• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.4
• /
• pp.564-572
• /
• 2013

Two trials were conducted to investigate the effect of decreasing the crude protein (CP) content of diets for finishing pigs containing two levels of available lysine on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen (N) balance and production performance. Ten finishing diets containing five levels of CP (on average 144, 155, 168, 182 and 193 g/kg fresh basis) and two levels of available lysine (6.9 and 8.2 g/kg fresh basis) were formulated. The diets were offered to pigs on a performance trial (n = 800 Large White (LW)${\times}$Landrace (LR) pigs) from 10 wk of age until finish at 21 wks+5 d of age. Average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated. In addition, a digestibility/N balance trial was conducted using pigs (n = 80 $LW{\times}LR$) housed in metabolism crates. Digestibility of dry matter (DM), CP, oil, fibre and energy was determined. N balance values were determined through analysis of N content of urine and faeces ('as determined'). N balance values were also calculated using ADG values and assuming that 16% of growth is protein deposition ("as calculated"). Pig performance was poor between 10 and 13 wk of age which indicated that the dietary treatments were nutritionally inadequate for pigs less than 40 kg. There was a significant (p<0.01) quadratic effect of increasing CP level on feed intake, ADG and FCR from 10 to 13 wk which indicated that the lower CP levels did not supply adequate levels of essential or non-essential amino acids. There was no effect of increasing available lysine level throughout the early period, which in conjunction with the response in older pigs, suggested that both 8.2 and 6.9 g/kg available lysine were insufficient to drive optimum growth. There was a positive response (p<0.05) to increasing available lysine level from 13 wk to finish which indicated that 6.9 g/kg available lysine was not adequate for finishing pigs. Energy digestibility decreased with decreasing CP level of diets containing 6.9 g/kg available lysine which may be attributed to the higher fibre content of the lower CP diets. Nitrogen excretion (g/d) was lowered when dietary CP was reduced regardless of whether the values were determined through balance or calculated using ADG. Calculated N excretion decreased linearly (p<0.001) and quadratically (p<0.001) with decreasing dietary CP content. When the N balance figures calculated in this study were compared with those quoted in the Northern Ireland and English Nitrates Directive Action Programmes, N excretion was less per pig (wean to finish) offered a 169 g/kg CP, 8.2 g/kg available lysine diet (2.39 kg vs 3.41 kg (Northern Ireland) and 2.93 kg (England)).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.10
• /
• pp.1446-1458
• /
• 2013

The study assessed the effect of dietary supplementation of leaf meal mixture (LMM) containing condensed tannins (CT) on feed intake, nutrient utilization and performance of sheep infected with Haemonchus contortus. Eighteen adult sheep of similar age and body weight ($25.03{\pm}1.52$) were included in this study and out of these, 12 sheep were infected with single dose of infective third stage larvae of H. contortus at 2,000 larvae per sheep. The experimental sheep were allocated in three different groups' i.e. negative control (NC; no infection), control (C; H. contortus infected) and treatment (T; H. contortus infected+CT at 1.5% of the DM through LMM) and the experiment was conducted for a period of 90 d. The intake of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM) and digestibility of DM, OM, neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) were comparable among three animal groups. However, digestibility of crude protein (CP) and ether extract (EE) were significantly (p<0.05) higher in NC group as compared to both C and T groups. Nitrogen (N) retention (g/d or % of N intake) was significantly (p = 0.038) lower in C group as compared to T and NC groups. Daily intake (g/kg $W^{0.75}$) of digestible crude protein (DCP), digestible organic matter (DOM) and total digestible nutrient (TDN) did not differ significantly (p<0.05) in the three groups. Haemoglobin (Hb) and packed cell volume (PCV) were significantly (p<0.001) higher in treatment group as compared to control. The level of Hb and PCV reduced (p<0.001) after 30 days of experimental feeding. CT significantly (p<0.001) reduced serum urea in T group as compared to NC and C groups. Serum proteins differed significantly (p<0.01) among the three groups. The activity of serum enzymes AST, ALT, ALP and LDH were also statistically non significant (p<0.05) among treatments. The weight of abomasal lymph nodes (ALN) in T group was higher (p<0.05) than in C group. Treatment group had lower (p<0.05) total worms and fecal egg count compared to control group. It may be concluded that dietary supplementation of CT through LMM significantly improved the N retention, and inhibited the different developmental stages of Haemonchus contortus in experimental sheep.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.13 no.12
• /
• pp.1726-1730
• /
• 2000

High fibre (CF, 242 g/kg) sunflower seed meal (SSM) was incorporated in standard grower and layer quail diets at 0, 50, 75 or 100 g/kg replacing part of the soybean meal (SBM) and deoiled rice bran (DORB). Each grower diet was offered to 30 quails housed in battery cages from day one to 5 weeks of age. At the end of the growing period, Twelve female quails from each of the four respective dietary groups were transferred to the individual laying cages and their laying performance from 7 to 20 weeks of age were evaluated on diets containing SSM at similar levels as that during the growing period. The results of growth bioassay revealed that the live weight gain, feed intake, nutrient retention and carcass characteristics of quails in different dietary groups did not vary significantly (p>0.05), although the quails fed SSM based diets utilized the feed less (p<0.05) efficiently than those fed the control diet. During the laying period, the egg production and egg quality traits remained unaffected due to dietary treatments but feed required per unit egg production increased (p<0.05) as the level of SSM in diet was increased to 100 g/kg. Although, the cost of feed per kg decreased due to the incorporation of SSM in diet but the same was not reflected in feed cost per unit gain, meat or egg production as such parameters were comparable on all the diets. It could thus be concluded that the SSM can be incorporated in quail diets upto 100 g/kg for part of SBM, an item usually expensive and also in short supply in developing countries including India.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.10 no.2
• /
• pp.206-209
• /
• 1997

The effect of supplementation of Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterrophyllus) tree leaves and mashkalai (Vigna mungo) barn on the intake and digestibility of freshly cut common grass by Black Bengal goats was evaluated. Twelve castrated goats of approximately 5-6 months age were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments: freshly cut common grass ad libitum, common grass+100g Jackfruit tree leaves and common grass+100g mashkalai bran. Although digestibilities of dry matter, organic matter, nitrogen and neutral detergent fibre were very similar in the grass alone and mashkalai bran supplemented goats but the values were significantly (P < 0.01) higher than those observed in the Jackfruit leaves supplemented goats. Supplementation of mashkalai bran promoted higher (p < 0.05) digestible nutrients intake with the consequent higher daily live weight gain (75 g) than those fed grass alone (31 g). It could be concluded that mashkalai bran could be a suitable supplement for goats consuming common grass in the tropics and subtropics.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.31 no.5
• /
• pp.672-676
• /
• 2018

Objective: An experiment was conducted to study the effect of a blend of essential oils (BEO) on enteric methane emission and growth performance of buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis). Methods: Twenty one growing male buffaloes (average body weight of $279{\pm}9.3kg$) were divided in to three groups. The animals of all the three groups were fed on a ration consisting of wheat straw and concentrate mixture targeting 500 g daily live weight gain. The three dietary groups were; Group 1, control without additive; Group 2 and 3, supplemented with BEO at 0.15 and 0.30 mL/kg of dry matter intake (DMI), respectively. Results: During six months feeding trial, the intake and digestibility of dry matter and nutrients (organic matter, crude protein, ether extract, neutral detergent fibre, and acid detergent fibre) were similar in all the groups. The average body weight gain was tended to improve (p = 0.084) in Group 2 and Group 3 as compared to control animals. Feeding of BEO did not affect feed conversion efficiency of the animals. The calves of all the three groups were in positive nitrogen balance with no difference in nitrogen metabolism. During respiration chamber studies the methane production (L/kg DMI and L/kg digestible dry matter intake was significantly (p<0.001) lower in Group 2 and Group 3 as compared to control animals. Conclusion: The results indicated that the BEO tested in the present study have shown potential to reduce enteric methane production without compromising the nutrient utilization and animal performance and could be further explored for its use as feed additive to mitigate enteric methane production in livestock.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.15 no.11
• /
• pp.1585-1590
• /
• 2002

Thirty female goats of local breed (mature weight 28 kg), weighing 11 to 18 kg, were used in a growth experiment with the objectives to evaluate the effect of different levels of Gliricidia sepium leaves in a diet of Guinea grass (Panicum maximum) on feed intake, weight gain and apparent digestibility. The goats were allotted to five treatments, consisting of 5 levels, 0 (GL-0), 20 (GL-20), 30 (GL-30), 40 (GL-40) and 50% (GL-50) of Gliricidia sepium leaves in the diet based on the energy requirements of the goats. Another six female goats were used to study the digestibility of three dietary treatments, GL-0, GL-30 and GL-50, according to a double $3{\times}3$ Latin square arrangement. The crude protein (CP) content in Gliricidia was higher and the neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) lower than in the Guinea grass. Increasing the amount of Gliricidia leaves resulted in similar intake of total dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), NDF and ADF among treatments, but CP intake increased with increasing Gliricidia in the diet. The highest total DM intake was 3.0% of body weight in the GL-20 diet. The highest daily live weight gain was 43 g/day in the GL-30 diet. Inclusion of 30% of Gliricidia leaves improved the apparent DM, OM and CP digestibility compared to 0% or 50% inclusion. NDF and ADF digestibility declined with increasing levels of Gliricidia leaves in the diet.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
• /
• v.15 no.18
• /
• pp.7875-7878
• /
• 2014

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the awareness of breast cancer risk factors among female university students in 24 low, middle income and emerging economy countries. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 10,242 undergraduate university students (mean age 20.7, SD=2.9) from 25 universities in 24 countries across Asia, Africa and the Americas. Using anonymous questionnaires the awareness of links between breast cancer and heredity, diet, overweight, exercise, alcohol use, smoking and stress was assessed. Results indicated that 35.4% of the women were not aware that any of these risk factors could influence breast cancer, 43.8% were aware of a genetic link, and only 12.5%, 10.9% and 10.6% correctly identified alcohol use, overweight and physical inactivity, respectively, as factors causing breast cancer. Moreover, 13.3% rated dietary fat and 11.5% fibre as influencing breast cancer; both low-fat and high-fibre diets may be weakly protective against breast cancer, and smoking (19.4%) and stress (13.5%), the most commonly chosen breast cancer lifestyle risk factors, have less clear impact on breast cancer. There were marked country differences, e.g., in regards of being aware of genetic causes of breast cancer risk in female students from Ivory Coast, India, Madagascar, Nigeria and Laos below 30% and female students from Pakistan, Singapore, Turkey, Grenada and Philippines 60 or more percent. This study provides insight in the breast cancer risk perception of young women, which can be utilized in breast cancer awareness and prevention programmes.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.15 no.1
• /
• pp.26-33
• /
• 2002

In order to assess the effect of feeding raw or processed cotton (Gossypium) seed meal (CSM) on meat and wool production, 30 male crossbred lambs (3-4 months) of uniform body weight were assigned equally to five dietary treatments in a completely randomised design. The CSM was processed by three different methods i.e., cooking the meal at $100^{\circ}C$ for 45 minutes, treatment with 1% calcium hydroxide ($Ca(OH)_2$) for 24 h and iron treatment in the ratio of 1 part free gossypol (FG) to 0.3 parts of iron for 30 minutes. The lambs were fed isonitrogenous and isocaloric concentrate mixtures, containing 30% deoiled peanut meal (reference diet) and 40% of either raw, cooked, $Ca(OH)_2$ or iron treated CSM for 180 days. The raw and variously processed CSM replaced about 50% nitrogen of reference concentrate mixture. The concentrate mixtures were fed to meet 80% of the protein requirements (NRC, 1985) along with ad libitum chopped maize (Zea mays) hay. The slaughter weight, empty body weight and carcass weight was higher ($p{\leq}0.01$) in lambs fed cooked CSM incorporated diets, compared to diets containing deoiled peanut meal (DPNM). These parameters were not influenced by feeding diets containing either raw, $Ca(OH)_2$ or iron treated CSM in comparison DPNM diets. The carcass length, loin eye area and edible and inedible portion of carcass and the meat: bone ratio in whole carcass were also not affected by feeding CSM based diets. Among various primal cuts, the yield of legs was lower ($p{\leq}0.05$) from raw CSM fed lambs in comparison to DPNM fed lambs. The fat content in the Longissimus dorsi muscle was reduced ($p{\leq}0.05$) in lambs fed processed CSM based diets compared to those fed DPNM diet. Replacing DPNM with either raw or processed CSM based diets did not influence the sensory attributes and overall acceptability of meat. The wool yield was higher ($p{\leq}0.05$) in iron treated CSM fed lambs. The fibre length and fibre diameter were comparable among lambs on various dietary regimes. Among lambs fed variously processed CSM diets, the feed cost per kg of edible meat production was lower ($p{\leq}0.05$) on $Ca(OH)_2$ treated CSM, followed by cooked CSM diet and then on raw CSM based diets compared to DPNM diet. The CSM after 1% $Ca(OH)_2$ treatment or cooking for 45 minutes appears to be a satisfactory protein supplement in lamb diets for meat and wool production to replace at least 50% nitrogen of scarce and costly peanut meal.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.646-653
• /
• 2013

Four crossbred Sindhi heifers with an average body weight (BW) of 135 kg and a mean age of 17 months were used to investigate the effect of feeding different combinations of rice straw and ensiled water hyacinth (EWH) supplemented with a source of protein in the form of cottonseed cake (CSC) on intake and digestibility. Four treatments consisting of graded levels of EWH were arranged in a $4{\times}4$ Latin square. The levels of EWH were set at: 0 (EWH0), 15 (EWH15), 30 (EWH30), and 45% (EWH45) of an expected total dietary dry matter (DM) intake of 30 g total DM per kg BW per day. Rice straw was offered ad libitum, while CSC was given at a fixed level of 5 g DM/kg body weight (BW). Voluntary intake and digestibility were measured consecutively in the 4 experimental periods which each lasted 28 days. The crude protein (CP) content of EWH, rice straw and CSC were 174, 53 and 370 g/kg DM, respectively. Rice straw had the highest neutral detergent fibre (NDFom) content (666 g/kg DM), followed by EWH (503 g/kg DM) and the lowest content was 418 g/kg DM in the CSC. The actual EWH contents in the consumed diets were 0, 17, 32 and 52% for EWH0, EWH15, EWH30 and EWH45, respectively. Rice straw intake decreased with level of EWH offered from 3049 for EWH0 to 1014 g/day for EWH45. Crude protein intake was 16, 25 and 33% higher (p<0.001) in EWH15, EWH30 and EWH45 treatments, respectively, as compared to EWH0. Digestibility of organic matter (OM), CP, NDFom and acid detergent fibre (ADFom) increased with increasing level of EWH offered. The highest OM digestibility (72.2%) was found for treatment EWH45 and the lowest (47.4%) for treatment EWH0. In spite of similar dietary CP contents, CP digestibility increased by 21 (EWH15), 31 (EWH30) and 40% (EWH45) with increasing level of EWH in comparison with treatment EWH0. It is concluded that increasing level of EWH in cattle diets considerably improved CP intake and digestibility of nutrients.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
• /
• v.32 no.9
• /
• pp.1414-1422
• /
• 2019

Objective: Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of adaptation time and inclusion level of sugar beet pulp (SBP) on nutrient digestibility and to evaluate the ileal amino acid digestibility of SBP fed to pigs. Methods: In Exp. 1, thirty-six crossbred barrows ($85.0{\pm}2.1kg$) were allotted to 6 diets in a completely randomized design with six replicates per diet. Diets included a corn-soybean meal diet and 5 test diets containing 14.6%, 24.4%, 34.2%, 43.9%, or 53.7% SBP, respectively. The adaptation time consisted 7, 14, 21, or 28 d consecutively for each pig followed by 5 d for fecal collection. Feces were collected from d 8 to 13, d 15 to 20, d 22 to 27, and d 29 to 34, respectively. In Exp. 2, six pigs ($35.1{\pm}1.7kg$) with T-cannulas at the terminal ileum were fed to 3 diets in a replicated $3{\times}3$ Latin square design with 3 periods and 2 replicate pigs per diet. Each period consisted 5 d for diet adaptation followed by 2 d for digesta collection. Results: The digestible energy (DE) value and the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of gross energy (GE), dry matter (DM), ash, and organic matter in diets linearly decreased (p<0.05) as the adaptation time increased or as the dietary SBP increased, while the ATTD of neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre in diets linearly increased (p<0.01) as the dietary SBP increased. The DE value and the ATTD of GE and crude protein (CP) in SBP linearly increased (p<0.05) as the adaptation time increased, while the ATTD of CP in SBP linearly decreased (p<0.01) as the inclusion level increased. The standardized ileal digestibility of Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp in SBP was 37.03%, 51.62%, 40.68%, and 46.22%, respectively. Conclusion: The results of this study indicated that the ATTD of energy and nutrients were decreased as inclusion rate of SBP increased.