Araceli Aguilera Barreyro

Gastrointestinal morphophysiology and presence of kafirins in ileal digesta in growing pigs fed sorghum-based diets

ABSTRACTWe evaluated the effects of three sorghum-based diets with different levels of tannins and kafirins on some gastrointestinal morphophysiological characteristics of growing pigs. We also evaluated the pigs’ performance and the presence of kafirin fractions in sorghum samples and in ileal digesta. We used 24 pigs that weighed 22.1 ± 0.65 kg randomly assigned to four different cereal–soybean meal diets: a corn-based (control diet; C), a low tannin and low kafirin sorghum-based (LTLK), a low tannin and high kafirin sorghum-based (LTHK), and a high tannin and high kafirin sorghum-based (HTHK). We evaluated the pH of the gastrointestinal digesta, the liver and pancreas weight, and the total and specific trypsin and chymotrypsin enzymatic activities in the pancreas, and the intestinal villi morphology. The results indicated that the different sorghum diets did not affect the performance of the pigs (P > .05) or the majority of the evaluated morphophysiological parameters. The total trypsin activity was h...ABSTRACT We evaluated the effects of three sorghum-based diets with different levels of tannins and kafirins on some gastrointestinal morphophysiological characteristics of growing pigs. We also evaluated the pigs’ performance and the presence of kafirin fractions in sorghum samples and in ileal digesta. We used 24 pigs that weighed 22.1 ± 0.65 kg randomly assigned to four different cereal–soybean meal diets: a corn-based (control diet; C), a low tannin and low kafirin sorghum-based (LTLK), a low tannin and high kafirin sorghum-based (LTHK), and a high tannin and high kafirin sorghum-based (HTHK). We evaluated the pH of the gastrointestinal digesta, the liver and pancreas weight, and the total and specific trypsin and chymotrypsin enzymatic activities in the pancreas, and the intestinal villi morphology. The results indicated that the different sorghum diets did not affect the performance of the pigs (P > .05) or the majority of the evaluated morphophysiological parameters. The total trypsin activity was higher in pigs fed the HTHK diet (P < .001). The highest intensity/area of the kafirin fractions was noted in ileal digesta from pigs fed LTHK and HTHK diets. The simultaneous presence of high levels of tannins and kafirins could affect the digestion of sorghum proteins.

Comparison of Chemical Composition and Growth of Amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) between Greenhouse and Open Field Systems

Amaranth can be cultivated in greenhouses or open fields. The aim of this study was to compare the basic chemical composition and growth parameters of Amaranthus hypochondriacus grown in a greenhouse in comparison to the open field. Each cropping system was assigned an experimental area of 100 m. Cultivation was performed directly in irrigated furrows without fertilizers. The same soil type was used for both cropping systems. Number of leaves, plant height, stem diameter, length of seeds, panicle length, biomass and grain yield, grain area, percentage of popped and sprouted grain, and chemical composition were compared. The variables under greenhouse cultivation yielded superior results were grain yield (26.5%), biomass (61.2%), plant height (87.4%), stem diameter (24.3%), number of leaves (2.4%), panicle length (18.4%), percentage of popped grain (2%) and sprouted grain (7%) than field cultivation. Open field cultivation improved protein, fat and ash (9.0%, 17.6% and 43.1%, respectively), and grain size (22.5%) than greenhouse production. Thus, it may be concluded that greenhouse cultivation of A. hypochondriacus crop provides for higher yields, but inferior chemical composition values compared to the open field cultivation system.