bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Partial replacement of poly- with monounsaturated fatty acids and vitamin E supplementation in pig diets: effect on fatty acid composition of subcutaneous and intramuscular fat and on fat and lean firmness
Authors: Lopez-Bote C. J. , Isabel B. , A. Daza
Published: August 2016

The effect of partial replacement of poly- (PUFA) with monounsaturated (MUFA) fatty acids in pig diets on fatty acid composition of subcutaneous and intramuscular fat and on fat and lean firmness was studied. No effect of dietary fat was observed on total saturated fatty acid concentration in any of the backfat layers or intramuscular lipid fractions. No significant effect of dietary fat was observed for the MUFA concentration in the outer layer, but a marked effect was evident for the inner layer (P < 0·001). A linear effect of dietary MUFA was observed for MUFA (P < 0·001) and PUFA (P < 0·001) in polar lipids. No significant effect of dietary treatment was observed on total concentration of n-3 fatty acids in any lipid location but a marked effect was observed for total n-6 fatty acid concentration. The response of pig fatty acid n-6 concentration was different depending on the lipid location. The neutral lipid fraction showed significantly lower n-6/n-3 fatty acid ratio than the subcutaneous fat. Intramuscular polar lipids showed no significant response of n-6/n-3 ratio. A linear effect of dietary MUFA concentration was observed on the melting point on the inner backfat layer (MP = 34·4 (s.e. 2·51) + 0·15 (s.e. 0·07) ✕ dietary MUFA (g/kg dry matter) (R2 = 0·24, P < 0·05)), indicating that the partial substitution of dietary PUFA by MUFA produced a fat of higher consistency. No response of the melting point of the outer layer to dietary treatment was observed. A marked effect of dietary fat was shown for backfat hardness (P < 0·001), gumminess (P < 0·001) and chewiness (P < 0·001). No effect of dietary fat was observed on the rheological properties of longissimus lumborum muscle.
Compensatory growth response in pigs, muscle protein turn-over and meat texture: effects of restriction/realimentation period
Authors: Therkildsen M. , Riis B. , Karlsson A. , Kristensen L. , Ertbjerg P. , Purslow P. P. , Dall Aaslyng M. , Oksbjerg N.
Published: August 2016

The present experiment was designed to evaluate the effect of different time spans of ad libitum feeding of pigs prior to slaughter after a period of restricted feeding on performance and texture characteristics of the meat. Te n litters of five pigs (Duroc ✕ Landrace ✕ Large White crosses) were allocated to five feeding treatments (AA, R28A42, R43A27, R52A18 and R60A10) at the age of 70 days. AA-pigs were given ad libitum a concentrate diet from day 70 to slaughter at day 140 (approx. 100 kg live weight). R28A42, R43A27, R52A18 and R60A10 pigs were given food at a restricted level (0·6 of ad libitum) for 28, 43, 52 and 60 days, respectively, followed by ad libitum feeding for 42, 27, 18 and 10 days, respectively, until slaughter at day 140. All pigs that had been given food at a restricted level for a period (R28A42, R43A27, R52A18 and R60A10) showed a compensatory growth response in the subsequent ad libitum period. However, only pigs on ad libitum for a minimum of 27 days prior to slaughter (R28A42 and R43A27) had carcass weights and muscle mass similar to that of the control pigs (AA) at slaughter. The restricted feeding increased meat proportion, whereas the feeding strategies had no effect on technological meat quality traits (pH24, drip loss and CIE-colour traits: L*, a* and b*). During compensatory growth, protein turn-over was increased and positively related to the length of the ad libitum period as indicated by the concentration of elongation factor-2 (eEF-2) (P < 0·10), the activity of µ-calpain (P < 0·01) and the myofibrillar fragmentation index (MFI) 1 day post mortem in m. longissimus dorsi (P < 0·08) and the solubility of collagen (P < 0·01). Although not significant, the shear force at day 1 followed the same pattern of improvement as the MFI. The concentration of eEF-2 increased at a faster rate following transition to ad libitum feeding than did the activity of µ-calpain. This suggests that muscle protein synthesis increases at a faster rate after change to ad libitum feeding and reaches the same level as in the control pigs (AA) before muscle protein degradation. This time lag between the increase in protein synthesis and degradation could explain the compensatory growth response and it also suggests that in order to use the compensatory growth mechanism to improve tenderness, the optimal time of slaughter may not coincide with the period of highest growth rates, but may occur at a later stage, when muscle protein degradation is maximal. For pigs slaughtered at 100 kg live weight, we expect muscle protein degradation to be maximal some time beyond 42 days of ad libitum feeding prior to slaughter.
Rôles of glutamine and nucleotides in combination in growth, immune responses and FMD antibody titres of weaned pigs
Authors: Yu I. -T. , Wu J. -F. , Yang P. -C. , Liu C. -Y. , Lee D. -N. , Yen H. -T.
Published: August 2016

This study examined the effects of glutamine and nucleotides on growth, intestinal villous height and immune responses of weaned pigs. Eighty weaned pigs (Landrace ✕ Yorkshire ✕ Duroc) were randomly assigned to five treatments, including a control diet and a 2 (glutamine 1·0 and 1·5%) by 2 (nucleotides 500 and 1000 p.p.m.) factorial design. There were no differences among the five treatments in weight gain from weeks 0 to 4 and 0 to 8 of the experiment. However, the food intake of treatment 3 (glutamine 1·0% and nucleotides 1000 p. p. m. ) for weeks 4 to 8 was higher (P < 0·05) than that of the control group. Intestinal villous height, and serum immunoglobulin-G concentration 2 h post lipopolysaccharide injection, were higher (P < 0·05) for pigs administered treatment 3 than for controls. Furthermore, foot and mouth disease (FMD) neutralizing antibody titres were also higher (P < 0·05) than the control group for pigs given treatment 3 when measured 3 weeks following vaccination with FMD antigen. These observations suggest that a combination of 10% of glutamine and 1000 p. p. m. of nucleotides in the diet could improve food intake and intestinal villous height and promote the immune responses and FMD antibody titres of weaned pigs.
The use of X-ray computer tomography for measuring the muscularity of live sheep
Authors: Jones H. E. , Lewis R. M. , Young M. J. , Wolf B. T.
Published: August 2016

Potential measures of muscularity derived from X-ray computer tomography (CT) were assessed using data for 160 sheep (50 Suffolk males, 50 Suffolk females, 40 Texel males and 20 Charollais males). One-fifth of the lambs within each breed and sex were slaughtered at each of 14, 18 or 22 weeks of age and two-fifths slaughtered at 26 weeks. All lambs were CT scanned prior to slaughter with longitudinal and cross-sectional scans taken at three positions along the body [5th lumbar vertebra (LV5), mid-shaft of the femur (FEM) and ischium (ISC)]. After slaughter, linear measurements of side length (SL) and M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) width (A) and depth (B) (12/ 13th thoracic vertebra) were taken on the left side of the carcass. The side was dissected and femur length (FL), the weight of three muscles surrounding the femur (M3) and the total muscle weight in the side (TM) were recorded. Five muscularity measures were calculated for the carcass. Two for the LTL muscle (A/SL, B/SL), one for the hind leg (√M3/FL3) and one for the whole carcass (√TM/SL3).

Correlations between spine length measured on the CT longitudinal scans and side length measured on the carcass were high (> 0·62), while correlations between measurements of LTL width and depth on the carcass with those on the LV5 scan were moderate (> 0·41). CT measures of muscularity were derived using linear measurements taken on CT scans together with a prediction of total muscle weight using CT tissue areas. Correlations between CT measures and dissection measures of LTL and whole carcass muscularity were moderate to high (0·33–0·54). Correlations between the dissection measure and four CT measures of hind leg muscularity were higher (0·48-0·60). These results clearly show that good in vivo measures of muscularity can be obtained for sheep by using measurements that can be taken on CT scans. This will be a useful tool for selection programmes aiming to improve sheep carcass shape, particularly those already using CT scanning to increase rates of genetic improvement in lean tissue growth.
Size distribution of steroidogenic and non-steroidogenic ovine luteal cells throughout pregnancy
Authors: Arikan Ş. , Yigit A. A.
Published: August 2016

The present study examines the size distribution of ovine steroidogenic and non-steroidogenic luteal cells throughout pregnancy. Cells were isolated from corpora lutea collected from early (< 8 weeks), mid (9 to 14 weeks) or late (15 to 18 weeks) stages of pregnancy. Cells were stained for 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD) activity, a marker for steroidogenic cells. Both 3β-HSD positive and β-HSD negative cells covered a wide spectrum of size ranging from 7 to 37 μm in diameter. There was a significant increase (P > 0·01) in mean diameter of non-steroidogenic luteal cells as pregnancy progressed. Mean diameter of 3β-HSD negative cells increased from 17·8 (s.e. 0·4) μm in the corpus luteum of early stage of pregnancy to 22·4 (s.e. 0·3) μm in the corpus luteum of advanced pregnancy. However, there was no significant increase in the mean diameter of 3β-HSD positive cells. Corpora lutea obtained from early stages of the pregnancy contained more steroidogenic cells than the cells obtained from mid and late pregnancy (P < 0·01). Percentage of 3β-HSD negative cells had increased 2·07-fold by 18 weeks of pregnancy when compared with the early stage of pregnancy. In contrast, percentage of 3β-HSD positive cells had decreased to 50% of starting values during the same period (P < 0·05). These results indicate that the ovine corpus luteum of pregnancy is morphologically dynamic over the course of pregnancy. Steroidogenic activity of luteal cells may decrease as pregnancy progresses, especially activity of the large luteal cells.
Polymorphism in exon 2 of the BuLA-DRB3 gene in Indian buffalo (Bubalus bubalisvar.indicus) detected by PCR-RFLP
Authors: Aravindakshan T.V. , Nainar A.M. , Sivaselvam S.N.
Published: August 2016

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers specific to exon 2 of the bovine lymphocyte antigen (BoLA)-DRB3 gene were used successfully to amplify the equivalent region in 34 Murrah and 36 Surti buffaloes selected at random. The 304 bp amplified product of the DRB3 gene was separately digested withBstγI,HaeIII andRsal enzymes. Digestion withBstγI enzyme did not reveal any polymorphism and all animals showed a single restriction pattern, which corresponded exactly to theBstγI pattern ‘b’ previously described for cattle. Digestion withHaeIII enzyme resulted in five patterns, four of which corresponded to theHaelll patterns previously reported in cattle. The newHaeIII pattern was observed in both the breeds of buffaloes studied. The fragment analysis withRsaI revealed 13 different patterns. All of theseRsaI patterns corresponded to theRsaI patterns previously described for cattle. The high degree of similarity in the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) patterns of cattle and buffalo observed in the present study provide evidence for the strong conservation amongst other bovine species, of restriction sites previously reported in cattle.
Estimation of genetic and environmental risk factors associated with pre-weaning mortality in piglets using generalized linear mixed models
Authors: Roehe R. , Kalm E.
Published: August 2016

Risk factors and variance components of pre-weaning mortality were estimated using generalized linear mixed models. Data were from 12 727 piglets born alive from 1338 litters recorded at the pig breeding farm of the University of Kiel from 1989 to 1994. Deviances due to risk factors were estimated by generalized linear model and their odds-ratios by generalized linear mixed model both with binomial errors and a logistic link. Variance components of sire, dam and litter were estimated using a logit or probit link function as well as a linear model for which estimates were transformed to the underlying continuous scale. Highest increase in deviance, indicating the risk factor, which accounts for the greatest amount of unexplained variation of pre-weaning mortality was obtained after exclusion of individual birth weight (1206) from the model, followed by year-season (217), parity-farrowing age or interval (58), genotype of piglets (56), sex (39), total number of piglets born (18) and gestation length (16). Substitution of individual birth weight successively by average piglet birth weight per litter, litter birth weight and standard deviation of birth weight within litter resulted in models with substantially lower explained variation of pre-weaning mortality. Odds of pre-weaning mortality was 1·5 times higher for males than for females and 2·0 times higher in piglets from German Landrace dams than from Large White dams. Odds increased to the fifth parity by 2·2 times the odds of the first parity or increased for the age group of dams between 850 and 949 days by 2·3 times the odds of the age group with less than 350 days. When the continuous risk factors of individual birth weight, average piglet birth weight and litter birth weight decreased or standard deviation of birth weight within litter increased by one standard deviation from the mean, the odds ratios increased by 6·0, 1·6, 0·8 and 0·4, respectively. Piglets with individual birth weights of 1·8, 1·5, 1·2 and 1·0 kg showed a rapid increase in odds ratios of pre-weaning mortality of 1·4, 2·7, 7·0 and 16·1, respectively, relative to piglets with 2·1 kg. Estimates of direct heritability for pre-weaning mortality on the linear observed, transformed underlying, logit and probit scale were 0·02, 0·06, 0·07 and 0·07, respectively. Low estimates of heritability for pre-weaning mortality, even on the underlying continuous scale, suggested low potential for improvement by selection. Therefore, selection for individual birth weight phenotypically closely associated with pre-weaning mortality was recommended to improve survival of piglets during the nursing period.
The response of growing pigs to amino acids as influenced by environmental temperature. 2. Lysine
Authors: Ferguson N.S. , Arnold G.A. , Lavers G. , Gous R.M.
Published: August 2016

Two experiments were conducted to measure the effects of a range of dietary lysine concentrations and environmental temperatures on the performance of pigs grown from 13 to 25 kg live weight. In both experiments 48 Large White x Landrace entire male pigs were assigned at 13 kg to one of six dietary lysine treatments (13·8 (L1), 11·8 (L2), 9·6 (L3), 7·6 (L4), 5·6 (L5) g/kg and L5 + supplemented lysine (L6)) and one of four temperature treatments (18, 22, 26 and 30°C). Animals were given ad libitum access to food until 25 kg live weight. There were significant differences in the rates of growth between dietary and temperature treatments with the highest gains on L2 (0·597 (s.e. 0·020) kg/day) and at 18°C (0·549 (s.e. 0·018) kg/day). Food intake (FI) increased significantly (P < 0·001) with decreasing lysine content, reached a maximum (L4) and then declined (L5). An increase in the supply of lysine in the diet resulted in significant increases (P < 0·001) in the gain per unit of food (FCE). There was an indication (P < 0·10) that the response in FCE to dietary lysine was dependent on the temperature, with maximum FCE being obtained at 22°C on LI (647 (s.e. 18·5) g gain per kg food). Dietary treatment had a significant effect (P < 0·001) on both the rate of protein (PR) and lipid deposition (LR) irrespective of the temperature. There was a 0·60 reduction in PR and a 1·36 increase in LR in pigs given L5 compared with those given L1. Similar trends occurred in the empty body protein and lipid contents at 25 kg live weight. Both temperature and dietary lysine levels had a significant (P < 0·05) effect on total heat loss (THL). The response in THL was similar to that observed in FI. The efficiency of lysine utilization at 22°C was significantly (P < 0·05) higher than at the remaining temperatures. The mean efficiency for pigs between 13 kg and 25 kg live weight was 0·64 (s.e. 0·05). In general, growth and food intake responses to dietary lysine level were independent of environmental temperature.
Influence of type and dietary rate of inclusion of oil on meat quality of finishing pigs
Authors: Wiseman J. , Redshaw M.S. , Jagger S. , Nute G.R. , Wood J.D.
Published: August 2016

Two trials were conducted to examine the influence of dietary oil type and rate of inclusion on fatty acid profiles of adipose tissue and eating quality of griddled pork. Trial 1 was based on three sources high in specific fatty acids: palm oil (palmitic acid), tallow (stearic acid) and linseed oil (linolenic acid) each at three rates of inclusion (palm at 44·6, 88·7 and 133·3 g/kg; tallow at 44·1, 87·6 and 131·7g/kg; linseed oil at 40·1, 79·8 and 120·0g/kg into a synthetic fat-free diet. Trial 2 was based on systematic replacement of soya-bean oil (incorporated at a rate of 0, 34, 69 and 104 g/kg diet) with olive oil (rate of 62, 46, 29 and 13 g/kg diet) to alter dietary concentrations of oleic acid. Diets were offered to pigs over the live-weight range 55 to 90 kg. Samples of subcutaneous fat were analysed for fatty acid composition and samples of loin assessed for meat quality with taste panels. There were no significant effects (P> 0·05) of treatment on daily live-weight gain, food conversion ratio or gross carcass composition, with the exception of anterior loin fat for trial 1 (P< 0·05) although not in a manner that was consistent between treatments and, in trial 2, anterior loin fat, minimum loin fat and posterior loin fat (allP< 0·05) but, again, not consistently between treatments allowing no meaningful conclusions to be drawn. Fatty acid profiles of adipose tissue reflected dietary levels to a variable degree, the more so with oleic acid and the greatest for linoleic and linolenic acids. The quality of the pig meat as measured by sensory analysis was related to the fatty acid profile in the situation where the most extreme changes in fatty acid profile occurred, as was apparent for the diets based upon linseed oil. No other major influences on meat quality were obtained.
Effects of incremental changes in forage: concentrate ratio on plasma hormone and metabolite concentrations and products of rumen fermentation in fattening beef steers
Authors: Thorp C. L. , Wylie A.R.G. , Steen R.W. J. , Shaw C. , McEvoy J. D.
Published: August 2016

As part of an investigation of factors responsible for a previously reported lower efficiency of carcass lean gain in steers offered grass silage diets, 16 Simmental × Friesian steers (515 (s.e. 6·4) kg) were offered perennial ryegrass silage ad libitum (C0) or silage plus rolled barley at 200 (C20), 400 (C40) or 600 (C60) g/kg total diet dry matter (DM). Barley-supplemented diets were intake-restricted to provide equal DM and metabolizable energy (ME) intakes to those offered C0. Eight steers were selected at random to determine the ME contents of the diets by open-circuit respiration calorimetry. The other eight steers were offered the same diets and were blood-sampled at 20- to 60-min intervals, for 10 h, to monitor changes in the concentrations of a number of nutritionally related plasma metabolites and hormones. Estimated ME intakes in these steers were 85·7, 83·1, 84·4 and 86·2 (s.e. 0·91) MJ/day from diets C0, C20, C40 and C60 respectively. Rumen-fistulated Hereford × Friesian steers provided 24-h rumen data for the same diets offered at equal amounts of ME per kg metabolic live weight.

Mean 24-h plasma concentrations of insulin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) were linearly and positively related (P < 0·01 and P < 0·001 respectively) and glucagon quadratically related (P < 0·05) to the proportion of barley in the diet. Plasma insulin increased after feeding on all diets but concentrations on diets C40 and C60 were significantly higher than those on C0 and C20 at all post-feeding sampling times up to 9 h after feeding. Plasma IGF-1 concentrations increased above pre-feeding levels following feeding of the higher barley diets (C40 and C60; P = 0·053) but remained unchanged in steers offered C0 and C20. Mean plasma concentrations of glucose were unaffected by diet but those of β-hydroxybutyrate (BOHB) and urea were positively and negatively related respectively (both P < 0·001) to the proportion of barley in the diet. Plasma BOHB and urea concentrations also changed with time after feeding (P < 0·001). Amongst the rumen parameters measured (pH; ammonia and volatile fatty acid concentrations and proportions) only the mean 24-h concentrations and proportions of butyrate were positively related to the proportion of barley in the diet (P = 0·051 and P < 0·05 respectively). All rumen parameters were affected by time after feeding (acetate, P < 0·01; others, P < 0·001) but there was no interaction between treatment and time for any parameter.
Digestibility and voluntary intake of roughages by wild boar and Meishan pigs
Authors: Wieren S. E. van
Published: August 2016

The digestibility and voluntary intake of fibrous roughages and acorns was studied in six wild boar and five Meishan pigs. The neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) concentration of the diets ranged from 139 to 767 g/kg of the organic matter. Organic matter digestibility of acorns, mixed grass and wheat straw was higher in wild boar (P < 0·05) while voluntary food intake of the Meishan pigs was higher for mixed grass, hay and wheat straw (P < 0·05). Organic matter digestibility (P < 0·01) and NDF digestibility (P < 0·05) were both negatively related to NDF concentration of the diet. No relationship existed between voluntary food intake and NDF concentration of the diet. The apparent nitrogen (N) digestibility was positively related (P < 0·01) to dietary N while no relationship was found with dietary NDF. The negative effect of NDF on digestibility could only be partly explained by the lignin concentration of NDF. Much more important was the lower efficiency of the carbohydrate fermentation in the caecum and colon when compared with the direct absorption of glucose from the small intestine. It was estimated that digestible NDF at a maximum contributed proportionately 0·26 to the metabolizable energy intake of the animals. It was concluded that wild boar and domestic pigs should be able to maintain themselves on an all fresh grass diet when NDF concentration of the diet does not exceed about 550 g/kg and N concentration is not too low.
Effect of aα-galactosidase supplementation of cereal-soya-bean-pea diets on the productive performances, digestibility and lower gut fermentation in growing and finishing pigs
Authors: Baucells F. , Pérez J. F. , Morales J. , Gasa J.
Published: August 2016

An experiment was carried out to study the effect of addingα-galactosidase to the diet on the performance and digestive parameters of growing-finishing pigs. Fifty-four gilts, average body weight (BW) of 43 (s.e. 0·4) kg, were allocated to 18 pens and used in a production experiment divided in two consecutive periods of 28 days each (growing and finishing). In each period gilts were given a diet based on cereals, soya-bean meal and peas, supplemented (Enzyme) or unsupplemented (Control) with 200 units per kg ofα-galactosidase. All diets included 2 g Cr2O3per kg as a digestibility marker. Food intake and body weight were recorded every 2 weeks and faecal samples by pen were collected at the end of each period. Average daily gain (ADG), food: gain ratio and faecal digestibility of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) were calculated. At the end of the production experiment nine gilts from each treatment were selected and given the finishing diet for a further 10 days before being slaughtered. Samples of digesta from the ileum and caecum were collected and ileal digestibility of monosaccharides determined. Short chain volatile fatty acids (SCVFA ) and purine bases (PB) in caecal digesta were analysed. The use ofα-galactosidase improved the ADG (P< 0·01) and the food: gain ratio (P< 0·01) simultaneous to increases in the faecal digestibility of DM (P< 0·05), CP (P< 0·05) and NDF (P= 0·07) in the finishing period. Alpha-galactosidase supplementation also improved the ileal digestibility of some monosaccharides (galactose, rhamnose, mannose and fucose) of the dietary fibre fraction (P< 0·05); and reduced total caecal concentration of SCVFA (P= 0·15), proportion of branched-chain VFA (P< 0·001), and concentration of total PB (P< 0·001). It is concluded that addingα-galactosidase to a cereal-soya-bean meal-pea diet improves ADG, food: gain ratio and digestibility in fattening pigs, and reduces the amount of fermentable substrate flowing to the large intestine.
Appropriate mathematical models for describing the complete lactation of dairy sheep
Authors: Pollott G. E. , Gootwine E.
Published: August 2016

Despite milk being an important product from sheep, there are very few reports of milk production from the complete lactation of dairy sheep. The Improved Awassi in Israel is kept under an intensive system of management with lambs being weaned soon after birth. Records from one such flock were analysed to investigate the suitability of various mathematical functions for describing milk yield from the complete lactations of dairy sheep. This included a consideration of whether the functions could cope with short lactations, a characteristic of dairy sheep, and a limited number of test-day records per lactation.

Four non-linear mathematical functions were investigated (Wood, Morant, Grossman and Pollott), two of which could also be fitted in a linear and a linear weighted form (Wood and Morant). These functions were fitted to weekly data from a ‘typical Awassi lactation curve’, represented by least squares means of daily milk yield from each week of a 40-week lactation derived from an analysis of 25605 test day records. Characteristics of the lactation were calculated from the functions, such as total milk yield, day and level of peak yield and persistency. These functions were also fitted to 1416 individual lactation records of up to 10 test-day records per lactation. The value of the functions was investigated using the residual mean square (RMS) of the fitted curve as an indicator of how well each function described the lactation. Forms of these functions with a reduced number of parameters were also investigated.

The non-linear functions always fitted the data with a lower RMS than their linear equivalent and the weighted form of the linear functions always had a lower RMS than the unweighted form. Of the linear functions, Morant fitted better than Wood. Of the non-linear functions Grossman, Morant and Pollott (additive and multiplicative) fitted the data equally as well but better than Wood. The various functions predicted characteristics of the lactation curve differently; the Wood functions tended to overestimate yield in early lactation and the Morant functions underestimated peak yield.

No function was better suited to short lactations than another. However the three-parameter function of Morant, Pollott multiplicative and Pollott additive were considered to be the most suitable for describing the complete lactation of dairy sheep.
Maternal and lamb carrier effects of the Booroola gene on food intake, growth and carcass quality of male lambs
Authors: Visscher A. H. , Dijkstra M. , Lord E. A. , Süss R. , Rösler H.-J. , Heylen K. , Veerkamp R. F.
Published: August 2016

Possible correlated or pleiotropic effects on food intake, growth rate and carcass traits (meat quality and carcass composition traits) were investigated for the prolificacy related Booroola gene (FecB). This gene was introgressed in a Texel sheep population by systematic backcrossing with sires carrying the Booroola gene. In a 3-year experiment 273 spring-born male lambs were offered concentrates ad libitum, after weaning. Lamb carrier effects and dam carrier effects for the FecB gene were estimated, accounting for year, backcross generation, slaughter weight, weaning age, concentrate type, rearing code, age of the dam and litter size as fixed effects. Carriers of the FecB had a higher dressing percentage (+1·15%), longissimus muscle depth (+0·26 mm to +0·7 5mm) and cross-sectional area (+0·98 cm2). However the gene also had a positive effect on subcutaneous fatness (+0·12 points), KKCF (+30 g) and a substantial positive lamb carrier effect on carcass fat tissue content (+3·09%), which reflects a relative increase in fatness of 11·9%. The FecB gene had also very small, significant effects on some meat colour traits. The dam carrier effects of the Booroola gene were negatively associated with food efficiency and with longissimus muscle depth (–1·38 to –2·25 mm). The increased fatness of lambs could imply that for optimal use of FecB, non-carrier terminal sires should be used on heterozygous dams.
The post-weaning behaviour of indoor-bred and outdoor-bred pigs
Authors: Webster S. , Dawkins M.
Published: August 2016

The effect of two different lactation environments on the development of pig behaviour was examined at weaning and on days 1, 8, 15 and 57 post weaning. Ten focal indoor-bred pigs and 10 focal outdoor-bred pigs were weaned and mixed together into a group of 60 to 80 mixed indoor- and outdoor-bred pigs. There were six replicate groups. Scans of all focal animals were made using time sampling with a 2-min interval, for 3·0 h immediately following weaning and from 06:00 to 11:00 h on days 1, 8, 15 and 57 post weaning. All pens were straw bedded with two different types of feeder system: one seven-space ad libitum hopper and two rooting-action feeders each accommodating up to four piglets at one time.

From weaning to day 1 post weaning, outdoor-bred pigs were observed to feed more than were indoor-bred pigs (115·6 v. 97·0 observations per pen per day,P< 0·05, s.e.d. = 1·18). From days 8 to 57 post weaning, outdoor-bred pigs were observed to root more than were indoor-bred pigs (22·5 v. 14·7 observations per pen per day,P< 0·05, s.e.d. = 1·22). These findings support the hypothesis that the lactation environment has a significant effect on the behaviour of pigs in their subsequent growing environment. However, such effects appear not to lead to differences in carcass weights, rigor following dressing or carcass blemish at slaughter.
Ileal and total tract digestibility in growing pigs given cassava root meal diets with inclusion of cassava leaves, leucaena leaves and groundnut foliage
Authors: Phuc B. H. N. , Lindberg J. E.
Published: August 2016

Growing pigs fitted with post-valve T-caecum cannulas were used in a change-over design experiment (5✕5) to determine the ileal and total tract apparent digestibility and hindgut disappearance of dietary components and energy in a cassava root and soya-bean meal-based diet with an inclusion rate at 0·15 of the dry matter (DM) of either cassava leaf meal, ensiled cassava leaves, groundnut foliage, or leucaena leaves.

The ileal and total tract apparent digestibilities of organic matter (OM), crude protein, nitrogen-free extractives and energy of the diets were significantly reduced with inclusion of the foliages (P< 0·05). The digestibility of neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) and crude fibre was improved when groundnut foliage was included in the diet (P< 0·05).

The dietary content of NDF was a better predictor of the total tract digestibility of OM (R2= 0·87) and energy (R2= 0·90) than the content of crude fibre (R2= 0·68 for OM digestibility and R2= 0·72 for energy digestibility).

The disappearance of OM and energy in the hindgut of the foliage diets was 0·36 (s.d. 0·02) and 0·31 (s.d. 0·02), respectively, which was significantly lower (P< 0·05) than on the control diet (0·48 and 0·46, respectively).

Ileal as well as total tract digestibilities of OM in groundnut foliage were higher than for the other leaf products (ileal, 0·55 and 0·42; and total tract, 0·64 and 0·55, respectively). For foliage products of cassava and leucaena an average digestible energy value of 11·4 MJ/kg DM was calculated, whereas for groundnut foliage the corresponding value was 10·9 MJ/kg DM.

It was concluded that, inclusion of foliages in pig diets will reduce the dietary energy content, due to a high fibre content. However, under tropical conditions foliage at low levels of inclusion may be useful in low fibre diets for growing pigs to improve the dietary protein supply.
Monthly variations in some reproductive parameters of Barki and Awassi rams throughout 1 year under subtropical conditions 1. Semen characteristics and hormonal levels
Authors: Taha T. A. , Abdel-Gawad E. I. , Ayoub M. A.
Published: August 2016

Fifteen sexually mature rams, five each of Barki, Awassi (I, imported from Syria) and Awassi (LB, locally born in Egypt) were used in this study. Semen was collected monthly from rams for a period of 12 months to study semen characteristics. In addition, blood samples were collected from rams during the four seasons of the year to determine serum triiodothyronine (T3) and testosterone hormones. Results showed that Barki and Awassi (I and LB) rams are continuous breeders as they show sexual desire and produce semen all the year round. However, monthly variations in semen quality were detected. Relative testes volume, ejaculate volume, sperm concentration, total sperm output, sperm motility, percentage of live sperm and serum testosterone level were higher during summer months than at other months of the year. Serum T3was significantly higher in winter and spring than that observed in summer and autumn. In addition, percentages of dead spermatozoa were higher in winter and early spring than in autumn and summer. Furthermore, summer months showed moderate percentages of abnormal spermatozoa and spermatozoa without intact acrosomes. These results indicate that ram semen quality in the subtropics may be better during summer months than during other months of the year.
Influence of forage: concentrate ratio and type of starch in the diet on feeding behaviour, dietary preferences, digestion, metabolism and performance of dairy goats in mid lactation
Authors: Abijaoudé J. A. , Morand-Fehr P. , Tessier J. , Schmidely P. , Sauvant D.
Published: August 2016

In a 12-week trial, 12 Alpine and 12 Saanen dairy goats in mid lactation were housed in individual stalls for behavioural, digestive and metabolic studies. Eight of them were fitted with ruminal cannulae. They were offered ad libitum four complete diets CR, CS, FR and FS (450 g dry matter (DM) per kg) in a 4✕4 Latin-square design. Forage: concentrate ratio was either low (C = 30: 70) or high (F = 55: 45) and starch source either rapidly (R, barley) or slowly (S, maize) degraded in the rumen.

Diet preferences were tested. DM intake, chewing activities and performance were determined. Ruminal pH and ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) concentrations were measured. Goats were also challenged intravenously with glucose (0·2 g/kg live weight) to assess glucose homeostasis.

CR was the most preferred diet. The level of intake differed according to the type of starch (2·2 kg DM per day of CR and FR and 2·0 kg DM per day of CS and FS). FS lowered ruminal pH significantly less than the other diets after the meal. Ruminal NH3-N concentrations were lower in goats given CR and CS than FR and FS. Goats’ resistance to a glucose challenge was not different among diets. Milk yield was 2·00, 1·85, 2·01, 1·85 kg/day on CR, CS, FR and FS respectively. Milk fat content decreased significantly with diets rich in concentrate (24 v. 26 g/kg milk) but milk protein content varied only a little.

In conclusion it appears that (1) higher forage: concentrate ratios were less preferred and decreased ruminal acidity but increased daily chewing, ruminal NH3-N and milk fat content; and (2) rapidly degraded starch increased intake, ruminal acidity and milk yield.
The effect of crop maturity on the nutritional value of maize silage for lactating dairy cows. 2. Ruminal and post-ruminal digestion
Authors: Sutton J. D. , Cammell S. B. , Phipps R. H. , Beever D. E. , Humphries D. J.
Published: August 2016

To evaluate the effect of crop maturity on digestion of maize silage in the rumen and post-ruminal digestive tract, four multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows fitted with a simple cannula in the proximal duodenum and a rumen cannula were offered four diets in a 4 ✕ 4 Latin-square design. Forage maize (cv. Hudson) was harvested and ensiled at target dry matter (DM) contents of 230, 280, 330 and 380 g per kg fresh weight (FW) to provide a range of starch contents. The mean values for volatile-corrected DM (VCDM) and starch content of the four maize silages as given were 221, 277, 308 and 372 g/kg FW and 173, 257, 328 and 382 g/kg VCDM respectively. Grass silage (GS) containing 250 g VCDM per kg FW was produced from the primary growth of a perennial ryegrass sward. The diets were 8·7 kg DM per day of a dairy concentrate supplement with one of four forage treatments offered ad libitum. The forage treatments were a 3 : 1 DM ratio of maize silage with GS, designated as T23, T28, T33 and T38. Each period lasted 6 weeks with rumen and duodenal samples being taken over 3 days in week 4 and faeces being collected in respiration chambers over 6 days in either week 5 or 6. Milk yield tended to increase with advancing maturity (30·5, 31·8, 32·5 and 32·3 kg/day) but individual treatment differences were not significant. DM intake increased from 19·62 to 21·30 kg/day (P < 0·05) but there were no significant effects on digestibility in the rumen, post-ruminal tract or total tract. Digestibility of neutral detergent fibre in the rumen declined with increasing starch content in the maize silage (P < 0·05) but total digestibility was not significantly affected. Starch intake increased from 3·11 to 5·04 kg/day (P < 0·001), duodenal flow from 0·40 to 0·89 kg/day (P < 0·01) and the amounts digested in the rumen and post-ruminal tract respectively from 2·72 and 0·34 kg/day to 4·16 and 0·71 kg/ day (P < 0·01). However the only significant effect on starch digestibility was a small fall in total digestibility from a mean of 0·981 for T23, T28 and T33 to 0·966 for T38. There were no treatment effects on nitrogen digestion. The molar proportions of acetic acid and n-caproic acid decreased and that of n-butyric acid increased with advancing maturity. It is concluded that the changes in composition of maize silage with increasing maturity result in large increases in the contribution of starch to DM digested in the rumen but only small differences in rumen fermentation. Post-ruminal starch digestion doubles but this is due to the increased starch concentration of the silage rather than major changes in digestion and the amount is small compared with that likely to result from feeding maize grain.
Daily food intakes and feeding strategies of sows given food ad libitum and allocated to two different space allowances in a communal farrowing system over parturition and during lactation
Authors: Burke J. , Brooks P. H. , Kirk J. A. , Eddison J. C.
Published: August 2016

A total of 16 multiparous (range 2nd to 9th parity) Camborough sows were housed over parturition and during lactation in a group farrowing system. Two replicates of four sows were studied in the large pen (L) and two further replicates studied in the small pen (S) configuration, providing 13•4 m2 and 8•6 m2 per sow, respectively. A lactation diet providing 14 MJ/kg digestible energy (DE) and 180 g/kg crude protein was supplied ad libitum via a sow-operated feeder, adapted to facilitate the calculation of individual food intakes. The influence of environmental, physical, and production factors upon food intakes and feeding strategies was investigated. Daily food intakes of 7•69 (s.e. 0•31) kg and 7•72 (s.e. 0•35) kg were achieved during lactation by sows in the L and S pen configurations, respectively, accomplished by sows taking a series of small meals throughout the day. Sows in the S pen area made fewer visits to the feeder and spent less time per day feeding than sows in the L pen area. However, more food was consumed per visit by the S sows, resulting in similar daily food intakes in both treatment groups. There was a depression in lactation food intakes of sows housed at a mean daily ambient temperature of 17•5ºC compared with the other sow groups. The majority of sows consumed energy well in excess of their predicted requirements during lactation, whilst one sow in the L and two in the S pen areas had intakes within ±3•4 MJ DE of predictions. Only two of the L sows had food intakes that produced an energy deficit. In the L pen area, two distinct peaks of feeding activity occurred from 09:00 to 13:00 h and from 15:00 to 23:00 h that accounted for 0•77 of the total feeding time. In contrast, in the S pen configuration, one prolonged period of feeding occurred from 09:00 to 22:00 h accounting for 0•88 of total feeding time. The results show that S sows adapted their feeding patterns to maintain similar daily intakes to those of L sows, thus demonstrating that an ad libitum food supply enabled sows to obtain individual nutritional requirements in a communal farrowing system.
An examination of energy utilization in lactating dairy cows receiving a total mixed ration based on maize silage
Authors: Cammell S. B. , Beever D. E. , Sutton J. D. , France J. , Alderman the late G. , Humphries D. J.
Published: August 2016

Six multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows were offered a total mixed ration based on maize silage in a repeated measure design to evaluate the partition of gross energy (GE) during early to mid lactation. Four measurements were made at 6-week intervals with energy and nitrogen balances carried out in open-circuit respiration chambers over 6 days during lactation weeks 6, 12, 18 and 24. The intakes of total diet dry matter (DM) corrected for volatile losses (VCDM), organic matter (OM) and GE declined significantly (P< 0•01) as lactation progressed, although apparent digestibility of these fractions was not altered, resulting in a significant (P< 0•01) decline in digestible nutrient intake at each stage of lactation. Methane and urine energy losses were not significantly affected, resulting in significantly (P< 0·001) higher amounts of digestible energy (DE) partitioned to methane and urine as lactation progressed with associated significant reductions in metabolizable energy (ME) intake (MEI) (P< 0·01) and ME as a proportion of DE (P< 0·001) and GE (q) (P< 0·05). With advancing lactation there was a significant (P< 0·001) increase in the amount of ME partitioned to heat (HP/MEI), but no significant change in the amount partitioned to milk and tissue. Individual values for diet metabolizability (ME/GE) at actual (production) levels (qa) (mean 0·625 MJ/MJ) were corrected to an equivalent value at maintenance (qmc) (mean 0·666 MJ/MJ). The overall ME intakes (MJ/day) were: ad libitum, 246, corrected for level of feeding effect, 263, with a predicted ME requirement according to AFRC (1993) (MER93) of 242. Substitution of the calculated qmc into the predictive equations (AFRC, 1993) resulted in a mean maintenance requirement of 57·6 MJ/day (0·464 MJ/kg M0·75/day) whilst the mean value derived from the linear model describing the experimental data was 82·5 MJ/day (0·664 MJ/kg M0·75/day). The mean efficiencies of utilization of ME for milk production derived from AFRC (1993) and the linear regression model were 0·653 MJ/MJ and 0·625 MJ/MJ respectively.
Relationship between body condition scores and ultrasound measurements of subcutaneous fat and m. longissimus dorsi in dairy cows differing in size and type
Authors: Schwager-Suter R. , Stricker C. , Erdin D. , Künzi N.
Published: August 2016

In the present study body condition scores (BCS), ultrasound fat thickness and ultrasound m. longissimus dorsi thickness as well as body measurements and management factors were recorded repeatedly during lactation in 71 Holstein-Friesians, 71 Jerseys and 71 Holstein-Jersey F1-crosses (first to ninth lactation) on four feeding regimens. BCS were analysed with ultrasound measurements as explanatory variables by mixed models. A compound symmetry structure for the variance components was applied. The models were also tested for an autoregressive error structure [AR(1)]. Ultrasound fat thickness and ultrasound m. longissimus dorsi thickness explained most of the variability in BCS. Coefficients of determination were between 0•84 and 0•85. Management factors such as feeding group and stage of lactation (week of taking measurements) and the breed type ✕ lactation interaction were, although significant, not relevant for the fit. Holsteins tended to have lower scores than F1-crosses and Jerseys and younger cows tended to have higher scores than older cows. Despite small differences between breeds, Edmonson’s BCS proved to be consistent within each breed type; thus BCS can be applied to various dairy breeds.
Quantification of lipid in cultured 3T3-L1 adipocytes
Authors: Mir P. S. , Vierck J. L. , Mir Z. , Dodson M. V.
Published: August 2016

A preliminary study was conducted to quantify the lipid produced by differentiated 3T3-L1 cells after incubation in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM) containing 10% foetal bovine serum (FBS), supplemented with or without dimethyl-sulphoxide (DMSO; 9•6 g/l) and acetone (1•2 g/l). The two media treatments were applied to 3T3-L1 cells, plated at either 15K or 30K cells per well in 24-well plates. Cells were grown to confluence (96 h) and then treated with dexamethasone, methyl-isobutylxanthine and insulin for 48 h and later maintained in their respective media treatments for another 144 h. Cells from each treatment were recovered after two, 5-min incubations with trypsin, washed and resuspended in DMEM and counted on a haemocytometer. The lipid in the cells was extracted with hexane derivatized with tetramethyl-guanidine and analysed by gas chromatography. Final mean cell density was 6•8 (s.e. 0•18)✕105and 4•6 (s.e. 0•19)✕105when initially plated at 30K and 15K cells per well, respectively. Inclusion of DMSO and acetone in the medium did not affect final cell numbers. Plating density did not affect concentration of lipid (0•55 (s.e. 0•08) mg per 1✕105cells) but inclusion of DMSO and acetone led to overall decreases in total lipid concentration. Results indicate that initial plating density influenced final cell number in treatment cultures, but that DMSO and acetone treatments only had an effect on final lipid concentration. Collectively, these data suggest that the application of treatments to cell cultures may be influenced by the carrier vehicle that the treatment is contained in and this should be considered when developing an in vitro system to evaluate growth and development of adipocytes.