Soluble phenolic compounds of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.): Potential effects on animal performance, and challenges in determining profiles and concentrations

The impact of replacing corn with elephant grass (Pennisetum purpureum) on growth performance, serum parameters, carcass traits, and nutrient digestibility in geese

This study investigated the effects of partially replacing corn with elephant grass dry matter (air drass) on growth performance, serum parameters, carcass traits, and nutrient digestibility in geese. A total of 360 one-day-old Hortobágyi geese were randomly divided into three groups: control (basic diet), 12 % elephant grass, and 24 % elephant grass. The geese were raised for 70 days. The results showed that compared to the control, 12 % elephant grass had no adverse effects on final body weight, feed/gain ratio, mortality, serum liver and kidney function markers. However, 24 % elephant grass significantly reduced the final body weight (P < 0.001) and feed/gain ratio (P = 0.026) compared to the control group. Both experiment groups had decreased serum aspartate aminotransferase (P < 0.001), alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.001), alkaline phosphatase (P < 0.001), triglycerides (P < 0.001), and total cholesterol (P < 0.001). The addition of 12 % and 24 % elephant grass reduced abdominal fat (P = 0.002), but it had no significant effect on slaughter rate, half-bore rate, full-bore rate, breast muscle rate and leg muscle rate. For nutrient digestibility, 12 % elephant grass improved neutral detergent fiber digestibility compared to the control group (P = 0.026). The 24 % grass group had reduced Ca absorption (P = 0.020). Overall, the findings suggest that partially replacing corn with 12 % elephant grass in goose diet can maintain growth performance and carcass traits.It also has no negative effect on nutrient digestibility while improving serum parameters.

New Breakfast Cereal Developed with Sprouted Whole Ryegrass Flour: Evaluation of Technological and Nutritional Parameters

Ryegrass is one such cereal that has been underutilized in human nutrition despite its high nutritional and functional value due to the presence of phytochemicals and dietary fibers. Exploiting ryegrass for human consumption is an exciting option, especially for countries that do not produce wheat, as it is easily adaptable and overgrows, making it economically viable. This study evaluated the nutritional content of γ-aminobutyric acid and bioactive compounds (total soluble phenolic compounds) and the physicochemical and technological properties of partially substituting maize flour (MF) with sprouted whole ryegrass flour (SR) in developing extrusion-cooked breakfast cereals. A completely randomized design with substitutions ranging from 0 to 20% of MF with SR was employed as the experimental strategy (p < 0.05). Partial incorporation of SR increased the content of γ-aminobutyric acid and total soluble phenolic compounds. Using sprouted grains can adversely affect the technological quality of extruded foods, mainly due to the activation of the amylolytic enzymes. Still, ryegrass, with its high dietary fiber and low lipid content, mitigates these negative effects. Consequently, breakfast cereals containing 4 and 8% SR exhibited better physicochemical properties when compared to SR12, SR16, SR20, and USR10, presenting reduced hardness and increased crispness, and were similar to SR0. These results are promising for ryegrass and suggest that combining the age-old sprouting process with extrusion can enhance the nutritional quality and bioactive compound content of cereal-based breakfast products while maintaining some technological parameters, especially crispiness, expansion index, water solubility index, and firmness, which are considered satisfactory.

Allelopathic Effect of Aqueous Extracts of Grass Genotypes on Eruca Sativa L

The aim of the current research is to evaluate the allelopathic activity of fifty grass genotypes from different species and to identify phenolic compounds in the genotypes that have the highest allelopathic activity and inhibitory effect on Eruca sativa L. (Rocket). Aqueous extract was prepared from the leaves of grass genotypes in different concentrations and its effect on germination and growth of E. sativa L. was measured. According to the results, the type of genotype and the concentration of the extract significantly decreased the percentage of germination, hypocotyl length, radicle length, and dry weight of E. sativa L. seedlings. Increasing the concentration of the extract resulted in a decrease in germination and growth of seedlings. The genotypes of Festulolium (Festulolium) (GR 5009, GR 1692, GR 5004) had the most inhibitory effect on the growth of E. sativa L. Also, among the genotypes studied, two genotypes (DG-M) and (DG-P) of Dactylis glomerata L. (orchardgrass) species showed the least allelopathic activity. The results of HPLC-MS indicated nine phenolic compounds including caffeic acid, syringic acid, vanillic acid, p-coumaric acid, ferulic acid, apigenin acid, chlorogenic acid, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid, and gallic acid. The phenolic compound most present in the aqueous extract was caffeic acid. However, phenolic compounds derived from Festulolium genotypes showed the greatest allelopathic action on the growth parameters of E. sativa L. The aqueous extracts of the Festulolium genotypes can be considered valid systems of sustainable weed control thanks to the phytocomplex rich in phenols.

Preliminary Investigation of Mixed Orchard Hays on the Meat Quality, Fatty Acid Profile, and Gastrointestinal Microbiota in Goat Kids

This preliminary investigation was designed to study the effects of different mixed orchard hays on meat quality, fatty acids, amino acids, rumen intestinal microflora, and the relationship between rumen bacteria and fatty acids in the longissimus dorsi muscle of Saanen dairy goats. In this preliminary investigation, goats were separately fed crop straws (corn and wheat straws) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) (CK group), alfalfa + oats (Avena sativa L.) (group I), alfalfa + perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) (group II), and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth.) + perennial ryegrass (group III). There were differences in shear force and cooking loss between treatments. The contents of saturated fatty acids (SFAs) C14:0, C16:0, and C18:0 in the CK group were significantly higher than those in other three groups (p < 0.001). The 16S rDNA sequencing results showed that the relative abundance of Proteobacteria in group II were higher than those in other three groups (p < 0.05). Association analysis showed that Prevotella_1 was negatively correlated with C18:0 and significantly positively correlated with C16:1, while Clostridium and Romboutsia showed a positive correlation with monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Therefore, feeding mixed hays can increase beneficial fatty acids and the percentages of associated bacteria in rumen and intestines.

Condensed Tannins in White Clover (Trifolium repens) Foliar Tissues Expressing the Transcription Factor TaMYB14-1 Bind to Forage Protein and Reduce Ammonia and Methane Emissions in vitro

Grazing ruminants contribute to global climate change through enteric methane and nitrous oxide emissions. However, animal consumption of the plant polyphenolics, proanthocyanidins, or condensed tannins (CTs) can decrease both methane emissions and urine nitrogen levels, leading to reduced nitrous oxide emissions, and concomitantly increase animal health and production. CTs are largely absent in the foliage of important temperate pasture legumes, such as white clover (Trifolium repens), but found in flowers and seed coats. Attempts at enhancing levels of CT expression in white clover leaves by mutagenesis and breeding have not been successful. However, the transformation of white clover with the TaMYB14-1 transcription factor from Trifolium arvense has resulted in the production of CTs in leaves up to 1.2% of dry matter (DM). In this study, two generations of breeding elevated foliar CTs to >2% of DM. The CTs consisted predominantly of prodelphinidins (PD, 75-93%) and procyanidins (PC, 17-25%) and had a mean degree of polymerization (mDP) of approximately 10 flavan-3-ol subunits. In vitro studies showed that foliar CTs were bound to bovine serum albumin and white clover proteins at pH 6.5 and were released at pH 2.-2.5. Using rumen in vitro assays, white clover leaves containing soluble CTs of 1.6-2.4% of DM significantly reduced methane production by 19% (p ≤0.01) and ammonia production by 60% (p ≤ 0.01) relative to non-transformed wild type (WT) controls after 6 h of incubation. These results provide valuable information for further studies using CT expressing white clover leaves for bloat prevention and reduced greenhouse gas emissions in vivo.

Varied diets: implications for lamb performance, rumen characteristics, total antioxidant status, and welfare

Intensive pastoral systems have moved away from diverse and varied diets towards overly simple monotonous diets. Feed choice through time is an obsolete way of providing forage to animals, as intensive management schemes generally allocate a single herbage or a dyad mixed sward. Monotonous feeding regimes impose nutritional repetition, which may impair animal performance and welfare. The objective of this experiment was to determine the impact of a diverse diet [DIV; free choice from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) at all times], a varied diet [VAR; choice from ryegrass and plantain in the AM (0700-1600 h), and chicory and alfalfa in PM (1600-0700 h)], and a single forage diet of alfalfa [SFA; alfalfa at all times], on DMI, performance, and welfare of lambs. Six-month-old Coopworth ram lambs (n = 21) were offered their respective fresh-forage treatment (n = 7) diet indoors for 20 d. The DIV lambs consumed 1.64 ± 0.03 kg DM/d (mean ± SEm), which was 6% more (P < 0.05; 1.54 ± 0.03 kg DM/d) than the SFA and were not different (P > 0.05; 1.59 ± 0.03 kg DM/d) to the VAR lambs. Average daily gain (ADG) of DIV (296 g/d) and VAR (378 g/d) was 30% and 67% greater (P < 0.05) than that in the SFA lambs (227 g/d), respectively. The VAR lambs had 28% greater (P < 0.05) ADG than the DIV lambs. Differences among treatments were detected (P < 0.05) for the proportion of the day spent conducting the following behaviors: eating, ruminating, idling, lying, and standing. In addition, the number of bouts of stereotypic behaviors recorded from the SFA lambs (13.2 ± 2.2) was 150% greater (P < 0.05) than the DIV (5.1 ± 1.0) and VAR (5.5 ± 1.0) lambs. Our results suggest that the varied diet offered can improve animal performance and welfare compared to a monotonous SFA diet. Feeding management to provide a varied diet can improve performance relative to giving lambs free choice from taxonomically diverse forage options. Moreover, performance is affected by more than the primary chemical composition of the diet consumed, but how the diet is presented through time and the herbage species and quantities of each that are consumed to reach that chemical composition.