Low levels of copper and zinc proteinates maintain a normal mineral status in growing and finishing pigs

A significant reduction in the levels of copper (Cu) (90%) and zinc (Zn) (40%) in the faeces of growing pigs was achieved without affecting pig growth when the inclusion level (IL) of Cu in the diet decreased from 50 ppm to 0 ppm Cu, and Zn from 80 to 40 ppm, both in the Bioplex® form (Hernandez et al, 2007). However it is important to establish if these low mineral levels enabled a normal mineral status to be maintained in the pigs. During digestion, minerals interact with each other and also with digesta components (e.g. phytate), which reduces the amount of each mineral that is absorbed. However it is likely that such interaction is less when minerals are supplied in the organic form due to the protection offered by the amino acid or peptides to which the mineral is chelated during manufacturing (Fairweather-Tait, 1996). In this study we examined the effect of feeding increasing IL of Cu together with low (treatments 1-4) or high (treatments 5-8) IL of Zn in the Bioplex® form on the status of biochemical markers of Cu, Zn and Fe in growing pigs

Minimum inclusion levels of copper and zinc proteinate maintain performance and reduce faecal excretion in growing and finishing pigs

Hernandez et al (200S) found that total dietary levels of 25 ppm copper (Cu) and 40 ppm zinc (Zn), in the sulphate or proteinate form (Bioplex®), reduced the concentration of Cu and Zn in faeces by 80 and 60% respectively and maintained the growth of growing pigs, compared to a diet containing 160 ppm of both Cu and Zn. These results indicated reduced levels of supplemental Cu and Zn might be possible. In the present study we therefore measured the impact of increasing inclusion levels (IL) of Cu together with low (treatments 1-4) or high (treatments S-8) IL of Zn in the Bioplex® form on performance and faecal levels

Influence of the form and level of copper and zinc supplementation on mineral status of grower and finisher pigs

Organic forms of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn) induce higher growth rates than inorganic forms. The higher growth rates of pigs fed organic Cu and Zn are thought to be because organic forms of the minerals are absorbed better than inorganic forms (Coffey et al., 1994) and that they may result in greater plasma mineral concentrations (Hahn and Baker, 1993) and/or higher organ mineral stores in pigs (Apgar et al., 1995). However, an effect of mineral form on these indices has not always been demonstrated (Wedekind et al., 1994). The aim of this experiment was to compare the effect of Cu and Zn fed in the form of Bioplex® or sulphate at two levels of dietary inclusion on the mineral status of growing and finishing pigs

Effect of conventional and deep litter housing on pig growth performance and carcass characteristics

Anecdotal observations suggest that pigs raised in deep litter systems are fatter than pigs raised in conventional systems. To manage fat deposition in pigs, some producers wean pigs into deep litter and then at about 13 weeks of age move the animals into conventional facilities for finishing. Differences in growth and carcass quality have been reported between pigs raised outdoors and conventionally (Gentry et al., 2002). We would expect the physical and thermal differences between conventional and deep litter housing systems to affect the partitioning of energy for lean and fat deposition during growth. In this study we hypothesised that growth performance and carcass composition would differ for pigs housed conventionally or on deep litter

The effect of conventional and deep litter housing on belly composition of finished Large White x Landrace gilts

In this study we hypothesised that the tissue distribution in growing pigs would differ between pigs housed on deep litter and pigs housed conventionally. We also expected the impact of housing type on fat deposition and distribution would be more pronounced during the finishing period because the proportion of fat deposited in the total gain increases with age

Effect of Bioplex® copper and zinc on pig carcass and meat quality

The aim of this experiment was to compare carcass and meat quality from pigs fed Cu and Zn in the form of three levels of Bioplex® to a standard diet supplemented with sulphates

Dietary lecithin improves the healthiness of pork

Dietary lecithin may provide health benefits to pork as well as improving its eating quality by reducing chewiness and hardness (D'Souza et al.., 2005). Human studies have shown lecithin supplementation can reduce cholesterol significantly (Spilburg et al., 2003) and we hypothesised that lecithin supplementation would have a similar effect in pigs. The use of lecithin supplementation to improve the 'healthiness' of pork or pork products, while also improving the tenderness of pork, could provide the pork industry with significant marketing opportunities. The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of lecithin supplementation on the fatty acid profile of pork and also on the plasma cholesterol of pigs

Consumer eating quality and physicochemical traits of pork Longissimus and Semimembranosus differed between genetic lines

Pork eating quality is affected by various factors. In this study, Longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and Semimembranosus (SM) muscles from seven genetic lines (PM-LR – Pure maternal, Landrace-type; PM-LW – Pure maternal, Large White-type; PM-D – Pure maternal, Duroc-type; PT-D – Pure terminal, Duroc-type; PT-LW – Pure terminal, Large White-type; PT-LR - Pure Terminal, Landrace-type; Comp-P × LW × D - Composite Terminal – Pietran × Large white × Duroc) were analyzed for pH, intramuscular fat (IMF) content, and collagen content and solubility. A consumer sensory test using check-all-that-apply (CATA) and biometric approaches was also conducted. The results showed that the IMF content of line PM-D was the highest (P = 0.004), while line PT-LW received the highest score in tenderness, liking of flavor, purchase intent, and quality grading (P < 0.05). Line PM-LR and PT-LR showed the lowest IMF content and were least preferred by consumers. Compared to LTL, SM showed higher pH, collagen solubility, and sensory scores in tenderness, juiciness, liking of flavor, and overall liking (P < 0.05). Different muscles and lines were associated with different CATA terms but not with differences in consumer emotional responses. pH positively influenced tenderness, juiciness, and overall liking (P < 0.05), but IMF and collagen had little effect. The flavor was the most important sensory attribute contributing to overall liking, followed by tenderness. Genetic line and muscle affected pork chemical properties and eating quality. The findings are important for the Australian pork industry to improve the eating quality of their products

Biodiversity baselines : tracking insects in Kruger National Park with DNA barcodes

Reflecting their species richness and ecological diversification, insects play a central role in terrestrial ecosystems but difficulties in species-level assignments have restricted large-scale analysis of their community structure. Employing South Africa’s largest national park as a model system, we demonstrate that DNA barcoding can break this barrier. A year-long deployment of Malaise traps at 25 sites in Kruger National Park (KNP) generated 1000+ weekly collections containing about 800,000 specimens. Insect biomass averaged 1.05 g per trap-day but varied by up to 2-fold between months, being lower in the dry than wet season. Nearly 370,000 specimens were individually analyzed to reveal 19,730 Barcode Index Numbers (BINs; species proxy), a count equal to 43% of the known insect fauna of southern Africa. There was clear differentiation in insect richness and composition between KNP’s two ecoregions, but little among the vegetation types comprising them. The spatial gradient in annual rainfall explained more than half of the variation in compositional similarity among sites with less similarity among samples in the wet season, particularly among those in high rainfall areas. These results suggest that the factors organising insect communities in KNP are not fine-scale vegetation differences, but larger-scale processes associated with ecoregions and rainfall. Estimates of sample coverage indicate that the species not collected are rare, comprising only 4% of the individuals in the community. With a well-parameterized DNA barcode reference library in place, metabarcoding can be used to assess future shifts in the insect fauna of KNP rapidly and inexpensively.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/bioconpm2021Paraclinical Science

Common Genetic Polymorphisms Influence Blood Biomarker Measurements in COPD

Implementing precision medicine for complex diseases such as chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD) will require extensive use of biomarkers and an in-depth understanding of how genetic, epigenetic, and environmental variations contribute to phenotypic diversity and disease progression. A meta-analysis from two large cohorts of current and former smokers with and without COPD [SPIROMICS (N = 750); COPDGene (N = 590)] was used to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with measurement of 88 blood proteins (protein quantitative trait loci; pQTLs). PQTLs consistently replicated between the two cohorts. Features of pQTLs were compared to previously reported expression QTLs (eQTLs). Inference of causal relations of pQTL genotypes, biomarker measurements, and four clinical COPD phenotypes (airflow obstruction, emphysema, exacerbation history, and chronic bronchitis) were explored using conditional independence tests. We identified 527 highly significant (p 10% of measured variation in 13 protein biomarkers, with a single SNP (rs7041; p = 10−392) explaining 71%-75% of the measured variation in vitamin D binding protein (gene = GC). Some of these pQTLs [e.g., pQTLs for VDBP, sRAGE (gene = AGER), surfactant protein D (gene = SFTPD), and TNFRSF10C] have been previously associated with COPD phenotypes. Most pQTLs were local (cis), but distant (trans) pQTL SNPs in the ABO blood group locus were the top pQTL SNPs for five proteins. The inclusion of pQTL SNPs improved the clinical predictive value for the established association of sRAGE and emphysema, and the explanation of variance (R2) for emphysema improved from 0.3 to 0.4 when the pQTL SNP was included in the model along with clinical covariates. Causal modeling provided insight into specific pQTL-disease relationships for airflow obstruction and emphysema. In conclusion, given the frequency of highly significant local pQTLs, the large amount of variance potentially explained by pQTL, and the differences observed between pQTLs and eQTLs SNPs, we recommend that protein biomarker-disease association studies take into account the potential effect of common local SNPs and that pQTLs be integrated along with eQTLs to uncover disease mechanisms. Large-scale blood biomarker studies would also benefit from close attention to the ABO blood group