Determination of gross energy of silages

The gross energy (GE) of forage is not directly used in rationing systems, but its evaluation is the starting point for an estimate of the digestible, metabolisable and net energy. As far as grass silages are concerned, their GE is 4 to 10% higher that of the grass source

Apparent digestibility of mixed feed with increasing levels of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds in rabbit diets

Thirty crossbred rabbits were randomly allocated to three groups with ten animals each (five male and five female rabbits each), and kept individually in separate cages. Three isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets were formulated with increasing levels of chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seeds (SHS) (0, 10, and 15%). The digestibility coefficients of the dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), acid detergent fibre (ADF) and gross energy (GE) were calculated according to standard procedures following the indirect digestibility method, using acid insoluble ash as an internal marker. The results showed that the DM, OM and GE digestibilities of 10% and 15% SHS diets were higher than those of the control diet, while the ADF digestibility of the 15% SHS diet was lower than that of the 10% SHS diet

Appraisal of ingestion and digestibility in growing rabbits using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) of feeds and faeces

The aim of this work was to examine whether faecal profiling using NIRS could be profitable for promote the Best Available Techniques (BAT) in the rational feeding of rabbits. A set of 51 feed samples, taken from 12 experimental diets, and of 66 dried grouped faeces samples, belonging to four nutrition experiments, with 130 ad libitum registered feed intakes (CV=25%), were submitted to a UV-Vis-NIRS scan (350-2500 nm) in order to calibrate the chemical composition and nutritional parameters, the ingestion aptitude and digestibility. A chemometric system has made it possible to contemporary use the spectrum of the input diet concatenated together with the spectra of the related output pool of the dried faeces. The daily measured feed intake, in absolute or in relative terms as ingestion per unit of metabolic weight, obtained a good resolution for the spectra of the feeds (R2 cv=0.80 and 0.75, respectively), for the faeces (0.81 and 0.80) and for the joint evaluation of the concatenated spectra (0.87 and 0.81). The intake was positively correlated to the mineral, insoluble ash, protein, gross energy, crude fiber and acid detergent fiber (ADF) content in the feeds, and negatively correlated to the N-free extract, lignocellulose and all the digestibility coefficients, except crude fiber. Very significant improvements, on average equal to 0.20 R2 points, were also provided to the digestibility coefficients when using the concatenated method; in decreasing order: neutral detergent fiber (R2 cv=0.00, 0.18 and 0.50 for the feeds, faeces and concatenated, respectively), ADF (0.00, 0.45 and 0.62), ether extract (0.53, 0.52 and 0.86), crude protein (0.53; 0.53 and 0.75), and gross energy (0.61; 0.74 and 0.83). The results corroborate previous knowledge and show the possibility of using NIRS faecal profiling in rabbit nutrition, which together with the NIRS of the feeds, could contribute to nitrogen monitoring

In Vitro Techniques Using the Daisy Incubator for the Assessment of Digestibility: A Review

This review summarises the use of the Ankom DaisyII incubator (ADII; Ankom Technology Corporation Fairport, NY, USA), as presented in studies on digestibility, and its extension to other species apart from ruminants, from its introduction until today. This technique has been modified and adapted to allow for different types of investigations to be conducted. Researchers have studied and tested different procedures, and the main sources of variation have been found to be: the inoculum source, sample size, sample preparation, and bag type. In vitro digestibility methods, applied to the ADII incubator, have been reviewed, the precision and accuracy of the method using the ADII incubator have been dealt with, and comparisons with other methods have been made. Moreover, some hypotheses on the possible evolutions of this technology in non-ruminants, including pets, have been described. To date, there are no standardised protocols for the collection, storage, and transportation of rumen fluid or faeces. There is also still a need to standardise the procedures for washing the bags after digestion. Moreover, some performance metrics of the instrument (such as the reliability of the rotation mechanism of the jars) still require improvement

NIRS of body and tissues in growing rabbits fed diets with different fat sources and supplemented with Curcuma longa

[EN] A portable Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy (NIRS) instrument was applied to 40 growing rabbits to determine body and tissue differences induced by experimental factors. The rabbits were examined at 2 live sites, in 7 warm carcass tissues and in longissimus dorsi muscle samples prepared in ethanol. For this purpose, the method was applied in a bi-factorial experiment concerning the dietary oil source (O) (maize vs. palm oil) and Curcuma longa (C) supplementation (0 and 3 g/kg, respectively). Significant chemical differences emerged for palmitic, oleic and linoleic acids in the longissimus dorsi muscle due to the O factor and for linolenic acid due to the C factor. The NIRS spectra and chemical analyses were elaborated by the Partial Least Squares (PLS) method, and the rsquares in cross-validation (R2cv) were retained as measure of the unoriented differentiation between the levels of the planned factor for each landmark and fatty acid (FA) profile. Multivariate PLS analysis of the FA muscular fat showed that the O factor induced strong differentiation (R2cv: 0.96), while less influence (0.33) was observed for the C factor. The model based on the NIRS radiation of the landmarks clearly shows the O factor effects, not only in the perirenal (0.90) and scapular (0.85) fats, but also in the belly (0.76), liver (0.73) and hind legs (0.72). Whereas the C effects were only expressed in the live animals (ears: 0.66 and abdominal wall: 0.58) and in post-mortem (liver: 0.60). It was concluded that a preliminary NIRS scan of the carcass and of live rabbits can point out the presence of intrinsic experimental effects concerning the lipid metabolism of polyunsaturated FA of the n-6 series (O factor) and n-3 series (C factor).Peiretti, PG.; Meineri, G.; Masoero, G. (2013). NIRS of body and tissues in growing rabbits fed diets with different fat sources and supplemented with Curcuma longa. World Rabbit Science. 21(2):85-90. doi:10.4995/wrs.2013.1148.SWORD859021

Rabbit Feces as Feed for Ruminants and as an Energy Source

There are prospects for using novel feeds from various sources to provide ruminants with alternative sources of protein and energy such as by-products, and animal wastes. Rabbit feces are a concentrated source of fiber and could have commercial potential both as input biomass in anaerobic processes for biogas production, as well as a fibrous source for ruminal degradation. The aims of this work were to assess the potential as ruminant feeding and as biogas production of rabbit feces, in comparison with 12 crops. The chemical composition and the potential and experimental in vitro true digestibility (IVTD) and neutral detergent fiber digestibility (NDFD) of 148 feces samples were determined by using chemical methods, Daisy system digestibility and/or NIRS predictions. The average biomethane potential (BMP) was 286 ± 10 lCH4/kg SV with −4% vs. the crops average. Milk forage unit (milk FU), IVTD and NDFD of feces were 0.54 ± 0.06 milk FU/kg DM, 74% ± 3% and 50% ± 5%, respectively, with comparisons of −19%, −11% and −24% vs. the crops average. Reconstruction of the potential values based on the chemical constituents but using the crop partial least square model well agreed with the NIRS calibrations and cross-validation. In a global NIRS calibration of the feces and crops the relative predicted deviation for IVTD, NDFD and milk FU were 3.1, 2.9 and 2.6, respectively, and only 1.5 for BMP. Running the Daisy system for rabbit feces in rumen fluid gave some inconsistencies, weakened the functional relationships, and appeared not to be correlated with the potential values of IVTD and NDFD. Nevertheless, the energetic potential of feces appears to be similar to some conventional crops at different degrees of maturity. Thus we conclude that rabbit feces has potential value as a ruminant feed and for biogas production

Fresh meat quality of pigs fed diets with different fatty acid profiles and supplemented with red wine solids

AbstractThree groups of pigs were fed three different diets, namely a diet rich in saturated fatty acids (palm oil-based, PO), a polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-rich diet (corn oil-based, CO), and a PUFA-rich diet (corn oil-based) supplemented with red wine solids (RWS), which was added to the diet (CO+RWS) in order to assess the protective effect on the oxidative status of the pork meat. The addition of corn oil favourably modulates the FAs profile of the backfat, and to a lesser extent of the intramuscular fat of semimembranosus muscle, without causing adverse effects on the meat quality or on its oxidative stability. Moreover, these parameters were not affected by the addition of the RWS in the CO+RWS diet

NIRS discrimination of broiler rabbits fed with increasing levels of false flax (Camelina sativa L.) seeds in relationship to the fatty acid profiles

Three groups of ten young rabbits each received an enriched diet with false flax (Camelina sativa L.) seeds at 0% (C), 10% (M), and 15% (H), respectively. At the end of the experimental period, which lasted 50 days, all the rabbits were slaughtered. The longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle and perirenal fat samples were collected at 24 h post mortem from each carcass and analysed with a GC method for the fatty acid (FA) profiles and their indexes. Spectroscopy was conducted using a Model LSP LabSpec-Pro portable UV-Vis.NIR spectrophotometer (350-2500nm). The perirenal fat was directly examined. The samples derived from thawed LD muscles (2 cm ø x 2 cm long.) were previously fixed in 95% ethanol, stored for 3 days and finally scanned after 2 and 24 hours air exposition of the tissues. Discrimination of individuals between couple of groups, fitted 1 or 2 dummy values, was performed by a Modified Partial Least Square Discriminant Analysis by the WinISI II software (Infrasoft International, Port Matilda, PA, USA) allowing one passage for the removal of the outliers. The cross-validated 1-VR (Variance Ratio) coefficient was retained for comparative purposes.................

Exploitation of a natural pasture by wild horses: comparison between nutritive characteristics of the land and the nutrient requirements of the herds over a 2-year period

In the Molise region (Italy), some autochthonous populations are still bred and, between them, some wild horses named 'Pentro horses.' The breeding area is a natural pasture. It is 2200 ha extended including a broad plane surrounded by wooden hills. The aim of this research was to determine the nutritional characteristics of this area over a 2-year period to improve the management of the herd and to define the stocking rate in relation to the forage production in terms of production and quality. The forage samples were collected over two successive years during the grazing period (May to October) from five experimental areas and analysed for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), crude fibre (CF), neutral-detergent fibre (NDF), acid-detergent fibre (ADF), acid-detergent lignin (ADL) and gross energy (GE). Horse feed units (HFU) and horse-digestible crude protein (HDCP) were also predicted. Data were analysed with a one-way ANOVA test using month and area as factors. The DM, HFU and HDCP total production was determined to be compared with the total nutrient requirements of the herds from May to October. The results show that seasonal and yearly climatic variations significantly affect chemical composition and nutritive value of the pasture. The parameters most influenced were DM, CP, ADF and to a less extent NDF, while OM, ADL and GE show smaller differences during the observed period. The results show a low production per ha; nevertheless, because of the low stocking rate (0.3 to 0.6 head per ha), nutrient production meets the nutrient requirements of the horses regarding DM and energy. The differences among the areas have to be ascribed to the different botanical compositions and to the different draining capacity of the soil, and also in this case the greatest variations are for DM, CP and ADF

Effect of the Growth Stage of False Flax (Camelina sativa L.) on the Phenolic Compound Content and Antioxidant Potential of the Aerial Part of the Plant

The phenolic compound profile and antioxidant potential of the false flax (Camelina saliva L.) plant, harvested at five morphological stages, that is. from the vegetative to the ripe seed-pod stage, have been investigated. False flax extracts were prepared using 80% (v/v) methanol. and the total phenolic content (TPC), the contents of the individual phenolics and antioxidant activity, measured as the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), DPPH center dot scavenging activity and the ability to inhibit the oxidation of beta-carotene-linoleic acid emulsion, were determined. The TPC of the plant, at different growth stages, ranged from 49.2 to 59.1 mg GAE/g of extract and from 1.46 to 3.10 mg GAE/g of fresh matter (FM). Four main phenolic compounds were identified (chlorogenic acid, rutin, quercetin 3-O-glucoside, and quercetin glycoside). The chlorogenic acid content and the sum of flavonoids increased in the extracts from the vegetative to the bud stage, reaching 35.9 and 49.5 mg/g of extract, respectively, and gradually decreased in the subsequent growth stages. The plant extracts at the bud and flowering stages generally had the highest antioxidant activity in the polar systems (TEAC, FRAP and DPPH assays). The ripe seed-pod stage showed the highest antioxidant potential in these conditions when the results were expressed on FM basis. The best antioxidant activity in the lipid emulsion system was shown for the false flax extracts at the flowering and ripe seed-pod stages. Our research has indicated the possibility of using the aerial part of C. saliva as a source of ingredients with protective antioxidant activity