Vitamin E content of different animal products: Influence of animal nutrition

Zusammenfassung: In der vorliegenden Studie wurde der α-Tocopherolgehalt verschiedener Fleischstücke untersucht. Hähnchenschenkel hatte den höchsten α-Tocopherolgehalt, gefolgt von Hähnchenbrust und Schweineschulter (p Leber > Fettgewebe >Musculus longissimus dorsi. Die Nährstoffdichten betrugen 28.8, 7.3, 0.9 und 1.2 mg α-Tocopherol/MJ für Eigelb, Leber, Fettgewebe und Musculus longissimus dorsi der jeweiligen mit Vitamin E supplementierten Gruppe. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, daß Fleisch, mit Ausnahme des Hähnchenschenkels, von Tieren mit supplementierten Diäten kein bedeutender Vitamin E-Lieferant ist. Hingegen wurde Eigelb durch fütterungsbedingte Modifikation zu einer guten Vitamin E-Quell

Bt176 corn in poultry nutrition: physiological characteristics and fate of recombinant plant DNA in chickens

A genetically modified Bt176 corn hybrid, which contains an insecticidal protein against the European corn borer, and its conventional, nonmodified counterpart were evaluated in 4 separate trials to verify substantial equivalence in feeding value and animal performance. Thirty-six individually kept laying hens and 3 replicates of 94 broiler chickens each, assigned to 12 cages, were fed 2 different hen and broiler diets containing either 60% conventional or 60% Bt176 corn. The nutrient compositions of the 2 corn hybrids and the 2 corn diets revealed no major differences. Furthermore, metabolism and performance data revealed no significant differences between the birds that received the conventional, nonmodified corn, and those that received the modified corn diets. The detection of the genetic modification, by PCR, in feed obtained from insect-resistant Bt corn, in tissues and products from animals fed Bt corn is described. In all evaluated chicken tissues of muscle, liver, and spleen, the corn-chloroplast ivr gene fragment was amplified. It can be deduced from these findings and from other studies that the transfer of DNA fragments into the body is a normal process that takes place constantly. Nevertheless, no recombinant plant DNA fragments such as recombinant bla or cry1A(b) fragments could be found. Bt-gene specific constructs from the Bt corn were not detected in any of the poultry samples, neither in organs, meat, nor egg

Fusarium mycotoxin-contaminated wheat containing deoxynivalenol alters the gene expression in the liver and the jejunum of broilers

The effects of mycotoxins in the production of animal feed were investigated using broiler chickens. For the feeding trial, naturally Fusarium mycotoxin-contaminated wheat was used, which mainly contained deoxynivalenol (DON). The main effects of DON are reduction of the feed intake and reduced weight gain of broilers. At the molecular level, DON binds to the 60 S ribosomal subunit and subsequently inhibits protein synthesis at the translational level. However, little is known about other effects of DON, for example, at the transcriptional level. Therefore, a microarray analysis was performed, which allows the investigation of thousands of transcripts in one experiment. In the experiment, 20 broilers were separated into four groups of five broilers each at day 1 after hatching. The diets consisted of a control diet and three diets with calculated, moderate concentrations of 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mg DON/kg feed, which was attained by exchanging uncontaminated wheat with naturally mycotoxin-contaminated wheat up to the intended DON concentration. The broilers were held at standard conditions for 23 days. Three microarrays were used per group to determine the significant alterations of the gene expression in the liver (P < 0.05), and qPCR was performed on the liver and the jejunum to verify the results. No significant difference in BW, feed intake or feed conversion rate was observed. The nutrient uptake into the hepatic and jejunal cells seemed to be influenced by genes: SLC2A5 (fc: −1.54, DON2.5), which facilitates glucose and fructose transport and SLC7A10 (fc: +1.49, DON5), a transporter of d-serine and other neutral amino acids. In the jejunum, the palmitate transport might be altered by SLC27A4 (fc: −1.87, DON5) and monocarboxylates uptake by SLC16A1 (fc: −1.47, DON5). The alterations of the SLC gene expression may explain the reduced weight gain of broilers chronically exposed to DON-contaminated wheat. The decreased expressions of EIF2AK3 (fc: −1.29, DON2.5/5) and DNAJC3 (fc: −1.44, DON2.5) seem to be related to the translation inhibition. The binding of DON to the 60 S ribosomal subunit and the subsequent translation inhibition might be counterbalanced by the downregulation of EIF2AK3 and DNAJC3. The genes PARP1, MPG, EME1, XPAC, RIF1 and CHAF1B are mainly related to single-strand DNA modifications and showed an increased expression in the group with 5 mg DON/kg feed. The results indicate that significantly altered gene expression was already occurring at 2.5 mg DON/kg fee

Regional wave propagation using the discontinuous Galerkin method

We present an application of the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method to regional wave propagation. The method makes use of unstructured tetrahedral meshes, combined with a time integration scheme solving the arbitrary high-order derivative (ADER) Riemann problem. This ADER-DG method is high-order accurate in space and time, beneficial for reliable simulations of high-frequency wavefields over long propagation distances. Due to the ease with which tetrahedral grids can be adapted to complex geometries, undulating topography of the Earth's surface and interior interfaces can be readily implemented in the computational domain. The ADER-DG method is benchmarked for the accurate radiation of elastic waves excited by an explosive and a shear dislocation source. We compare real data measurements with synthetics of the 2009 L'Aquila event (central Italy). We take advantage of the geometrical flexibility of the approach to generate a European model composed of the 3-D <i>EPcrust</i> model, combined with the depth-dependent <i>ak135</i> velocity model in the upper mantle. The results confirm the applicability of the ADER-DG method for regional scale earthquake simulations, which provides an alternative to existing methodologies

Buchweizen: ein Futtermittel für Legehennen?

Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) has a high ecological value due to the long and intensive flowering as well as its favorable impact on soil fertility. In addition, as a typical catch crop, it provides the possibility of a second harvest on arable land in moderate European regions. However, in Europe demand for buckwheat kernels as food is low. Therefore, the question arises whether cultivation of this plant could be promoted by using it as animal feed. In the current experiment, the extent to which buckwheat is consumed by laying hens was tested in conjunction with potential effects on egg yield and quality. Three groups of laying hens (n=13 per group) were fed a layer diet containing either 40% wheat, 40% hulled buckwheat or 40% crude buckwheat. Feeds were offered ad libitum in form of groats. Feed intake was measured and eggs were sampled before and during the experiment. Feed intake was significantly increased with crude buckwheat, as also were egg weights. Egg number was not affected. The weight and stability of the eggshell were significantly higher with crude buckwheat. The color of the yolk was slightly altered with hulled buckwheat. The results demonstrate that buckwheat is an interesting option as an ecologically and economically valuable feed source for layers, which at least does not cause negative impacts on feed intake and egg yield, compared to wheat

Cognitive performance and its relationship with postprandial metabolic changes after ingestion of different macronutrients in the morning

The effect of carbohydrate, protein and fat ingestion on simple as well as complex cognitive functions and the relationship between the respective postprandial metabolic changes and changes in cognitive performance were studied in fifteen healthy male students. Subjects were tested in three sessions, separated by 1 week, for short-term changes in blood variables, indirect calorimetry, subjective performance and different objective performance tasks using a repeated-measures counterbalanced cross-over design. Measurements were made after an overnight fast before and hourly during 3 h after test meal ingestion. Test meals consisted of either pure carbohydrates, protein or fat and were served as isoenergetic (1670 kJ) spoonable creams with similar sensory properties. Most aspects of subjective performance did not differ between test meals. For all objective tasks, however, postprandial cognitive performance was best after fat ingestion concomitant with an almost constant glucose metabolism and constant metabolic activation state measured by glucagon:insulin (G:I). In contrast, carbohydrate as well as protein ingestion resulted in lower overall cognitive performance, both together with partly marked changes (P<0.001) in glucose metabolism and metabolic activation. They also differently affected specific cognitive functions (P<0.05) in relation to their specific effect on metabolism. Carbohydrate ingestion resulted in relatively better short-term memory and accuracy of tasks concomitant with low metabolic activation, whereas protein ingestion resulted in better attention and efficiency of tasks concomitant with higher metabolic activation. Our findings support the concept that good and stable cognitive performance is related to a balanced glucose metabolism and metabolic activation stat

The influence of walking performed immediately before meals with moderate fat content on postprandial lipemia

BACKGROUND: Postprandial lipemia is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease. Single bouts of moderate exercise may lower this risk, but the minimum duration of moderate intensity exercise that still lowers postprandial lipemia is not known. We, therefore, performed a dose-response study with a normal, daily life setting, to identify the minimum duration of moderate intensity walking that lowers postprandial lipemia in sedentary, healthy young men. METHODS: Sixteen men performed three activity trials (30, 60, or 90 min of treadmill walking at 50% of their individual VO(2)max) and a control trial with no physical activity in a repeated measures crossover design. The subjects walked immediately before ingestion of the first of two mixed meals, which were served 3 h apart. The meals had a moderate fat content (0.5 g per kg body mass and 33% of total energy per meal) and a macronutrient composition corresponding to current recommendations. Each meal provided one third of the subject's estimated daily energy requirement. Venous blood samples were taken in the fasted state, and then hourly for 6 h after the first meal to assess the postprandial phase. Postprandial lipemia (the incremental area under the curve (dAUC) of triacylglycerol) was compared with a mixed model analysis and Tukey's adjustment. RESULTS: Postprandial lipemia (dAUC of triacylglycerol) was, compared to the control trial, +2% (P = 1.00), -14% (P = 0.24), and -15% (P = 0.23) in the 30, 60, and 90 min walking trials, respectively. CONCLUSION: Moderate intensity walking of 60 and 90 min duration slightly, but insignificantly, reduced postprandial lipemia after two mixed meals with moderate fat content in sedentary, healthy young men, compared to inactivity. Therefore, it should be reconsidered if the acute exercise-induced reduction in postprandial lipemia usually observed in studies using high fat meals is of importance in a real, daily life setting

Exercise-induced sweat nitrogen excretion: evaluation of a regional collection method using gauze pads

Summary: The exercise-induced sweat nitrogen excretion was investigated during a 45-minute run at moderate intensity on a treadmill. Sweat was collected with a regional collection technique using gauze pads and compared with the whole-body wash-down (WBW) method. In the regional collection, sweat was sampled from the upper back (UB), lower back (LB), abdomen (AB), and thigh (TH). Additionally, the relation of sweat urea, ammonia, and amino acids was investigated with the regional collection method during a second 45-minute run. Independent of the sweat collection method, a significant and positive correlation was found between sweat rate and the excretion rate of the largest nitrogen fraction urea, suggesting that the sweating response to exercise might be one of the most important factors determining absolute sweat nitrogen losses. The urea nitrogen excretion was nearly 140 mg·h−1 in the second run, representing the largest nitrogen fraction. Ammonia nitrogen and amino acid-derived nitrogen rate were approximately 30 mg·h−1 and 10 mg·h−1, respectively. The comparison of the sampling methods during the first run revealed that the urea nitrogen rate was significantly higher, but the ammonia nitrogen rate significantly lower in the WBW. After summing urea and ammonia nitrogen, no significant difference between the methods was observed anymore, except for UB. It is concluded that the regional collection method using gauze pads is a valuable approach to measure exercise-induced sweat nitrogen losses during moderate running exercis

The effects of dietary mannaoligosaccharides on cecal parameters and the concentrations of enteric bacteria in the ceca of salmonella-challenged broiler chicks

The ability of different enteric pathogens and coliforms to trigger agglutination of yeast cells (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, NCYC 1026) and a yeast cell wall preparation (MOS) was examined. Five of seven strains of Escherichia coli and 7 of 10 strains of Salmonella typhimurium and Salmonella enteritidis agglutinated MOS and Sac. cerevisiae cells. Strains of Salmonella choleraesuis, Salmonella pullorum, and Campylobacter did not lead to agglutination. Two strains that agglutinated MOS (S. typhimurium 29E and Salmonella dublin) and one nonagglutinating strain (S. typhimurium 27A) were selected as challenge organisms for in vivo studies in chicks under controlled conditions. In a series of three trials in which 3-d-old chicks were orally challenged with 10(4) cfu of S. typhimurium 29E, birds receiving 4,000 ppm of dietary MOS had reduced cecal S. typhimurium 29E concentrations (5.40 vs 4.01 log cfu/ g; P < 0.05) at Day 10. In a second series of three trials with S. dublin as challenge organism, the number of birds that tested salmonella positive in the ceca at Day 10 was less when MOS was part of the diet (90 vs 56%; P < 0.05). To test the effect of MOS on concentrations of bacteria that do not express Type 1 fimbriae, a challenge trial was conducted with S. typhimurium 27A. However, strain 27A did not colonize the birds sufficiently to evaluate whether MOS affected its cecal concentration. Mannanoligosaccharide did not significantly reduce the concentrations of cecal coliforms (P < 0.10) although they were numerically lower. It had no effect on cecal concentrations of lactobacilli, enterococci, anaerobic bacteria, lactate, volatile fatty acid, or cecal p