Slow-Release Urea as a Sustainable Alternative to Soybean Meal in Ruminant Nutrition

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using a commercial slow-release urea product (SRU; Optigen®, Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY, USA) as a partial replacement for vegetable protein sources in cattle diets. The first experiment was an in vitro rumen fermentation that evaluated the effect of replacing soybean meal (SBM) nitrogen with nitrogen from either SRU or free urea in diets varying in forage:concentrate ratios. The second experiment examined the effect of replacing SBM with SRU on in situ dry matter and nitrogen degradability in the rumen. In the third experiment, a feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of replacing SBM (0% as-fed SRU) with 1% or 3% as-fed SRU on feed carbon footprint (CFP; total greenhouse gas emissions associated with the life cycle of feed raw materials) and the toxicity potential of SRU in growing beef cattle. Results showed that replacing SBM with SRU up to 1.3% did not negatively affect in vitro rumen fermentation parameters. Supplementing SRU favourably decreased ruminal accumulation of ammonia and lactic acid when compared to free urea. There was no significant effect on effective rumen degradability of dry matter and nitrogen when one-third of SBM was replaced by SRU in the in situ study. Compared with the 0% SRU diet, feed CFP decreased by 18% and 54% in 1% SRU and 3% SRU diets, respectively. Additionally, feeding up to 3% SRU diet to beef cattle did not affect health and intake, and blood hematological and biochemical indices were within the physiological range for healthy bulls, suggesting no indication of ammonia toxicity. Overall, these results indicate that SRU can be used as a sustainable alternative to partially replace vegetable protein sources in ruminant diets without compromising rumen function and health of ruminants.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fatty acid composition, shelf-life and eating quality of beef from steers fed corn or wheat dried distillers' grains with solubles in a concentrate supplement to grass silage

Thirty-six steers were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments fed ad libitum grass silage and concentrate supplements containing either barley/soybean meal (CON), 80% DM corn (CDGS)- or 80% DM wheat (WDGS)-dried distillers' grains with solubles for 124 days pre-slaughter. Chemical and fatty acid composition, shelf-life, and eating quality of longissimus thoracis muscle were determined. Dietary CDGS and WDGS increased the proportion of conjugated linoleic acids (P < 0.05) and tended to increase C18:3n-3 (P = 0.075) and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (P = 0.060) relative to the CON. Feeding diets containing distillers' grains reduced the lipid and colour stability of fresh beef patties stored in modified atmosphere packs (MAP), with CDGS exhibiting an intermediate effect between CON and WDGS. Diet did not negatively influence the texture profile parameters and eating quality attributes of beef stored in MAP. The inclusion of CDGS or WDGS in supplementary concentrates may improve the fatty acid profile but decreased the shelf-life of beef

Quality indices and sensory attributes of beef from steers offered grass silage and a concentrate supplemented with dried citrus pulp

peer-reviewedThis study investigated the quality composition, oxidative stability and sensory attributes of beef (longissimus thoracis, LT) from steers offered grass silage and a concentrate supplement in which barley was replaced by 40% and 80% (as-fed basis) of dried citrus pulp (DCP). Dietary treatment did not influence the antioxidant status (α-tocopherol and total phenolic contents) and activities of LT (radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power and iron chelating activity). Feeding DCP significantly increased the proportion of conjugated linoleic acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in beef. Lipid and colour stability of fresh beef patties stored in modified atmosphere packs (MAP) were unaffected by dietary treatment but feeding 40% DCP reduced (P < .05) lipid oxidation in aerobically-stored cooked beef patties. Beef patties stored in MAP for up to 7 days were assessed by sensory panellists to be juicier for those fed 40% DCP compared to 0% and 80% DCP. Results indicated that substitution of barley with DCP improved the fatty acid profiles of beef without negatively influencing the eating quality of beef.Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agenc

Influence of dietary cardoon meal on growth performance and selected meat quality parameters of lambs, and the antioxidant potential of cardoon extract in ovine muscle homogenates

Fatty acids and oxidative stability were determined in meat from lambs fed a diet containing 15% dehydrated alfalfa (CON, n = 8) or cardoon meal (CMD, n = 7). Furthermore, the antioxidant activity of a phenolic-rich cardoon meal extract (1.32 GAE mg/ml) was examined in muscle homogenates (0, 0.5, 1, 5% v/w) subjected to iron/ascorbate-induced oxidation. Feeding CMD did not affect lamb performances and carcass traits but reduced (P < 0.05) the vaccenic and rumenic acids and increased stearic acid in muscle. Lipid oxidation was higher in raw meat from the CMD-fed lambs after 7 days of storage (P < 0.05). Feeding CMD did not affect the colour stability of raw meat and the oxidative stability of cooked meat and of muscle homogenates incubated with pro-oxidant catalysts. Adding 5% cardoon extract in muscle homogenates increased (+114.3%; P = 0.03) the total phenolic content and reduced (−77.6%; P < 0.01) lipid oxidation, demonstrating the antioxidant potential of compounds present in cardoon meal

Reducing the impact of feedstuff transport by a better utilization of plant wastes for livestock: a way to improve meat quality?

The effect of feeding plant by-products (cardoon meal (CM), dried corn gluten feed (CGF), corn (CDGS) and wheat (WDGS) distillers’ grains with solubles, and citrus pulp (DCP)) on the quality of meat from ruminant animals (lambs and beef cattle) was investigated. The first experiment examined the response of rumen function to diets rich in phenolic compounds (i.e. tannins), which are secondary metabolites prevalent in several plant by-products. Concentrate diet supplemented with 4% of two hydrolysable (chestnut and tara) and condensed (mimosa and gambier) tannin extracts did not impair ruminal fermentation traits and microbiome in lambs. The second and third experiments indicated that replacement of 15% dehydrated alfalfa with CM did not influence lamb performance and carcass traits. Feeding CM promoted ruminal biohydrogenation of fatty acids (FA) through a modulation of the rumen bacterial community and consequently, reduced the proportion of t-11 18:1 and c-9,t-11 conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) in lamb meat. Moreover, dietary CM did not influence the oxidative stability of lamb meat whereas a phenolic-rich CM extract reduced lipid oxidation in an ovine muscle model system. The fourth, fifth and sixth experiments assessed the quality indices of beef from grass silage-fed steers offered concentrate supplements in which barley/soybean meal was replaced with varying levels of CGF (25%, 50% and 75%), CDGS and WDGS (80%), and DCP (40% and 80%), respectively. The inclusion of up to 75% CGF improved the FA profile of beef by decreasing the proportion of C14:0 and increasing CLA, C18:3 n-3, C20:5 n-3 and C22:5 n-3 without negatively influencing the shelf-life and eating quality of beef. Dietary CDGS or WDGS increased the proportion of CLA and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in beef but decreased beef shelf-life by increasing lipid oxidation and discolouration in fresh beef patties stored in modified atmosphere packs (80% O2:20% CO2). The inclusion of up to 80% DCP improved the FA profile of beef by increasing the percentage of CLA and PUFA in beef without compromising the oxidative stability and consumer acceptability of beef

Meta-analysis and sustainability of feeding slow-release urea in dairy production.

Slow-release urea (SRU) is a coated non-protein nitrogen (NPN) source for providing rumen degradable protein in ruminant nutrition. A meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of replacing vegetable protein sources with SRU (Optigen®, Alltech Inc., USA) on the production performance of dairy cows. Additionally, the impact of SRU supplementation on dairy sustainability was examined by quantifying the carbon footprint (CFP) of feed use for milk production and manure nitrogen (N) excretion of dairy cows. Data on diet composition and performance variables were extracted from 17 experiments with 44 dietary comparisons (control vs. SRU). A linear mixed model and linear regression were applied to statistically analyse the effect of SRU on feed intake and production performance. Feeding SRU decreased (P 0.05) on milk yield, fat-corrected milk, energy-corrected milk, and milk fat and protein composition. However, SRU supplementation improved (P < 0.05) feed efficiency (+3%) and N use efficiency (NUE, +4%). Regression analyses revealed that increasing SRU inclusion level decreased DMI and NI whereas increasing dietary crude protein (CP) increased both parameters. However, milk yield and feed efficiency increased in response to increasing levels of SRU inclusion and dietary CP. The NUE had a positive relationship with SRU level whereas NUE decreased with increasing dietary CP. The inclusion of SRU in dairy diets reduced the CFP of feed use for milk production (-14.5%; 373.13 vs. 319.15 g CO2 equivalent/kg milk). Moreover, feeding SRU decreased manure N excretion by 2.7% to 3.1% (-12 to -13 g/cow/d) and N excretion intensity by 3.6% to 4.0% (-0.50 to -0.53 g N/kg milk). In conclusion, feeding SRU can contribute to sustainable dairy production through improvement in production efficiency and reduction in environmental impacts

Efficacy of dietary antioxidants on broiler oxidative stress, performance and meat quality: science and market

Several production factors could exacerbate the biological formation of free radicals which, in turn, cause oxidative stress that impair the health, overall performance and meat quality of broiler chickens. Such factors could have a nutritional, pathological, physiological or environmental origin. The modern drive towards intensive commercial poultry production has elevated the exposure risk of broilers to these factors. In contrast, it has been demonstrated in many studies that dietary antioxidants could combat oxidative stress and improve broiler performance as well as meat quality. Interestingly, these efficacy claims have generated much attention from several feed additive companies which has spurred the development of certain commercial antioxidant products available in the global market. Information from recent studies suggests that both natural and synthetic antioxidants can be effective for augmenting broiler performance and meat quality particularly under conditions of oxidative stress. However, legislative restrictions may hinder the inclusion of high amounts of synthetic antioxidants required to achieve potency in oxidative-stressed broilers. The efficacy of dietary antioxidants depends on the age of the birds, dose and duration of supplementation. Moreover, supplementation of individual antioxidants on average seems to offer a better performance improvement than does a combination of antioxidants. Nonetheless, research efforts aimed at finding the right proportion of combining dietary antioxidants will offer tremendous economic benefits especially with the reduced use of costly synthetic vitamin E. This article gives further insights into research areas that could enhance the effective supplementation of antioxidants in broilers

Slow-Release Urea as a Sustainable Alternative to Soybean Meal in Ruminant Nutrition

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the feasibility of using a commercial slow-release urea product (SRU; Optigen®, Alltech Inc., Nicholasville, KY, USA) as a partial replacement for vegetable protein sources in cattle diets. The first experiment was an in vitro rumen fermentation that evaluated the effect of replacing soybean meal (SBM) nitrogen with nitrogen from either SRU or free urea in diets varying in forage:concentrate ratios. The second experiment examined the effect of replacing SBM with SRU on in situ dry matter and nitrogen degradability in the rumen. In the third experiment, a feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effect of replacing SBM (0% as-fed SRU) with 1% or 3% as-fed SRU on feed carbon footprint (CFP; total greenhouse gas emissions associated with the life cycle of feed raw materials) and the toxicity potential of SRU in growing beef cattle. Results showed that replacing SBM with SRU up to 1.3% did not negatively affect in vitro rumen fermentation parameters. Supplementing SRU favourably decreased ruminal accumulation of ammonia and lactic acid when compared to free urea. There was no significant effect on effective rumen degradability of dry matter and nitrogen when one-third of SBM was replaced by SRU in the in situ study. Compared with the 0% SRU diet, feed CFP decreased by 18% and 54% in 1% SRU and 3% SRU diets, respectively. Additionally, feeding up to 3% SRU diet to beef cattle did not affect health and intake, and blood hematological and biochemical indices were within the physiological range for healthy bulls, suggesting no indication of ammonia toxicity. Overall, these results indicate that SRU can be used as a sustainable alternative to partially replace vegetable protein sources in ruminant diets without compromising rumen function and health of ruminants

Fatty acid composition, shelf-life and eating quality of beef from steers fed corn or wheat dried distillers' grains with solubles in a concentrate supplement to grass silage

peer-reviewedThirty-six steers were randomly assigned to one of three dietary treatments fed ad libitum grass silage and concentrate supplements containing either barley/soybean meal (CON), 80% DM corn (CDGS)- or 80% DM wheat (WDGS)-dried distillers' grains with solubles for 124 days pre-slaughter. Chemical and fatty acid composition, shelf-life, and eating quality of longissimus thoracis muscle were determined. Dietary CDGS and WDGS increased the proportion of conjugated linoleic acids (P < 0.05) and tended to increase C18:3n-3 (P = 0.075) and total polyunsaturated fatty acids (P = 0.060) relative to the CON. Feeding diets containing distillers' grains reduced the lipid and colour stability of fresh beef patties stored in modified atmosphere packs (MAP), with CDGS exhibiting an intermediate effect between CON and WDGS. Diet did not negatively influence the texture profile parameters and eating quality attributes of beef stored in MAP. The inclusion of CDGS or WDGS in supplementary concentrates may improve the fatty acid profile but decreased the shelf-life of beef.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Irelan