Characterisation of spray dried hydrolysed chicken liver powder : effects on palatability and digestibility when included as single source of animal protein in dog diets

This study aimed to evaluate a commercial hydrolysed chicken liver powder (HCLP) as a single source of animal protein in diets for adult dogs. A characterisation of the HCLP was followed by assessment of diets palatability and in vivo and in vitro digestibility. Two extruded isonitroge- nous diets were produced: control (poultry byproduct þ bovine meat and bone meal) and HCLP. Twenty-two dogs of different breeds were used to test palatability, and twelve Beagle dogs were used to evaluate digestibility. HCLP had high concentrations of lysine, linoleic and arachi- donic acids, and most of peptides with molecular weight .05). Ash and fat intake were higher in dogs fed the control diet, (p .05) compared to control diet, although faecal dry matter was reduced (p 1⁄4 .0321) and the daily faecal production was increased (p 1⁄4 .0361). The diets in vitro digestibility did not differ (p > .05). Based on our results, HCLP included up to 26% in diets for adult dogs presented satisfactory results in palatability, digestibility of nutrients and energy, faecal and urinary characteristics. Although dogs fed the HCLP diet produced slightly moist stools, it had no negative impact on faecal score

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

Hydrolyzed chicken liver used as single source of animal protein in diet and its effect on cytokines, immunoglobulins, and fecal microbiota profile of adult dogs

Dogs with food allergies and enteropathies may require hydrolyzed diets to prevent or reduce clinical signs, therefore the protein sources used in these diets must be previously characterized and evaluated in healthy dogs. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a hydrolyzed chicken liver powder-based diet (HCLP) versus a poultry by-product meal and bovine meat and bone meal-based diet (Control), on complete blood count (CBC), cytokine, immunoglobulins responses (assessed on days 0, 15, 30 and 45), and fecal microbiota (assessed on day 45) in healthy adult dogs. The CBC did not differ between diets (P>0.05), remaining within reference range. Total plasma IL-4 concentrations were decreased over time independent of the dietary treatment (P0.05). β- diversity principal coordinate analysis plots demonstrated that HCLP group had a higher similarity than control. Based on our results, healthy adult dogs fed a HCLP based diet main- tained normal values for hematological and immunological characteristics, and fecal micro- biota after 45 days of feeding

Desempenho de frangos de corte suplementados com diferentes fontes e níveis de colina na dieta

Two experiments were carried out to evaluate the bioequivalence of a commercial phosphatidylcholine source (Biocholine™) as an alternative to choline chloride and the choline requirements of broilers of a fast-growth strain. In Experiment I, 672 broilers were fed four Biocholine™ levels (0, 100, 200, or 300 mg/kg) and three choline levels (200, 400, or 600 mg/kg) supplied as choline chloride between 4 and 28 days (d) of age. In Experiment II, 462 broilers received diets supplemented with 0, 200, 400, 600 or 800 mg/kg choline as choline chloride. In both experiments, diets were based on white rice, soybean meal, and corn gluten. In Experiment I, birds fed choline chloride presented higher feed intake than those fed Biocholine™. Both choline supplements linearly improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) between 15 and 28 d, but the curves presented different slopes, showing that one unit (U) of Biocholine™ was equivalent to 2.52 U of choline supplied as choline chloride. In Experiment II, the supplementation of choline had a quadratic effect on weight gain (WG) but did not affect FCR. Choline requirements for WG were determined as 778, 632, and 645 mg/kg for 1-7, 1-35, and 1-42 d of age, respectively.Dois experimentos foram conduzidos para avaliar a bioequivalência de uma fonte comercial de fosfatidilcolina (Biocholine®) como alternativa ao cloreto de colina e as exigências de colina de frangos de rápido desempenho. No Experimento I, 672 frangos foram alimentados com quatro níveis de Biocholine® (0, 100, 200 ou 300 mg/kg) e três níveis de colina (200, 400 ou 600 mg/kg) supridas pelo cloreto de colina entre 4 e 28 dias de idade. No Experimento II, 462 frangos receberam dietas suplementadas com 0, 200, 400, 600 ou 800 mg/kg de colina através do cloreto de colina. Em ambos os experimentos, as dietas foram à base de arroz branco, farelo de soja e glúten de milho. No Experimento I, as aves alimentadas com cloreto de colina apresentaram maior consumo de ração em relação àquelas alimentadas com Biocholine®. Ambas as fontes de colina melhoraram linearmente a conversão alimentar entre 15 e 28 dias, mas as curvas apresentaram diferentes inclinações, mostrando que uma unidade de Biocholine® foi equivalente a 2,52 unidades de colina suprida na forma de cloreto de colina. No Experimento II, a suplementação de colina apresentou efeito quadrático sobre o ganho de peso sem afetar a conversão alimentar. As exigências de colina para ganho de peso foram 778, 632 e 645 mg/kg para as fases de 1-7, 1-35 e 1-42 dias de idade, respectivamente

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

Can the fine wheat bran be a betaine source in poultry diets?

The effect of fine wheat bran (FWB) as a methyl donor source on performance, metabolism, body composition and blood traits of growing broilers was studied. Three hundred and twenty broilers from eight to 28 d of age, distributed in a randomized block design, with five treatments and eight replicates of eight animals each were used. The experimental diets were: NC, formulated with 72% of the Met+Cys requirement; Met, formulated with 85% of the Met+Cys equivalents by DL-methionine addition; Bet, formulated with 85% of the Met+Cys equivalents by anhydrous betaine addition; Fwb- , formulated with 72% of the Met+Cys requirement and 20% FWB; and Fwb+, formulated with 85% of the Met+Cys requirement and 20% FWB. Feed intake was reduced (p0.05) between the positive control diets. Supplementation of DL-methionine and anhydrous betaine showed the same (p>0.05) metabolizability of nutrients. Treatments with higher DL-methionine levels (Met and Fwb+) promoted more weight of feathers (p<0.05). Animals fed with FWB showed the lowest (p<0.05) body gains. In conclusion, FWB inclusion did not promote methyl radicals supply

Availability of betaine present in fine wheat bran in diets for growing pigs

The objective of this paper was to investigate the availability of betaine present in fine wheat bran (FWB) in diets for growing pigs. We used thirty crossbred intact males, housed individually in metabolic cages and distributed in a randomized block design, with five treatments and six replicates. Blocks consisted of two periods of 15 days. Average initial body weights were 32.00±1.30 and 44.90±1.32 kg, in the first and second periods, respectively. Treatments were modified only at the level of methionine plus cysteine (Met+Cys) required and the Met+Cys sources, consisting of a negative control (NC), formulated with 80% of Met+Cys requirements, and four positive controls (PC): PCMet - NC supplemented with 1.2 g kg−1 of DL-methionine; PCBet - NC supplemented with 0.9 g kg−1 of anhydrous betaine; PCFWB - diet formulated with FWB; and PCFWB+Met - PCFWB supplemented with 1.0 g kg−1 of DL-methionine. No differences were observed on performance-related variables or on the digestibility coefficient of dry matter. Conversely, the digestibility coefficient of crude energy was lower when pigs were fed FWB and could be associated to the higher fiber content of FWB feeds. Digestible energy of feeds was higher for FWB diets, while the metabolizable energy of FWB diets did not differ from PCMet and PCBet. Nitrogen intake and apparent absorption were lower when pigs were fed FWB, but nitrogen retention, protein utilization, and biological value of the feed protein were the same among PC treatments, indicating that nitrogen from diets was used by pigs with the same efficiency, and is supported by no differences in performance-related variables. The FWB composition showed 12 g of betaine kg−1, which is available to maintain nitrogen retention and performance

Effects of diets based on hydrolyzed chicken liver and different protein concentrations on the formation and deamination of biogenic amines and total antioxidant capacity of dogs

Biogenic amines are synthesized through the bacterial decarboxylation of amino acids, commonly found in high levels in animal by-product meals due to spoilage. Furthermore, biogenic amines and other metabolites can be produced by the fermentation of proteins in the hindgut according to the protein source and concentration of crude protein (CP) in the diet. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate two protein sources (poultry by-product meal (PBPM) and hydrolyzed chicken liver powder (HCLP)) and three CP concentrations (24, 32, and 40%) and their effects on the consumption and fecal excretion of biogenic amines, plasma monoamine oxidase (MAO) and diamine oxidase (DAO) activities, and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of healthy adult dogs after 30 days of feeding the experimental diets. Twelve dogs were randomly distributed into six treatments (n = 6/treatment): PBPM24 (PBPM with 24% CP); PBPM32 (PBPM with 32% CP); PBPM40 (PBPM with 40% CP); HCLP24 (HCLP with 24% CP); HCLP32 (HCLP with 32% CP); HCLP40 (HCLP with 40% CP). The PBPM and PBPM-based diets had higher concentrations of putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine, histamine, agmatine, and total biogenic amines. In contrast, HCLP and HCLP-based diets contained higher concentrations of spermidine, phenylethylamine, and spermine. The PBPM and PBPM-diets had higher biogenic amine index (BAI) indicating lower quality due to the high content of putrescine, cadaverine and tyramine. Dogs fed diets with PBPM and higher protein concentrations consumed more putrescine, cadaverine, tyramine, agmatine, and total amines (p < 0.0001), while dogs fed with HCLP consumed more spermidine, phenylethylamine, and spermine (p < 0.0001). Fecal excretion of phenylethylamine was greater in dogs fed HCLP32 and HCLP40 diets (p = 0.045). Although we did not evaluate the intestinal activities of MAO and DAO, our results suggest that healthy adult dogs have an efficient deamination process on the gut epithelium

Nutritional value and metabolizable energy of wheat by‑products used for feeding growing pigs

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o valor nutricional e energético de subprodutos do trigo, em dietas para suínos em crescimento, e obter equações de predição da energia metabolizável. Foram utilizados 36 suínos machos, castrados, alojados em gaiolas metabólicas individuais. Realizou-se a coleta total de fezes e urina em dois períodos de dez dias: cinco para adaptação e cinco para coleta. Utilizou-se o delineamento de blocos ao acaso, tendo-se considerado o período de coleta como bloco, com seis tratamentos e seis repetições. A dieta referência foi substituída em 30% por um dos subprodutos testados: farinheta, farelo fino, farelo de trigo, farelo grosso e farelo grosso moído; este último usado para avaliar a influência da granulometria na digestibilidade. A fibra bruta foi a variável que proporcionou a melhor estimativa da energia metabolizável. O farelo fino foi superior em energia digestível e metabolizável, em comparação ao farelo grosso moído. O farelo grosso moído apresentou os menores coeficientes de digestibilidade, e a diminuição de seu diâmetro geométrico médio não aumentou a digestibilidade dos nutrientes e da energia. Entre os subprodutos avaliados, a farinheta apresenta maior energia digestível, energia metabolizável e proteína digestível, o que mostra elevado potencial para utilização em dietas para suínos em crescimento.The objective of this work was to evaluate nutritional and energy values of wheat by‑products in diets for growing pigs, and to obtain prediction equations for metabolizable energy. Thirty‑six male pigs were housed in individual metabolic cages. Total collection of feces and urine was carried out in two periods of ten days: five days for adaptation and five days for collection. A randomized complete block design was used, considering the sampling period as a block, with six treatments and six replicates. The reference diet was replaced by 30% of one of the tested by‑products: wheat middlings, fine wheat bran, common wheat bran, coarse wheat bran, and ground coarse wheat bran; the latter was used to evaluate the influence of particle size on digestibility. Crude fiber was the variable that provided the best estimate of metabolizable energy. Fine wheat bran was superior in terms of digestible and metabolizable energy, when compared to coarse wheat bran. Ground coarse wheat bran showed lower digestibility coefficients, and the reduction in its average geometric diameter did not increase nutrient availability. Among the evaluated by‑products, wheat middlings have higher digestible energy, metabolizable energy, and digestible protein, showing high potential use in diets for growing pigs

Biodisponibility of fats in carnivores diets : dietary effects and animal specie

As gorduras são componentes importantes em dietas para carnívoros, porém o aproveitamento pelos animais sofre influência de fatores inerentes à composição das dietas, principalmente fibras e minerais, que precisam ser melhor estudados. Os trabalhos que avaliam as perdas endógenas de gordura nas fezes (PEGF) e os efeitos na digestibilidade aparente da gordura são escassos e divergentes. Desta forma, os objetivos destes estudos foram: determinar as PEGF em cães e mink; utilizar as PEGF para obtenção dos valores de digestibilidade verdadeira da gordura; além de avaliar os efeitos da composição de fibras dietéticas e a inclusão de emulsificantes no aproveitamento da gordura por cães. No primeiro estudo, as PEGF foram mensuradas em cães adultos. Dietas com níveis crescentes de gordura de frango foram utilizadas e as PEGF dos cães foram determinadas a partir de análises de regressão. As PEGF foram expressas em relação ao peso corporal (PC) dos animais, 155 mg/kg PV/dia, ou em relação ao consumo de gordura na matéria seca (MS), 7,9 g/kg MS consumida. A digestibilidade aparente total da gordura apresentou aumento conforme o consumo. A digestibilidade verdadeira total da gordura, corrigida para PEGF, não variou mediante o consumo de gordura. A relação entre PEGF e consumo de gordura foi maior em dietas com baixa gordura e explica o aumento na digestibilidade aparente da gordura quando concentrações maiores são consumidas. No segundo estudo, as PEGF foram determinadas em mink. Dietas com níveis crescente de óleo de soja foram formuladas e as PEGF avaliadas por regressão. Foi obtido o valor de 0,5 g/100g MS consumida, próximo ao relatado em cães. No terceiro estudo foi avaliada a influência das fibras dietéticas e da lecitina de soja na digestibilidade aparente da gordura em dietas para cães adultos. Foram avaliadas três fontes de carboidratos, amido de milho, celulose e polpa de beterraba, combinadas ou não à lecitina de soja. A polpa de beterraba reduziu a digestibilidade aparente e verdadeira da gordura em cães, aumentou o teor de umidade e elevou o escore fecal, porém ainda dentro da faixa considerada ideal. A lecitina de soja não apresentou efeito de melhora na digestibilidade dos macronutrientes e da energia das dietas.Fats are important components of carnivores diets, however inherent factors of diets composition, mainly fibers and minerals, may affect its use by the animals, requiring further studies. Studies evaluating endogenous fat loss (EFL) and the effects on apparent total tract digestibility of fat are limited and divergent. The objectives of these studies were: to determine the EFL in dogs and mink; apply the EFL to calculated the true total tract digestibility of fats; and to evaluate the effects of dietary fiber composition and an emulsifying agent on fats digestibility in dogs. On the first study, the EFL was evaluated in adult dogs. Diets with increasing levels of poultry fat were used and the EFL was determined by regression analysis. The EFL was obtained according to the dogs’ body weight (BW) as 155 mg/kg BW/day, or according to dry matter (DM) fat intake, as 7.9 g/kg DM intake. The apparent total tract digestibility of fat increases according to the intake level. However, the true total tract digestibility of fat, EFL corrected, remained unaffected by fat intake. The relation between EFL and fat intake is higher for low fat diets and explains why the apparent digestibility increases according to intake. On the second study, the EFL was measured in mink. Diets with graded levels of soybean oil were offered and the EFL evaluated by regression. The value of 0.5 g/100 g DM intake was obtained, close to the reported with dogs. The third study assessed the influences of dietary fibers and soy lecithin on apparent total tract digestibility of fat in adult dog diets. Were evaluated three carbohydrate sources; corn starch, cellulose and beet pulp; combined or not with soy lecithin. The beet pulp decreased apparent and true total tract digestibility of fat in dogs, increased the moisture level of faeces and the faecal score, yet the faeces still had good quality. The soy lecithin did not improve digestibility of macronutrients and energy of diets