G. Kannan

Efficacy of sericea lespedeza hay as a natural dewormer in goats: dose titration study.

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) parasitism is the greatest threat to economic sheep and goat production in the southern USA, and there is widespread prevalence of GIN resistance to broad-spectrum anthelmintics in this region. A natural alternative for controlling GIN in small ruminants is feeding hay of sericea lespedeza [SL, Lespedeza cuneata (Dum.-Cours., G. Don)], a perennial warm-season legume high in condensed tannins. To determine the level of SL needed to reduce GIN infection, a confinement study was completed with 32 Spanish/Boer/Kiko cross yearling bucks offered one of four diets with 75% hay and 25% concentrate (n=8, 2 pens/treatment, 4 goats/pen). The hay portion of each diet consisted of a combination of ground SL (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75% of the diet) and bermudagrass [BG, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.; 75%, 50%, 25%, and 0% of the diet]. The bucks were allowed to acquire a natural GIN infection on pasture prior to moving to the pens. After a 3-week adjustment period in the pens, the goats were stratified by fecal egg count (FEC) and packed cell volume (PCV), randomly assigned to treatments and pens, and then fed the treatment diets for six weeks. During the experimental period, fecal and blood samples were collected from individual animals weekly to determine FEC and PCV, respectively. Adult worms from abomasum and small intestines were collected for counting and identification of species at slaughter. Goats fed SL hay at 25%, 50%, and 75% of the diet had 45.3% (P=0.2048), 66.3% (P=0.0134), and 74.5% (P=0.0077) lower FEC than control animals (75% BG hay) after 21 days. The 50% and 75% SL goats had 84.6% (P=0.0625) and 91.9% (P=0.0340) lower FEC than controls by day 42. The 75% SL-fed goats tended to have higher (P=0.0624) PCV and had fewer (P=0.035) abomasal worms than control animals, while PCV and adult worm numbers of the 50% and 25% SL goats were not different from controls. The optimum level of SL hay in the diet for reducing worm numbers of small ruminants appears to be 75%, whereas 50-75% SL reduces FEC, which could lead to reduced larval infection on pasture.

The effects of feeding sericea lespedeza hay on growth rate of goats naturally infected with gastrointestinal nematodes

Goat production is increasing in the United States due to high ethnic demand, but infection with gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasites is a major constraint to the industry. Increasing GIN resistance to chemical anthelmintics worldwide has led to the development of alternative control strategies, including use of forages containing condensed tannins (CT). An experiment was designed using infected and dewormed male kids (Kiko x Spanish, 6 mo old, 18.9 +/- 3.25 kg) fed diets containing 25% concentrate and either 75% sericea lespedeza [SL; Lespedeza cuneata (Dum-Cours.) G. Don], a high CT forage (87 to 181 g of CT/kg), or 75% bermudagrass [BG; Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] hay (n = 10/treatment). The kids were weighed every 14 d, and fecal and blood samples were taken weekly for fecal egg counts and packed cell volume determination, respectively. Fecal cultures were processed every 14 d to determine CT effect on larval development. At slaughter, adult GIN were collected from the abomasum and small intestines for counting and speciation. Blood samples were also analyzed for plasma urea-N, and ruminal VFA and pH were determined. The infected SL-fed kids had consistently lower (P < 0.05) fecal egg counts than the infected BG goats throughout the trial and greater (P < 0.05) packed cell volume beginning by d 77. Average daily gain was greater (P < 0.001) in kids fed SL- than BG-based diets, regardless of infection status (104.3 +/- 5.0 and 75.5 +/- 4.8 g/d, respectively). Total VFA and acetate concentrations were greater (P < 0.001) in the BG- than in SL-fed goats, whereas propionate levels were unaffected by diet. Acetate:propionate ratio (P = 0.01) and plasma urea-N (P = 0.03) levels were greater in BG-fed goats, whereas rumen pH was greater (P < 0.001) in the SL-fed goats. Feeding SL hay can reduce GIN infection levels and increase performance of goats compared with BG hay.

Flavor compounds and quality parameters of chevon as influenced by sericea lespedeza hay.

This research assessed the utilization of sericea lespedeza (SL, Lespedeza cuneata ) hay, a highly condensed tannin (CT) forage (87-181 g CT/kg), as a dietary regimen of meat goats, and thereby the effects on physicochemical properties of goat meat (chevon) and flavor compounds in cooked chevon chops were evaluated. Although it is commonly believed that higher amounts of CT can have deleterious effects on animal performance due to low digestibility and low voluntary intakes in ruminants, feeding meat goats with SL hay increased the body weight compared to goats fed bermudagrass hay without altering the chemical composition and meat quality of chevon. Feeding SL hay to meat goats also did not significantly influence the flavor volatiles in cooked chevon chops. The findings indicate that SL hay can be used as a low-input forage to replace expensive forages.

Curing properties of sodium nitrite in restructured goat meat (chevon) jerky

ABSTRACT Known curing impacts on goat meat (chevon) is limited due to the low production and consumption of chevon products in the United States. This study, therefore, assessed sodium nitrite influences on the quality parameters of restructured chevon jerky and its stability. Inclusion of NaNO2 increased (p < 0.01) the redness of chevon jerky (14.2 versus 8.17); however, the redness was decreased (p < 0.01) over a 30 d storage period. The texture properties and microbial counts of jerky were not influenced by NaNO2. However, the total microbial counts increased (1.84 to 6.00 ± 0.468 log CFU/g; p < 0.01) with storage time in chevon jerky whether or not nitrite was included. Inclusion of NaNO2 decreased (p < 0.05) thiobarbituric acid reactive substances values (4.26 versus 4.81 mg MDA/kg), which did not change during storage. Among 28 isolated fatty acids from chevon jerky, palmitic (C16:0), stearic (C18:0), oleic (C18:1n9), and linoleic (C18:2n6) acids were the major four fatty acids. Of the 21 positively identified volatile compounds, six terpenes (α-pinene, β-pinene, β-phellandrene, carene, limonene, and cubebene), octanone and nonanal were the most abundant compounds. Neither processing treatment nor storage time significantly influenced the concentration of individual fatty acids and volatile compounds. Cured jerky had higher (p < 0.05) sensory color and flavor scores compared to uncured jerky. Results indicated that inclusion of NaNO2 might improve color and sensory properties, as well as control the lipid oxidation of chevon jerky. However, the reduction of lipid oxidation in jerky was not revealed in product fatty acid or volatile flavor compounds.

Efficacy of low-voltage AC for inactivating surface adherent Escherichia coli O157:H7 on beef

Experiments were conducted using low-voltage alternating current (AC) to inactivate surface adherent Escherichia coli O157:H7 on beef samples. Beef samples (25 × 25 × 25 mm) were inoculated with E. coli and placed in sodium chloride solution which served as an electrolyte. Electrical current (AC) was applied to the beef samples. Frequencies of 1, 10, and 100 kHz and current intensities of 300 mA (15 mA/cm 2 ), 600 mA (30 mA/cm 2 ), and 900 mA (45 mA/cm 2 ) at treatment durations of 2, 8, and 16 min were investigated. A 2.15 log 10 reduction was achieved using a 16 min treatment time with 900 mA (45 mA/cm 2 ) current intensity and 1 kHz frequency.

Tenderness and flavor of leg cuts from meat goats influenced by calcium chloride injection

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to assess the potential of improving tenderness of chevon using calcium chloride (CaCl2) injection and its effect on the palatability characteristics of chevon. Primal leg cuts from meat goats were allotted to one of four treatments: either no injection (control) or injection with water, CaCl2 (food grade, 2.2% w/v), or CaCl2 plus a spice mix. The CaCl2 injection improved tenderness of goat leg cuts, proven by Warner–Bratzler shear force values and sensory panels. Furthermore, panelists were not able to detect off-flavor problems associated with CaCl2 injection. When CaCl2 was injected into goat leg cuts with the beef spice mixture, it resulted in a more desirable flavor. Calcium injection did not influence flavor volatile compounds in cooked chevon leg cuts. The results indicate that CaCl2 plus spice mix injection can be applied to improve tenderness of goat meat without detrimental effects on other sensory characteristics.