Effect of Feeding Whole Crop Barley Silage on Growth Performance, Carcass Trait and Meat Quality of Hanwoo Steer

Hanwoo steers are one of the major sources of meat, required for increasing consumer demands in Korea, Japan, and China. Beef contained high levels of saturated fat, and it contains appreciable quantities of linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. Optimum growth can obtain with appropriate combination of concentrate and forage. Fattening of Hanwoo on concentrate-based feeds resulted in faster, more efficient growth and heavier carcasses. However, feed costs represent the largest single variable in beef production in Korea and Japan. The grass is generally the cheapest source of feed available for beef production, which provides high yields with quality herbage. Grass-feed based production systems are low-input methods that are particularly suitable to meet the demand of meat retailers and consumers. Therefore, in Korea, the combination of roughage and concentrates are commonly available in the market is used for rearing Hanwoo. Especially, the study of manufacturing silage using whole crop barley or whole crop rye was carried out to expand the usage of roughage. Barley is an important crop cultivated for the production of high-quality forage in Korea and Japan. However, the benefits of feeding diet combinations of concentrate and barley silages from growing period to finishing the period of Hanwoo steer have not been evaluated. The objectives of this study were to compare the growth performance, meat quantity and quality characteristics in Hanwoo steers fed barley silage/concentrate and rice straw/concentrate diet

Role of LAB in Silage Fermentation: Effect on Nutritional Quality and Organic Acid Production—An Overview

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inocula play a key role in the preservation and fermentation of forage crops within inoculated silages. LAB is a significant group of the bacterial community as they successfully reduce pH, inhibit the survival of undesirable microorganisms and control nutrient loss in fermented silage. Ensiled plants and metabolites such as simple plant carbohydrates have been utilized by LAB (homo-fermentative and hetero-fermentative LAB) to initiate the production of organic acids including lactic and acetic acids. LAB as a biological silage additive provides stable feed value and secondary metabolic products during rapid anaerobic primary silage fermentation. They are able to ferment a large number of forage crops and also to reduce pH levels in fermented forages, which helps to suppress the growth of spoilage microorganisms. Furthermore, silage inoculants can enhance silage quality, nutritional recovery and shelf life of the inoculated product. When ingested silage, Lactobacilli in the rumen may degrade secondary plant metabolites as part of the rumen microbiota, along with endogenous enzymes. Also, the forages harvesting time are key factors in the development of essential metabolites particularly carbohydrates and proteins which is essential nutrition for LAB survival and production of organic acids. The higher population of LAB could reduce the pH faster and control of deleterious microbial growth in silage. This review presents LAB function in silage production and the potential impacts of its fermentative activity. In addition, the advantage of LAB additives in silage production is discussed, with a focus on recent literature

Modulation of Osteogenic and Myogenic Differentiation by a Phytoestrogen Formononetin via p38MAPK-Dependent JAK-STAT and Smad-1/5/8 Signaling Pathways in Mouse Myogenic Progenitor Cells

Formononetin (FN), a typical phytoestrogen has attracted substantial attention as a novel agent because of its diverse biological activities including, osteogenic differentiation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying osteogenic and myogenic differentiation by FN in C2C12 progenitor cells remain unknown. Therefore the objective of the current study was to investigate the action of FN on myogenic and osteogenic differentiation and its impact on signaling pathways in C2C12 cells. FN significantly increased myogenic markers such as Myogenin, myosin heavy chains, and myogenic differentiation 1 (MyoD). In addition, the expression of osteogenic specific genes alkaline phosphatase (ALP), Run-related transcription factor 2(RUNX2), and osteocalcin (OCN) were up-regulated by FN treatment. Moreover, FN enhanced the ALP level, calcium deposition and the expression of bone morphogenetic protein isoform (BMPs). Signal transduction pathways mediated by p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38MAPK), extracellular signal-related kinases (ERKs), protein kinase B (Akt), Janus kinases (JAKs), and signal transducer activator of transcription proteins (STATs) in myogenic and osteogenic differentiation after FN treatment were also examined. FN treatment activates myogenic differentiation by increasing p38MAPK and decreasing JAK1-STAT1 phosphorylation levels, while osteogenic induction was enhanced by p38MAPK dependent Smad, 1/5/8 signaling pathways in C2C12 progenitor cells

Prediction of the Chemical Composition and Fermentation Parameters of Fresh Coarse Italian Ryegrass Haylage Using Near Infrared Spectroscopy

Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) is an annual forage grass species which is widely cultivated in South Korea. It grows extensively in the southern part of the country and is an important component of winter forage for livestock. Each year, in Korea, over one million hectares of Italian ryegrass is converted to round bale haylage. Quality control is an important field in forage utilization research and marketing, and involves the estimation of forage nutrient content. Wet chemistry is the traditional method used to analyze the nutrient content of forage. However, this technique is often destructive, expensive, and time consuming, and it is not suitable for real-time feedstuff analysis. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), on the other hand, is an alternative technique that has several major advantages over traditional methods. The analysis of silage nutrient content, using NIR, conventionally includes the drying and milling of samples. However, these processes can lead to reduction of volatile acids, which are important components of silage. NIRS can be affected by spectral regions, drying and grinding methods, particle size, packing density and the temperature of samples (Reeves and Blosser, 1991). In order to obtain accurate NIRS results, sample preparation, and the measurement conditions of the calibration set and predicted samples, need to match. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the usefulness of NIRS in determining the nutritional composition and fermentative parameters of fresh coarse samples of Italian ryegrass haylage, (2) assess the predictive value of various NIRS calibration models, and (3) explore cost-effective and time saving methods for forage quality estimation, in field populations

Dependent Lung Opacity at Thin-Section CT: Evaluation by Spirometrically-Gated CT of the Influence of Lung Volume

ObjectiveTo evaluate the influence of lung volume on dependent lung opacity seen at thin-section CT.Materials and methodsIn thirteen healthy volunteers, thin-section CT scans were performed at three levels (upper, mid, and lower portion of the lung) and at different lung volumes (10, 30, 50, and 100% vital capacity), using spirometric gated CT. Using a three-point scale, two radiologists determined whether dependent opacity was present, and estimated its degree. Regional lung attenuation at a level 2 cm above the diaphragm was determined using semiautomatic segmentation, and the diameter of a branch of the right lower posterior basal segmental artery was measured at each different vital capacity.ResultsAt all three anatomic levels, dependent opacity occurred significantly more often at lower vital capacities (10, 30%) than at 100% vital capacity (p = 0.001). Visually estimated dependent opacity was significantly related to regional lung attenuation (p < 0.0001), which in dependent areas progressively increased as vital capacity decreased (p < 0.0001). The presence of dependent opacity and regional lung attenuation of a dependent area correlated significantly with increased diameter of a segmental arterial branch (r = 0.493 and p = 0.0002; r = 0.486 and p = 0.0003, respectively).ConclusionVisual estimation and CT measurements of dependent opacity obtained by semiautomatic segmentation are significantly influenced by lung volume and are related to vascular diameter

Antiadhesive activity of poly-hydroxy butyrate biopolymer from a marine Brevibacterium casei MSI04 against shrimp pathogenic vibrios

Vibrio pathogens are causative agents of mid-culture outbreaks, and early mortality syndrome and secondary aetiology of most dreadful viral outbreaks in shrimp aquaculture. Among the pathogenic vibrios group, Vibrio alginolyticus and V. harveyi are considered as the most significant ones in the grow-out ponds of giant black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon in India. Use of antibiotics was banned in many countries due to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant strains and accumulation of residual antibiotics in harvested shrimp. There is an urgent need to consider the use of alternative antibiotics for the control of vibriosis in shrimp aquaculture. Biofilm formation is a pathogenic and/or establishment mechanism of Vibrio spp. This study aims to develop novel safe antibiofilm and/ or antiadhesive process using PHB to contain vibrios outbreaks in shrimp aquaculture

GR15 peptide of S-adenosylmethionine synthase SAMe from Arthrospira platensis demonstrated antioxidant mechanism against H2O2 induced oxidative stress in in-vitro MDCK cells and in-vivo zebrafish larvae model

GR15 is a short molecule or peptide composed of aliphatic amino acids and possesses to have antioxidant properties. The GR15, 1GGGAFSGKDPTKVDR15 was identified from the protein S-adenosylmethionine synthase (SAMe) expressed during the sulfur departed state of Arthrospira platensis (spirulina or cyanobacteria). The in-silico assessment and the structural features of GR15 showed its antioxidant potency. Real-time PCR analysis found the up-regulation of ApSAMe expression on day 15 against oxidative stress due to 10 mM H2O2 treatment in A. platensis (Ap). The antioxidant activity of GR15 was accessed by the cell-free antioxidant assays such as ABTS, SARS, HRAS and NO; the results showed dose-dependent antioxidant activity. The toxicity assay was performed in both in vitro and in vivo models, in which peptide does not exhibit any toxicity in MDCK cell and zebrafish embryos. The intercellular ROS reduction potential of GR15 peptide was also investigated in both in vitro and in vivo models including LDH assay, antioxidant enzymes (SOD and CAT), and fluorescent staining assay (DCFDA, Hochest and Acridine orange sting) was performed; the results showed that the GR15 peptide was effectively reduced the ROS level. Further, RT-PCR demonstrated that GR15 enhanced the antioxidant property and also up-regulated the antioxidant gene, thus reduced the ROS level in both in vitro and in vivo models. Based on the results obtained from this study, we propose that GR15 has the potential antioxidant ability; hence further research can be directed towards the therapeutic product or drug development against disease caused by oxidative stress