• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.349-354
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• 2008

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of a high protein diet containing barley on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs. A total of fifty six [(Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire${\times}$Duroc)] pigs (85.08 kg in average initial body weight) were used for a 6-week study. Dietary treatments included 1) Basal diet (CON) and 2) High protein diet with barley 5% (HB5). During the entire test periods, there were no significant differences in Average daily gain (ADG), Average daily feed intake (ADFI) and gain/feed ratio between treatments (p>0.05). The b value of M. logissimus dorsi muscle color was significantly increased in CON fed pigs compared to pigs fed the HB5 diet (p<0.05). The water holding capacity (WHC) was higher in HB5 than CON fed pigs (p<0.05). Also, drip loss was significantly decreased in HB5 compared to CON fed pigs (p<0.05). Backfat thickness, live weight, cold carcass weight, dressing, and carcass grade were not significantly affected by either treatment (p>0.05). In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that a high protein diet with 5% barley affects meat color, WHC and drip loss in finishing pigs.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.7
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• pp.1043-1049
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• 2016

A total of 16 growing pigs (Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire${\times}$Duroc, average weight $71{\pm}2kg$) were used in this experiment for 24 days to determine the effect of replacing ground corn with barley varieties on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and blood metabolites. Each pig was housed individually in a metabolic cage with a nipple waterer and feeder. Four dietary treatments included control (a corn and soybean meal-based diet) and 3 barley varieties (Youngyang, Wooho, or Yuyeon barley replacing 40% of ground corn). Growth performance and nutrient digestibility were not affected by replacement of 40% of ground corn with one of the three barley varieties (p > 0.05), but final body weight was. As for blood characteristics, pig treated with all of the barley treatments had no effect (p > 0.05) on total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LD), and glucose in comparison with control; however, there was a difference in high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels between the control and all of the barley replaced treatment groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, in spite of statistically significant differences, each of the three barley varieties is a suitable substitute for ground corn in the diet of growing and fattening pigs without adverse effects on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and blood characteristics.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.747-754
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• 2005

Nutritional regulation of gene expression associated with growth and feeding behavior in avian species can become an important technique to improve poultry production according to the supply of nutrients in the diet. Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) found in chickens has been characterized to be a 70 amino acid polypeptide and plays an important role in growth and metabolism. Although it is been well known that IGF-I is highly associated with embryonic development and post-hatching growth, changes in the distribution of IGF-I gene expression throughout early- to late-embryogenesis have not been studied so far. We revealed that the developmental pattern of IGF-I gene expression during embryogenesis differed among various tissues. No bands of IGF-I mRNA were detected in embryonic liver at 7 days of incubation, and thereafter the amount of hepatic IGF-I mRNA was increased from 14 to 20 days of incubation. In eyes, a peak in IGF-I mRNA levels occurred at mid-embryogenesis, but by contrast, IGF-I mRNA was barely detectable in the heart throughout all incubation periods. In the muscle, no significant difference in IGF-I gene expression was observed during different stages of embryogenesis. After hatching, hepatic IGF-I gene expression as well as plasma IGF-I concentration increases rapidly with age, reaches a peak before sexual maturity, and then declines. The IGF-I gene expression is very sensitive to changes in nutritional conditions. Food-restriction and fasting decreased hepatic IGF-I gene expression and refeeding restored IGF-I gene expression to the level of fed chickens. Dietary protein is also a very strong factor in changing hepatic IGF-I gene expression. Refeeding with dietary protein alone successfully restored hepatic IGF-I gene expression of fasted chickens to the level of fed controls. In most circumstances, IGF-I makes a complex with specific high-affinity IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). So far, four different IGFBPs have been identified in avian species and the major IGFBP in chicken plasma has been reported to be IGFBP-2. We studied the relationship between nutritional status and IGFBP-2 gene expression in various tissues of young chickens. In the liver of fed chickens, almost no IGFBP-2 mRNA was detected. However, fasting markedly increased hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression, and the level was reduced after refeeding. In the gizzard of well-fed young chickens, IGFBP-2 gene expression was detected and fasting significantly elevated gizzard IGFBP-2 mRNA levels to about double that of fed controls. After refeeding, gizzard IGFBP-2 gene expression decreased similar to hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression. In the brain, IGFBP-2 mRNA was observed in fed chickens and had significantly decreased by fasting. In the kidney, IGFBP-2 gene expression was observed but not influenced by fasting and refeeding. Recently, we have demonstrated in vivo that gizzard and hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression in fasted chickens was rapidly reduced by intravenous administration of insulin, as indicated that in young chickens the reduction in gizzard and hepatic IGFBP-2 gene expression in vivo stimulated by malnutrition may be, in part, regulated by means of the increase in plasma insulin concentration via an insulin-response element. The influence of dietary protein source (isolated soybean protein vs. casein) and the supplementation of essential amino acids on gizzard IGFBP-2 gene expression was examined. In both soybean protein and casein diet groups, the deficiency of essential amino acids stimulated chickens to increase gizzard IGFBP-2 gene expression. Although amino acid supplementation of a soybean protein diet significantly decreased gizzard IGFBP-2 mRNA levels, a similar reduction was not observed in chickens fed a casein diet supplemented with amino acids. This overview of nutritional regulation of IGF-I and IGFBP-2 gene expression in young chickens would serve for the establishment of the supply of nutrients to diets to improve poultry production.