Dietary fibre type influences protein and fat digestibility in dogs

Fibre can interfere with digestibility of fat by accelerating intestinal passage or by increasing chyme viscosity. Lecithin is an important emulsifier which can improve fat digestion. The study aims to determine if fibre solubility may interfere with apparent or true total tract digestibility (ATTD; TTTD) of macronutrients and energy and if adding lecithin could improve fat digestibility. Stool quality was evaluated regarding fibre and lecithin inclusion. Eighteen adult dogs fed 130 kcal metabolis- able energy BW kg0.75/day were assigned in a 3 2 factorial Design, two blocks of 10 days to complete six replications per treatment. Two factors were tested, the source of fibre replacing starch and the inclusion of lecithin. Six diets were formulated with 10% corn starch or cellulose powder, or beet pulp and then all of the diets were dressed with 10% poultry fat or 1% soy leci- thin þ 9% poultry fat. The fibre inclusion reduced ATTD of dry matter, organic matter, carbohy- drates, and energy. The ATTD of fat, crude protein, acid detergent fibre (ADF), and energy, and the TTTD of fat were decreased by adding soluble fibre in the diet, while the ATTD of ADF was greater for the cellulose diet. Soluble fibre impairs absorption of fat and other nutrients, then energy, while insoluble fibre is more related to effects on energy dilution. Lecithin is not able to restore fat digestibility, but lecithin improves energy absorption when insoluble fibre is included. Both sources can be used to produce low energy diets and modulate faecal score: soluble fibre holds water in the faecal content while insoluble fibre tends to produce dried faeces

Partial substitution of maize for sorghum with or without supplemental hydrolysable tannins on digestibility and postprandial glycemia in adult dogs

The effect of partial substitution of maize for sorghum, containing condensed tannins (CT), with or without the addition of a purified hydrolysable tannin extract (HT), on dog apparent digestibility and glycemic response were evaluated. The trial was conducted with eight adult dogs distributed in four treatments: (M) 50% maize; (MS) 25% maize + 25% sorghum; (MHT) 50% maize + 0.10% HT; (MSHT) 25% maize + 25% sorghum + 0.10% HT; in a balanced incomplete Latin square design in three periods, with two dogs per diet, per period. Data were analyzed by ANOVA procedure and glycemic response by repeated measures ANOVA over time (P 0.05). Fecal and urinary characteristics were not changed by the addition of sorghum and HT (P > 0.05). The fecal score remained within the ideal classification as hard, dry, firm stools. A moderate increase in fecal pH was observed on dogs fed diets containing sorghum (P = 0.0948). Additionally, the partial replacement of maize for sorghum associated or not with HT do not alter the glycemic aspects evaluated among dietary treatments (P > 0.05). Availability of nutrients from maize and sorghum were similar. Tannins did not interfere in the nutritional capacity of the ingredients

INFLUÊNCIA DOS TUTORES NO HÁBITO INGESTIVO DE CÃES

O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar através de um questionário se os tutores podem influenciar o hábito ingestivo de seus cães e ao favorecimento do consumo de outros alimentos além do alimento completo e balanceado. O questionário continha 28 perguntas do tipo misto com perguntas abertas e fechadas, foi difundido através das redes sociais no período de janeiro de 2018 a abril de 2018, e obteve-se 397 respostas. Através dos resultados foi possível concluir que a rotina dos tutores influencia o hábito ingestivo dos cães, e que os tutores dividem o alimento humano com os cães e influenciam na forma de alimentação desses animais

Effects of autoclaving on compressive strength of bovine bones and their use as chewing agents for dogs

This study aimed to evaluate the ef- fect of autoclave processing on compressive stress of spongy and cortical bones, and the effect of autoclaved bones as chewing agents to reduce dental calculus in adult dogs. Spongy and cor- tical bones were autoclaved (1 ATM, 30 min, and 120°C) and compressive strength was evaluated in autoclaved and raw bone specimens. Autoclaved bones were offered to ten Beagle dogs divided into two groups of 5 dogs each: Group 1 – received a portion of the autoclaved bovine cortical bone (ACB) and Group 2 – received a portion of the autoclaved bovine spongy bone (ASB). Prior to the experimental period (1-d) and every two days thereafter, oral photographs were taken on both sides of the dental arch to evaluate dental calculus reduction over time. The vestibular surface of the canines, premolars, and molars teeth was evaluated using integration software to measure the propor- tion between the area covered by calculus and the total teeth area. The effect of bone type, treatment (raw vs. autoclaved), and their interaction were evaluated using the PROC GLIMMIX procedure of SAS (version 9.4). Linear equations were gen- erated to estimate calculus reduction over time for ACB and ASB. Compressive strength was higher (P 0.05) compressive strength, regard- less of the bone type. The teeth area covered by calculus of dogs that were offered ACB reduced from 41% to 32% in 5 days, and at the end of 15 days a reduction of 62.2% was observed, re- sulting in a remaining of 15.5% of teeth area cov- ered by calculus. In this group, the dental calculus area reduced by 57.7% after 5 days, and at the end of the trial, only 5.4% of teeth were still covered by calculus, which represents a reduction of 81%. The linear regression analysis revealed no signifi- cant difference between the slopes for the ACB and ASB equations (P > 0.05). No health compli- cations such as tooth fracture, intestinal obstruc- tions, and oral lesions were observed throughout the study. Our results demonstrated that the autoclave processing did not impair compressive strength of spongy and cortical bones. This cor- roborates with the results observed in vivo, which suggests that autoclaved bones are chewing agents for adult dogs with additional benefits of lower risk of bacterial contamination

Determination of the nutritional value of diet containing bacillus subtilis hydrolyzed feather meal in adult dogs

Feathers are naturally made up of non-digestible proteins. Under thermal processing, total tract digestibility can be partially improved. Furthermore, Bacillus subtilis (Bs) has shown a hydrolytic effect In vitro. Then, a Bs FTC01 was selected to hydrolyze enough feathers to produce a meal, and then test the quality and inclusion in the dog’s diet to measure the apparent total tract digestibility coefficient (ATTDC) in vivo and the microorganism’s ability to survive in the gastrointestinal tract. A basal diet was added with 9.09% hydrolyzed Bs feather meal (HFMBs) or 9.09% thermally hydrolyzed feather meal (HFMT). Nine adult dogs were randomized into two 10-day blocks and fed different diets. Microbial counts were performed on feather meal, diets and feces. The Bs was less effective in digesting the feathers, which reduced the ATTDC of dry matter, crude protein, energy and increased the production of fecal DM, but the fecal score was maintained (p > 0.05). The digestible energy of HFMT and HFMBs was 18,590 J/kg and 9196 J/kg, respectively. Bacillus subtilis showed limitation to digest feather in large scale, but the resistance of Bs to digestion was observed since it grown on feces culture

Effects of rice protein coating enriched with essential oils on internal quality and shelf life of eggs during room temperature storage

The effectiveness of rice protein coatings enriched with essential oils on maintaining interior quality of fresh eggs was evaluated during storage at 20°C for 6 wk. Egg quality was assessed by weight loss, Haugh unit (HU), albumen pH, and yolk index (YI) in uncoated eggs (control treatment) and eggs coated with rice protein concentrate at 8% enriched or not with different essential oils (1%): tea tree (Melaleuca alternifolia), copaíba (Copaifera langsdorffii), or thymo (Thymus vulgaris). The HU and YI were higher in coated eggs (P < 0.001). Data were submitted to variance analysis, and the statistical models included the effects of treatments (coating types), storage periods (weeks), and interaction (treatments by storage periods). Weight loss increased (P < 0.001) during long-term storage. Uncoated eggs showed the highest weight loss (5.43%), whereas coatings of rice protein alone (4.23%) or enriched with tea tree (4.10%), copaiba (3.90%), and thymo (4.08%) solutions were effective in preventing weight lost (P < 0.001). The coating use preserved the internal quality of the eggs for up to 3 wk longer than uncoated eggs in terms of HU, YI, and pH. Uncoated eggs had the worst (P < 0.001) HU (58.46), albumen pH (9.48), and YI (0.33) after 6 wk of storage. In conclusion, the use of coatings based on rice protein concentrate enriched with different essential oils influences the internal quality of eggs during storage and may be an effective alternative for increasing the shelf life of commercial eggs

Assessment of glycerol in diets for adult cats

O glicerol apresenta potencial para substituir a porção energética das dietas para gatos. Por serem animais carnívoros são adaptados a dietas com alta gordura, nas quais há a presença de consideráveis concentrações de glicerol. Foram conduzidos três experimentos com o objetivo de avaliar a palatabilidade, o coeficiente de digestibilidade aparente (CDA) dos componentes, da energia bruta (EB), características fecais, volume urinário e curva glicêmica dos gatos adultos alimentados com dietas contendo glicerol (GLY). No experimento 1 foi realizado o teste de palatabilidade que avaliou níveis de 5% e 10% de glicerina bi-destilada de alta pureza (99,5% glicerol) fonte do glicerol,adicionado por cobertura em substituição à dieta. Foram avaliadas a primeira escolha e a relação de consumo (RC) das dietas pelo método de livre escolha com três comparações: GLY0 vs GLY5; GLY0 vs GLY10 e GLY5 vs GLY10. O experimento 2 foi composto pelo teste de digestibilidade e o experimento 3 pela curva glicêmica, em ambos experimentos foram avaliados os níveis de inclusão de 2,5%, 5% e 10% de GLY à dieta. Os resultados do experimento 1 indicaram que os gatos não demonstraram preferência por uma dieta, já que na primeira escolha não foi verificada diferenças significativas) no teste realizado (P>0,05). O consumo das dietas revela que os animais consumiram proporcionalmente mais a dieta sem adição de glicerol em relação às demais. Porém quando comparados os níveis 5 e 10% os gatos preferiram a dieta com maior acréscimo GLY10% (P 0.05). The consumption of diets shows that proportionally more animals consumed the diet without glycerol in relation to others. But when comparing the levels 5 and 10% preferred the cats fed the highest GLY10% increase (P <0.05). In experiment 2, we observed that the increase in GLY in the diet did not affect feed intake, CDA and Components EB (P <0.05). The ED GLY was 2.450kcal/kg and CDA was 0.56. The inclusion of glycerol in the diets did not affect the water content in the feces and fecal score of animal urine volume, but glycerol excretion in urine was increased when there was incorporated a 10% glycerol in the diet. In experiment 3, the consumption of food increased the postprandial glucose levels up to 900 minutes after the first intake of food with no difference between treatments, even when the means were adjusted for feed intake (g). The measure of area under the curve also showed no significant difference (P = 0.44) even when the results were discounted from the area under the curve of basal glucose levels (P = 0.97). Glycerol, in these conditions of the study, cats own suitable for nutritional value, while feeding preference has been reduced with the inclusion of the ingredient in the diet. More studies should be conducted, taking the form of inclusion of the ingredient in the diet into consideration

Feather meal of micro-organisms hydrolysised as an alternative ingredient in diets for adult dogs

A produção da farinha de penas hidrolisadas (FPH) está atrelada a produção de carne de frango. O processo da FPH é a hidrólise térmica, o que pode reduzir a disponibilidade de aminoácidos (aa) essências devido à alta temperatura e pressão que as penas são submetidas. O uso de micro-organismos (MIC) para hidrólise pode ser uma alternativa vantajosa por minimizar essas perdas. Foram conduzidos três experimentos com o objetivo de avaliar a capacidade de degradação das penas por MIC, o coeficiente de digestibilidade aparente (CDA) das classes nutricionais e energia. Também avaliar as características fecais e urinárias em cães alimentados com dietas contendo FPH por micro-organismo Bacillus subtilis (FPHm) ou maneira convencional (FPHc) e a palatabilidade da FPHm. No experimento 1, foram realizadas hidrólises in vitro de penas, utilizando quatro cepas de MIC diferentes e blend enzimático, foram determinados o fator de degradação, o teor de proteína solúvel, a digestibilidade in vitro e aa livres. No experimento 2, determinou-se CDA das dietas experimentais com inclusão por cobertura de 10% de FPHm ou FPHc sobre a dieta basal e a influência nas características fecais e urinárias, além da observação da resistência dos Bacillus subtilis ao passar pelo trato gastrointestinal (TGI) No terceiro experimento, foi realizado teste de palatabilidade, utilizando o método “two-pan” com as mesmas dietas testadas no experimento 2. Os resultados do experimento 1 indicaram que os MIC utilizados tiveram capacidade de degradar as penas e de melhorar a solubilidade proteica quando as penas foram adicionadas em concentrações de 5 e 8%. No experimento 2, os CDA da matéria seca (MS), PB e energia foram menores para a dieta contendo 10% de FPHm (P 0,05), os animais que consumiram dietas com FPHm produziram maior quantidade de fezes (MS) diárias (P 0.05), the animals that consumed diets with FPHm produced a greater amount of feces (P <0.05). The digestible energy values for FPHm and FPHc were 2,198 and 4,443 kcal / kg, respectively. It was possible to verify greater presence of Bacillus sp. in the faeces of the dogs that received FPHm, demonstrating that the MICs survived the TGI. In experiment 3, the inclusion of FPHm significantly improved palatability in diets for adult dogs (P <0.05

Feather meal of micro-organisms hydrolysised as an alternative ingredient in diets for adult dogs

A produção da farinha de penas hidrolisadas (FPH) está atrelada a produção de carne de frango. O processo da FPH é a hidrólise térmica, o que pode reduzir a disponibilidade de aminoácidos (aa) essências devido à alta temperatura e pressão que as penas são submetidas. O uso de micro-organismos (MIC) para hidrólise pode ser uma alternativa vantajosa por minimizar essas perdas. Foram conduzidos três experimentos com o objetivo de avaliar a capacidade de degradação das penas por MIC, o coeficiente de digestibilidade aparente (CDA) das classes nutricionais e energia. Também avaliar as características fecais e urinárias em cães alimentados com dietas contendo FPH por micro-organismo Bacillus subtilis (FPHm) ou maneira convencional (FPHc) e a palatabilidade da FPHm. No experimento 1, foram realizadas hidrólises in vitro de penas, utilizando quatro cepas de MIC diferentes e blend enzimático, foram determinados o fator de degradação, o teor de proteína solúvel, a digestibilidade in vitro e aa livres. No experimento 2, determinou-se CDA das dietas experimentais com inclusão por cobertura de 10% de FPHm ou FPHc sobre a dieta basal e a influência nas características fecais e urinárias, além da observação da resistência dos Bacillus subtilis ao passar pelo trato gastrointestinal (TGI) No terceiro experimento, foi realizado teste de palatabilidade, utilizando o método “two-pan” com as mesmas dietas testadas no experimento 2. Os resultados do experimento 1 indicaram que os MIC utilizados tiveram capacidade de degradar as penas e de melhorar a solubilidade proteica quando as penas foram adicionadas em concentrações de 5 e 8%. No experimento 2, os CDA da matéria seca (MS), PB e energia foram menores para a dieta contendo 10% de FPHm (P 0,05), os animais que consumiram dietas com FPHm produziram maior quantidade de fezes (MS) diárias (P 0.05), the animals that consumed diets with FPHm produced a greater amount of feces (P <0.05). The digestible energy values for FPHm and FPHc were 2,198 and 4,443 kcal / kg, respectively. It was possible to verify greater presence of Bacillus sp. in the faeces of the dogs that received FPHm, demonstrating that the MICs survived the TGI. In experiment 3, the inclusion of FPHm significantly improved palatability in diets for adult dogs (P <0.05

Assessment of glycerol in diets for adult cats

O glicerol apresenta potencial para substituir a porção energética das dietas para gatos. Por serem animais carnívoros são adaptados a dietas com alta gordura, nas quais há a presença de consideráveis concentrações de glicerol. Foram conduzidos três experimentos com o objetivo de avaliar a palatabilidade, o coeficiente de digestibilidade aparente (CDA) dos componentes, da energia bruta (EB), características fecais, volume urinário e curva glicêmica dos gatos adultos alimentados com dietas contendo glicerol (GLY). No experimento 1 foi realizado o teste de palatabilidade que avaliou níveis de 5% e 10% de glicerina bi-destilada de alta pureza (99,5% glicerol) fonte do glicerol,adicionado por cobertura em substituição à dieta. Foram avaliadas a primeira escolha e a relação de consumo (RC) das dietas pelo método de livre escolha com três comparações: GLY0 vs GLY5; GLY0 vs GLY10 e GLY5 vs GLY10. O experimento 2 foi composto pelo teste de digestibilidade e o experimento 3 pela curva glicêmica, em ambos experimentos foram avaliados os níveis de inclusão de 2,5%, 5% e 10% de GLY à dieta. Os resultados do experimento 1 indicaram que os gatos não demonstraram preferência por uma dieta, já que na primeira escolha não foi verificada diferenças significativas) no teste realizado (P>0,05). O consumo das dietas revela que os animais consumiram proporcionalmente mais a dieta sem adição de glicerol em relação às demais. Porém quando comparados os níveis 5 e 10% os gatos preferiram a dieta com maior acréscimo GLY10% (P 0.05). The consumption of diets shows that proportionally more animals consumed the diet without glycerol in relation to others. But when comparing the levels 5 and 10% preferred the cats fed the highest GLY10% increase (P <0.05). In experiment 2, we observed that the increase in GLY in the diet did not affect feed intake, CDA and Components EB (P <0.05). The ED GLY was 2.450kcal/kg and CDA was 0.56. The inclusion of glycerol in the diets did not affect the water content in the feces and fecal score of animal urine volume, but glycerol excretion in urine was increased when there was incorporated a 10% glycerol in the diet. In experiment 3, the consumption of food increased the postprandial glucose levels up to 900 minutes after the first intake of food with no difference between treatments, even when the means were adjusted for feed intake (g). The measure of area under the curve also showed no significant difference (P = 0.44) even when the results were discounted from the area under the curve of basal glucose levels (P = 0.97). Glycerol, in these conditions of the study, cats own suitable for nutritional value, while feeding preference has been reduced with the inclusion of the ingredient in the diet. More studies should be conducted, taking the form of inclusion of the ingredient in the diet into consideration