Using Fermented Juice of Epiphytic Lactic Acid Bacteria (FJLB) and Molasses to Improve Digestibility and Rumen Fermentation Characteristics of Ruzigrass Silage Fed to Dairy Cows

The effects of fermented juice of epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (FJLB) and molasses (MO) on ruzigrass silage digestibility and rumen fermentation characteristics in dairy cows were studied. All treated silages were well-preserved as indicated by the pH value and NH3-N content. Silage treated with MO or MO-FJLB had lower pH and higher lactic acid contents than untreated silages and FJLB silages. Butyric acid was not detected in the FJLB silage. Water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) was higher in the MO silages; neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) did not differ significantly. Dry matter intake in cows fed with all silages did not differ among diets. The CP digestibility of the FJLB silage was higher than the other silages. Forrumen characteristics, pH value was lower in cows fed with MO silages. However, volatile fatty acid content in rumen fluid and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) contents did not differ significantly among silages. The cellulolytic bacteria populations were significantly higher in cows fed FJLB and MO-FJLB silages than in cows fed untreated silages. In conclusion, adding FJLB to ruzigrass silage improved fermentative quality, digestibility of crude protein and increased cellulolytic bacteria counts in cows

Mammary gene expressions and oxidative indicators in ruminal fluid, blood, milk, and mammary tissue of dairy goats fed a total mixed ration containing piper meal (Piper betle L.)

The study evaluated the effect of piper meal which contains flavonoids, essential oils, and phenolic acids on the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT), and as well as oxidative stress indicators such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-scavenging activity and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in the ruminal fluid, mammary tissue, milk, and blood of lactating goats. Fourteen early lactating Saanen goats (body weight, 44 ± 2.51 kg; 14 ± 3 days in milk) were allotted in equal number to two experimental groups, each received one of the two total mixed rations: control (CON) diet (containing 0% piper meal) and CPM diet (CON diet containing 1.3% piper meal per kg dry matter). Compared with goats fed the CON diet, those fed CPM diet had similar 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-scavenging, GPx and CAT activity in ruminal fluid, mammary tissue, milk, and blood; however, those samples had increased SOD activity. Dietary CPM diet had a tendency to decrease TBARS production in ruminal fluid, mammary tissue, milk, and plasma by about 2.4, 1.2, 1.1, and 1.4 folds, respectively. Furthermore, alleviated values of TBARS were associated with dwindling mRNA expression of κ light polypeptide gene enhancer in nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1 (NFKB1) but greater expression of SOD1, SOD2, SOD3, and nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (NFE2L2) in mammary tissue. Our findings showed that the inclusion of 13.0 g piper meal in per kg diet (CPM) can improve the oxidative status of Saanen goats in early lactation

Nitrate supplementation of rations based on rice straw but not Pangola hay, improves growth performance in meat goats

Objective: Supplemental nitrate is known to be an effective tool to mitigate methane emission by ruminants. Based on theoretical considerations, supplemental nitrate can improve but also deteriorate the growth performance. The overall effect of supplemental nitrate on growth performance, however, is not yet known. The objective of the current study was therefore to evaluate the effect of a higher dose of NO3- on overall growth performance when feeding either Pangola grass hay or rice straw. Methods: Thirty-two crossbred, 3-month-old Thai native x Anglo-Nubian crossbred male goats were used. The experiment had a 2×2 factorial design with an experimental period of 60 days. Eight goats were randomly allocated to each dietary treatment, i.e. a ration containing either Pangola hay (Digitaria eriantha Steud) or rice straw (Oryza Sativa) as a source of roughage, supplemented with a concentrate containing either 3.2 or 4.8% potassium nitrate. The rations were formulated to be isonitrogenous. The animals were weighed at the start of the experiment and at days 30 and 60. Feces were collected during the last five days of each 30-day period. Results: High-nitrate increased overall DM intake by approximately 3%, irrespective the source of roughage, but only the goats fed a rice straw-based ration responded with an increase in body weight (BW). Thus, the overall feed conversion ratio (kg feed/kg BW gain) was influenced by roughage source × nitrate and decreased by almost 60% when the goats were fed rice straw in combination with a high versus a low dietary nitrate content. The digestibility of macronutrients was only affected by the source of roughage and the digestibility of OM, CP and NDF was greater when the goats were fed Pangola hay. Conclusion: It was concluded that the replacement of soybean meal by nitrate improves the growth performance of meat goats fed rations based on rice straw, but not Pangola hay

Treatment of Rice Stubble with Pleurotus ostreatus and Urea Improves the Growth Performance in Slow-Growing Goats

The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of the fungal treatment (Pleurotus ostreatus) of urea-treated rice stubble on growth performance in slow-growing goats. Eighteen crossbred Thai-native x Anglo-Nubian male goats (average body weight: 20.4 ± 2.0 kg) were randomly assigned to three experimental total mixed rations containing 35% rice stubble (RS) that were either untreated (URS), urea treated (UTRS), or treated with urea and fungi (UFTRS). URS and UTRS were cultivated and harvested from an aseptically fungal spawn, incubated at 25–30 °C for 25 days. Indicators of growth performance were monitored, and feces were collected quantitatively to assess nutrient digestibility, during a 12-week feeding trial. All goats remained healthy throughout the experiment. The goats fed UFTRS had a lower feed conversion ratio (kg feed/kg growth) compared to goats fed URS or UTRS. Compared to URS, dietary UFTRS increased the nutrient digestibility of slow-growing goats, such as organic matter (OM) (+8.5%), crude protein (CP) (+5.5%), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) (+39.2%), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) (+27.4%). Likewise, dietary UFTRS tended to increase rumen ammonia concentrations, but rumen pH and volatile fatty acids were not affected by UFTRS. In conclusion, the present study indicates that the fungal treatment of RS is an effective tool to improve the growth performance of slow-growing goats

Mammary gene expressions and oxidative indicators in ruminal fluid, blood, milk, and mammary tissue of dairy goats fed a total mixed ration containing piper meal (Piper betle L.)

The study evaluated the effect of piper meal which contains flavonoids, essential oils, and phenolic acids on the activity of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and catalase (CAT), and as well as oxidative stress indicators such as 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-scavenging activity and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) in the ruminal fluid, mammary tissue, milk, and blood of lactating goats. Fourteen early lactating Saanen goats (body weight, 44 ± 2.51 kg; 14 ± 3 days in milk) were allotted in equal number to two experimental groups, each received one of the two total mixed rations: control (CON) diet (containing 0% piper meal) and CPM diet (CON diet containing 1.3% piper meal per kg dry matter). Compared with goats fed the CON diet, those fed CPM diet had similar 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl-scavenging, GPx and CAT activity in ruminal fluid, mammary tissue, milk, and blood; however, those samples had increased SOD activity. Dietary CPM diet had a tendency to decrease TBARS production in ruminal fluid, mammary tissue, milk, and plasma by about 2.4, 1.2, 1.1, and 1.4 folds, respectively. Furthermore, alleviated values of TBARS were associated with dwindling mRNA expression of κ light polypeptide gene enhancer in nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1 (NFKB1) but greater expression of SOD1, SOD2, SOD3, and nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (NFE2L2) in mammary tissue. Our findings showed that the inclusion of 13.0 g piper meal in per kg diet (CPM) can improve the oxidative status of Saanen goats in early lactation

Isolipidic replacement of krabok oil by whole krabok seed reduces in vitro methanogenesis, but negatively affects fermentation

The background of the current in vitro study involves the issue of methane (CH4 ) production inherent to rumen fermentation. One of the dietary strategies to reduce enteric CH4 production by ruminants involves the supplementation of medium-chain fatty acids in diets. As such, oils containing high amounts of MCFA, such as coconut, palm kernel and krabok oil, are of much interest to formulate energy efficient and environmentally friendly rations for ruminants. Krabok oil (KO) reduces methanogenesis, but the appropriate inclusion level of dietary KO is unclear. We therefore investigated the dose-response relationship between krabok oil and CH4 production. In practice, the use of whole krabok seed (WKS), instead of KO, is easier, but the efficacy of WKS to inhibit methanogenesis was hitherto unknown. Thus, we also investigated whether WKS provides an alternative tool to inhibit CH4 production. The experimental substrates contained either KO, WKS, the residue of WKS after fat extraction residue (FER) or FER + KO. Appropriate amounts of WKS or its derivatives were added to a basal substrate so as to attain either a low, medium or high content of KO, that is, 37-46, 90-94 and 146-153 g/kg dry matter respectively. The experimental substrates were formulated to keep the amounts of incubated fat-free OM, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre constant in order to avoid biased results through potential differences in fermentability between WKS and its derivatives, and the basal substrate. The latter resembled the ingredient composition of a total mixed ration commonly used in Thai dairy cows. Fully automated gas production (GP) equipment was used to measure gas- and CH4 production. Irrespective of the type of substrate (p ≥ .115), both the absolute (ml/g fat-free OM) and relative (% of total GP) CH4 production was reduced at the highest inclusion level of WKS or its derivatives (p ≤ .019). Total GP (ml/g fat-free OM), however, was reduced after incubation of FER, FER + KO, and WKS, but not KO, at the highest inclusion level of the respective substrates (p = .019). Volatile fatty acids were likewise affected (p ≤ .001). Krabok oil can inhibit CH4 production but only when the dietary KO content is at least 9.4% (DM). Supplementation of KO in the form of WKS, however, is considered not opportune because the fat extracted residue of WKS is poorly degraded during fermentation