167 research outputs found

    Innovative procedures to evaluate corn silage for milk yield

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    Corn silage is the main ingredient of diets for dairy cattle (around 40% of diet DM in Italy) and, therefore, an accurate estimation of its nutritive value is essential to describe the whole diet. Given the low, and fairly stable protein, lipid and ash contents in corn silage (e.g. a total of around 15% DM), the critical point to evaluate its energy value is the amount and availability of the two main carbohydrate fractions (NDF and non fiber carbohydrates, NFC)

    In vitro rumen fermentation of feed substrates added with chestnut tannins or an extract from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni

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    Rumen fermentation parameters and microbiota were evaluated in 3 in vitro rumen fermentation experiments after addition of chestnut tannins (CT) or an extract from Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni (SB) to substrates. A control (CTR) substrate was fermented alone or added with 1.5% of CT or SB extracts in a batch culture system (Exp. 1, fermentation in 500 mL for 24 h) and in a subsequent continuous culture system (Exp. 2, fermentation in 2 L bottles for 9 d). Experiment 3 used the fermentation system of Exp. 1 and tested 7 doses of each extract added to CTR (additions of 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, 0.8%, 1.0%, 1.2% and 1.4% for 48 h). The addition of CT lowered (P < 0.01) the in vitro rumen ammonia concentration in all experiments and reduced the protozoa counts in Exp. 1 (P < 0.05). In contrast, the SB extract did not modify the ammonia concentrations, but significantly lowered the protozoa counts in all 3 experiments (reduction of 47% and 20% in Exp. 1 and 2, P < 0.05; and a quadratic reduction in Exp. 3, R2 = 0.63, P < 0.01). Neither extract affected the fermentation in terms of gas production (Exp. 1 and 3) nor volatile fatty acids (VFA) yield (Exp. 1 and 2), if we exclude a reduction at the highest CT concentration in Exp. 3. Changes in VFA profile were induced by CT and were limited to reductions in the iso-valerate (P < 0.01, in Exp. 2) and iso-butyrate levels (P < 0.01, Exp. 2). The CT increased the abundance of Prevotella ruminicola and Selenomonas ruminantium and decreased that of Ruminobacter amylophilus (P < 0.01, P < 0.05 and P < 0.05, respectively). The SB extract increased the relative abundance of Treponema saccarophylum (P < 0.05). Both of the studied substances had an impact on rumen metabolism, with SB reducing protozoa counts and CT lowering the rumen ammonia concentration. The effects of both extracts on the rumen were appreciable at low dietary doses, and the negative impacts on fermentation were limited to the reduction in protein degradation with the addition of CT

    Dynamics of in vitro rumen methane production after nitrate addition

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    The present study aimed to assess the dynamics of rumen methane (CH4) production following the addition of NaNO3. This was done using an in vitro rumen fermentation system that ensures continuous gas and methane assessments. Four different levels of NaNO3 were used to get the final nitrate concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 mg/ml of rumen fluid. For each dose, corresponding controls contained sodium chloride and urea were realised to ensure comparable levels of sodium and nitrogen. The addition of nitrates had slight effect on the intensity of fermentation because the total gas produced minus CH4 (total methane-free gas) only went down at the highest dose (2.0 mg/ml), and the final concentrations of SCFA were the same at all doses. The most evident effect was a modification of the SCFA profile (low concentrations of propionate and valerate, progressive increments of acetate, and decreases of butyrate) and a reduction in overall CH4 production. The CH4 yield for the 0.5 mg/ml dose was not different from control in the entire fermentation. Yield of the 1.0 mg/ml dose was significantly lower than the control group (p < 0.05) only within the initial 24-h period, and higher dosages (1.5 and 2.0 mg/ml) were lower during the entire fermentation (p < 0.01). Methane yields were well fitted with the Gompertz model, but only the highest level of nitrate inclusion had a significant impact on the majority of model parameters (p < 0.01). The linear regressions between CH4 yields (y) and the amounts of nitrates (x) at progressive fermentation durations (e.g. 6, 12, 24, and 48 h) produced equations with increasing absolute slopes (from −0.069 to −0.517 ml/mg of nitrate). Therefore, nitrate reduced rumen CH4 yield in a dose-dependent manner: the impact of low doses was primarily observed at the initial stages of fermentation, whereas high doses exhibited effectiveness throughout the entire fermentation process. In conclusion, in batch fermentation systems, the dose effect of nitrates on methane yield was time dependent

    A new equipment for continuous measurement of methane production in a batch in vitro rumen system

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    A new rumen batch fermentation system that allows continuous measures of total gas (GP) and methane production (MP) was tested. The fermentation system is composed of glass bottles connected to gas counters (Ritter Apparatebau GmbH & Co. KG) and an infrared gas analyser that measures the methane concentration. The system allows direct and continuous measurement of GP and MP for accurate kinetic studies. The aim of the work was to test the rumen fermentation system and compare the GP and MP kinetics obtained. Barley meal (BM), alfalfa hay (AH), corn silage (CS), and soya bean hulls (SH) were used as substrates in four consecutive fermentation runs. Cumulative volumes of GP and MP and the percentage of methane on total GP were recorded continuously until 48 h and average values at 1 h intervals were fitted with an exponential model with a lag phase reaching a good fit (R2 > 0.992). GP and MP reached the highest plateau levels for SH (1836 and 370 ml, respectively; p < 0.01) and the lowest for AH (1000 and 233 ml, respectively). The remaining substrates showed intermediate values. MP kinetics showed a discrete lag phase (from 0.09 to 1.12 h), whereas it was equal to zero for the total GP (except for SH). The methane concentration in gas flowing increased rapidly at the beginning of fermentation (from 0.35 to 0.95 h−1) and reached a plateau after approximately 8–12 h. In conclusion, the rumen fermentation system evaluated generates methane data comparable to those reported in the literature and allows simple continuous measurement of methane release throughout fermentation

    Impacts of rumen fluid, refrigerated or reconstituted from a refrigerated pellet, on gas production measured at 24h of fermentation

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    3noRumen fluid is used as fresh inoculum for gas production fermentations to predict the nutritional value of feeds and rations for ruminants. However, collection of rumen fluid from animal donors is invasive, expensive, time consuming and results in fluids of variable quality. The general aim was to identify a procedure to manipulate rumen inoculum in order to facilitate its storage and transfer between laboratories. This strategy would also limit fluid collections from animals. Two experiments were completed based on gas production from graduated 100 mL glass syringe with five feeds as substrates. In experiment 1, the gas production and some fermentation parameters of fresh rumen fluids were compared with those preserved at 4 °C for 24, 48, 72 and 96 h. Refrigeration did not modify concentration of volatile fatty acids and pH, but ammonia in liquids refrigerated for 48–96 h was higher (P < 0.05) compared to fresh. In contrast, rumen fluid refrigeration for 24, 48 or 72 h did not depress gas production at 24 h, but it was lower at 96 h. In experiment 2, the rumen fluid was centrifugated at 13,000 x g and sedimented material (i.e., pellet) was refrigerated for 48 h at 4 °C. The asymptote of gas production kinetics from rumen fluid regenerated from the pellet was 8 % lower (P < 0.05) than that from fresh. However for 24 h gas production, the correlation between fresh liquid and pellet inoculum, calculated for five ingredients, was high (R2 = 0.94). Results support the use of rumen fluid preserved by refrigeration for up to 72 h, and rumen fluid reconstituted from refrigerated pellet, as an alternative to fresh. This would reduce the need for laboratories to maintain animal donors and/or frequently collect rumen fluid.openopenFabro C.; Sarnataro C.; Spanghero M.Fabro, C.; Sarnataro, C.; Spanghero, M

    Rumen fermentation parameters and papillae development in Simmental growing bulls with divergent residual feed intake

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    Residual feed intake (RFI), a widespread index used to measure animal feed efficiency, is influenced by various individual biological factors related to inter-animal variation that need to be assessed. Herein, 30 Simmental bulls, raised under the same farm conditions, were divided on the basis of RFI values into a high efficient group (HE, RFI = − 1.18 ± 0.33 kg DM/d, n = 15) and a low efficient group (LE, RFI = 0.92 ± 0.35 kg DM/d, n = 15). Subsequently, bulls were slaughtered at an average BW of 734 ± 39.4 kg. Their ruminal fermentation traits were analysed immediately after slaughtering and after 24 h of in vitro incubation. Furthermore, ruminal micro-biota composition and ruminal papillae morphology were examined. The LE group exhibited a higher propionate concentration as a percentage of total volatile fatty acids (17.3 vs 16.1%, P = 0.04) in the rumen fluid collected during slaughtering, which was also confirmed after in vitro fermentation (16.6 vs 15.4% respectively for LE and HE, P = 0.01). This phenomenon resulted in a significant alteration in the acetate−to−propionate ratio (A:P) with higher values for the HE group, both after slaughter (4.01 vs 3.66, P = 0.02) and after in vitro incubation (3.78 vs 3.66, P = 0.02). Methane production was similar in both groups either as absolute production (227 vs 218 mL for HE and LE, respectively) or expressed as a percentage of total gas (approximately 22%). Even if significant differences (P < 0.20) in the relative abundance of some bacterial genera were observed for the two RFI groups, no significant variations were observed in the alpha (Shannon index) and beta (Bray–Curtis index) diversity. Considering the papillae morphology, the LE subjects have shown higher length values (6.26 vs 4.90 mm, P < 0.01) while HE subjects have demonstrated higher papillae density (46.4 vs 40.5 n/cm2, P = 0.02). Histo-morphometric analysis did not reveal appreciable modifications in the total papilla thickness, boundaries or surface between the experimental groups. In conclusion, our results contribute to efforts to analyse the factors affecting feed efficiency at the ruminal level. Propionate production, papillae morphology and a few bacterial genera certainly play a role in this regard, although not a decisive one

    In vitro ammonia release of urea-treated high moisture barley and maize grain

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    Rumen nitrogen (N) release from ammoniated wet barley and maize kernels by urea treatment (UT) at harvesting was studied. Untreated samples (CTR) were compared to UT and to samples combined with urea just before the experiment (UA). In Experiment 1, ground CTR, UT and UA samples were fermented in a ruminal in vitro system, and ammonia of fermentation fluid was analysed at 0, 2, 4, 6 and 8 h. The effect of incubation time was observed as ammonia peaked at 4 h of fermentation (10.24 vs 9.01 and 7.20 mg \ub7 dl 121, respectively at 0 and 8 h, P < 0.01). Also, the effect of treatment was stated when UT released less ammonia than UA treatment (9.76 vs 10.52 mg \ub7 dl 121, P < 0.05), while the CTR samples showed the least ammonia N concentrations (P < 0.01). In Experiment 2, the water N solubility of CTR and UT of both cereal samples prepared in three physical forms (whole grain, coarsely ground and milled) was examined. Samples were incubated in flasks with distilled water for 1, 2, 4, 6 and 8 h and N was measured in filtered residues to calculate N solubility. The UT samples, regardless cereal type, solubilised more N in the milled than in the whole form with the coarse form in the middle (43.7 vs 15.3%, 32.4 vs 14.0% and 20.3 vs 9.2% for milled, coarse and whole form, respectively; treatment 7 physical form interaction: P < 0.01). The N added to wet cereal kernels by the urea treatment was released in the rumen fermentation liquid more slowly than that simply added as urea before incubation. Based on solubility data, the treated whole or cracked kernels exhibited a slower N release than milled ones

    In vitro aflatoxins recovery after changing buffer or protozoa concentrations in the rumen fermentation fluid

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    This study simulates in vitro the effects of (i) rumen acidity and (ii) change in rumen protozoa numbers on the recovery of aflatoxins (AFs). Two 24-h fermentation experiments were carried out using the same batch in vitro fermentation systems and substrate (dried corn meal) containing 11.42, 2.42, 7.65 and 1.70 µg/kg of AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 respectively. In Experiment 1, two buffer concentrations (normal salts dosage or lowered to 25%) were tested. Buffer reduction decreased gas production (730 vs. 1101 mL, p < 0.05), volatile fatty acids (VFA) and NH3 concentrations in the fermentation liquid (39.8 vs. 46.3 mmol/L, and 31.7 vs. 46.5 mg/dL respectively, p < 0.01). Recovery of all four AFs types was higher (p < 0.01) in the reduced buffer fermentation fluid, both as a percentage of total AF incubated (73.6% vs. 62.5%, 45.9% vs. 38.1%, 33.6% vs. 17.9% and 18.9% vs. 6.24% for AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 respectively) and as amounts relative to VFA production (163.4 vs. 123.5, 22.1 vs. 15.7, 48.8 vs. 22.5 and 6.16 vs. 1.86 ng/100 mmol of VFA, for AFB1, AFB2, AFG1 and AFG2 respectively). In Experiment 2, Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni extracts (S) or a Camphor essential oil (Cam) were added to fermenters and compared to the control (no additives, C). S and Cam addition resulted in a 25% reduction (p < 0.05) and a 15% increase (p < 0.05) in protozoa counts respectively, when compared to C. Both plant additives slightly reduced (p < 0.05) AFB1 recovery as a percentage of total AFB1 incubated (68.5% and 67.7% vs. 74.9% for S, Cam and C respectively). Recoveries of all other AFs were unaffected by the additives. In conclusion, the rumen in vitro AFB1 recovery (63%–75%) was higher than other AFs (3%–46%) and the acidic fermentation environment increased it. In our conditions, changes in protozoa numbers did not affect AFs recovery

    Effect of dietary nitrogen level and source on mRNA expression of urea transporters in the rumen epithelium of fattening bulls

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    This paper aims to study the effect of the dietary treatments on mRNA expression of urea transporter B (UT-B) and some aquaporins (AQP) in rumen epithelium of Italian Simmental young bulls. Eighty animals allocated to 16 pens were fed from about 500 to 650&nbsp;kg body weight with four experimental diets, which resulted from the combination of two crude protein levels (125 and 110&nbsp;g/kg dry matter, diets M and L, respectively) and two nitrogen sources (soybean meal (SBM) or SBM partly replaced by an isonitrogenous mixture of corn and urea; diets −U and +U, respectively). At slaughtering samples of blood and rumen epithelium were collected from six bulls for each diet. Blood samples were analysed for haematological parameters and quantitative PCR was carried out on the mRNA extracted from the rumen epithelium samples. The bulls fed diets M had lower plasma concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase than those receiving diets L (78.9 vs. 88.3&nbsp;U/l, p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.04). Plasma urea was higher (p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.03) for diets M and lower for diets +U (2.0 vs. 2.5 and 1.73 vs. 2.00&nbsp;mmol/l, respectively, in M and L diets, p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.04). The effect of dietary treatments on rumen UT expression were limited to AQP3, which was down regulated (p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.01) in diets +U. Finally, a high positive correlation (R2&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.871) between the expressions of AQP7 and AQP10 was found. In conclusion, the AQP3 appears very responsive to dietary treatments and therefore it is a candidate to be further studied in rumen metabolism experiments. The close relationship between mRNA expression of AQP7 and AQP10 indicates a similar function of these two proteins

    Association between hyperketolactia and production in early-lactating dairy cows

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    Study aims were to investigate associations of hyperketolactia (HYKL) status of Holstein dairy cows between 6 and 60 d in milk (DIM), defined by milk acetone (mACE) and β-hydroxybutyrate (mBHB) content, with daily milk yield and composition. Milk samples (∼5.0 million) were collected over a 5-yr period (2014–2019) within the milk recording system in Poland. Concentrations of mACE and mBHB determined by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy were used to categorize samples into 4 ketolactia groups. Based on threshold values of ≥0.15 mmol/L mACE and ≥0.10 mmol/L mBHB, ketolactia groups were normoketolactia (NKL; mACE <0.15 mmol/L and mBHB <0.10 mmol/L), BHB hyperketolactia (HYKLBHB; mACE <0.15 mmol/L and mBHB ≥0.10 mmol/L), ACE hyperketolactia (HYKLACE; mACE ≥0.15 mmol/L and mBHB <0.10 mmol/L), and ACE and BHB hyperketolactia (HYKLACEBHB; mACE ≥0.15 mmol/L and mBHB ≥0.10 mmol/L). To investigate ketolactia association with production outcomes, a linear model was developed, including ketolactia group, DIM, parity, their interactions, year-season as fixed effects, and random effects of herd and cow. Among all milk samples, 31.2% were classified as HYKL, and of these, 52.6%, 39.6%, and 7.8% were HYKLACEBHB, HYKLBHB, and HYKLACE, respectively. Ketolactia groups differed for all traits studied in all parities and DIM. Among HYKL groups, lowest milk yield was found in HYKLACEBHB cows, except for 6 to 30 DIM in first- and second-lactation cows. Milk yield of HYKLBHB cows was higher than that of NKL cows until 20 to 30 DIM, and then it was lower than NKL cows. Milk yield of HYKLACE cows was mostly lower than NKL cows. Energy-corrected milk (ECM) yield of HYKLACEBHB cows was higher than that of NKL cows until 30 to 35 DIM for second lactation and third lactation or greater, and in the whole study period for first lactation. The yield of ECM for HYKLBHB cows was mostly higher than that of NKL cows, whereas HYKLACE cows had higher ECM than NKL cows until 15 to 25 DIM and then was lower for the HYKLACE group. Milk composition differed among HYKL groups. Highest milk fat (MF) and lowest milk lactose (ML) contents were observed in HYKLACEBHB cows. Cows in HYKLACEBHB and HYKLBHB groups had higher MF and lower milk protein (MP; except in 6–8 DIM in first lactation) and ML content than NKL cows. Milk fat content was higher in HYKLACE than NKL cows in first lactation and during the first 30 to 40 DIM in older cows. Lactose content was lower in HYKLACE than in NKL cows within 30 to 40 DIM; afterward it was higher in NKL cows. Lower MP content was found in HYKLACE than in NKL cows, except during 6 to 9 DIM for cows in first lactation and third lactation or greater. In conclusion, HYKL is associated with altered milk production in all parities, but a range of these negative relations depends on ketone status addressing both ACE and BHB contents. Further research is needed to ascertain underpinning biochemical defects of HYKL from elevated ACE, alone or in combination with BHB, during early lactation
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