Effect of forage /concentrate ratio and soybean oil supplementation on in vitro fatty acid profile of sheep rumen liquor.

In an in vitro trial, the effect of forage/concentrate ratio (F/C) and soybean oil (SO) supplementation on rumen liquor fatty acids profile was studied with the aim to evaluate changes in the profiles of biohydrogenation intermediates during the fermentation process. Feed samples of four diets were inoculated with sheep rumen liquor: i) high F/C and no SO; ii) high F/C and SO; iii) low F/C and no SO; iv) low F/C and SO. Fermentation times were 6, 12 h. Trans fatty acid were formed when oil supplement or a low forage content were present in the diets, but at different times of fermentation, as a consequence of a shift from the usual rumen biohydrogenation pathway. In fact, when a higher forage percentage was included in the diet, the alternative pathways of rumen biohydrogenation did not occur; trans10 C18:1 concentration was low and neither trans10, cis12 CLA nor trans, trans CLA appeared

Effect of oleic and conjigated linoleic acid in diet of broiler chickens on the live growth performances, carcass traits and meat fatty acid profile

Olive oil and CLA enriched olive oil were compared with each other in a growth trial with broiler chickens, as energy supplements to the diet. A commercial CLA blend was used at the level of 1 kg per 100 kg mixed integrated feed. Two hundred and forty commercial hybrid broilers (Ross 308) were randomly subdivided and allotted to 8 pens of 30 birds each. Four pens of birds were fed the olive oil diet and considered the control group; the other 4 pens were fed the olive oil supplemented with CLA and considered the treated group. The experiment lasted 47 days. The live performance of the treated birds resulted different from the performance of the control ones: the final body weight was slightly lighter (2.544 kg vs 2.639 kg; P≤0.05) with a lower feed intake (4.886 kg feed vs 4.998 kg, P≤0.05) and, of course, an almost perfectly overlapping feed/gain ratio (1.90 vs 1.91). The fatty acid composition of the breast fat of the CLA treated birds resulted enriched by the two major CLA isomers, trans 10 cis 12 and cis 9 trans 11, whereas oleic acid and the linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic polyunsaturated acids showed a decrease (P≤0.05). CLA appears a recommendable ingredient in the diets of broilers as it improves the beneficial characteristics of poultry meat

Transfer of dietary fatty acids from butyric acid fortified canola oil into the meat of broilers

The literature reported positive beneficial effects of butyric acid and canola oil on production performance traits of broiler chickens. Three hundred hybrid Ross 708 (150 males and 150 females) were randomly allotted to 10 pens per treatment with 5 males and 5 females per pen. Ten pens were administered a diet supplemented with soybean oil (control), ten pens the same basal diet but supplemented with a blend of mono-, di-, tri-glyceride of butyric acid added to soybean oil (T1) and ten pens the same basal diet supplemented with a mix of soybean and canola oil containing butyrate (T2). No differences in final body weight, dressing percentage, liver and thigh weight were found between groups. The T2 birds showed the highest feed/gain ratio (P<0.05). The control group showed the highest value for breast weight while the highest quantity of abdominal fat was in T2 carcasses. Fatty acid profile was significantly influenced by the presence of oil supplements, not only quantitatively but also qualitatively

Monobutirryne: a novel feed additive in the diet of broiler chickens.

Purpose of the present work was to validate the monoglyceride of butyric acid (MB) as an alternative to antibiotics as growth promoters in the diet of broiler chickens. The approach is a kind of prolongation of previous works, in which a blend of mono-, di- and tri-glycerides of butyric acid have been previously tested. The results indicated that MB was very efficient in limiting the mortality of birds challenged with Eimeria spp., but did not appreciably impair the performance of unchallenged birds. In conclusion, the metabolisable energy content of MB appeared comparable with that of soybean oil and MB a reliable coccidiostat

Association between work related stress and health related quality of life: the impact of socio-demographic variables. A cross sectional study in a region of central Italy

The aim of this work is investigate relationship between health-related quality of life and work-related stress and the impact of gender, education level, and age on this relationship. A cross-sectional study was conducted among workers of various setting in Rome and Frosinone. Work-related stress was measured with a demand-control questionnaire and health-related functioning by SF (short form)-12 health survey. There were 611 participants. Men reported high mental composite summary (MCS) and physical composite summary (PCS). In multivariate analysis age, gender (p < 0.001) and job demand (0.045) predicted low PCS. Low MCS predicted poor PCS. Job demand and educational level resulted negatively associated with MCS. In an analysis stratified for age, gender, and educational level, gender and age resulted effect modifier for MCS, gender and education level for PCS. In women increase of decision latitude predict (p = 0.001) an increase in MCS; a low job demand predict high MCS in male (p ≤ 0.001). In younger workers, a lower level of job demand predicted high MCS (<0.001). For PCS, gender and education level resulted effect modifier. In women, high decision latitude predicted higher PCS (p = 0.001) and lower level of job demand results in higher PCS (p ≤ 0.001). Higher educational level resulted predictor of low PCS. Management of risk about work-related stress should consider socio-demographic factors

Olive oil calcium soaps and rumen protected methionine in the diet of lactating ewes: effect on milk quality

Eight Massese ewes were fed 4 diets with alfalfa hay as the forage (73% on the DM basis): 1) control diet (C); 2) diet C supplemented with olive oil calcium soaps, 50 g/d (L); 3) diet C supplemented with protected methionine, 5 g/d (M) or 4) plus both soaps and methionine (ML); the experimenthal design was a 4x4 Latin square with 2 replicates per diet. During the experimental periods, lasting one week each, the ewes were milked twice daily (8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.). Milk yield was not affected by diet quality, but milk fat percentage and 6.5% fat corrected milk yield were higher in diets L, M and ML with respect to diet C (P<0.05). Milk protein content was depressed and blood urea increased following the Ca soap diet alone or with protected methionine. Diet M worsened (P lesser than 0.05) Rennet clotting time (r) and curd firmness after 30 minutes (A30). Saturated fatty acids C10:0, C12:0, C14:0 and C16:0 were depressed in milk fat with the Ca soap supple- mented diet, some of them significantly. C18:1 increased (P lesser than 0.05) with diet L only, whereas the association of Ca salts and methionine in diet ML significantly affected the linoleic acid and CLA content. It is concluded that the use of olive oil fatty acids as a protected fat source seems to improve the milk fatty acid char- acteristics towards a safer pattern, but the presence of this type of Ca salts in the diet appears to worsen the metabol- ic utilisation of amino acids