Crude protein, amino acid and alkaloid contents of annual sweet lupin (Lupinus spp. L.) forages and seeds grown in Ethiopia

This publication is with permission of the rights owner freely accessible due to an Alliance licence and a national licence (funded by the DFG, German Research Foundation) respectively.Though bitter white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) is a traditional crop in Ethiopia, sweet lupins are new to the country. As a result, the nutritional value of low-alkaloid lupins has not been evaluated under Ethiopian conditions. Crude protein, amino acid and alkaloid contents of 16 cultivars of three annual lupin species grown in four lupin growing locations (Merawi, Finoteselam, Kossober-1 and Kossober-2) of Ethiopia were evaluated. Location × cultivar interaction was a significant source of variation for all traits (p < 0.0001). In all locations, blue entries had either similar (p ≥ 0.0584) or higher (p ≤ 0.0235) forage crude protein content than the Local Landrace, white group and yellow entry. Compared with the Local Landrace, white and blue entries, the sole yellow entry had higher (p ≤ 0.0148) seed crude protein content at all locations except at Kossober-2, where it had similar (p = 0.8460) crude protein content as white entries. The Local Landrace had the highest forage and seed alkaloid contents. However, sweet blue Vitabor and Sanabor entries had the lowest forage and seed alkaloid contents, respectively. Low alkaloid and higher crude protein contents of sweet lupins grown in Ethiopia show the possibility to use sweet lupin forage and seeds as cheap home-grown protein source for livestock feed and human food in the country. However, for more reliable information, the laboratory results need to be verified by animal and human evaluations of the crop.Peer Reviewe

IMEP-32: Determination of Inorganic Arsenic in Animal Feed of Marine Origin: A Collaborative Trial Report

A collaborative study, IMEP-32, was conducted in accordance with international protocols to determine the performance characteristics of an analytical method for the determination of inorganic arsenic in animal feed of marine origin. The method will support the implementation of Directive No 2002/32/EC of the European Parliament and the Council on undesirable substances in animal feed where it is indicated that "Upon request of the competent authorities, the responsible operator must perform an analysis to demonstrate that the content of inorganic arsenic is lower than 2 ppm". The method is based on solid phase extraction (SPE) separation of inorganic arsenic from organoarsenic compounds followed by detection with hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (HG-AAS). The collaborative study investigated different types of samples of marine origin, including complete feed (unspiked and spiked), fish meal (unspiked and spiked), fish fillet (spiked) and a lobster hepatopancreas (unspiked). In total seven samples were investigated within the concentration range of 0.07 – 2.6 mg kg-1. The test samples were dispatched to 23 laboratories in 12 different countries. Nineteen participants reported results. The performance characteristics are presented in this report. All method performance characteristics obtained in the frame of this collaborative trial indicates that the proposed SPE-HG-AAS standard method is fit for the intended analytical purpose.JRC.D.6-Food Safety and Qualit

Quality assurance for animal feed analysis laboratories

Every sector of the livestock industry, the associated services and the wellbeing of both animals and humans are influenced by animal feeding. The availability of accurate, reliable and reproducible analytical data is imperative for proper feed formulation. Only reliable analysis can lead to the generation of sound scientific data. This document gives a comprehensive account of good laboratory practices, quality assurance procedures and examples of standard operating procedures as used in individual specialist laboratories. The adoption of these practices and procedures will assist laboratories in acquiring the recognition of competence required for certification or accreditation and will also enhance the quality of the data reported by feed analysis laboratories. In addition, ensuring good laboratory practices presented in the document will enhance the safety of the laboratory workers. The document will be useful for laboratory analysts, laboratory managers, research students and teachers and it is hoped that it will enable workers in animal industry, including the aquaculture industry, to appreciate the importance of proven reliable data and the associated quality assurance approaches. An additional effect of implementing and adopting these approaches will be strengthening of the research and education capabilities of students graduating from R&amp;D institutions and promotion of a better trading environment between developing and developed economies. This will have long-term benefits and will promote investment in both feed industries and R&amp;D institutions

Live-cell time-lapse imaging and single-cell tracking of in vitro cultured neural stem cells - Tools for analyzing dynamics of cell cycle, migration, and lineage selection.

Neural stem cell (NSC) cultures have been considered technically challenging for time-lapse analysis due to high motility, photosensitivity, and growth at confluent densities. We have tested feasibility of long-term live-cell time-lapse analysis for NSC migration and differentiation studies. Here, we describe a method to study the dynamics of cell cycle, migration, and lineage selection in cultured multipotent mouse or human NSCs using single-cell tracking during a long-term, 7-14 day live-cell time-lapse analysis. We used in-house made PDMS inserts with five microwells on a glass coverslip petri-dish to constrain NSC into the area of acquisition during long-term live-cell imaging. In parallel, we have defined image acquisition settings for single-cell tracking of cell cycle dynamics using Fucci-reporter mouse NSC for 7 days as well as lineage selection and migration using human NSC for 14 days. Overall, we show that adjustments of live-cell analysis settings can extend the time period of single-cell tracking in mouse or human NSC from 24-72 h up to 7-14 days and potentially longer. However, we emphasize that experimental use of repeated fluorescence imaging will require careful consideration of controls during acquisition and analysis