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10 pages, 265 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Laboratory Analyses Used to Define the Nutritional Parameters and Quality Indexes of Some Unusual Forages

by Sonia Tassone, Sabah Mabrouki, Salvatore Barbera and Sara Glorio Patrucco

Animals 2022, 12(18), 2320; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani12182320 - 07 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1139

The quality of a forage influences the production of animals, and it can be defined in many ways. Laboratory analyses are important tools because they can be used to indicate the quality of the forages, and they represent a relatively quick way of [...] Read more.

The quality of a forage influences the production of animals, and it can be defined in many ways. Laboratory analyses are important tools because they can be used to indicate the quality of the forages, and they represent a relatively quick way of defining their nutritive values. However, specific quality indexes are necessary to evaluate and rank forages. The quality of conventional forages is predicted by different indexes, according to whether they are legumes or grasses. However, no indications are given about what formulae should be used for unusual forages. In the present study, laboratory analyses have been conducted on three unusual crops belonging to three different botanical families (amaranth, borage, and camelina) at four growth stages, and conventional quality indexes have been calculated and applied to establish their quality. The obtained results have shown that the nutritive value of the unusual forages modified during the growth, although they always maintained a high quality. Hence, the Relative Feed Value of unusual forages can be measured using the ADF content or digestibility value. The Relative Forage Quality, calculated with the legume formula, seems more appropriate for the considered unusual forages as it was able to reveal any changes that took place during maturity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Instruments and Methods to Analyse Feedstuffs)

8 pages, 233 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Optimizing near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy to Predict Nutritional Quality of Chickpea Straw for Livestock Feeding

by Tena Alemu, Jane Wamatu, Adugna Tolera, Mohammed Beyan, Million Eshete, Ashraf Alkhtib and Barbara Rischkowsky

Animals 2021, 11(12), 3409; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11123409 - 29 Nov 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1785

Abstract

Multidimensional improvement programs of chickpea require screening of a large number of genotypes for straw nutritive value. The ability of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to determine the nutritive value of chickpea straw was identified in the current study. A total of 480 [...] Read more.

Multidimensional improvement programs of chickpea require screening of a large number of genotypes for straw nutritive value. The ability of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to determine the nutritive value of chickpea straw was identified in the current study. A total of 480 samples of chickpea straw representing a nation-wide range of environments and genotypic diversity (40 genotypes) were scanned at a spectral range of 1108 to 2492 nm. The samples were reduced to 190 representative samples based on the spectral data then divided into a calibration set (160 samples) and a cross-validation set (30 samples). All 190 samples were analysed for dry matter, ash, crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, acid detergent lignin, Zn, Mn, Ca, Mg, Fe, P, and in vitro gas production metabolizable energy using conventional methods. Multiple regression analysis was used to build the prediction equations. The prediction equation generated by the study accurately predicted the nutritive value of chickpea straw (R² of cross validation > 0.68; standard error of prediction < 1%). Breeding programs targeting improving food-feed traits of chickpea could use NIRS as a fast, cheap, and reliable tool to screen genotypes for straw nutritional quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Instruments and Methods to Analyse Feedstuffs)

10 pages, 2735 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison of In Vivo and In Vitro Digestibility in Rabbits

by Sonia Tassone, Riccardo Fortina, Sabah Mabrouki, Yasser Hachana and Salvatore Barbera

Animals 2021, 11(11), 3267; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113267 - 15 Nov 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1653

Abstract

The apparent dry matter digestibility of diets for rabbits was measured in vivo (ADMD_vv) and in vitro with the Ankom Daisy^II Incubator. Four diets were tested: low fiber (LF), LF + 5% of pregerminated fenugreek seeds (PGFS) (LF5), LF + [...] Read more.

The apparent dry matter digestibility of diets for rabbits was measured in vivo (ADMD_vv) and in vitro with the Ankom Daisy^II Incubator. Four diets were tested: low fiber (LF), LF + 5% of pregerminated fenugreek seeds (PGFS) (LF5), LF + 10% PGFS (LF10), and high fiber (HF). For the ADMD_vv, feces samples were collected from 56 White New-Zealand × Californian rabbits fed the 4 diets; animals were randomly allocated into 4 groups and housed in individual cages. For the in vitro trial, 3 methods were tested: fecal inoculum (FA) with Kansans State buffer; fecal inoculum with artificial saliva (FB); and multienzyme (ENZ). Fecal inocula were collected at slaughtering from the distal colon of rabbits fed ad libitum the LF diet. For FA and FB methods, the digestibility was measured at 36 and 48 h. The in vitro methods ranked the apparent dry matter digestibility of diets in the same order as in vivo, but ENZ values were always higher than FA and FB at 36 and 48 h. The prediction equations of in vivo digestibility with the ENZ method showed higher coefficient of determination (R² = 0.69) and lower SE (0.190) than FA and FB; also, reproducibility was higher with ENZ (CV = 3.1%). In conclusion, different methods can be applied to the Ankom Daisy^II Incubator to study the digestibility in rabbits. In our trial, the better reproducibility was observed with the multienzyme method than FA and FB were probably related to the variability of inocula. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Instruments and Methods to Analyse Feedstuffs)

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9 pages, 680 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Impact of Storage Conditions on Equine Fecal Inoculum for Estimating In Vitro Digestibility

by Delaney O’Donnell, Lacy Sukovaty and Gary Webb

Animals 2021, 11(11), 3195; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11113195 - 09 Nov 2021

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1291

Abstract

This study evaluated the effect of storage conditions of equine fecal material on the viability of microbial inoculum used for in vitro equine digestibility trials. Pooled fecal material from three mature Quarter Horse geldings was stored at 39 °C anaerobically for 15 min [...] Read more.

This study evaluated the effect of storage conditions of equine fecal material on the viability of microbial inoculum used for in vitro equine digestibility trials. Pooled fecal material from three mature Quarter Horse geldings was stored at 39 °C anaerobically for 15 min (control), while aerobic samples were stored at 22 °C for 6 h (SC1), 3 °C for 6 h (SC2), and −18 °C for 24 h (SC3). Following storage, the feces were utilized to prepare microbial inoculum for the digestion of six different forages using the Daisy II Incubator. After incubation, DM, NDF, and ADF compositions were determined and used to calculate DMD, NDFD, and ADFD. Analysis using the OLS regression model for differences in DMD, NDFD, and ADFD across the storage conditions found significant interactions between the forage sample and the storage condition (p < 0.05). The results between the control and SC1, SC2, and SC3 were not different (p < 0.8). Fecal material stored aerobically for six hours at 22 °C provided similar digestibility estimates compared to the control, while DMD decreased by 3.86% in SC2 and by 4.08% in SC3. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Instruments and Methods to Analyse Feedstuffs)

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8 pages, 375 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Use of Undigested NDF for Estimation of Diet Digestibility in Growing Pigs

by Marco Battelli, Luca Rapetti, Andrea Rota Graziosi, Stefania Colombini, Gianni Matteo Crovetto and Gianluca Galassi

Animals 2020, 10(11), 2007; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10112007 - 31 Oct 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2007

Abstract

Undigested neutral detergent fibre (uNDF) is commonly used as an internal marker for the estimation of diet digestibility in ruminants. This work aimed to verify (i) whether the in vivo method with uNDF could be used to evaluate diet digestibility in growing pigs, [...] Read more.

Undigested neutral detergent fibre (uNDF) is commonly used as an internal marker for the estimation of diet digestibility in ruminants. This work aimed to verify (i) whether the in vivo method with uNDF could be used to evaluate diet digestibility in growing pigs, and (ii) whether pre-treating the samples with neutral detergent solution (NDS) and α-amylase improves the accuracy of the estimates. Samples from a previously published work of two diets with known in vivo digestibility values estimated by the total faecal collection method and 16 individual samples of faeces were used. For each sample, four Ankom F57 bags were weighed. Before the incubation, two F57 bags were pre-treated with NDS and α-amylase. All the samples were incubated for 240 h in the Ankom Daisy^II incubator and then analysed for their uNDF contents. Dry matter, organic matter, and neutral detergent fibre digestibilities were estimated using the uNDF contents, and the results were compared with those of the former study. The digestibility values obtained using the uNDF method with pre-treatment were not statistically different from those determined with the total faecal collection. On the contrary, the uNDF method without the pre-treatment could not satisfactorily predict the digestibilities of pig diets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Instruments and Methods to Analyse Feedstuffs)

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14 pages, 1589 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Vivo Screening and Antidiabetic Potential of Polyphenol Extracts from Guava Pulp, Seeds and Leaves

by Hassan Shabbir, Tusneem Kausar, Sobia Noreen, Hafeez ur Rehman, Ashiq Hussain, Qingrong Huang, Adil Gani, Shiwei Su and Asad Nawaz

Animals 2020, 10(9), 1714; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10091714 - 22 Sep 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4473

Abstract

The present study investigates the antidiabetic potential of polyphenol extracts purified from guava pulp, seeds and leaves using an in vivo experiment on albino rats. The polyphenols from guava pulp, seeds and leaves were extracted using methanol solvent and the sonication method while [...] Read more.

The present study investigates the antidiabetic potential of polyphenol extracts purified from guava pulp, seeds and leaves using an in vivo experiment on albino rats. The polyphenols from guava pulp, seeds and leaves were extracted using methanol solvent and the sonication method while being evaluated by total phenolic contents and radical scavenging activity assay. The proximate composition of powders revealed that ash, protein and total sugars were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in leaves and seeds, while vitamin C was highest in pulp. Total phenolic and antioxidant activities were highest in pulp followed by leaves and seeds. The findings of feed intake and body gain revealed that the supplementation of polyphenols, especially from pulp, significantly (p < 0.05) increased the feed intake, which resulted in increased body weight. Moreover, total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased, while the level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) was increased in groups fed with polyphenols from guava pulp compared to both (+ive and –ive) control groups. Furthermore, blood glucose and triglycerides were significantly (p < 0.05) decreased in supplemented groups compared to the control group of diabetes mice, which resulted in the inhibition of α-amylase and glucose transport. Besides this, packed cell volume (PCV), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), hemoglobin, red blood cells (RBCs), white blood cells (WBCs) and platelet levels were increased significantly (p < 0.05) in pulp’s extract followed by leaves and seeds compared to both control groups. Overall, the antidiabetic potential of different extracts was in the following order: pulp > leaves > seeds. The findings suggest the feasibility of adding 200–250 mg/kg.bw of polyphenol extracts of pulp as an alternative to diabetic drugs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Instruments and Methods to Analyse Feedstuffs)

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10 pages, 1727 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Dietary Forage: Concentrate Ratio on Pre-Caecal and Total Digestive Tract Digestibility of Diverse Feedstuffs in Donkeys as Measured by the Mobile Nylon Bag Technique

by Li-Lin Liu, Xiao-Ling Zhou and Hong-Jian Yang

Animals 2020, 10(6), 1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10061070 - 20 Jun 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2243

Abstract

The domestic donkey is a unique equid species with specific nutritional requirements, however, limited laboratory evidences are available to address the digestibility contribution of the prececum in relation to the total digestive tract. In the present study, six caecum-fistulated adult female Xinjiang donkeys [...] Read more.

The domestic donkey is a unique equid species with specific nutritional requirements, however, limited laboratory evidences are available to address the digestibility contribution of the prececum in relation to the total digestive tract. In the present study, six caecum-fistulated adult female Xinjiang donkeys served as the experimental animals in a 3 × 3 Latin square design, and mobile nylon bag technique was applied to determine the effect of dietary F:C ratio on pre-caececum and total digestive tract digestibility of rice straw, alfalfa hay, corn meal, and soybean meal. The dietary treatments included: (1) HF, a high-fiber ration (F:C = 80:20), (2) MF, a medium-fiber ration (F:C = 55:45), and (3), LF, a low-fiber ration (F:C = 35:65). The experiment consisted of three consecutive Latin square periods, and each period lasted 25 days. In each period, the animals were administrated naso-gastrically nylon bags (38 μm pore size) containing aforementioned feeds. After 1.5 h intubation, the bags were checked once an hour and collected at the ileo-caecal junction (small intestine bag, D1) and in the feces (fecal bag, D2). Regardless whatever feeds were introduced, the percentage of bag collected (BC) was quadratically (HF) or linearly (MF and LF) increased against different fixed bag collection time. The highest BC occurred in MF (73.8%), but no significant difference was observed between HF (62.3%) and LF (50.8%). The lowest mean bag retention time was observed in HF (2.7 h), and no significant difference occurred between MF (4.6 h) and LF (5.0 h) diets. For each feed, D1 and D2 digestibility for DM, CP, NDF, and ADF did not differ among three dietary treatments (p > 0.05). Regardless of whatever diets were fed to the donkeys, D2 digestibility for DM and CP among the feeds ranked as: soybean meal > corn meal > alfalfa hay > rice straw (p < 0.01). D1 digestibility for DM among the feeds ranked as: corn meal > soybean meal > alfalfa hay > rice straw (p < 0.01). D1 digestibility for CP among the feeds ranked as: soybean meal > corn meal > alfalfa hay > rice straw (p < 0.01). In summary, dietary forage: concentrate ratio did not affect pre-caecal or total tract nutrient digestibility. The fiber level in feeds was the main limiting factor to affect the digestibility contribution of the pre-caecum in relation to the total digestive tract. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Instruments and Methods to Analyse Feedstuffs)

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Review

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13 pages, 764 KiB

Open AccessReview

Fitting of the In Vitro Gas Production Technique to the Study of High Concentrate Diets

by Zahia Amanzougarene and Manuel Fondevila

Animals 2020, 10(10), 1935; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10101935 - 21 Oct 2020

Cited by 22 | Viewed by 3091

Abstract

In vitro rumen fermentation systems are often adapted to forage feeding conditions, with pH values ranging in a range close to neutrality (between 6.5 and 7.0). Several attempts using different buffers have been made to control incubation pH in order to evaluate microbial [...] Read more.

In vitro rumen fermentation systems are often adapted to forage feeding conditions, with pH values ranging in a range close to neutrality (between 6.5 and 7.0). Several attempts using different buffers have been made to control incubation pH in order to evaluate microbial fermentation under conditions simulating high concentrate feeding, but results have not been completely successful because of rapid exhaustion of buffering capacity. Recently, a modification of bicarbonate ion concentration in the buffer of incubation solution has been proposed, which, together with using rumen inoculum from donor ruminants given high-concentrate diets, allows for mimicking such conditions in vitro. It is important to consider that the gas volume recorded is in part directly produced from microbial fermentation of substrates, but also indirectly from the buffering capacity of the medium. Thus, the contribution of each (direct and indirect) gas source to the overall production should be estimated. Another major factor affecting fermentation is the rate of passage, but closed batch systems cannot be adapted to its consideration. Therefore, a simple semicontinuous incubation system has been developed, which studies the rate and extent of fermentation by gas production at the time it allows for controlling medium pH and rate of passage by manual replacement of incubation medium by fresh saliva without including rumen inoculum. The application of this system to studies using high concentrate feeding conditions will also be reviewed here. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Instruments and Methods to Analyse Feedstuffs)

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