Nutritive value of six Romanian cultivars of alfalfa as hay and semi-silage for ruminants

Six alfalfa cultivars developed at the Institute of Agricultural Research- NARDI Fundulea have been tested as hay and semi-silage to determine their nutritive values. The studied cultivars were Daniela, Madalina, Sandra, Catinca, Teodora and Cezara, harvested at 2nd cutting in early bloom phase. In order to apply a mathematical simulation model for energy and protein metabolism in ruminants (Burlacu, 2002) the following parameters were determined: chemical composition (by Weende analysis), gross energy (adiabatic calorimetry), and organic matter digestibility (in vitro method). For the hay samples the crude protein was between 20.2% (Sandra) and 21.4% (Madalina), the crude fibre was between 30.6% (Madalina) and 39.1% (Teodora). The crude protein in semi-silage samples was between 21.5% (Madalina) and 23.6% (Cezara) and the crude fibre was between 32.5% (Cezara) and 33.9% (Teodora). The net energy (FUmilk) has the highest value in Cezara hay (0.74) and in Madalina silage (0.70). PDIN values (g/kg DM) for hay ranged from 122 (Cezara) to 143 (Madalina), and for semi-silage from 131 (Teodora) to 142 (Cezara). PDIE values (g/kg DM) for hay ranged from 77 (Madalina) to 73 (Sandra); for semi-silage there were virtually no differences between the cultivars, four of them (Daniela Madalina, Catinca, Cezara) having the same value, i.e. 69. In conclusion, finding the nutritive value of these cultivars will allow selecting the ones for optimal ruminant diets

Validation of the in vitro ruminant digestibility method applied on Daisy Incubator

Determination of digestibility for ruminant feeds is important for nutritive value evaluation, and for practical use the in vitro methods are widely applied. The new version of Tilley-Terry in vitro method was used on Ankom Daisy Incubator and validated by testing repeatability, reproducibility and correlation with previous method version. All these validation parameters have been attended and the new version of method is indicated for current use

Preliminary ruminant digestibility evaluation of some Romanian winter barley genotypes grown on two levels of N fertilization

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of nitrogen N levels on ruminant digestibility of 18 different Romanian barley genotypes grown in 2013/2014 year. The experiment was designed as randomized blocks and two levels of N were tested: 46 and 92 kg ha-1 (blocks N-46 and N-92) and compared to control block N-0, without nitrogen. The grains were analyzed for chemical composition and in vitro ruminant digestibility IVOMD. The resulted grains yield (t/ha) was significantly lowered by the 92 kg ha-1 N level. The same N fertilization level had a significant effect on increasing the crude protein content. But the mean IVOMD coefficient (%) of all genotypes was significantly decreased for both the N levels (84.45 for N-46, and 83.19 for N-92 compared to 86.92 for N-0)

The Effects of Flax and Mustard Seed Inclusion in Dairy Goats’ Diet on Milk Nutritional Quality

Our study evaluated the impact of incorporating flax seeds or a flax and mustard seeds’ mixture into goats’ diets to enhance milk polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). The incorporation of mustard seeds also aimed to slow the lipid oxidation process. A three-week feeding trial was conducted on 18 lactating goats, randomly distributed in three groups: control (C), FS (replacing 12% of the oil source with flax seeds), and FMS (replacing a quarter of flax seeds with mustard seeds). Flax seed inclusion improved the quality of milk fat by reducing saturated fatty acid concentration (p = 0.004) and increasing PUFA levels (p = 0.001). Both experimental groups significantly lowered the omega 6/omega 3 fatty acid ratio (p p = 0.007). The fat oxidation parameters revealed that after 24 h of storage at room temperature, the p-anisidine value increased for the FS group compared to the C group, while the FSM group showed no significant difference, suggesting that the combined inclusion of flax and mustard seeds may prolong milk storage time by mitigating secondary oxidation products. This highlights the potential benefits of incorporating the studied seeds into goats’ diets for improving milk quality and extending its shelf life

Total polyphenols content, antioxidant activity and stability of a grape pomace incorporated in animal feed

Grape pomace (GP), resulting from wine making, is rich in antioxidant polyphenols originating from the input material, the grapes. Because of the high production volumes of grape pomace, environmental impact and nutritional content, new ways for its valorization are experimented. In order to incorporate it in animal feed (cow and pig), we determined its content in total polyphenols by the Folin Ciocalteu method, the antioxidant activity by the DPPH assay and its stability using the UV-Vis spectroscopy for different extraction media. In terms of total polyphenols the acetone extraction was the best (4667.1 mg GAE/100g sample) comparing with ethanol and water (2140.4 mg GAE/100g sample respectively 2083.9 mg GAE/100g sample), and the ruminal fluid (732.9 mg GAE/100g sample) and pepsin (712.2 mg GAE/100g sample). The highest antioxidant activity expressed as an antiradical activity against the DPPH radical, was registered for the acetone extract (32.8 μM Trolox Equivalents(TE)), followed by the ethanol (6.5 μM TE) and water extraction equal with pepsin extraction (4 μM TE), and the mixture of ruminal fluid (0.5 μM TE). The results show that even though the extraction of polyphenols in organic solvents is the best, when applied to the digestive media the situation changes. In both ruminal fluid and pepsin were measured almost the same amount of total polyphenols but the antioxidant activity was much lower in the ruminal fluid - 8 times lower. The UV-Vis spectroscopy shows that the acetone extract is stable over time when kept at – 20 ͦC

Total Polyphenols Content, Antioxidant Activity and Stability of a Grape Pomace Incorporated in Animal Feed

Grape pomace (GP), resulting from wine making, is rich in antioxidant polyphenols originating from the input material, the grapes. Because of the high production volumes of grape pomace, environmental impact and nutritional content, new ways for its valorization are experimented. In order to incorporate it in animal feed (cow and pig), we determined its content in total polyphenols by the Folin Ciocalteu method, the antioxidant activity by the DPPH assay and its stability using the UV-Vis spectroscopy for different extraction media. In terms of total polyphenols the acetone extraction was the best (4667.1 mg GAE/100g sample) comparing with ethanol and water (2140.4 mg GAE/100g sample respectively 2083.9 mg GAE/100g sample), and the ruminal fluid (732.9 mg GAE/100g sample) and pepsin (712.2 mg GAE/100g sample). The highest antioxidant activity expressed as an antiradical activity against the DPPH radical, was registered for the acetone extract (32.8 μM Trolox Equivalents(TE)), followed by the ethanol (6.5 μM TE) and water extraction equal with pepsin extraction (4 μM TE), and the mixture of ruminal fluid (0.5 μM TE). The results show that even though the extraction of polyphenols in organic solvents is the best, when applied to the digestive media the situation changes. In both ruminal fluid and pepsin were measured almost the same amount of total polyphenols but the antioxidant activity was much lower in the ruminal fluid-8 times lower. The UV-Vis spectroscopy shows that the acetone extract is stable over time when kept at–20 ͦC

The Use of Agro-Industrial Waste Rich in Omega-3 PUFA during the Weaning Stress Improves the Gut Health of Weaned Piglets

(1) Background: The weaning period is a very important stage in the pig life, as during weaning, the animals are very susceptible to pathogens and develop postweaning diarrhoea. The aim of our study was to counteract weaning stress and to improve piglets’ gut health by using a nutritional intervention consisting of a mix of agro-industrial wastes (grapeseed, flaxseed and sea blackthorn meals) rich in omega-3 PUFA. (2) Methods: Twelve cross-bred TOPIG hybrid piglets with an average body weight of 11.25 kg were randomly distributed to one of the two experimental groups: a control group fed basic corn soybean diet (control diet) and an experimental group fed a diet with a 10% mixture of grapeseed, flaxseed and sea buckthorn meals in a ratio of 3:4:1 (GFS diet). (3) Results: the GFS diet had no effect on the performance, biochemical parameters or the total antibody synthesis. GFS diet was able to significantly reduce the concentration of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1 beta and TNF-alpha and to significantly increases the expression of junction proteins (occludin, claudin 4, claudin 7 and extracellular protein matrix) at the gene or protein level as compared with control. The presence of GFS in the diet increased the abundance of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species in the colonic content as well as the concentration of propionic and butyric acids. (4) Conclusions: Taken together, our results showed that agro-industrial wastes rich in omega-3 PUFA can be used as an ecological, environmentally friendly nutritional intervention for improving the negative effects associated with the weaning stress