High Speed Magnetic Tweezers at 100KHz with Superluminescent Diode Illumination

In the last decade, various applications of gaseous exchange measurements have been developed to quantify the production or consumption of particular gases by animals. Notably, booming research into methane emissions has led to an expansion of the number of facilities in which such measurements are made. Results of a ring test calibration of respiration chambers in the UK by Gardiner et al. (2015) confirmed our concern that not all research groups comply with the same standards of chamber operation

In vitro ruminal fermentation and methane production of different seaweed species

Author's accepted version (post-print).Available from 29/03/2018.Seaweeds have potentials as alternative feed for ruminants, but there is a limited knowledge on their nutritive value. Seven seaweed species collected along the coast above the Arctic circle of Norway, both in spring and autumn, were assessed for nutrients and total polyphenols (TEP) content, gas production kinetics and in vitro rumen fermentation in batch cultures of ruminal microorganisms. The seaweeds were three red species (Mastocarpus stellatus, Palmaria palmata and Porphyra sp.), three brown species (Alaria esculenta, Laminaria digitata and Pelvetia canaliculata) and one green species (Acrosiphonia sp.). Additionally, the abundance and diversity of total bacteria, protozoa and archaea in the cultures with the three red seaweeds collected in spring were analyzed by quantitative PCR and PCR-DGGE, respectively. The crude protein (CP) content varied widely. Pelvetia had the greatest (P  0.05) among the other seaweeds in VFA production, but Porphyra sp. had the second highest methane production (P  0.05) by either seaweed species or the collection season. Higher final pH (P  0.05) in the abundance or the diversity of total bacteria, protozoa and archaea. In the PCR-DGGE analysis, samples were separated by the incubation run for all microbial populations analyzed, but not by seaweed species. The results indicate that seaweed species differ markedly in their in vitro rumen degradation, and that samples collected in autumn had lower rumen degradability than those collected in spring.acceptedVersio

Preserving Porphyra umbilicalis and Saccharina latissima as Silages for Ruminant Feeding

The study analyzed the characteristics, chemical composition, and in vitro gas production kinetics of Porphyra umbilicalis and Saccharina latissima silages. Each seaweed was ensiled in vacuum bags (three bags/silage) following a 2 × 3 factorial design, with two pre-treatments (unwilted or pre-wilted) and three silage types: unwashed seaweed ensiled without additive; seaweed washed and ensiled without additive; and seaweed washed and ensiled with 4 g of formic acid (FAC) per kg seaweed. Silages were kept for 3 months in darkness at 20 °C. Pre-wilting prevented (p < 0.001) effluent formation and reduced (p ≤ 0.038) the production of NH3-N and volatile fatty acids for both seaweeds. Both pre-wilting and washing increased (p < 0.05) the ruminal degradability of P. umbilicalis silages but not of S. latissima silages. The pH of the FAC-treated silages was below 4.0, but ranged from 4.54 to 6.23 in non FAC-treated silages. DL-lactate concentrations were low (≤23.0 g/kg dry matter) and acetate was the predominant fermentation product, indicating a non-lactic fermentation. The estimated ruminal degradability of the P. umbilicalis and S. latissima silages was as average, 59.9 and 86.1% of that for high-quality rye-grass silages, respectively, indicating a medium-low nutritional value of these seaweed silages for ruminants.publishedVersio

Preserving saccharina latissima and porphyra umbilicalis in multinutrient blocks : An in vitro evaluation

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