Potential of bacterial fermentation as a biosafe method of improving feeds for pigs and poultry

The use of fermented liquid feeds in monogastric animal nutrition is regarded as one of the biosafe methods of animal production. This paper examines bacterial fermentation of feed substrates for production of fermented liquid feeds for pigs and moist feeds for poultry. Emphasis is placed on the interplay of factors affecting feed fermentation and their relationship to feed quality. The resistance of fermented feeds to enteropathogenic contamination prior to feeding and their potential contribution to African agriculture is highlighted

Reproductive and Growth Performance of the Cricetoma (Crycetomys gambianus) under Captivity

Studies were conducted on the reproductive and growth performance of the cricetoma (Cricetomys gambianus) under captivity in Dschang, Cameroon from January 1999 to March 2002. A total of 80 newborns recorded from 25 births of 28 giant rats (10 males and 18 females) were used in the study. No births were recorded for the heavy rainy season months (June, July and August) while the highest number of births were recorded in the dry season months of January, April and November to December. The age at sexual maturity for males and females was 7 and 7-8 months respectively. The gestation length, sex ratio (male/female), litter size and preweaning mortality were 30.0 1.58 d, 1.2/1, 3.2 0.19 and 42.50% respectively. There was a linear increase of the mean litter size with parity. Mismothering and cannibalism as causes of mortality amounted to more than half of the percentage of total causes while more than 80% of the mortalities recorded were in the first ten days of birth (stillbirth inclusive). The weaning and mature weights for males was significantly (P< 0.05) higher than for females while no significant (P> 0.05) differences were observed in the mean daily weight gains from birth to weaning and to 12 months of age. The results reveal that considerable improvements in productivity for these species could be achieved with a reduction in preweaning mortality

Effects of liquid metabolite combinations produced by Lactobacillus plantarum on growth performance, faeces characteristics, intestinal morphology and diarrhoea incidence in postweaning piglets

A study was carried out to investigate the effects of feeding liquid metabolite combinations produced by Lactobacillus plantarum strains on growth performance, diarrhoea incidence, faecal pH, microfloral counts, short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) and intestinal villus height and crypt depth of postweaning piglets. A total of 120 piglets (26 days old) were randomly assigned evenly into five treatment groups treated with same basal diet: (1) −ve control (free antibiotic); (2) + ve control (0.03% of chlortetracycline); (3) Com 1 (0.3% metabolite of TL1, RG11 and RI11 strains); (4) Com 2 (0.3% metabolite of TL1, RG14 and RS5 strains); (5) Com 3 (0.3% metabolite of RG11, RG14 and RI11 strains). After 5 weeks, the average daily feed intake was not significantly different (P > 0.05) among the treatments and feed conversion ratio was the highest (P < 0.05) in the −ve control group. In addition, diarrhoea incidence was reduced when piglets were fed with metabolite combinations. Faecal lactic acid bacteria (LAB) counts were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in metabolite treatment groups than in the groups without metabolites. However, the treatment of Com 2 metabolite resulted lower (P < 0.05) faecal pH and Enterobacteriaceae (ENT) than the −ve control group. In contrast, total faecal SCFA of Com 2 were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than the −ve control group. The villus height of duodenum was higher (P < 0.05) in the + ve control and Com 2 groups as compared to −ve control group. The results obtained in this study showed that feeding metabolite combinations could improve growth performance, and increase the population of gut LAB and faecal SCFA of postweaning piglets

Adaptations to Submarine Hydrothermal Environments Exemplified by the Genome of Nautilia profundicola

Submarine hydrothermal vents are model systems for the Archaean Earth environment, and some sites maintain conditions that may have favored the formation and evolution of cellular life. Vents are typified by rapid fluctuations in temperature and redox potential that impose a strong selective pressure on resident microbial communities. Nautilia profundicola strain Am-H is a moderately thermophilic, deeply-branching Epsilonproteobacterium found free-living at hydrothermal vents and is a member of the microbial mass on the dorsal surface of vent polychaete, Alvinella pompejana. Analysis of the 1.7-Mbp genome of N. profundicola uncovered adaptations to the vent environment—some unique and some shared with other Epsilonproteobacterial genomes. The major findings included: (1) a diverse suite of hydrogenases coupled to a relatively simple electron transport chain, (2) numerous stress response systems, (3) a novel predicted nitrate assimilation pathway with hydroxylamine as a key intermediate, and (4) a gene (rgy) encoding the hallmark protein for hyperthermophilic growth, reverse gyrase. Additional experiments indicated that expression of rgy in strain Am-H was induced over 100-fold with a 20°C increase above the optimal growth temperature of this bacterium and that closely related rgy genes are present and expressed in bacterial communities residing in geographically distinct thermophilic environments. N. profundicola, therefore, is a model Epsilonproteobacterium that contains all the genes necessary for life in the extreme conditions widely believed to reflect those in the Archaean biosphere—anaerobic, sulfur, H2- and CO2-rich, with fluctuating redox potentials and temperatures. In addition, reverse gyrase appears to be an important and common adaptation for mesophiles and moderate thermophiles that inhabit ecological niches characterized by rapid and frequent temperature fluctuations and, as such, can no longer be considered a unique feature of hyperthermophiles

Biocontrol efficacy of Wickerhamomyces anomalus in moist maize storage

White maize cultivar ‘Kasai’ was harvested and stored moist, sealed in airtight plastic barrels, with and without inoculation of the biocontrol yeast, Wickerhamomyces anomalus. Microbes were enumerated at harvest and after 2, 5 and 8 months of storage. Moist storage of maize yielded a type of fermentation, in which high levels of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) naturally present on maize (108 cfu/g), were maintained throughout storage. Activity of LAB in both control and inoculated maize likely contributed to the decline in Enterobacteriaceae to &lt; 10 cfu/g after 2 months storage, a good outcome for food and feed hygiene. The biocontrol yeast, W. anomalus, appeared to have died out in the inoculated treatment after 2 months; nevertheless, a positive effect was seen in significantly reduced mould counts to &lt; 100 cfu/g compared with the uninoculated maize. Reducing moulds during storage minimises the risk for mycotoxin production. Storage for 8 months with the biocontrol yeast did not appear to affect nutritional parameters of the maize, such as dry matter, crude protein and total amino acids. Compared with the uninoculated control, inoculated maize had significantly better contents of three amino acids (alanine, aspartic acid and glycine), but poorer contents of six amino acids (arginine, lysine, ornithine, proline, serine and tyrosine). The absence of nutritional improvement in inoculated maize could be due to the poor survival of the biocontrol yeast, and altered formulation practices may address this. Keywords: Feed hygiene, microorganisms, storage, maize, Wickerhamomyces anomalus, biocontrol.African Journal of Biotechnology, Vol 13(44) 4208-421

Productivities comparees des moutons croises merinos x djallonke et dans les monts bamboutos: Hautes terres de l\'ouest Cameroun

COMPARISON OF PRODUCTIVITIES OF CROSSBRED MERINOS X DJALLONKE AND DJALLONKE IN THE MOUNTAINS OF BAMBOUTOS: WESTERN CAMEROON HIGHLANDS Summary Growth, reproductive and productivity performances collected from 480 crossbred Merinos x Djallonke (MD) and 450 Djallonke (D) between 1994 - 1998 in the mountains of Bamboutos (Cameroon) were compared. Crossbred lambs were significantly (P< 0.05) heavier at birth, 3 and 12 months of age and these were respectively, 3.3, 14.4 and 27.3 kg as compared to 1.9, 10.1 and 17.4 kg for Djallonke. While ages at first lambing and litter sizes at birth and weaning were comparable for the two genetic groups, crossbreds however, had a significantly (

Lactic acid fermentation of two sorghum varieties is not affected by their polyphenol contents

The study was conducted to investigate sorghum grain variety differences in lactic acid fermentation based on their differences in phenolic contents. The study wa s conductedas a 2 x 5 x 4 factorial design with three factors: Factor 1: Sorghum variety (white and red sorghum); Factor 2: Control treatment without lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and LAB treatments (Pediococcus acidilactici CNCM MA 18/5 M or Lactobacillus plantarumMedipharm or Lactobacillus plantarum NCIMB 41229 or Lactobacillus farciminis CNCM MA 67/4 R (LF1); Factor 3: Incubation time (0, 4, 8, and 24 hours). Sorghum samples (50 g of red or white sorghum) were mixed with sterile distilled water at a ratio of 1g: 1.4g of water and inoculated with 0.05 ml of an overnight culture of LAB at the Food and Nutrition Laboratory, University of Plymouth, U.K. The range of phenolic contents of red and white sorghum was 5.53 ± 0.48 and 4.05 ± 0.80g/100g grain respectively. Results suggest fermentation was not affected by the phenolic content of sorghum as there were no significant differences in lactic acid production between sorghum varieties. Fermentation of both varieties of sorghum with LAB produced a low pH medium (pH≤3.65) that had a high lactic acid concentration (≥203.67 mmol/L). Both grain varieties may be successfully fermented for inclusion in moist feed for poultry despite differences in phenolic contents