• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.197-204
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• 2010

Two studies were conducted to determine the effects of replacing 30% (% in diet DM) of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) hay with citrus pulp in Merino ewe diets: i) an in vitro study which measured ruminal fermentation; and ii) an in vivo study in which twelve Merino ewes pre- and post-lambing were fed experimental diets in a cross-over design over 120 days to evaluate effects on ewe performance (i.e. DM intake, average daily gain (ADG) and wool growth). In both the in vitro and in vivo studies, the control treatment consisted of lucerne (91.3% in diet DM), lupins (8.3% in diet DM) and phosphate (0.42% in diet DM), while the citrus pulp treatment consisted of lucerne (57.7% in diet DM), lupins (9.5% in diet DM), phosphate (0.48% in diet DM) and fresh citrus pulp (32.3% in diet DM). Data were analysed using the mixed model procedure of SAS. In the in vitro study, gas production, total volatile fatty acid (VFA) yield, proportion of propionic acid to total VFA and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) were higher (p<0.02) in the citrus pulp treatment compared to the control treatment. In contrast, in vitro ammonia production, pH and the acetate to propionate ratio were lower (p<0.03) for the citrus pulp treatment compared to the control treatment. In the in vivo study, DM intake of ewes fed the citrus pulp diet was lower than their control ewe counterparts throughout both the pre- and post-lambing periods (928.9 vs. 1,115.0 g/d pre-; 1,285.0 vs. 1,620.3 g/d post-lambing, p<0.01), however ADG was similar (p = 0.12). Wool growth parameters and lamb performance did not differ (p>0.32) between treatments. In summary, the in vitro study demonstrated that the replacement of 30% of a lucerne diet with fresh citrus pulp improved total VFA yield, increased total gas production and improved IVDMD, while decreasing the production of ammonia, acetic acid and rumen pH. In addition, the in vivo study demonstrated that the replacement of 30% of a lucerne diet with fresh citrus pulp pre- and post-lambing decreased intake but did not affect ewe performance in terms of ADG and wool growth. These findings, of course, would be of significant interest to sheep producers endeavouring to control cost of feed ingredients whilst maintaining productivity.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1657-1667
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• 2010

Direct-fed microbials (DFM) are dietary supplements that inhibit gastrointestinal infection and provide optimally regulated microbial environments in the digestive tract. As the use of antibiotics in ruminant feeds has been banned, DFM have been emphasized as antimicrobial replacements. Microorganisms that are used in DFM for ruminants may be classified as lactic acid producing bacteria (LAB), lactic acid utilizing bacteria (LUB), or other microorganisms including species of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium, Enterococcus, Streptococcus, Bacillus and Propionibacterium, strains of Megasphaera elsdenii and Prevotella bryantii and yeast products containing Saccharomyces and Aspergillus. LAB may have beneficial effects in the intestinal tract and rumen. Both LAB and LUB potentially moderate rumen conditions and improve feed efficiency. Yeast DFM may reduce harmful oxygen, prevent excess lactate production, increase feed digestibility, and improve fermentation in the rumen. DFM may also compete with and inhibit the growth of pathogens, stimulate immune function, and modulate microbial balance in the gastrointestinal tract. LAB may regulate the incidence of diarrhea, and improve weight gain and feed efficiency. LUB improved weight gain in calves. DFM has been reported to improve dry matter intake, milk yield, fat corrected milk yield and milk fat content in mature animals. However, contradictory reports about the effects of DFM, dosages, feeding times and frequencies, strains of DFM, and effects on different animal conditions are available. Cultivation and preparation of ready-to-use strict anaerobes as DFM may be cost-prohibitive, and dosing methods, such as drenching, that are required for anaerobic DFM are unlikely to be acceptable as general on-farm practice. Aero-tolerant rumen microorganisms are limited to only few species, although the potential isolation and utilization of aero-tolerant ruminal strains as DFM has been reported. Spore forming bacteria are characterized by convenience of preparation and effectiveness of DFM delivery to target organs and therefore have been proposed as DFM strains. Recent studies have supported the positive effects of DFM on ruminant performance.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1617-1626
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• 2012

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of adding essential oils to the diet of weaned pigs on performance, nutrient utilization, immune response and intestinal health. A total of 96 weaning pigs ($8.37{\pm}1.58$ kg) were allotted to one of three dietary treatments. The treatments consisted of an unsupplemented basal diet (negative control, NC) or similar diets supplemented with 0.01% of an essential oil product which contained 18% thymol and cinnamaldehyde (EOD) as well as a diet supplemented with 0.19% of an antibiotic mixture which provided 150 ppm chlortetracycline, 80 ppm colistin sulfate and 50 ppm kitasamycin (positive control, PC). Each treatment was provided to eight pens of pigs with four pigs per pen. Over the entire 35 d experiment, ADG and fecal score were improved (p<0.05) for pigs fed the PC and EOD compared with the NC. Dry matter and crude protein digestibility as well as lymphocyte proliferation for pigs fed the PC and EOD diets were increased significantly compared with NC (p<0.05). IGF-I levels in plasma were significantly increased (p<0.05) in pigs fed the PC diet compared with pigs fed the NC diet. Interleukin-6 concentration was lower (p<0.05) and the tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ level was higher (p<0.05) in the plasma of pigs fed the EOD diet than the NC diet. Plasma total antioxidant capacity level increased (p<0.05) in pigs fed the EOD diet compared with pigs fed the NC. Villus height to crypt depth ratio in the jejunum was greater (p<0.05) in pigs fed the PC and EOD diets than the NC. The numbers of E. coli in the cecum, colon and rectum were reduced (p<0.05) in pigs fed the PC and EOD diets compared with the control. In the colon, the ratio of Lactobacilli to E. coli was increased (p<0.05) in pigs fed the EOD diet compared with NC diet. Total aerobe numbers in the rectum were decreased (p<0.05) in pigs fed the PC and EOD diets compared with the control. Collectively, these results indicate that blends of essential oils could be a candidate for use as an alternative to traditional antibiotics in weaning pig diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.856-863
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• 2013

An in vitro gas production technique was used in this study to elucidate the effect of two strains of active live yeast on methane ($CH_4$) production in the large intestinal content of pigs to provide an insight to whether active live yeast could suppress $CH_4$ production in the hindgut of pigs. Treatments used in this study include blank (no substrate and no live yeast cells), control (no live yeast cells) and yeast (YST) supplementation groups (supplemented with live yeast cells, YST1 or YST2). The yeast cultures contained $1.8{\times}10^{10}$ cells per g, which were added at the rates of 0.2 mg and 0.4 mg per ml of the fermented inoculum. Large intestinal contents were collected from 2 Duroc${\times}$Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire pigs, mixed with a phosphate buffer (1:2), and incubated anaerobically at $39^{\circ}C$ for 24 h using 500 mg substrate (dry matter (DM) basis). Total gas and $CH_4$ production decreased (p<0.05) with supplementation of yeast. The methane production reduction potential (MRP) was calculated by assuming net methane concentration for the control as 100%. The MRP of yeast 2 was more than 25%. Compared with the control group, in vitro DM digestibility (IVDMD) and total volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration increased (p<0.05) in 0.4 mg/ml YST1 and 0.2 mg/ml YST2 supplementation groups. Proportion of propionate, butyrate and valerate increased (p<0.05), but that of acetate decreased (p<0.05), which led to a decreased (p<0.05) acetate: propionate (A: P) ratio in the both YST2 treatments and the 0.4 mg/ml YST 1 supplementation groups. Hydrogen recovery decreased (p<0.05) with yeast supplementation. Quantity of methanogenic archaea per milliliter of inoculum decreased (p<0.05) with yeast supplementation after 24 h of incubation. Our results suggest that live yeast cells suppressed in vitro $CH_4$ production when inoculated into the large intestinal contents of pigs and shifted the fermentation pattern to favor propionate production together with an increased population of acetogenic bacteria, both of which serve as a competitive pathway for the available H2 resulting in the reduction of methanogenic archaea.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.9
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• pp.1276-1281
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• 2001

The feeding values of four indigenous Kenyan sorghum cultivars and the effects of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) on the utilization of high tannin sorghum by broiler chicks were studied in two 3-week feeding trials. In Experiment 1, one hundred and five broiler chicks (initial average weight 97 g) were randomly assigned to each one of the seven grain-soybean meal diets. The diets consisted of maize [diet 1; no assayable tannin], white sorghum [diet 2; 0.59% catechin equivalents (CE)], cream sorghum [diet 3; 0.94% CE], light brown sorghum [diet 4; 2.71% CE] and dark brown sorghum [diet 5; 3.54% CE]. Diets 6 and 7 were included to test the possibility of overcoming the detrimental effects of sorghum tannins by adding PVP at 0.25% and 0.5% to dark brown sorghum, which resulted in dietary tannin levels of 3.46% and 3.38% CE respectively. In Experiment 2, the effects of tannin on dry matter digestibility (DMD) and nitrogen (N) retention were studied in a 3-week substitution assay in which high tannin sorghum (5% CE) was substituted for white maize at different inclusion levels. Ninety broiler chicks aged 7 days (initial average weight 102 g) were randomly assigned to each one of the six diets. The diets consisted of corn gluten meal and fishmeal as protein sources plus maize [diet 1] and high tannin sorghum at different inclusion levels [diets 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6], resulting in dietary tannin levels of 0, 1.25%, 1.66%, 2.08%, 2.5% and 3.2% CE respectively. Feed intake, feed efficiency and body weight gain were measured weekly. In Experiment 2, tannin absorption, DMD and N retention were measured on days 19, 20 and 21. The results of Experiment 1 showed that feed intake, feed efficiency and body weight gain were all affected by treatment (p<0.05). Diets 1, 2 and 3 gave similar body weight gains and all were better than diets 4 and 5 (i.e. 504, 517, 473 g, vs. 256, 267 g). Similarly, feed efficiencies were higher (p<0.05) for diets 1, 2 and 3 compared to diets 4 and 5 (0.4, 0.42, 0.39 vs. 0.21, 0.23). When 0.25% PVP was added to the dark brown sorghum (diet 6) there was no significant improvement in chick performance (p>0.05). However, addition of 0.5% PVP (diet 7) resulted in significant improvement (p<0.05) in body weight gain compared to the untreated dark brown sorghum. Overall, PVP did not completely overcome the deleterious effects of tannins. The results of Experiment 2 indicate that sorghum inclusion level and subsequent tannin level had no effect on feed intake, feed efficiency, weight gain, DMD and N retention. The above results suggest that tannin level should be limited to below 2.71% CE in broiler chick diets containing 20% CP and 0.4% methionine. However, in diets with 23% CP and 0.8% methionine tannin level of up to 3.2% will not affect performance. Consequently high tannin sorghum (5% CE) can be used to substitute for white maize by up to 100% in broiler chick diets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 1997

Cage layer waste and sudex grass were ensiled in the proportions of 0:100, 30:70, 40:60 and 50:50 wet basis, respectively. The influence of ensiling cage layer waste on Salmonellae, Shigella, Proteus, and total number of colony forming units (CFU) was investigated. The nutritive value of the silages was evaluated in a digestion trial. The experiment was conducted with 24 wethers allotted to four silages. Initial samples of cage layer waste showed $0.11{\times}10^6$ CFU and salmonellae, Shigella and Proteus were present. Ensiling was effective in complete elimination of all the pathogens. Dry matter, crude protein and ash contents were increased linearly (p < .01) with the increase of cage layer waste in the silages ($358g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ to $484g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$; $76.3g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ to $183.2g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ and $38.5g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ to $169.4g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$; DM basis, respectively). Water solubles carbohydrate values for silages were 38.3, 22.5, 20.1 and $20.0g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ DM basis, respectively. Ensiling decreased the pH values for all the silages and the decrease was higher for sudex grass ensiled alone than grass ensiled with cage layer waste. Lactic acid concentration in silages increased linearly (p < .01) with the increase of cage layer waste. The apparent digestibilities of DM, OM and CP for the animals fed sudex grass silage alone were 496.0, 516.1, $496.7g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ DM basis respectively. However, digestibilities of all the components were higher (p < 0.01) for the animals fed silages containing cage layer waste. Among waste containing diets, the digestibilities of all the components showed quadratic affect (p < 0.01), increased for silages containing 30 and 40% cage layer waste and decreased when the level of waste increased from 40 to 50%. The results indicated that cage layer waste can be used upto 40% in ruminant diet as a source of N without any adverse effect on the health of animals. Ensiling appeared to be feasible and effective method for eliminating the pathogen present in cage layer waste.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.100-110
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• 2000

Studies were conducted to know effects of the bulking agents (saw dusts, mushroom waste, wheat bran coconut meal, rice hulls) adding o moisture control, fermentation methods (aerobic and anaerobic) and periods (1 to 20 days) of food waste fermentation for animal feeds on chemical compositions and in vitro DDM (digestibility of dry matter). Experiment designs were focussed basically to obtain extension service data. The NDF (neutral detergent fiber) composition in the oak and pine saw dust were 93.5% and 95.4% (DM basis) in respectively. Thus, the fermented food waste feeds using saw dust (50%) increased NDF(12%), and decreased in vitro DDM(48%) compared to those of raw materials before aerobic fermentation. The oak saw dust showed higher DDM compared to pine. Mushroom wastes which is a residues of mushroom culture mixed originally willow saw dust (80%) and wheat bran (20%) showed quite higher feed value compared to both saw dusts. It was found that an in vitro DDM and NDF composition in fermented feeds appeared highly dependent or the NDF composition in bulking agents. With an increase wheat bran ratio substitute mushroom waste showed linearly decreased NDF, and increased in vitro DDM in the fermented food waste feeds. The fermented feeds added bottling agents composed higher NDF resulted in higher NDF and lower in vitro DDM with prolonged fermentation time. The feeds from anaerobic fermentation appeared lower NDF and higher in vitro DDM compared to those of aerobic fermentation.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.89-98
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• 1988

This study was done to determine the effects of coix on the content of cholesterol. lipids, phosphoilpids, total bile acids in liver, plasma, and feces of rats fed containing 1% cholesterol. Four groups of experimental diets, such as soybean oil-starch diet, soybean oil-coix diet, lard-starch diet, lard-coix diet were fed ad libitum to the 6 weeks old white male rat of Spargue-Dawley strain for 27 days. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1) Plasma cholesterol level of the lard-starch group was significantly higher than the other groups (p<0.05), and that of the lard-coix group was the lowest. The content of plasma triglyceride, total bile acids was not different among the lard-starch group was significantly higher than the other groups(p<0.05). 2) The contents of the liver lipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides of the lard-coix group were significantly lower than the other groups(p<0.05). The contents of phospholipid of the liver of the lard-starch group was significantly lower than the other groups(p<0.05), and those of the soybean oil-coix group and the lard-coix group were high. 3) The contents of intestinal lipids, triglyceride, and phospholipid of the lard-coix group were significantly lower than the other groups(p<0.05). The contents of the intestinal tissue cholesterol of the lard-coix group was significantly lower than the other groups(p<0.05). 4) Cholesterol content of the feces was not different among the experimental groups. Triglyceride content of the feces of the soybean oil-starch group was significantly higher than the other groups, but total bile acid content of the feces was not different among the experimental groups. 5) Dry matter digestibility was not different among the experimental groups, but cholesterol retention was rather low when soybean oil-diet was fed. The results of this study reveales that coix has an effect to lower the plasma cholesterol level. Coix were decreased the content of liver cholesterol, increased the contend of liver phospholipid, and induced triglyceride excretion of the feces in the lard diet which lead to hypercholesterolemia. It could be suggested that the coix has influesced liped metabolsim in body.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.7
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• pp.973-979
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• 2005

The present study was planned to examine the effect of different feeding regimens on milk urea concentration and milk protein concentration. The objectives are to describe the diurnal variations of milk urea (MU) concentration and to predict plasma urea (PU) concentration from MU concentration. Six lactating Murrah buffaloes were distributed in two groups and were fed two different diets in a crossover design. The diets consisted of leguminous crops as diet 1 (berseem (Trifolium alexandrinum)+concentrate mixture 1+wheat straw)) and non-leguminous crops as diet 2 (oats (Avana sativa)+concentrate mixture 2+wheat straw). All the diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. Each diet was fed to the animals for a period of 28 days, followed by a 10 day gap to obviate the carry over effect of the previous diet and then a switch over to the other diet. Digestibility trials were conducted on the last 7 days of each feeding period. Milk samples were collected on day 3, 7, 10, 14, 17, 21, 24 and 28 of the feeding period and blood samples were collected on the same day at morning within 30 minutes after morning milking. The average milk urea (MU) values (mg/dl) differed significantly (p<0.01) and were 44.83${\pm}$0.62 and 42.53${\pm}$0.73, respectively, for diets 1 and 2. Milk urea concentrations (mg/dl) also varied (p 0.01) among the days of feeding period, but were stabilized after 10th day of feeding period. In contrast, diets and days of feeding period had no significant effect on percent milk protein. Plasma urea concentration showed a significant (p<0.01) positive correlation (r = 0.93) with MU concentration. To predict the PU from MU the following equation was developed 'PU = 10.67${\pm}$0.76${\times}$MU (mg/dl) with $R^2$ = 0.87'. A clear diurnal variation of MU was found with lowered morning value (42.04${\pm}$0.68 mg/dl) than the evening value (45.32${\pm}$0.66 mg/dl). Present findings suggested that MU or PU concentration could be used as an indicator to monitor the feeding strategy. Plasma urea can be predicted from MU, whenever interpretation of milk urea data required consideration of diurnal variation.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.26 no.10
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• pp.1424-1436
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• 2013

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of banana flower powder (BAFLOP) supplementation on gas production kinetics and rumen fermentation efficiency in in vitro incubation with different ratios of roughage to concentrate in swamp buffalo and cattle rumen fluid. Two male, rumen fistulated dairy steers and swamp buffaloes were used as rumen fluid donors. The treatments were arranged according to a $2{\times}2{\times}3$ factorial arrangement in a Completely randomized design by using two ratios of roughage to concentrate (R:C; 75:25 and 25:75) and 3 levels of BAFLOP supplementation (0, 2 and 4% of dietary substrate) into two different kinds of rumen fluid (beef cattle and swamp buffalo). Under this investigation, the results revealed that the rumen ecology was affected by R:C ratio. The pH declined as a result of using high concentrate ratio; however, supplementation of BAFLOP could buffer the pH which led to an improvement of ruminal efficiency. BAFLOP supplementation affected acetic acid (C2) when the proportion of concentrate was increased. However, there were no effect on total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) and butyric acid (C4) by BAFLOP supplementation. The microbial community was affected by BAFLOP supplementation, especially the bacterial population. As revealed by real-time PCR, the populations of F. succinogenes and R. albus were reduced by the high concentrate treatments while that of R. flavafaciens were increased. The populations of three dominant cellulolytic bacteria were enhanced by BAFLOP supplementation, especially on high concentrate diet. BAFLOP supplementation did not influence the ammonia nitrogen ($NH_3$-N) concentration, while R:C did. In addition, the in vitro digestibility was improved by either R:C or BAFLOP supplementation. The BAFLOP supplementation showed an effect on gas production kinetics, except for the gas production rate constant for the insoluble fraction (c), while treatments with high concentrate ratio resulted in the highest values. In addition, BAFLOP tended to increase gas production. Based on this study, it could be concluded that R:C had an effect on rumen ecology both in buffalo and cattle rumen fluid and hence, BAFLOP could be used as a rumen buffering agent for enhancing rumen ecology fed on high concentrate diet. It is recommended that level of BAFLOP supplementation should be at 2 to 4% of total dry matter of substrate. However, in vivo trials should be subsequently conducted to investigate the effect of BAFLOP in high concentrate diets on rumen ecology as well as ruminant production.