Effects of chromium supplementation on growth, nutrient digestibility and meat quality of growing pigs

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of chromium picolinate (CrPic) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and protein and lipid quality of five anatomical parts in growing pigs. The 30-day study was conducted on eight castrated Topigs growing male pigs, with an initial bodyweight of 17.16 ± 0.62 kg. The pigs were assigned to two groups (C, E), housed in individual metabolic cages, and fed on conventional diets with 17.80% crude protein (CP) and 3078 kcal/kg metabolizable energy (ME). The diet of E was supplemented with 200 ppm CrPic. Samples of ingesta and faeces were collected in three balance periods of five days each. At the end of the experiment, blood samples were collected, all pigs were slaughtered, and meat (tenderloin, loin, ham, shoulder, and belly) samples were collected. No significant differences of productive or plasma parameters were noticed. The results of the balance study showed that CrPic did not influence the digestibility of nitrogen, but the digestibility of fat was significantly decreased for group E. The nutritional quality of the collected samples was evaluated for proximate analysis. The tenderloin and ham samples had increased protein concentrations compared with C group. For belly and ham, the fat concentrations decreased significantly. As a result of this observation, amino acids and fatty acid profiles were analysed and a significant improvement were determined for E regarding essential amino acids. The conclusion of the study was that CrPic had positive effects on protein and fat metabolism and the meat had functional food attributes.Keywords: Amino acids, biochemical profile, chromium picolinate, digestibility, fatty acids, por

Heavy metals contamination of soils surrounding waste deposits in Romania

Soils contamination with heavy metals is one of the most severe aspects of environmental pollution in Romania, independently of the origin sources (domestic or industrial activities) or type of disposal (organised landfill or hazardous deposits)[l-2]. This fact is the consequence of the poor state of the existing waste deposits in Romania and of the significant costs involved by the establishing of a new landfill according with the international regulations. The present study is trying to emphasise the contamination of soils surrounding different categories of waste deposits (sewage sludge ponds, domestic and industrial waste landfills, hillocks, sterile deposits) from various regions of Romania. Some case studies show a special interest being localise in a protected area (Iron Gates Natural Park). In order to quantify the concentration of metals like Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, Ni, Mo in soil samples, analysis were performed using Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometry (ICP-OES). Romanian standards were used as reference values [3]

Effects of dietary flaxseed oil on the muscle fatty acid composition in Mangalitsa pigs in an extensive rearing system

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary flaxseed oil on the fatty acid (FA) composition of two types of muscles, longissimus dorsi (LD) and semitendinosus (ST), of Mangalitsa pigs reared in an extensive system. Fourteen Mangalitsa castrated pigs, 55 ± 8 kg, 240 ± 12 days of age, were randomly assigned for a 35-d experimental period to two isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets, namely a control (C) diet, and an experimental (E) diet with the additional inclusion of 30 g flaxseed oil/kg. The fatty acid profiles of the flaxseed oil diet, flaxseed oil and the LD and ST muscles were determined by gas chromatography. The α-linolenic (ALA) fatty acid content of the flaxseed oil amounted to 41.88% of the total fatty acid methyl ester (FAME), resulting in an increased deposition of ALA in the LD muscle (2.07 times) and in the ST muscle (2.22 times) when compared with the control group. This effect is associated with the presence of eicosapentaenoic (EPA), docosapentaenoic (DPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) fatty acids, which are beneficial to the health of human beings. Additionally, the n-6 : n-3 ratio of the polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in the LD muscle (4.60 : 1 in the flaxseed diet, compared with 10.16 : 1 in the control diet) are very close to the n-6 : n-3 requirements (<5 : 1) of human. The results of this study indicated that flaxseed oil was a suitable nutritional solution to improving the fatty acid profile of specific muscles of indigenous Mangalitsa pigs.Keywords: n-3 fatty acids, open house rearing, plant oil, pork qualit

Study on the Efficiency of Grape Seed Meals Used as Antioxidants in Layer Diets Enriched with Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids Compared with Vitamin E

ABSTRACT The 4-week study was conducted with 180 Lohmann Brown layers (52 weeks of age). The layers were assigned to three groups (C, E1 and E2). The basal diet (group C) consisted mainly of corn, soybean meal and corn gluten, and contained 19% crude protein and 11.58 MJ/kg metabolizable energy. The diets for groups E1 and E2 differed from group C by the inclusion of 5% flax meal and of dietary antioxidants. The concentration of α-linolenic acid in the fat of E1 and E2 diets was almost 10 times higher than in group C. E1 diet was supplemented with vitamin E (100 mg/kg feed, DM), while E2 diet was supplemented with 2% grape seed meal (polyphenols: 630.890 µg gallic acid equivalents/g sample; flavonoids: 5.065 µg rutin equivalents/g sample; antioxidant capacity: 28.468 mM trolox equivalents/g sample). The antioxidant capacity of E2 was higher than in C, but lower than in E1. Haugh units of the eggs (18 eggs/group) harvested during the last experimental week were not significantly different among groups. The ω-6/ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) ratio in the fat from the eggs was 4.46 ± 0.11 (E1) and 4.52 ± 0.21 (E2), three times lower (p<0.05) than the control group (14.70 ± 0.43). In group E1 in particular, but also in group E2, the concentration of total polyphenols in the egg yolk was higher (p<0.05) than in group C