19 research outputs found
Effects of dietary fibre source and enzyme supplementation on faecal apparent digestibility, short chain fatty acid production and activity of bacterial enzymes in the gut of piglets
The effects of fibre source, either wheat bran (WB) or maize cobs (MC), and dietary exogenous
enzymes (ES) on performance and digestive parameters of weaned piglets were studied in 24
Duroc×Landrace male piglets, weaned at 21 days of age. There were four treatments arranged factorially,
with two sources of fibre (WB or MC) and two concentrations of ES (0 or 0.15 g/kg) that
contained 800 U/kg of endo-1,4- -cellulase, 1800 U/kg of endo-1,3(4)- -d-glucanase and 2600 U/kg
of endo-1,4- -xylanase. The digestibility of the neutral detergent fibre was higher (P<0.001) in diets
containing WB and the digestibility of the acid detergent fibre increased with ES. Small intestine
digesta contents (g/kg live weight) at slaughter were higher (P<0.01) in pigs fed MC than in pigs
fed WB. Fibre source did not affect the amounts (mmol/l) of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the
small intestine. However, replacement of WB by MC increased acetic acid and decreased butyric acid
concentrations (P<0.05) in the caecum. In addition, pigs fed diets with MC as the major fibre source
had lower (P<0.05) concentration of butyric acid in the colon than pigs fed diets with WB. Enzyme
supplementation affected molar proportions of SCFA formed in the small intestine and tended to increase acetic acid, propionic acid and total SCFA concentrations in the colon of piglets fed WB
(P<0.10). The xylanolytic and cellulolytic activities in the caecum and colon were higher (P<0.05) for
piglets fed WB than for piglets fed MC. In conclusion, ES increased the digestibility of acid detergent
fibre and neutral detergent fibre and the replacement of WB by MC reduced neutral detergent fibre
and acid detergent fibre digestibility, caecal butyric acid production and hindgut activity of bacterial
enzymes
Microbial activity in the gut of piglets: effect of fibre source and enzyme supplementation
Twenty four Duroc×Landrace male piglets, aged 21 days, were assigned to 1 of 4 experimental diets. Diets 1 and 2 contained
150 g kg−1 wheat bran and diets 3 and 4 contained 90 g kg−1 maize cobs as the major fibre source. All diets contained 480 g kg−1
wheat and 200 g kg−1 soybean meal. Diets 2 and 4 were supplemented with the following enzyme complex: 800 U/kg cellulase,
1800 U/kg glucanase and 2600 U/kg xylanase.
The replacement of wheat bran by maize cobs increased the acetic (Pb0.05) and decreased the butyric acid production
(Pb0.05) in the cecum. Piglets fed diets with maize cobs had lower (Pb0.05) levels of butyric acid in the colon than those fed
wheat bran.
The xylanolytic, pectinolytic and cellulolytic enzyme activities were higher (Pb0.05) in the cecum and colon of piglets fed the
wheat bran based diets. The supplementation of the diet with the enzyme complex did not significantly affect the levels of short
chain fatty acids formed in the small intestine and there was a non significant increase of the levels of acetic, propionic and butyric
acids in the cecum and colon of piglets (Pb0.10). No interactions were present between fibre sources and enzyme addition.
The results suggest that the enzyme supplementation of the diet did not bring significant benefits to the animals and that when
maize cobs replaces wheat bran in diets it negatively affects butyric acid production and fibre-degrading enzyme activity in the
hindgut of piglets.
© 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Effects of a ruminally protected B vitamin supplement on milk yield and composition of lactating dairy cows
It is not clear if B vitamins supplied to the small intestine of dairy cows from dietary and rumen
microbial sources are provided in sufficient quantity to maximize animal performance. Our objective
was to determine effects of adding a ruminally protected B vitamin blend supplement, containing
biotin, folic acid, pantothenic acid and pyridoxine, to the diet of high producing dairy cows on their
productivity. Two dairy facilities located in California (USA) were used, one with mid lactation
Holstein cows (Experiment 1) and the other with early lactation Holstein cows (Experiment 2). In
each Experiment, cows were randomly assigned to treatment in a 2×2 crossover design with 28 d
(Experiment 1) or 35 d (Experiment 2) experimental periods. In Experiment 1, milk and milk fat
yield were unaffected by treatment, although milk fat proportion was lower (37.1 versus 36.3 g/kg;
P<0.01), but milk protein yield was higher (1.21 versus 1.24 kg/d; P=0.02) in cows fed B vitamins.
In Experiment 2, milk (39.60 versus 40.46 kg/d; P=0.02), milk fat (1.40 versus 1.47 kg/d; P<0.01)
and milk protein yield (1.10 versus 1.16 kg/d; P<0.01), as well as milk energy output (113.2 versus
117.8 MJ/d; P<0.01) were all higher with B vitamin feeding. Body condition score (BCS) increasedmore with B vitamin feeding in Experiment 2, but was unaffected in Experiment 1. Body locomotion
score (BLS) increased with B vitamin feeding in both experiments (P=0.01 and < 0.01, respectively),
possibly an indication of reduced locomotory ability.Overall, productivity of high producing lactating
dairy cows responded positively to feeding a mixture of ruminally protected B vitamins, although
differences in the extent of the positive responses between experiments perhaps suggests that early
lactation cows, with lower DM intake to milk yield ratios, may be more responsive to ruminally
protected B vitamins than mid lactation cows, with higher DM intake to milk yield ratios
Microbial activity in the gut of piglets: effect of prebiotic and probiotic supplementation
Four groups of six 21 days-old piglets were used to evaluate the effect of a prebiotic or probiotic on the intestinal fermentative
activity. In each group, piglets received one of the following diets: basal diet (C); basal diet supplemented with xylooligosaccharide
(C-XOS); basal diet supplemented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae (C-SC); and basal diet supplemented with xylooligosaccharide
and S. cerevisiae (C-XOS+SC).
The short chain fatty acids in the colon of piglets were decreased with the inclusion of S. cerevisiae in the diet (Pb0.01). The
xylanolytic activity was higher (Pb0.05) in the small intestine of piglets fed C-XOS+SC diet, but no significant differences were
found in the caecum and colon. In the caecum contents, the cellulolytic activity was increased (Pb0.05) by the C-XOS and C-SC
diets, but remained similar when the diet was supplemented with the two additives combined
Isoleucine and valine supplementation of a low-protein corn-wheat-soybean meal-based diet for piglets: growth performance and nitrogen balance
The effects of Ile and Val supplementation
of a low-CP, corn-wheat-soybean meal-based piglet
diet on growth performance, incidence of diarrhea,
and N balance were studied using 60 Landrace × Duroc
male piglets in a 4-wk experiment. The 60 individually
caged piglets were divided into 5 dietary treatments,
each consisting of 12 piglets. Diet 1 was a positive control
diet (20% CP); diet 2 was a low-CP negative control
diet (17% CP); diets 3, 4, and 5 were low-CP diets to
which Ile, Val, or the combination of Ile and Val were
added, respectively. All diets were supplemented with
Lys, Met, Thr, and Trp to provide the required concentrations
of these AA according to the 1998 NRC. Average
daily gain and ADFI were similar among pigs fed
the positive control, Val-added, and the Val plus Ileadded
diets. On wk-2 and wk-4, fecal score was greater
(softer feces) in piglets fed the 20% CP level compared
with the remaining treatments (P < 0.01). Nitrogen intake
was decreased (P < 0.0001) in pigs fed diets containing
low levels of CP compared with pigs fed the
20% CP diet. Fecal N excretion (g/d) was decreased (P
< 0.05) in piglets fed low-CP diets at wk 1 and wk 4
of feeding, and in urine at wk 4 of feeding. Crude protein
levels or AA supplementation had no effect on N
retention efficiencies. These results indicate that the
supplementation of Val alone, or in combination with
Ile, to a low-CP piglet diet with adequate levels of Lys,
Met, Thr, and Trp is necessary to achieve maximum
performance in pigs consuming corn-wheat-soybean
meal-based diets
Relative toxicity of gossypol enantiomers in laying and broiler breeder hens
Gossypol, a natural component of cottonseed
meal, exists in positive (+) or negative (−) enantiomeric
forms, and their levels and ratio could be altered
by developing new genetic strains of cotton. Two experiments
were conducted to determine the relative toxicity of
the individual gossypol enantiomers in laying and broiler
breeder hens. In the first experiment, 25 individually
caged Hy-Line W-36 forty-three-week-old laying hens
were fed a standard corn-soy diet supplemented with
either no gossypol or the individual enantiomers at 200
and 400 mg/kg of diet for 20 d (5 hens/treatment). In
the second experiment, 15 individually caged Cobb 500
fast-feathering 44-wk-old broiler breeder hens were fed
a standard corn-soy-wheat middlings diet supplemented
with either no gossypol or the individual enantiomers at
400 mg/kg of diet for 18 d (5 hens/treatment). In both
experiments, feed intake, egg production, and egg weight
were determined daily. All eggs were individually
opened and scored for yolk discoloration. At the end of
both experiments, several organ and tissue samples were
collected for gossypol analyses. In both experiments, the
addition of (+)-gossypol to the diet reduced egg production.
Only laying and broiler breeder hens fed (+)-gossypol
produced eggs with severe yolk discoloration (score
≥ 4). Total feed intake was lower (P < 0.05) in laying hens
fed the 400 mg/kg level of (+)-gossypol compared with
laying hens fed the other dietary treatments. In contrast,
broiler breeder hens consumed less of the diet supplemented
with (−)-gossypol. In both experiments, tissue
accumulation of (+)-gossypol was higher than (−)-gossypol,
with the exception of bile and excreta. The results
suggest that in hens the ingestion of (+)-gossypol has a
greater effect on egg yolk discoloration than the consumption
of (−)-gossypol
Relative toxicity of gossypol enantiomers in broilers
Use of cottonseed meal in poultry diets has
been avoided in large part because of fear of gossypol
toxicity. Gossypol exists naturally as a mixture of 2 enantiomers
that exhibit different biological activities. Two experiments
were conducted to determine the relative toxicity
of gossypol enantiomers on broilers. In the first experiment,
3-d-old broilers were fed a standard diet containing
0, 100, 200, 300, or 400 mg of gossypol from gossypol
acetic acid per kilogram of diet from 3 to 42 d of age.
This form of gossypol contains both enantiomers in an
equimolar ratio. Each dietary treatment consisted of 6
replicate pens of 4 birds. In the second experiment, 3-dold
broilers were divided into 15 pens of 4 birds each
and fed a standard diet supplemented with either no
gossypol or one of the gossypol enantiomers at 200 or
400 mg/kg of diet from 3 to 21 d of age. In both experiments,
feed intake and BW gain were measured. In addi-
(Key words: cottonseed meal, gossypol, gossypol enantiomer, broiler)
2005 Poultry Science 84:1376–1382
INTRODUCTION
Cottonseed meal (CSM) could be an attractive alternative
protein source for poultry diets, but concern over
the presence of the potentially toxic agent, gossypol, has
limited its use. Gossypol [1,1′,6,6′,7,7′-hexahydroxy-5,5′-
diisopropyl-3, 3′-dimethyl-(2, 2′- binaphthalene)-8, 8′-dicarboxaldehyde]
is a polyphenolic compound located in
pigment glands that are distributed throughout the cotton
plant. Gossypol is composed of 2 naphthalene rings with
restricted rotation around the bond connecting the rings.
As a result of this restricted rotation, gossypol occurs
naturally as a mixture of 2 enantiomers [(+)- and (−)-
2005 Poultry Science Association, Inc.
Received for publication February 7, 2005.
Accepted for publication May 5, 2005.
1This research was supported in part by grant 2631RE683-118 from
the Georgia Cotton Commission, Perry, GA.
2Mention of trade names or commercial products in this article is
solely for the purpose of providing specific information and does not
imply recommendation or endorsement by the US Department of Agriculture.
3To whom correspondence should be addressed: [email protected].
1376
tion, several organ and tissue samples were collected at
21 d (experiments 1 and 2) and 42 d (experiment 1) of
age and analyzed for gossypol. In experiment 1, feed
consumption and BW gain were reduced (P < 0.05) at 21
and 42 d for the birds fed the highest level of gossypol.
The concentration of gossypol in the heart, kidney, and
plasma were equivalent at 21 and 42 d of age. In experiment
2, total feed consumption was reduced only in birds
consuming (−)-gossypol, but BW gains were lower for
birds fed either enantiomer. However, (−)-gossypol was
more detrimental to growth than (+)-gossypol. The liver
had the highest tissue concentration of both enantiomers,
and accumulation of (+)-gossypol was higher than (−)-
gossypol in all tissues examined. No racemization of the
enantiomers was apparent in the tissues analyzed. Our
results indicated that both gossypol enantiomers were
toxic to broilers but that (−)-gossypol was more harmful
to efficient broiler production than (+)-gossypol
Effect of prebiotic or probiotic supplementation and ileo rectal anastomosis on intestinal morphology of weaned piglets
Forty eight 21 days old piglets were used to compare the effect of prebiotic or probiotic supplementation and ileo rectal anastomosis on the morphology of the small intestine. Half of the piglets were maintained intact and the other half was subjected to an ileo rectal anastomosis (IRA). Each group of piglets received one of the following diets: 1) basal diet (C), 2) basal diet supplemented with a Xylo-oligosaccharide (XOS), 3) basal diet supplemented with a Saccharomyces cerevisiae (SC) and 4) basal diet supplemented with XOS and SC. Villus height was greatest with XOS and with XOS + SC, only in the ileum, as compared to controls. In the duodenum, crypt width was highest in the control group, but no significant differences were found in the jejunum and ileum. The IRA piglets had longer villi in the jejunum and shorter villi in the ileum. The crypt depth was greater in the duodenum and in the ileum of IRA piglets. Villus height/crypt depth was lower in the duodenum and in the ileum, in the IRA piglets. In conclusion, the XOS, but not the SC, moderately modified the intestinal morphology. The IRA modified the intestinal villus and crypt architecture but its consequence on the absorption of nutrients needs to be investigated
Near infrared reflectance spectroscopy for the determination of free gossypol in cottonseed meal
Gossypol is a toxic polyphenolic compound produced by the pigment glands of the cotton
plant. The free gossypol content of cottonseed meal (CSM) is commonly determined by the
American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) wet chemistry method. The AOCS method, however,
laboratory-intensive, time-consuming, and therefore, not practical for quick field analyses.
To determine if the free gossypol content of CSM could be predicted by near infrared reflectance
spectroscopy (NIRS), CSM samples were collected from all over the world. All CSM samples
were ground and a portion of each analyzed for free gossypol by the AOCS procedure (reference
data) and by NIRS (reflectance data). Both reflectance and reference data were combined in
calibration. The coefficient of determination (r2) and standard error of prediction (SEP) were
used to assess the calibration accuracy. The r2 was 0.728, and the SEP was 0.034 for the
initial calibration that included samples from all over the world. However, the r2 and SEP
improved to 0.921 and 0.014, respectively, if the calibration was made using CSM samples
only from the United States. These results indicate that a general prediction equation can be
developed to predict the free gossypol content of CSM by NIRS. From a practical standpoint,
NIRS technology provides a method for quickly assessing whether a particular batch of CSM
has a free gossypol content low enough to be suitable for use in poultry diets.This research was supported in part by grant 05-635GA from the Georgian Cotton Commission, Perry, G
Role of a family 11 carbohydrate-binding module in the function of a recombinant cellulase used to supplement a barley based diet for broiler chickens
Cellulases and xylanases display a modular architecture that comprises a catalytic
module linked to one or more non-catalytic carbohydrate-binding modules (CBMs). CBMs have been
classified into 52 different families, based on primary structure similarity. These non-catalytic modules
mediate a prolonged and intimate contact of the enzyme with the target substrate eliciting efficient
hydrolysis of the target polysaccharides.
2. A study was undertaken to investigate the importance of a family 11 CBM, displaying high affinities
for barley -glucans, in the function of recombinant derivatives of cellulase CtLic26A-Cel5E of
Clostridium thermocellum used to supplement a barley-based diet for broiler chicken.
3. The results showed that birds fed on diets containing the recombinant CtLic26A-Cel5E modular
derivatives or the commercial enzyme mixture RovabioTM Excel AP displayed improved performance
when compared with birds fed on diets not supplemented with exogenous enzymes.
4. It is suggested that the enzyme dosage used in this study (30 U/kg of basal diet), was probably too
high for the efficacy of the family 11 CBM to be noticed. It remains to be established if the targeting
effect resulting from the incorporation of CBMs in plant cell wall hydrolases may be effective at lower
exogenous enzyme dosages