Reliability of acid-insoluble ash as internal marker for the measurement of digestibility in rabbits

[EN] The present study aimed to evaluate acid-insoluble ash (AIA) as an internal marker for the measurement the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) in rabbits through two experiments (E1 and E2). In E1, 48 rabbits were used to calculate the CTTAD of the same basal diet according to the European reference method (ERM), the AIA and the titanium dioxide (TiO2 with 1 g of TiO2 /kg diet) techniques (n=16 rabbits/method). The effect of feed sample quantity on dietary AIA content was investigated and total collection of faeces was carried out to calculate marker recovery. In E2, 48 rabbits were allotted to three groups fed diets with no sugar beet pulp (SBP0) or with 100 (SBP100) and 200 (SBP200) g sugar beet pulp/ kg (n=16 rabbits/group). Each group was divided into two subgroups, ERM and AIA (n=8 rabbits/subgroup), in which CTTAD was measured using the European reference and AIA method, respectively. In AIA subgroups, only 10% of the total daily faecal output was sampled from 9:00 to 9:30 am. Feed analysis in E1 showed that increasing sample quantity from 5 to 9 g did not affect the dietary AIA content; however, the analytical error was 7 and 5 times lower (P<0.05) for 9 g, when compared to 5 and 7 g samples. Feed analysis also showed 1.030±0.003 g TiO2 /kg diet. Faecal marker recovery was 99.80±0.03 and 96.89±0.16% for AIA and TiO2 , respectively. The CTTAD of dry matter (DM), did not differ between methods in E1, but a 5-fold higher variability (P<0.05) was observed for the TiO2 technique in comparison with the ERM and AIA methods. Also, no differences in the CTTAD of DM between the ERM and AIA methods were found in E2. In conclusion, AIA is a reliable internal marker in rabbits and offers the possibility of measuring the CTTAD of diets with precision, when complete faecal collection or feed intake measurement is not possible.Papadomichelakis, G.; Fegeros, K. (2020). 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Effect of hesperidin dietary supplementation on growth performance, carcass traits and meat quality of rabbits

[EN] An experiment was conducted to examine the dose effects of hesperidin dietary supplementation on fattening rabbits’ growth performance, as well as carcass and meat quality characteristics. Forty-eight Hyla hybrid male weaned (35 d old) rabbits were purchased and randomly assigned to 3 dietary groups of 16 rabbits each and fed diets supplemented with the antioxidant hesperidin at 0, 1 and 2 g/kg feed. At 80 d of age, the rabbits were slaughtered and samples of Longissimus lumborum (LL) muscle were used to estimate meat quality traits. No significant differences were observed in body weight at the age of 80 d, feed conversion rate (35 to 80 d), or organ weights among the 3 groups. The pH, colour, percentage of released water, shear force values and intramuscular fat content of LL muscle were not significantly influenced by the dietary treatment. Hesperidin dietary supplementation at both levels reduced the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), mainly arachidonic (C20:4n-6), docosapentaenoic (C22:5n-3) and eicosapentaenoic (C20:5n-3) (only at 2 g/kg), and PUFA/SFA ratio (P<0.01). Based on the malondialdehyde (MDA) values, hesperidin inclusion did not influence meat antioxidant status during the 9-d refrigerated storage at 4°C. Thus, we may conclude that dietary supplementation with hesperidin at the selected concentration levels did not generally influence growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality or antioxidant capacity in fattening rabbits, although meat values for PUFAs appeared to be decreased.Simitzis, P.; Babaliaris, C.; Charismiadou, M.; Papadomichelakis, G.; Goliomytis, M.; Symeon, G.; Deligeorgis, S. (2014). Effect of hesperidin dietary supplementation on growth performance, carcass traits and meat quality of rabbits. World Rabbit Science. 22(2):113-121. doi:10.4995/wrs.2014.1760.SWORD113121222Alasnier, C., & Gandemer, G. (1998). Fatty acid and aldehyde composition of individual phospholipid classes of rabbit skeletal muscles is related to the metabolic type of the fibre. Meat Science, 48(3-4), 225-235. doi:10.1016/s0309-1740(97)00096-xCastellini, C., Dal Bosco, A., Bernardini, M., & Cyril, H. . (1998). Effect of Dietary Vitamin E on the Oxidative Stability of Raw and Cooked Rabbit Meat. Meat Science, 50(2), 153-161. doi:10.1016/s0309-1740(98)00026-6Dalle Zotte, A., & Szendrő, Z. (2011). The role of rabbit meat as functional food. Meat Science, 88(3), 319-331. doi:10.1016/j.meatsci.2011.02.017De Blas, C., Mateos, G.G., 1998. Feed formulation. In: de Blas, C., Wiseman, J. (Eds.), The Nutrition of the Rabbit. Wallingford, UK. CAB International, 241-253.Fundacion Espa-ola para el Desarrollo de la Nutricion Animal (FEDNA), 2003. In: de Blas, C., Mateos, G.G., Rebollar, P.G. (Eds.), Tablas FEDNA de composicion y valor nutritivo de alimentos para la fabricacion de piensos compuestos. 2nd ed. FEDNA, Madrid, Spain.Folch J., Lees M., Stanley S.G.H. 1957. A simple method for the isolation and purification of total lipids from animal tissues. J. Biol. Chem., 226: 497-509.Sas Institute INC. 2005. Statistical analysis systems user's guide. Version 9.1.3. SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC.Wenk C. 2003. Herbs and botanicals as feed additives in monogastric animals. Asian-Austr. J. Anim. Sci., 16: 282-289

Partial Substitution of Fishmeal and Fish Oil in a Semi-Purified Diet for Noble Crayfish, Astacus astacus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Continuous environmental disturbances and the crayfish plague have restricted freshwater crayfish populations in Greece. Therefore, the need for the establishment of a repopulation policy in Greece and the increasing commercial interest for the species, dictated in the Thessaly County, have imposed the investigation of the optimum husbandry and dietary requirements of Astacus astacus in culture conditions. Hundred and five adult crayfish were placed in cement tanks for 60 days and fed a semipurified diet, whereas 90 adult crayfish were placed in similar cement tanks for the same time period and fed a control diet consisting of fresh fish and carrots. The semipurified diet had a Protein: Energy ratio of 21.29 mg Prot. kJ-1, a protein level of 37.95%, and a lipid level of 9.6% (on a Dry Matter basis). By the end of the experiment, crayfish fed the semipurified diet gained almost 5 g of weight with acceptable survival rates. Despite the total substitution of corn oil by soy oil and the partial substitution of fish oil (by 3%) and fishmeal (by 7%) with other plant-derived materials, in comparison with their levels in the semipurified diet of a previous experiment, dietary linoleic, and linolenic acids have been substantially high whereas dietary arachidonic acid and EPA, DHA have been somehow lower compared with the respective ones of the semipurified diet of a previous experiment. Although EPA tail muscle tissue has been progressively augmented throughout the experiment, DHA respective levels seemed to stay unaffected and at similar levels throughout the experiment. These results dispute the ability of noble crayfish for bioconversion of EPA to DHA and call for further investigation. © 2022 National Shellfisheries Association. All rights reserved

Early-weaning diets for gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.) and their potential use in Hellenic marine fish hatcheries

The purpose of this experiment has been to evaluate the suitability of commercially available early-weaning microdiets (MDs) for the production of sea bream early juveniles and in comparison with late-weaning protocols already in use by Hellenic marine fish hatcheries. Four sea bream experimental groups were allocated in rearing tanks of a commercial Hellenic marine fish hatchery. Each group represented a different protocol (A, B, CA, and CB) based on the combination of two different early-weaning MDs (A and B) and a late-weaning diet (C). In addition, the late-weaning protocols have received Artemia instar II only and not Artemia instar I. In protocol A, Artemia instar I first feeding and the early-weaning diet A were administered at 17 days post-hatch (17 dph). In protocol B, Artemia instar I first feeding started at 15 dph and the early-weaning diet B was administered at 18 dph. In the C protocols, Artemia instar II first feeding started at 20 dph and the early-weaning diets (A or B) were administered at 25 dph. All protocols have received the late-weaning diet C only after the 50th dph. The experiment lasted for 65 days. By the end of the experiment, early-weaning protocol A and late-weaning protocol CB had similar wet weights, but still lower to the wet weights recorded for the late-weaning protocol CA. These results cannot be explained solely by the nutritional profile of each weaning diet. The larval fatty acid profile of each protocol and at various time intervals reveals the importance that the succession of Artemia, rotifers, and MDs has for each protocol and not just the nutritional profile of the weaning diets, per se

The functional role of natural killer cells early in clinical sepsis

Although much information is available for the function of circulating monocytes when signs of sepsis are apparent, little is known for natural killer (NK) cells. NK cells were isolated from 10 healthy controls and from 103 patients with sepsis within the first 24 h from diagnosis. NK cells were stimulated with lipopolysaccharide for cytokine production. Release of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and of interleukin (IL)-6 was below the limit of detection. Release of IL-23 and of interferon-gamma (IFNγ) was significantly greater among patients than among healthy volunteers. Release of IFNγ was pronounced in septic shock. Patients were divided into two subgroups based on the ratio of IFNγ to IL-23 released by the NK cells after stimulation: those with ratio ≤5 and 28-day survival 13.5%, and those with ratio &gt;5 and 28-day survival 29.4% (p: 0.048). It is concluded that early after clinical development of sepsis, NK cells remain active for the production of IFNγ. Their activity is associated with the final outcome. © 2012 The Authors APMIS © 2012 APMIS