M. Kreuzer

Cellulose fermentation capacity of the hindgut and nitrogen turnover in the hindgut of sows as evaluated by oral and intracecal supply of purified cellulose.

Adult sows fed a constant amount of a basal diet received purified cellulose either orally at levels of 0 and 475 g/animal.d (Experiment 1) or intracecally at levels of 0, 285, 570 and 855 g/animal.d (Experiment 2). Each experiment consisted of subsequent periods of faeces and urine collection with the animals re-allocated to the treatments each time. With that, a total of 36 observations on each parameter was achieved. The faecal samples were analyzed for the contents of organic matter, cell wall carbohydrates and various nitrogen fractions such as bacterial N and undigested dietary N. Furthermore, N balance, urinary allantoin excretion and plasma urea concentrations were determined. In a preliminary study, the effects of freeze-drying and of shaking of the faecal samples as suspensions with water (in order to release bacteria from fibre) on content and composition of faecal nitrogen had turned out to be reproducible. Cellulose significantly enhanced faecal nitrogen loss whereas N retention was not affected due to the counteraction of urinary N loss. Plasma urea concentration reflected the situation with urinary N. The proportion of undigested dietary N and of water-soluble protein in total faecal N was somewhat increased by cellulose at cost of the bacterial N proportion which accounted for about 72% of total N on average. Urinary allantoin did not respond to the higher bacterial activity in the hindgut in the presence of supplementary cellulose. Cellulose significantly decreased the apparent N digestibility by on average about 3 percentage units per 100 g of supplementary cellulose. True N digestibility was also reduced by cellulose but did not go below 95%. The supplementary cellulose was fermented in the hindgut at similar rates of on average about 60% regardless of the route of administration. The almost 100 g of native cellulose incorporated in the basal diets were lignified by about 20%, and that is why they were fermented at a rate of only about 30%. The rate of fermentation was only slightly decreasing with increasing amounts of supplementary cellulose, and a daily quantity of 564 g (11 g/W0.75) cellulose was fermented on average if the highest level of cellulose was provided. This was within a range exclusively reported for easily-fermentable carbohydrates but was achieved in the case of cellulose only at a consistently higher level of supply. The true efficiency of bacterial protein synthesis was 5.2 g bacterial protein/100 g supplementary cellulose on average. The apparent efficiency was 60% higher averaging 8.4 g bacterial protein/100 g further apparently fermented organic matter.

Age‐ and sex‐dependent variation in the concentration of Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn in different carcass parts and their retention in fattening pigs

The concentrations of Fe, Zn, Cu and Mn were determined in meat, inner organs, blood and residual carcass in a total of 24 barrows and gilts of 60 kg and 100 kg of live weight, respectively. The finisher diet contained 192 ppm Fe, 113 ppm Zn, 18 ppm Cu and 65 ppm Mn with, as calculated, a great proportion originating from the mineral supplement. During growth, the contents of Fe, Cu and Mn were significantly reduced. No sex differences occurred. In the lean meat of the 100 kg pigs, common values accounting for 1.1 mg Fe, 2.8 mg Zn and 0.05 mg Cu per 100 g were analyzed. The manganese concentration of 0.01 mg per 100 g, however, was considerably lower as the corresponding figure from nutrient tables. In the finishing period, the animals retained per animal and day about 18 mg Fe, 15 mg Zn and 0.2 mg Cu. Mn retention was not significantly different from zero. The low utilization rates calculated from these data can be partly explained by the moderately excessive supply in this fattening period. In order to ...

Untersuchungen zur nutritiven Defaunierung des Pansens beim Wiederkäuer

Two promising methods to remove the ciliate protozoa of the stomach of ruminants by simple alterations in the feeding system were examined in vivo with lambs and heifers in the present investigation. The use of pelleted concentrates fed ad libitum and of milk, especially of milk fat (cream), turned out to be effective against protozoa when given after few hours of fasting. Milk led to the defaunation of a great proportion of the animals supplied all at once in an amount of 5-10% of rumen fluid volume. With cream the amount could be lower according to the higher fat content. Defaunation with concentrate was found to be not dangerous only for animals adapted to intensive feeding sufficiently. Additionally, a series of in vitro experiments were carried out to evaluate the reasons for the anti-protozoal effects of these methods. Concentrates rich in starch had toxic effects against protozoa, which mainly derived out of the depression in ruminal pH. The formed lactic acid had further effects irrespective of pH. The addition of crude fibre, especially of cellulose or lignin, reduced or prevented the anti-protozoal effects of concentrate fed ad lib. This was not so with the addition of buffers. With milk the included fat was shown to be responsible for the anti-protozoal effects, while the other main constituents of milk were of no importance.

Allantoinausscheidung von Hammeln bei Variation der Rohprotein- und Energiezufuhr

216 values of urinary allantoin excretion were received from 8 digestibility trials, which included 48 rations with different protein and energy content. Thus relations between allantoin excretion and food intake and ration composition, respectively, could be evaluated. Additionally variations in N balance were measured, since there is a close relation to allantoin metabolism. Fecal N excretion was elevated with increasing energy intake, but varied only slightly with modified N supply. Urinary N excretion and also N retention increased with higher N intake. On the other hand urinary N losses were reduced with increasing energy supply and part of the saved nitrogen was deposed into the body. There was a distinct increase in allantoin excretion with raised protein intake, when N supply ranged generally low. But with a daily supply of crude protein above 60 to 70 g there was no significant further response in allantoin excretion. Allantoin excretion increased linearly with higher energy supply. Several restrictions for conclusions on the extent of microbial protein production in the digestive tract estimated out of measured allantoin values were discussed.

Zum Einfluß von Stärkeart und -menge in der Ration auf scheinbare und wahre Verdaulichkeit des Stickstoffs und auf die N-Bilanz beim Schaf

In a digestibility trial 5 semisynthetic rations were fed in 3 periods to 10 male sheep to examine the effects on N balance, components of faecal nitrogen and N digestibility. The rations contained constant amounts of nitrogen but different contents of cellulose and two different types of starch (untreated and steamflaked). Content and type of starch did not show any noticeable effect neither on excretion of undigested dietary nitrogen nor on true digestibility. There could not be noticed any effects on the apparent N digestibility by changing contents of cellulose or untreated starch. If the rations contained steamflaked corn starch, the animals excreted more faecal nitrogen and therefore showed a lower apparent N digestibility. Especially the water soluble N fraction of the faecal nitrogen was clearly higher. Compensation took place through a lower N excretion with the urine. The reason for increased faecal N excretion may be higher microbial protein synthesis in the rumen. This was accented by the allantoin excretion with the urine.

Response of renal orotic acid and creatinine to treatments affecting metabolic protein supply of ruminants

90 urine samples obtained in three lamb trials and one experiment using adult wethers were analyzed for their contents of orotic acid and creatinine. The average daily excretion of orotic acid accounted for 0.5 mg to 1.5 mg (35 micrograms to 130 micrograms/W0.75) with a high individual variation. Correlation coefficients between orotic acid and other urinary constituents were low indicating an entirely different response to metabolic variations. There was only a weak relationship to live weight, protein retention and rumen fluid traits. Defaunation reduced the orotic acid excretion (significant in the adult wethers) whereas the addition of rumen-protected lysine as well as the use of different dietary carbohydrate sources were without effect. The urinary excretion of creatinine increased with live weight and age from 0.4 g/d in the 20 kg lambs to 1.7 g/d in the adult 53 kg wethers. The correlations with live weight were close whereas the apparently negative correlation with protein retention was not real as could be evaluated by calculation of the partial correlations. There was a close correlation of creatinine with total N, urea and allantoin. Neither defaunation nor rumen-protected lysine and the kind of carbohydrate source had significant effects on creatinine. The use of orotic acid and creatinine as indicators of metabolic disorders were discussed. Easy application in practical diagnosis without quantitative urine collection might be possible by the determination of orotic acid in the milk of cows and of the creatinine/N ratio in urine.

Aminosäurenmuster im Körper und einigen Organen von Broilern bei unterschiedlicher Versorgung mit Tryptophan und neutralen Aminosäuren

Carcasses and organs of 36 broiler chicks originating from an extensive fattening experiment with differing proportions of tryptophan (0.65 and 0.93 g/16 g N) to the neutral amino acids (15.2, 18.3 and 22.0 g/16 g N) in feed were analyzed for amino acid contents. Aside from the whole carcasses, a selected muscle (M. fibularis longus), liver, small intestine, and brain were prepared from the animals and analyzed. The organ weights differed according to the live-weights with the exception of the brain, where no group differences were measured. The patterns of amino acids of carcasses and organs remained nearly constant with differing amino acid supply. The only remarkable effect was the increase of the proportions of proline and hydroxyproline in the carcass protein from 6.4 to 7.4 and from 1.6 to 1.8%, respectively, with the higher tryptophan supply indicating increasing proportions of connective tissue. No relationship between weight gain and collagen content (calculated from hydroxyproline content) could be detected. The frequently supposed antagonism between tryptophan and the neutral amino acids, especially at the border of blood and brain, caused no reduction in tryptophan content of brain with increasing supply of neutral amino acids. There was, however, a significant depression of the development of the animals and the other inner organs.