Ichiro Goto

The effects of feeding level and roughage/concentrate ratio on the measurement of protein degradability of two tropical forages in the rumen of goats, using the nylon bag technique

Abstract Experiments were conducted with rumen fistulated goats to measure the effect of level of feeding (50, 100 and 150% of maintenance) and roughage/concentrate ratio on the rumen degradability of protein from the forages green panic ( Panicum maximum Jacq. var. trichoglume Eyles) and phasey bean ( Macroptilium lathyroides (L.) Urb.), using the nylon bag technique. For both forages, a high level of feed intake caused a significant reduction in protein degradability compared with that for a low level of intake. Protein degradability was higher when incubated in the rumen of goats receiving alfalfa haycubes as a sole diet than when the goats received alfalfa haycubes and a concentrate mixture. The decrease in degradability of forage protein was associated with reduction in pH of the rumen fluid. Rumen degradability of the protein of green panic was much lower than that of the phasey bean at an early stage of incubation (6–12 h incubation). There was a high positive correlation between protein degradability and dry matter disappearance in the rumen ( r = 0.996).

Effect of sodium silicate on forage digestion with rumen fluid of goats or cellulase using culture solutions adjusted for pH

A study was made to investigate the effect of 0, 400, 800 and 1200 mg l−1 of soluble silica (SiO2) on organic matter disappearance of forage (Rhodes grass, Chloris gayana) incubated in vitro with rumen fluid or cellulase. Sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) was used as the form of soluble silica. The pH was adjusted to 7.0 and 4.6, respectively, after the addition of sodium silicate and before mixing with either rumen fluid or cellulase. Organic matter disappearance of forage samples was measured after incubating with rumen fluid or cellulase containing the four levels of silica at 39°C for 48 h. Increased levels of silica caused a small decrease in the organic matter disappearance when forage samples were incubated with rumen fluid or cellulase. However, soluble silica had less effect with cellulase than with rumen fluid. It is suggested that soluble silica affected not only the activity of cellulolytic microbes of the rumen, but also the activity of cellulolytic enzymes.

Humectants improve myosin extractability and water activity of raw, cured intermediate moisture meats.

Abstract Glycerol, propylene glycol and sorbitol were incorporated into salt-based intermediate moisture meats manufactured from porcine M. longissimus thoracis and bovine M. biceps femoris by dry curing and air drying at 4°C. Moisture content and water activity (aw) in cured pork were reduced by the addition of propylene glycol and sorbitol. Propylene glycol was more effective than sorbitol in lowering aw. The extractability of myosin heavy chain, used as an index of alteration of myofibrillar protein, decreased in intermediate moisture porcine meats with the addition of salt and was unaffected by sorbitol. However, use of glycerol and propylene glycol in cured and air-dried pork increased the extractability of myosin heavy chain. Whereas intact myofibrils could not be extracted from salt-cured, air-dried beef, myofibrils could be made from air-dried beef cured in the presence of 10% glycol, 5% propylene glycol and 4% sorbitol. Such myofibrils contracted immediately on addition of Mg2+-ATP. In addition, even after storafe for 5 months, including 30 days at 25°C, myosin heavy chain could be extracted from meat cured with this combination of humectants. In comparison with salt curing alone, curing meat with the above three humectants together, plus salt, results in intermediate moisture meats more like fresh meat.Glycerol, propylene glycol and sorbitol were incorporated into salt-based intermediate moisture meats manufactured from porcine M. longissimus thoracis and bovine M. biceps femoris by dry curing and air drying at 4°C. Moisture content and water activity (a(w)) in cured pork were reduced by the addition of propylene glycol and sorbitol. Propylene glycol was more effective than sorbitol in lowering a(w). The extractability of myosin heavy chain, used as an index of alteration of myofibrillar protein, decreased in intermediate moisture porcine meats with the addition of salt and was unaffected by sorbitol. However, use of glycerol and propylene glycol in cured and air-dried pork increased the extractability of myosin heavy chain. Whereas intact myofibrils could not be extracted from salt-cured, air-dried beef, myofibrils could be made from air-dried beef cured in the presence of 10% glycol, 5% propylene glycol and 4% sorbitol. Such myofibrils contracted immediately on addition of Mg(2+)-ATP. In addition, even after storafe for 5 months, including 30 days at 25°C, myosin heavy chain could be extracted from meat cured with this combination of humectants. In comparison with salt curing alone, curing meat with the above three humectants together, plus salt, results in intermediate moisture meats more like fresh meat.

Colour exposure of incubating eggs and colour preference of chicks

Abstract Chicks hatched from eggs incubated in the dark showed a strong tendency to choose red rather than green. Among chicks hatched from the eggs exposed to red illumination throughout the incubation there was a slight increase in the number of red-preferring chicks while in the case of those hatched from eggs exposed to green illumination there was a shift of colour preference from red to green. When the chick embryos were exposed to green light at different stages of development, influence of the light on the shift from red to green preference was observed in the chicks hatched from eggs illuminated after 18 days of incubation.