M. Grossi

Meat quality of buffalo young bulls fed faba bean as protein source

Sixteen Italian Mediterranean Buffalo young bulls were divided into two groups fed isoprotein and isoenergy diets and only differing for protein source of concentrate: faba bean (FB) vs soybean (SB). Animals were slaughtered at 350 kg BW. Meat from FB group showed significantly lower fat, protein, cholesterol and saturated fatty acids than SB group. Significant differences were also found between the three muscles analysed [Longissimus thoracis (LT), Semitendinosus (ST) and Iliopsoas plus Psoas minor (IP)]. ST showed the most favourable fatty acids profile: lower SFA, higher PUFA, MUFA, ω-3, ω-6, CLA and, consequently, lower values for both atherogenic and thrombogenic indexes. Results showed that faba bean can be used as a protein source alternative to soybean in the diet of young buffalo bulls for the production of high quality meat.

Management of struvite uroliths in dogs

Urolithiasis is a common clinical problem in dogs. Struvite and calcium oxalate are the predominant mineral types in dog urolithiasis. The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of two commercial dry foods formulated for the management of struvite urolithiasis with different anion-cation balance on urinary pH. For the trial, twelve privately owned adult dogs showing struvite urolithiasis were studied. The dogs were randomly divided into two groups (A and B) and fed two dissolving diets for 3 months. The analyses of urine were repeated six times. In both diets, the anion-cation balance was negative ( - 203 and - 192 for diets A and B, respectively). At the first urine analysis, pH values of all the dogs were close to 8.0, and bacteria were present in about 70 % of the samples and thus an antimicrobial was administered for 1 week. Both groups showed a progressive decrease in pH values, and after 2 months, in both cases, the recommended pH values for stone dissolution were achieved. From the sampling at 30 d, group A showed pH values significantly (P < 0.05) lower than group B, probably due to the lower anion-cation balance of diet A. The combination of antimicrobial and dietary therapy allowed the dissolution of struvite uroliths in both groups, even if the utilisation of the diet characterised by the lower anion-cation balance seems to decrease the urinary pH more rapidly. In this case, it seems necessary to interrupt the dietary treatment in order to avoid the risk of other diseases.

In vitro fermentation characteristics of corn and sorghum silages

Abstract Aim of the study was to compare corn and sorghum forages, before and after ensiling, in terms of chemical-nutritional characteristics and fermentation kinetics, to substitute corn silage with sorghum silage. The trial was performed using sorghum (Sorghum vulgare) and corn (Zea mais) incubated in vitro at 39°C for 120 h with buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) rumen fluid. The in vitro gas production technique was used to describe the fermentation kinetics and to estimate the enery value of forages. From chemical composition and in vitro fermentation emerged that for corn the ensiling caused more modification compared to sorghum in terms of loss of soluble fractions.

Aloe arborescens supplementation in cat diet: evaluation of effects by in vitro gas production technique

Abstract The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of Aloe arborescens on organic matter digestibility (OMD), cumulative gas (OMCV) and short chain fatty acids (SCFA) production, using the in vitro gas production technique (IVGPT). Three adult cats were fed with a commercial diet (CP 31.21; EE 16.64% as fed) for 20 days before the collection of their faeces used as inoculum. The same diet, used as substrate, was incubated in vitro supplemented with different amounts (0, 0.7, 1.6 and 3.2%) of lyophilised Aloe arborescens. OMD, OMCV and SCFA significantly decreased with the increase of Aloe addition; an increase of l-lactic acid production was detected, even if pH was within physiological range. A potential prebiotic role of the Aloe arborescens carbohydrates was hypothesised in cats, but it needs further investigations. As a whole, our results show that IVGPT can represent a useful tool for nutritional evaluation of novel ingredient and/or additive also in cats.

Effect of ruminant species (bovine vs buffalo) and source of inoculum (rumen liquor vs faeces) on in vitro fermentation

Abstract The role of inoculum (rumen liquor - RL vs faeces - FA) from cow or buffalo with respect to feed evaluation using in vitro gas systems was estimated in a trial using 8 substrates. The substrate influenced significantly all fermentation characteristics; with each inoculum the substrates were ranked according the same trends for organic matter digestibility (dOM) and cumulative gas volume per gram of OM incubated (OMCV). The animal species affected dOM and OMCV which were significantly higher in buffalo and cow, respectively. Buffalo showed significantly higher values of acetic, propionic, butyric acids and total VFA, while isobutyric, isovaleric and valeric acids were higher in cow. The inocula influenced the fermentation characteristics in both species: while in cow all parameters, except OMCV, were higher with FA than RL, in buffalo dOM, OMCV, acetic and total VFAs were higher with RL. The results confirmed the lower cellulolytic activity of FA micropopulation than RL one. All the data suggest that, while there may be scope for faeces to replace rumen fluid as inoculum for some end-point measures, is not possible to replace cow inocula to buffalo.

Use of mannan oligosaccharides during "post-weaning enteric syndrome" in rabbits: effect on in vivo performance from 35 to 60 days

Abstract Four groups, each consisting of 684 weaned (35 days) hybrid Hyla rabbits were fed ad libitum the same commercial concentrate supplemented, respectively, with antibiotics (AGP group: colistin sulphate 144 mg/kg; tylosin 100m g/kg and oxytetracyclin 1000 mg/kg) or with mannan oligosaccharides (MOS) at 0.5 (group MOS_0.5), 1.0 (group MOS_1.0) and 1.5 g/kg (group MOS_1.5). Up to 60 days, mortality rate was recorded daily. For each group, 64 rabbits were controlled weekly for live weight to calculate daily weight gain (DWG). Feed intake (and, by consequence, feed conversion ratio) was measured, weekly, per group. No differences were observed for live weight during the trial, while DWG showed an alternate trend, in general, significantly lower for AGP group, exclusive of the third week (49-56 days). Exclusive of the first week of the trial feed intake was higher for AGP than the other groups and the feed conversion ratio was more favourable for MOS groups. Mortality rate was significantly higher (34.2%) in AGP groups. The lowest mortality was recorded in MOS_1.0 group (7.75%).

In vitro Fermentation of Structural Carbohydrate-Rich Feeds Using Faecal Inoculum from Pigs

Seven feeds were tested in vitro using faecal inoculum from pigs. Sugar beet pulp, wheat bran, soybean hulls, grapecake, glutamic beet pulp, citrus by-product and fructo-oligosaccharides (FOS) were fermented for 96 h. Cumulative gas production was measured as indicator of the fermentation kinetics. At the end of incubation organic matter disappearance and fermentation end-products (short-chain fatty acids and NH3) were also measured. The gas production profiles were fitted with a multi-phasic model. Significant differences were detected between grapecake and FOS: the very low gas production for the first one was probably due to the high lignin and tannins contents of this by-product, while the higher organic matter cumulative gas volume (OMCV) and organic matter disappearance (OMD) values for FOS were due to the high soluble fibre proportion. Soybean hulls and citrus by-product, showed similar values of degradability and gas production and were characterised by different fermentation profiles. Grapecake showed the lower fermentation, while citrus by-product was characterized high gas and short-chain fatty acids production. These characteristics could be particularly useful to optimize the caecum-colon fermentation in order to obtain a high butyrate acid production.

Milk from cows fed a diet with a high forage:concentrate ratio improves inflammatory state, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial function in rats

Excessive energy intake may evoke complex biochemical processes characterized by inflammation, oxidative stress, and impairment of mitochondrial function that represent the main factors underlying noncommunicable diseases. Because cow milk is widely used for human nutrition and in food industry processing, the nutritional quality of milk is of special interest with respect to human health. In our study, we analyzed milk produced by dairy cows fed a diet characterized by a high forage:concentrate ratio (high forage milk, HFM). In view of the low n-6:n-3 ratio and high content of conjugated linoleic acid of HFM, we studied the effects of this milk on lipid metabolism, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress in a rat model. To this end, we supplemented for 4 wk the diet of male Wistar rats with HFM and with an isocaloric amount (82 kJ, 22 mL/d) of milk obtained from cows fed a diet with low forage:concentrate ratio, and analyzed the metabolic parameters of the animals. Our results indicate that HFM may positively affect lipid metabolism, leptin:adiponectin ratio, inflammation, mitochondrial function, and oxidative stress, providing the first evidence of the beneficial effects of HFM on rat metabolism.

Extruded Linseed in the Diet of Grazing Goats: Effects on Milk Conjugated Linoleic Acid

This research aimed to evaluate the effect of extruded linseed in the diet of grazing goats on milk concentrations of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). Thirty dairy goats were divided into two groups: C, control and L, which received extruded linseed in the concentrate. Milk yield and fat percentage did not differ between groups, whereas group L showed higher (P < 0.05) levels of total CLA and c9t11CLA. The results were affected by sampling month; Indeed, the differences were significant in July when linoleic and linolenic acids in the pasture decreased.