Aeo Malau-Aduli

A comparison of the fatty acid composition of triacylglycerols in adipose tissue from Limousin and Jersey cattle

The fatty acid composition of the triacylglycerol fraction of shoulder fat from Limousin and Jersey yearling heifers, yearling steers, and non-lactating cows was investigated. Significant breed differences in the degree of fatty acid saturation were apparent between Jersey and Limousin cows, but were not observed in the yearlings. Jersey cows had less saturated fatty acids than the Limousin. Jersey cows showed an increased percentage of monounsaturated fatty acids compared with the Jersey yearlings. In contrast, the level of monounsaturated fatty acids in the Limousin cows was the same as in the Limousin yearlings. The calculated indices of enzyme activities also differed between the breeds. Jersey cows had higher indices of Δ9-desaturase and elongase activities than Limousin. This was also reflected by differences in the ratios of total unsaturated and polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids. Breed differences were also observed in the triacylglycerol fatty acid chain length. In this case, however, yearlings showed significant breed differences that were not detected in the cows. Limousin yearlings had more long chain fatty acids (C16 and C18) than the Jersey yearlings. Limousin yearlings also had a higher elongase activity index than their Jersey counterparts. Thus, breed and age affect the fatty acid composition in these cattle.

Spirulina as a livestock supplement and animal feed.

Spirulina (Athrospira sp.) is an edible microalga and a highly nutritious potential feed resource for many agriculturally important animal species. Research findings have associated Spirulina to improvements in animal growth, fertility, aesthetic and nutritional product quality. Spirulina intake has also been linked to an improvement in animal health and welfare. Its influence over animal development stems from its nutritive and protein-rich composition, thus leading to an increased commercial production to meet consumer demand. Consequently, Spirulina is emerging as a cost-effective means of improving animal productivity for a sustainable and viable food security future. However, our present knowledge of animal response to dietary Spirulina supplementation is relatively scanty and largely unknown. Therefore, the primary objective of this paper was to review past and current findings on the utilisation of Spirulina as a feed supplement and its impact on animal productivity and health. Only animals deemed to be of agricultural significance were investigated; hence, only ruminants, poultry, swine and rabbits and their responses to dietary Spirulina supplementation are covered.

Quality assured assessment processes: evaluating staff response to change

The purpose of this article is to assess the interaction between higher education and societal development. The question addressed is whether higher education engineers societal change or adjusts to global requirements. The answer is both. However, the impact of higher education is not easy to measure. It depends on the interventions undertaken by the stakeholders: the university, government, private sector, and civil society. These interventions may have contradictory effects. Education based on students’ desires can create highly skilled people who may not be required by society. The societal requirements of government, the private sector, or civil society may conflict. These conflicting requirements particularly can become conspicuous when higher education institutions perform in a global network.This article provides a comparative analysis of recent governance reforms in both Finnish and Portuguese higher education institutions (HEIs), following the OECD’s recent reviews of both countries’ tertiary education systems. While in the case of Finland the major problem was identified as being a lack of entrepreneurialism, Portugal was considered to lack effective, strategic higher education planning as well as innovative, flexible and responsive HEIs. The review teams pointed to common issues, despite different country contexts. As they recommended very similar solutions for reforming the legal status of universities, this encouraged national governments to undertake reforms according to their specific needs. By pinpointing problems, the OECD was seen to play an important role in this process and its recommendations proved to be close to the ideas of new public management.

Growth and body conformation responses of genetically divergent Australian sheep to Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) supplementation

The hypothesis that supplementation with Spirulina will increase liveweight, growth and body conformation with significant interactions between sire breed and sex was tested using purebred Merino weaners and first-cross weaners from Merino dams sired by Dorset, Black Suffolk and White Suffolk rams under the same pasture-based management system. Our experimental objective was to evaluate the effects of varying levels of Spirulina supplementation, sire breed and gender on liveweight and body conformation traits. We utilized a complete randomized block experimental design balanced by 4 sire breeds, 3 supplementation levels and 2 sexes in which weaned prime lambs with an average liveweight of 37.6 ± 5.2 kg and body condition score of 3.1 ± 0.4 at 6 months of age were balanced by sire breed and gender and randomly allocated into 3 treatments (8 lambs per treatment) – the control group grazing without Spirulina (0%), low (10%wt/vol) and high (20%wt/vol) Spirulina. Lambs in the low and high Spirulina treatment groups were drenched daily with Spirulina prior to being released for grazing with the control group of lambs over a 6-week trial period, following a 3-week adjustment phase. Weekly measurements of chest girth, withers height, body length, body condition score and liveweight were taken. Mixed linear model procedures in SAS with sire breed, sex, Spirulina level and their second order interactions as fixed effects and sire as a random variable, were used for statistical analysis. Spirulina level significantly influenced lamb liveweight (P<0.018), body condition score (P<0.001) and body length (P<0.015). Lambs on Spirulina levels of 10% recorded the highest mean liveweight of 41.9 ± 0.7 kg. Spirulina levels of 20% did not significantly improve liveweight compared to the control group (0%). Highly significant sire breed interactions with Spirulina level (P<0.001) resulted in the heaviest (47.08 kg) and lightest (35.14 kg) average liveweights in Black Suffolk-sired crossbreds and purebred Merino lambs respectively, supplemented at the 20% Spirulina level. Body conformation (P<0.001) and liveweight (P<0.014) responses to Spirulina supplementation significantly varied between ewe and wether lambs. It was evident that a cost-effective supplementation strategy with Spirulina for optimal liveweight gains in weaner lambs was achieved at the 10% level. These findings will aid sheep farmers in making informed choices about appropriate sire breed and gender combinations in their enterprises when supplementing with Spirulina for growth improvement as a strategic pathway for the early attainment of market weights in prime lambs. We concluded that based on the empirical experimental evidence within the scope of this study, the tested hypothesis is acceptable.

Variations in liveweight gains, milk yield and composition of Red Sokoto goats fed crop-residue-based supplements in the subhumid zone of Nigeria

Variations in weight gain, milk yield, milk composition, nutrient intake and digestibility of Red Sokoto goats supplemented with crop-residue-based rations during the long, dry period were investigated. Ration A, the conventional concentrate ration, was used as the positive control, Rations B and C were the two crop-residue test diets, while Ration D the unsupplemented treatment, was used as the negative control. Each of the supplementation rations was fed at 1 and 2% of the goat’s body weight (designated as 1A, 2A, 1B, 2B and 1C, 2C, respectively). The supplemented group of goats had significantly higher ( P , 0.05) dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) intakes as well as nutrient digestibilities than the unsupplemented groups. DM digestibility improved with supplementation by a range of 4.1–27.9%, while CP digestibility improved by 17.1–42.2%, the highest value being in does on Ration A. It was evident that supplementation significantly (P , 0.01) influenced weight gains and milk yield of dams. Goats on ration 2C recorded the highest average daily gains of 39.29 g / day while their counterparts fed rations 1B and D lost 28.57 and 92.86 g / day, respectively. Ration 1C which comprised mainly of crop residue with much lesser protein levels than the concentrate ration, produced 54 kg of milk over a 90-day lactation period averaging 0.60 kg per day. Goats on Ration D had the shortest lactation length of 41 days and the least total and average daily milk yields of 10.2 and 0.25 kg, respectively. Milk from does on ration 2A contained the highest percentages of fat (6%), protein (6.33%), total solids (21.85%) and solids-not-fat (15.85%). Milk from goats on ration D ranked least with respect to all parameters studied. It was concluded that the goats made appreciable gains in the long dry season on crop-residue-based diets that compared favourably with the conventional concentrate rations. Ration C fed at 1% level was a good supplementary feed package for increased liveweight gains and milk production in Red Sokoto goats.  2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

East Friesian sheep carry a Myostatin allele known to cause muscle hypertrophy in other breeds

The East Friesian breed of sheep was developed in northern Germany and the Netherlands, and has become one of the world’s most productive dairy sheep. It is likely to have contributed to the foundation of other breeds, such as the Texel, which originated in the Netherland’s chain of West Friesian islands. The Texel is a meat breed that displays a muscle hypertrophy phenotype caused by a G to A substitution (g.+6723G>A) in the Myostatin gene.1 Given the likelihood of a common population history linking Texel and East Frisian, we sought to determine if the latter also carries the mutant g.+6723A Myostatin allele despite the divergent production profiles of the two breeds.

Effect of dietary supplementation with Spirulina on the expressions of AANAT, ADRB3, BTG2 and FASN genes in the subcutaneous adipose and Longissimus dorsi muscle tissues of purebred and crossbred Australian sheep

BackgroundThe demand for healthy, lean and consistent meat products containing low saturated fatty acid content and high quality polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), especially long-chain (≥C20) omega-3 PUFA, has increased in recent times. Fat deposition is altered by both the genetic background and dietary supplements, and this study aimed to assess the effect of dietary Spirulina supplementation levels on the mRNA expression patterns of genes controlling lipid metabolism in the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and Longissimus dorsi (ld) muscle of Australian crossbred sheep.MethodsTwenty-four weaned lambs belonging to four breeds under the same management conditions were maintained on ryegrass pasture and fed three levels of Spirulina supplement (control, low and high). In terms of nutrient composition, Spirulina is a nutrient-rich supplement that contains all essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals. It also is a rich source of carotenoids and fatty acids, especially gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) that infer health benefits. After slaughter, subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and ld samples were subjected to mRNA extraction and reverse transcription using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) to assess the mRNA expression levels of the Aralkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT), Adrenergic beta-3 receptor (ADRB3), B-cell translocation gene 2 (BTG2) and Fatty acid synthase (FASN) genes, which are associated with lipid metabolism.ResultsBoth low and high Spirulina supplementation levels strongly up-regulated the transcription of all the selected genes in both SAT and ld tissues (mostly in the subcutaneous adipose), but sheep breed and sex did not influence the gene expression patterns in these tissues.ConclusionsThe evidence indicates that high Spirulina supplementation level resulted in a decrease in intramuscular fat content in Australian purebred and crossbred sheep due to the enhanced production of melatonin in sheep muscle tissues and strong up-regulation of mRNA expression of BTG2 in SAT which negatively affected fat deposition. In contrast, low Spirulina supplementation level strongly up-regulated the ADRB3 and FASN genes responsible for fat production. These findings are consistent with the observed phenotypic data suggesting that low Spirulina supplementation level can increase lamb production, with higher long-chain PUFA content.

Age-related changes in gene expression of the growth hormone secretagogue and growth hormone-releasing hormone receptors in Holstein-Friesian cattle.

Growth hormone secretion from the anterior pituitary gland is controlled by interactions between three hormone receptors, between GHRH and GHRH receptor (GHRH-R), between ghrelin and growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a), and between somatostatin and somatostatin receptors in the hypothalamus and anterior pituitary gland. Ghrelin-GHS-R1a is involved in many important functions, including GH secretion and appetite. We investigated age-related changes in the expressions of GHS-R1a, GHS-R1b (the truncated-type receptor), and GHRH-R mRNAs by real-time reverse transcription-PCR using 16 tissues, leukocytes, oocytes, and cumulus cells in Holstein-Friesian cattle. The tissue samples were divided into three age classes: 1) 19 to 26 d of age (preweaning calves), 2) 2 mo to 6.5 mo of age (postweaning calves), and 3) 3.2 to 8.1 yr of age (cows). The GHS-R1a mRNA was highly (P < 0.05) expressed in the arcuate nucleus, pituitary gland, and liver compared with that of the other tissues in all age classes. Expression of GHS-R 1a mRNA in the arcuate nucleus of postweaning calves was > 10-fold greater (P < 0.01) than those of preweaning calves and cows, and its expression level was the greatest (P < 0.01) in all tissues examined in age group 2. GHS-R1a and GHRH-R mRNA expressions in the pituitary gland of preweaning calves tended to be greater (P < 0.20 and P < 0.17, respectively) than those of postweaning calves and cows. GHS-R1b mRNA expression was detected in all tissues examined, and abundance was greater (P < 0.05) in the pancreas, pituitary gland, spleen, arcuate nucleus, adipose tissue, and leukocyte compared with that of the other tissues examined in age group 3. Interestingly, a relatively large animal-to-animal variation was observed in pancreas GHS-R 1b mRNA expression. The GHRH-R mRNA was markedly increased (P < 0.01) in the pituitary gland in all age groups compared with that of the other tissues. GHRH-R mRNA abundance in the arcuate nucleus, pituitary gland, liver, spleen, adipose tissue, and heart of preweaning calves tended to be greater than those of postweaning calves and cows. The GHRH-R mRNA was not detected in the mammary gland and adipose tissue of nonlactating cows.

Sire breed and sex effects on the fatty acid composition and content of heart, kidney, liver, adipose and muscle tissues of purebred and first-cross prime lambs

The present study investigated sire breed and sex effects on the fatty acid (FA) composition and content of subcutaneous adipose, Longissimus lumborum muscle, kidney, heart and liver tissues in prime lambs. Tissue samples were taken from 40 Merino ewe and wether lambs sired by Black Suffolk, Dorset, Merino and White Suffolk rams. FA proportion (% total FA) showed significant variations. The highest relative concentrations of total saturated fatty acid (SFA) were in adipose tissue, concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were highest in muscle and concentrations of two nutritionally important omega-3 long-chain (≥C20) polyunsaturated FA (LC-PUFA), namely, eicosapentaenoic (EPA, 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic (DHA, 22:6n-3) acids, were highest in kidney tissue (10.4% total FA), as were those of total PUFA in heart tissue. Sire breed variations in kidney for 18:3n-3, 22:6n-3, 16:0, 16:1n-7c and total omega-6 PUFA, and in muscle for 17:0, 18:3n-3 and 18:1n-7 were evident. Adipose tissue concentrations of 16:1n-9c, 17 : 0 and 16 : 0 in the heart and liver were affected by sire breed. The effect of sex on most major individual FA and totals of SFA, MUFA, omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA were, for the most part, negligible. These results suggest that consumption of lamb heart, liver and kidney can prove beneficial because of their high total PUFA composition and, in particular, concentration (mg/100 g) of key health-benefitting n-3 LC-PUFA. The fact that there were significant sire-breed variations implies that the manipulation of FA composition and content of lamb products and their associated nutritional and sensory qualities will need a deliberate breeding management that matches product goals with available sire breeds.

Genetic and environmental factors influencing milk, protein and fat yields of pasture-based dairy cows in Tasmania.

The objective of this study was to provide an update on milk production performance, heritability, genetic and phenotypic correlations among production traits that are valuable for management, breeding and selection decisions in pasture-based dairy systems. The study utilised a total of 106 990 lactation records of Holstein–Friesian (FF), Jersey (JJ) and their crossbreds (HF) from 428 Tasmanian dairy herds collected between 2000 and 2005. The data were analysed using the least-squares approach with a general linear model and restricted maximum likelihood approach with a linear animal model. Results indicated highly significant (P 1110 cows/herd) out-produced those in smaller herds. Heritability was highest for milk yield and lowest for somatic cell count ranging from 0.28 to 0.41. Genetic and phenotypic correlations between milk, fat and protein yields ranged from 0.41 to 0.85, and 0.66 to 0.92, respectively. However, genetic and phenotypic correlations between the log of somatic cell count and the production traits ranged from 0.03 to 0.09 and –0.03 to –0.05. We conclude that breed, herd size, parity, season and year of calving were among the main factors correlated with the productivity of dairy cows in Tasmania and adjustments for these factors would be mandatory for any unbiased comparison of lactation performance within and between pasture-based dairy production systems. The practical application of this information would be valuable to dairy farmers for decisions related to breeding, selection and management of their herds.