigs fed HML, FPBM, and DMLM diets than those in pigs fed the HFS diet. AID and SID of glutamic acid were higher in pigs fed HML and FPBM diets. Conclusion: In conclusion, dietary supplementation of mealworm larvae hydrolysate had higher digestibility in DM, CP, Lys, Met, and Thr compared to dietary supplementation with fermented poultry by-product and hydrolyzed fish soluble.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.1299-1303
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• 2001

For the Exp. 1, a total of fifty four crossbred [(Duroc Yorkshire)${\times}$Landrace] pigs ($77.67{\pm}1.42kg$ average initial BW) were used in a 41-d growth assay to determine the effects of yucca extract supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility and serum characteristics of finishing pigs. Dietary treatments included 1) Control (basal diet), 2) YE60 (basal diet+60 ppm yucca extract), 3) YE120 (basal diet+120 ppm yucca extract). Average daily gain was not improved by yucca extract supplementation during the whole experimental perid (d 0 to 41). Pigs fed control diet showed the best average daily gain. Pigs fed control and YE120 diets tended to increase average daily feed intake compared with pigs fed YE60 diet (quadratic effect, p<0.0001). Gain/feed with control treatment was significantly better than the YE groups (linear effect, p<0.071). However, there was no significant difference among levels of yucca extract (p>0.10). Apparent digestibility of dry matter in pigs fed yucca extract were greater than for pigs fed control diets (linear effect, p<0.017). Pigs fed YE120 tended to have higher digestibility of nitrogen than pigs fed the control diets (linear effect, p<0.019). There were no significant differences in Total-, HDL- and LDL-cholesterol concentrations of serum, and the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) concentrations in serum was not influenced by the yucca extract supplementation (p>0.10). For the Exp. 2, fifteen [(Duroc${\times}$Yorkshire)${\times}$Landrace] pigs ($25.00{\pm}0.50kg$ average initial BW) were used in a 30-d metabolism experiment to determine the effects of yucca extract supplementation on fecal ammonia gas production. Treatments were : 1) Control (basal diet); 2) YE (basal diet+150 ppm yucca extract); 3) BD (basal diet+100 ppm Bio-Dr; yucca extract+far infrared emitted materials). Fecal ammonia gas production differences between d 0 and d 30 were significantly reduced (p<0.05) by feeding BD compared to control and YE. Also, when pigs were fed the diet with YE tended to be decreased ammonia gas production compared to pigs fed the control diet without significant differences (p>0.05). There were no differences for DM and N digestibility among pigs fed the treatment diets. In conclusion, yucca and (or) far infrared radiological materials can be used to make environment-friendly diets for growing-finishing pigs without negative effects on growth performance and nutrient digestibility.