Changes in the bacterial community of soil from a neutral mine drainage channel

Mine drainage is an important environmental disturbance that affects the chemical and biological components in natural resources. However, little is known about the effects of neutral mine drainage on the soil bacteria community. Here, a high-throughput 16S rDNA pyrosequencing approach was used to evaluate differences in composition, structure, and diversity of bacteria communities in samples from a neutral drainage channel, and soil next to the channel, at the Sossego copper mine in Brazil. Advanced statistical analyses were used to explore the relationships between the biological and chemical data. The results showed that the neutral mine drainage caused changes in the composition and structure of the microbial community, but not in its diversity. The Deinococcus/Thermus phylum, especially the Meiothermus genus, was in large part responsible for the differences between the communities, and was positively associated with the presence of copper and other heavy metals in the environmental samples. Other important parameters that influenced the bacterial diversity and composition were the elements potassium, sodium, nickel, and zinc, as well as pH. The findings contribute to the understanding of bacterial diversity in soils impacted by neutral mine drainage, and demonstrate that heavy metals play an important role in shaping the microbial population in mine environments95CONSELHO NACIONAL DE DESENVOLVIMENTO CIENTÍFICO E TECNOLÓGICO - CNPQFUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP550240/2010-12012/05429-

Light microscopy in combination with computer image analysis for the identification of processed animal protein in feed

Food production is a complex process, with the ultimate objective of the food industry and food safety regulators being to ensure that food reaching the consumer is safe and wholesome. For food derived from animals, the hazard may originate from a number of sources including the consumption by food producing animals of contaminated feed. This is the case of the protracted outbreak of mad-cow disease, for which a feed ban has been introduced [1]. Microscopy and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) together, are the official accepted methods for detection of animal proteins in feed [2] [5]. Nevertheless, neither of two methods fits all the requirements for the accurate identification of prohibited ingredients of animal origin. Light microscopy in combination with computer image analysis (IA), which is based on the identification of bone particles or tissues in feedingstuffs, has been also proposed. Findings in these studies have indicated that the use of the microscopic method in association with IA to identify the origin of processed animal proteins (PAPs) appears promising, especially as a complementary method to the DNA-based ones. This paper explored the potential of the use of microscopy in combination with IA measurements in distinguishing between different PAPs

Review: Insects and former foodstuffs for upgrading food waste biomasses/streams to feed ingredients for farm animals

The increasing global need to find alternative protein/energy sources has triggered research in the field of non-conventional feed ingredients, with insects and former foodstuffs being the most promising. Insects contain high level of protein and fat, whereas former foodstuffs contain high energy in the form of carbohydrates and fats; therefore, both should be considered as promising alternative feed ingredients for livestock production. In addition to the nutritional value, they also represent a way by which food waste biomasses/streams can be upgraded to valuable feed ingredients. This review outlines the main nutritional and safety issues of insects and former foodstuffs, and also considers the legal framework involved. The importance of the type of insect metamorphosis and tailored substrates that could lead to the production of a premium feed is also described. This is also the first time that a review discusses the nutritional quality of former foodstuffs. Energy and the main nutrient content of former foodstuff are compared with the composition of common cereals as the principal energy sources in animal feed. For both ingredients a critical review of the safety issues is provided. Based on the current data available, both insects and former foodstuffs have an excellent potential use as alternative feed ingredients for livestock production. When produced in line with the criteria set by major feed/food authorities, they are characterized by high quality and safety standards. This makes them comparable to other feed materials and ingredients currently available on the market, although their full nutritional, functional, safety and sustainability evaluation cannot be considered complete

Comparative Proteomics of Milk Fat Globule Membrane (MFGM) Proteome across Species and Lactation Stages and the Potentials of MFGM Fractions in Infant Formula Preparation

Milk is a lipid-in-water emulsion with a primary role in the nutrition of newborns. Milk fat globules (MFGs) are a mixture of proteins and lipids with nutraceutical properties related to the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM), which protects them, thus preventing their coalescence. Human and bovine MFGM proteomes have been extensively characterized in terms of their formation, maturation, and composition. Here, we review the most recent comparative proteomic analyses of MFGM proteome, above all from humans and bovines, but also from other species. The major MFGM proteins are found in all the MFGM proteomes of the different species, although there are variations in protein expression levels and molecular functions across species and lactation stages. Given the similarities between the human and bovine MFGM and the bioactive properties of MFGM components, several attempts have been made to supplement infant formulas (IFs), mainly with polar lipid fractions of bovine MFGM and to a lesser extent with protein fractions. The aim is thus to narrow the gap between human breast milk and cow-based IFs. Despite the few attempts made to date, supplementation with MFGM proteins seems promising as MFGM lipid supplementation. A deeper understanding of MFGM proteomes should lead to better results

Multivariate image analysis for the rapid detection of residues from packaging remnants in former foodstuff products (FFPs)–a feasibility study

From a circular economy perspective, feeding livestock with food leftovers or former foodstuff products (FFPs) could be an effective option aimed at exploiting food leftover resources and reducing food losses. FFPs are valuable energy sources, characterised by a beneficial starch/sugar content, and also fats. However, besides these nutritional aspects, safety is a key concern given that FFPs are generally derived from packaged food. Packaging materials, such as plastics and paper, are not accepted as a feed ingredient which means that residues should be rigorously avoided. A sensitive and objective detection method is thus essential for an accurate risk evaluation throughout the former food production chain. To this end, former food samples were collected in processing plants of two different European countries and subjected to multivariate analysis of red, green, and blue (RGB) microscopic images, in order to evaluate the possible application of this non-destructive technique for the rapid detection of residual particles from packaging materials. Multivariate Image Analysis (MIA) was performed on single images at the pixel level, which essentially consisted in an exploratory analysis of the image data by means of Principal Component Analysis, which highlighted the differences between packaging and foodstuff particles, based on their colour. The whole dataset of images was then analysed by means of a multivariate data dimensionality reduction method known as the colourgrams approach, which identified clusters of images sharing similar features and also highlighted outlier images due to the presence of packaging particles. The results obtained in this feasibility study demonstrated that MIA is a promising tool for a rapid automated method for detecting particles of packaging materials in FFPs

Potentials and Challenges of Former Food Products (Food Leftover) as Alternative Feed Ingredients

Former food products (FFPs) are foodstuffs that, even though they are nutritious and safe, have lost their value on the human consumption market for different reasons, such as production errors leading to broken or intermediate foodstuffs, surpluses caused by logistical challenges of daily delivery, or any other reason. The nutritional features of FFPs include carbohydrates, free sugars, and possibly also fats. FFPs tend to have been processed through various technological and heat treatments that impact the nutrients and the kinetics of digestion, as well as animal response and, particularly, gastro-intestinal health. This review integrates some of the most recently published works about the chemical composition, nutritional value, digestibility and glycaemic index of ex-foods. In addition, a view on the relationship between the use of FFPs and safety issues and their effects on pigs\u2019 intestinal microbiota are also given

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle for Food Waste: A Second Life for Fresh-Cut Leafy Salad Crops in Animal Diets

View references (49) The world\u2019s population is growing rapidly, which means that the environmental impact of food production needs to be reduced and that food should be considered as something precious and not wasted. Moreover, an urgent challenge facing the planet is the competition between the food produced for humans and the feed for animals. There are various solutions such as the use of plant/vegetable by-products (PBPs) and former foodstuffs, which are the co/by-products of processing industries, or the food losses generated by the food production chain for human consumption. This paper reviews the by-co-products derived from the transformation of fresh-cut leafy salad crops. A preliminary nutritional evaluation of these materials is thus proposed. Based on their composition and nutritional features, in some cases similar to fresh forage and grasses, this biomass seems to be a suitable feedstuff for selected farm animals, such as ruminants. In conclusion, although the present data are not exhaustive and further studies are needed to weigh up the possible advantages and disadvantages of these materials, fresh-cut leafy salad crops represent a potential unconventional feed ingredient that could help in exploiting the circular economy in livestock production, thereby improving sustainability

Biofortification of selenium in black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) prepupae reared on seaweed or selenium enriched substrates

Selenium (Se) is an essential trace element for livestock. The element can be supplemented to feed in inorganic or organic Se forms, where the chemical form in the diet affects the accumulation of Se in animal tissues. Insects are known to be natural bioaccumulators of different nutrients, but no studies have so far looked up on the capacity of insects to be biofortified with Se, as a potential future source for Se in feed. In this study, black soldier fly (BSF, Hermetia illucens) larvae were reared on three different substrates: (1) a control substrate (CTR diet) of plant-ingredients (Gainesville diet); (2) Ascophyllum nodosum diet (AN30%), with 30% substitution of the alfalfa meal with the brown algae; and (3) a Se diet, where the CTR diet was fortified with 0.3 mg/kg of Se. All experiments were carried out under dark condition, at 25 °C with 70% relative humidity for two weeks, and the final BSF prepupae were analysed for Se, metals and minerals, and Se species. The mean total Se content in the prepupae reared on Se dietary group was over five times higher compared to the CTR group, whereas lower Se levels were detected in AN30% dietary group. Se speciation analyses showed that organic selenomethionine (SeMet) was the major Se species present, both in CTR and AN30% group. For the Se group, SeMet was accounting for 54% of the total Se. The levels of SeMet were higher in the Se group compared to the CTR group, indicating that BSF prepupae are able to convert inorganic Se to organic Se. The overall results show that the substrates hereby studied affect the total Se and Se species, as well as the levels of other elements, in the BSF prepupae.publishedVersio

In vitro digestibility protocol applied to BARF diets: pros and cons

This study evaluated the in vitro dry matter and crude protein digestibility in natural pet food, also termed BARF diets. For this purpose, eight samples of dogs BARF diets and two commercial dog food, used as reference materials, were analysed and tested in the assay. The BARF diets were based on raw beef and poultry by-products, while the commercial pet food was one dry and one wet. All samples were analysed for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE) and ash content. Furthermore, using an in vitro assay, simulating gastric and small intestinal digestion, both dry matter digestibility (IVD-DM) and crude protein digestibility (IVD-CP) have been measured. Briefly, after the pepsin (39 \ub0C for 6 h) and pancreatin (39 \ub0C for 18 h) incubation in the IVD-DM and IVD-CP test, the undigested residues were dried at 105 \ub0C overnight. The IVD-DM was calculated from the difference between dry matter in the sample and the undigested residue. The IVD-CP was calculated from the difference between the nitrogen content in the original sample and the nitrogen content undigested residue measured by the Kjeldahl method. All BARF diets and wet pet food were characterised by high moisture content (DM: 380 g\ub7kg 121), while in the case of dry pet food DM content was 920 g\ub7kg 121. On average, BARF diets and commercial diets were characterised by the following values, on dry matter basis: CP, 368 g\ub7kg 121; EE, 442 g\ub7kg 121; ash, 52 g\ub7kg 121. All BARF samples and reference materials were characterised by high digestibility values. Both IVD-DM and IVD-CP reached values higher than 80%. Of note, in the case of IVD-DM, a substantial variability within samples has been observed (SD: \ub15.5). While in the case of IVD-CP value observed presented less variability (SD: \ub11.4). In light of these results, it can be concluded that proposed IDV method has some potential in determining protein digestibility in BARF diets, while the assay seems to be limited for measuring DM digestibility, as indicated by the large SD recorded in the BARF diets. The reason for this is unclear and merit further investigations