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Dardabou L, Martínez Ávila JC, Schmidt MW, Dublecz K, Schwarz C, Ibáñez MA, Gierus M. Near-Infrared (NIR) Spectroscopy as an Alternative for Predicting n-Alkane Concentration in Excreta of Laying Hens: NIR-Generated Data for Dietary Composition Estimation. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:806. [PMID: 38473191 DOI: 10.3390/ani14050806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2024] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
N-alkanes offer a promising approach for assessing the nutritional contribution of external sources to the diets of laying hens in free-range production systems. However, traditional laboratory methods, involving extraction, purification and gas chromatographic analysis, are both economically burdensome and time-consuming. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is emerging as a viable alternative, with varying degrees of accuracy depending on the chemical nature and concentration of the component of interest. In our research, we focus on the accuracy of NIRS in predicting the concentrations of n-alkanes (C25-C33) in excreta under simulated free-range conditions with two different diets: one containing a commercial feed with minimal n-alkane content and another containing 1% alfalfa on top of the commercial feed. Spectra processing and calibration were tailored for each n-alkane, with NIRS performance influenced by diet type. Notably, plant predictions using NIR-generated data were consistent with laboratory results, despite a slight tendency toward overestimation (3.40% using the NIRS-generated C25-C29-C33 combination versus 2.80% using laboratory analysis). This indicates the potential of NIRS as an efficient tool to assess n-alkanes in excreta of laying hens and, consequently, the nutritional contribution of the free-range environment, providing rapid and cost-effective results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laid Dardabou
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Livestock Products, and Nutrition Physiology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - José Carlos Martínez Ávila
- Departamento de Economía Agraria, Estadística y Gestión de Empresas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Markus Werner Schmidt
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Livestock Products, and Nutrition Physiology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Károly Dublecz
- Institute of Physiology and Nutrition, Georgikon Campus, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences, 8360 Keszthely, Hungary
| | - Christiane Schwarz
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Livestock Products, and Nutrition Physiology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria
| | - Miguel Angel Ibáñez
- Departamento de Economía Agraria, Estadística y Gestión de Empresas, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
| | - Martin Gierus
- Institute of Animal Nutrition, Livestock Products, and Nutrition Physiology, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, 1190 Vienna, Austria
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Shabier A, Jordan G, Buerkert A, Zhang X, Schlecht E. Seasonal Variations in Voluntary Intake and ApparentDigestibility of Forages by Goats in the Chinese Altai Mountains. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12131652. [PMID: 35804551 PMCID: PMC9264921 DOI: 10.3390/ani12131652] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Forage availability and quality directly impact animal performance, ultimately affecting productivity and health. This study aimed to understand the interaction between qualitative and quantitative vegetation availability and feed intake of goats on alpine pastures in the Chinese Altai Mountains. The daily grazing routes of three goats from a local herding family were monitored with GPS devices set at a logging rate of 64 s during spring and the early and late summer season in 2013 and 2014. The quantity and quality of vegetation along their grazing routes was determined, and the amount of feces excreted was measured in a total of five goats per season for the indirect determination of the animals’ feed intake. The grazing routes were longer in spring than in summer, leading to larger grazing areas visited in spring. Vegetation on offer ranged from 980 to 2400 kg dry mass per hectare and was similar in the spring and summer seasons but higher in 2013 than in 2014. Feed consumption of forage and nutrients did not significantly differ between seasons and years, respectively, suggesting that the goats’ nutrient intake was not restricted by interannual variability of forage on offer. Regular monitoring of animal numbers and of vegetation quantity and quality on the mountain rangelands can help responsible government agencies to estimate forage offtake of small ruminants in order to timely adjust grazing pressure in the study region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alimu Shabier
- Rangeland Research Institute, Xinjiang Academy of Animal Science, Urumqi 830011, China;
| | - Greta Jordan
- Organic Plant Production and Agroecosystems Research in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Kassel, Steinstrasse 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany; (G.J.); (A.B.)
| | - Andreas Buerkert
- Organic Plant Production and Agroecosystems Research in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Kassel, Steinstrasse 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany; (G.J.); (A.B.)
| | - Ximing Zhang
- Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China;
| | - Eva Schlecht
- Section Animal Husbandry in the Tropics and Subtropics, University of Kassel and University of Göttingen, Steinstrasse 19, 37213 Witzenhausen, Germany
- Correspondence:
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Moran L, Vivanco C, Lorenzo JM, Barron LJR, Aldai N. Characterization of volatile compounds of cooked wild Iberian red deer meat extracted with solid phase microextraction and analysed by capillary gas chromatography - mass spectrometry. Lebensm Wiss Technol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.lwt.2022.113472] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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4
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Wegi T, Hassen A, Bezabih M, Nurfeta A, Yigrem S, Tolera A. Evaluation of n-alkanes, long-chain alcohols, and carbon stable isotope enrichments of n-alkanes as diet composition markers in free-grazing animals. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/an21497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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5
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Pimentel BS, Negri G, Cordeiro I, Motta LB, Salatino A. Taxonomic significance of the distribution of constituents of leaf cuticular waxes of Croton species (Euphorbiaceae). BIOCHEM SYST ECOL 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bse.2020.104106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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6
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Guo Y, Zhang H, Chen W, Zhang Y. Herbivore-Diet Analysis Based on Illumina MiSeq Sequencing: The Potential Use of an ITS2-Barcoding Approach to Establish Qualitative and Quantitative Predictions of Diet Composition of Mongolian Sheep. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY 2018; 66:9858-9867. [PMID: 30198261 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.8b02814] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
DNA-barcoding approaches to estimate the diet compositions of grazing animals have received significant attention, and particularly when combined with next-generation sequencing, these techniques have substantially improved in recent years. In this study, the identity and species composition of plant material ingested by Mongolian sheep were estimated through the use of 350 bp ITS2 gene sequences of the vegetation found in fecal samples. Four diets were formulated using varying amounts of eight plant species that are common in the grasslands of northern China. Sixteen Mongolian sheep were taken from pastures and randomly assigned to four groups, and each group received one of four diets. Each sheep was randomly assigned to one of 16 confinement pens and fed its respective diet for 12 consecutive days. Fecal samples were removed from each pen from days 7-12, preserved, and composited for each pen. All herbage species included in the daily diets were detected in each fecal sample, with the exception of Phragmites australis. Moreover, 12 additional different plant species were retrieved from feces of the experimental sheep. The obtained data provided preliminary support for the use of the ITS2 barcode to determine which plants were consumed. Moreover, the proportions of the herbage DNA sequences recovered from sheep feces and those of the herbage masses in the daily diets did not completely match. These results indicate that the non-Gramineae DNA sequences amplified with ITS2 primers (including those of Chenopodium album, Artemisia scoparia, Artemisia tanacetifolia, and Medicago sativa) far exceeded those of the Gramineae species (including Leymus chinensis and Puccinellia distans), which constitute the largest share of the experimental diets. A significant positive correlation (Spearman's ρ = 0.376, P = 0.003) between the actual herbage mass proportions in the experimental diets and the herbage-DNA-sequence proportions provided sufficiently favorable support for the further investigation of DNA barcoding for the quantification of plants in feces. A significant regression coefficient was found between the relative DNA-sequence proportions of L. chinensis ( R2 = 0.82, P < 0.0001), P. distans ( R2 = 0.64, P = 0.0017), and C. album ( R2 = 0.98, P < 0.0001) and their respective herbage mass proportions. The quantitative relationship can be expressed by the linear-regression equations y = 0.90 x - 0.22, y = 0.98 x - 0.03, and y = 5.00 x - 0.25, respectively. Thus, these results demonstrate that dietary-DNA-barcoding methods exhibited potential in providing valuable quantitative information regarding food-item components. However, it should be noted that this explorative data needs to be further improved by using additional genes and by creating a sophisticated reference database, thus enhancing both quality and accuracy of the obtained results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanping Guo
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture; Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology , China Agricultural University , Beijing 100193 , China
| | - Hao Zhang
- College of Grassland Science , Gansu Agricultural University , Lanzhou 730070 , Gansu , China
| | - Wenqing Chen
- Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology , Northwest A&F University , Yangling 712100 , Shaanxi , China
| | - Yingjun Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Grassland Management and Utilization, Ministry of Agriculture; Department of Grassland Science, College of Animal Science and Technology , China Agricultural University , Beijing 100193 , China
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Effect of finishing diet and duration on the sensory quality and volatile profile of lamb meat. Food Res Int 2018; 115:54-64. [PMID: 30599976 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodres.2018.07.063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2018] [Revised: 07/06/2018] [Accepted: 07/31/2018] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Animal production factors can affect the sensory quality of lamb meat. The study investigated the effect of diet composition and duration of consumption on the proximate analysis, volatile profile and sensory quality of lamb meat. Ninety-nine male Texel × Scottish Blackface lambs were raised at pasture for 10 months before being assigned in groups of 11 to one of the following treatments: 100% Silage (S) for 36 (S36), 54 (S54) or 72 (S72) days; 50% Silage - 50% Concentrate (SC) for 36 (SC36), 54 (SC54) or 72 (SC72) days; 100% Concentrate (C) for 36 (C36) or 54 (C54) or 72 (C72) days. A trained sensory panel found Intensity of Lamb Aroma, Dry Aftertaste and Astringent Aftertaste to be higher in meat from lambs on the concentrate diet. Discriminant analysis showed that the volatile profile enabled discrimination of lamb based on dietary treatment but the volatile differences were insufficient to impact highly on sensory quality. Muscle from animals in the S54 group had higher Manure/Faecal Aroma and Woolly Aroma than the SC54 and C54 groups, possibly related to higher levels of indole and skatole. Further research is required to establish if these small differences would influence consumer acceptability.
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Petzel EA, Smart AJ, St-Pierre B, Selman SL, Bailey EA, Beck EE, Walker JA, Wright CL, Held JE, Brake DW. Estimates of diet selection in cattle grazing cornstalk residues by measurement of chemical composition and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy of diet samples collected by ruminal evacuation. J Anim Sci 2018; 96:1914-1928. [PMID: 29518201 PMCID: PMC6140891 DOI: 10.1093/jas/sky089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2017] [Accepted: 03/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Six ruminally cannulated cows (570 ± 73 kg) fed corn residues were placed in a 6 × 6 Latin square to evaluate predictions of diet composition from ruminally collected diet samples. After complete ruminal evacuation, cows were fed 1-kg meals (dry matter [DM]-basis) containing different combinations of cornstalk and leaf and husk (LH) residues in ratios of 0:100, 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, 80:20, and 100:0. Diet samples from each meal were collected by removal of ruminal contents after 1-h and were either unrinsed, hand-rinsed or machine-rinsed to evaluate effects of endogenous compounds on predictions of diet composition. Diet samples were analyzed for neutral (NDF) and acid (ADF) detergent fiber, acid detergent insoluble ash (ADIA), acid detergent lignin (ADL), crude protein (CP), and near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) to calculate diet composition. Rinsing type increased NDF and ADF content and decreased ADIA and CP content of diet samples (P < 0.01). Rinsing tended to increase (P < 0.06) ADL content of diet samples. Differences in concentration between cornstalk and LH residues within each chemical component were standardized by calculating a coefficient of variation (CV). Accuracy and precision of estimates of diet composition were analyzed by regressing predicted diet composition and known diet composition. Predictions of diet composition were improved by increasing differences in concentration of chemical components between cornstalk and LH residues up to a CV of 22.6 ± 5.4%. Predictions of diet composition from unrinsed ADIA and machine-rinsed NIRS had the greatest accuracy (slope = 0.98 and 0.95, respectively) and large coefficients of determination (r2 = 0.86 and 0.74, respectively). Subsequently, a field study (Exp. 2) was performed to evaluate predictions of diet composition in cattle (646 ± 89 kg) grazing corn residue. Five cows were placed in 1 of 10 paddocks and allowed to graze continuously or to strip-graze corn residues. Predictions of diet composition from ADIA, ADL, and NIRS did not differ (P = 0.99), and estimates of cornstalk intake tended to be greater (P = 0.09) in strip-grazed compared to continuously grazed cows. These data indicate that diet composition can be predicted by chemical components or NIRS by ruminal collection of diet samples among cattle grazing corn residues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily A Petzel
- Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
| | - Alexander J Smart
- Department of Natural Resource Management, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
| | - Benoit St-Pierre
- Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
| | | | - Eric A Bailey
- Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
| | - Erin E Beck
- Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
| | - Julie A Walker
- Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
| | - Cody L Wright
- Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
| | - Jeffrey E Held
- Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
| | - Derek W Brake
- Department of Animal Science, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD
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9
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Lewis RM, Jurado NV, Hamilton HC, Volesky JD. Are plant waxes reliable dietary markers for cattle grazing western rangelands?1. J Anim Sci 2016. [DOI: 10.2527/jas.2016-0636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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10
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Coppa M, Farruggia A, Pradel P, Lombardi G, Martin B. An improved grazed class method to estimate species selection and dry matter intake by cows at pasture. ITALIAN JOURNAL OF ANIMAL SCIENCE 2016. [DOI: 10.4081/ijas.2011.e13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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11
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Singh M, Durali T, Cowieson AJ. Use of n-alkanes for determination of Kikuyu grass (Pennisetum clandestinum) intake in free-range broilers. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2016. [DOI: 10.1071/an14778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
N-alkanes, long-chained saturated hydrocarbons occurring in plant cuticles, were used for estimating grass intake in fast-growing, free-range broilers. A total of 1440 as hatched mixed sex Cobb 500 broilers were equally divided between one of four experimental treatments in a 2 by 2 factorial arrangement involving conventional (barn) or free-range (barn and range access) production systems and diets (crude protein: 21%, metabolisable energy: 13 MJ/K) with or without in-feed antibiotic (Zinc Bacitracin: Albac® G 150 antibiotic feed premix, Pfizer Australia Pty Ltd, Sydney, NSW, Australia). Day-old chicks were randomly allocated to 48 pens (12 replicates/treatment) with 30 birds in each pen. Chicks were assigned to treatment diets on Day 1 while free-range access was available to birds from Day 21 onwards. Alkane concentrations in litter were measured and compared with alkane profiles of the intake components (grass, diet pellets and woodchip). Correction for incomplete recovery followed by estimation using a non-negative least square procedure resulted in calculation of total grass intake from the range area. Kikuyu grass consumption was estimated to be 13.5–14.7% of total ‘as-fed’ intake, equating to 6.34–6.78 g of grass per bird per hour of range access in this study. Taking into account grass consumption, this resulted in a significant increase in feed intake by 8.7–8.9% (P < 0.01) and feed conversion ratio from 2.30 to 2.54 points (P < 0.01). It can be concluded that broilers reared under free-range conditions eat a substantial quantity of grass. However, the nutrient profile of grass is not complementary to the formulated ration and its consumption is likely to lead to an array of nutritional changes for the bird, thus affecting performance.
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Li C, Alatengdalai, Xue S, Tajima A, Ishikawa N. Estimation of herbage intake and digestibility of grazing sheep in Zhenglan Banner of Inner Mongolia by using n-alkanes. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015; 1:324-328. [PMID: 29767020 PMCID: PMC5940975 DOI: 10.1016/j.aninu.2015.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2015] [Revised: 10/29/2015] [Accepted: 11/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
To reveal the seasonal dynamics of herbage intake, diet composition and digestibility and clarify the relationship of those with herbage nutrient and botanical composition of grazing sheep in Zhenglan Banner of Inner Mongolia, the n-alkane technique was used to test in sheep grazed during June, August and December. The results showed that the sheep mainly ate Fringed sagebrush, Stipa krylovii and Carex in proportions of 33.5, 17.9 and 21.2%, respectively, in spring. In summer, the sheep consumed cleistogenes, Potentilla tanacetifolia, Thyme, etc; the intake of Fringed sagebrush, Carex and Stipa declined. In winter, Fringed sagebrush accounted for 50.1% of herbage intake, and the intakes of Cleistogenes and Stipa krylovii increased to 15.3 and 18.4%, respectively. Herbage intake by the sheep in spring was 1.8 kg DM/d, and digestibility was 71.4%. Herbage intake and digestibility decreased slightly to 1.7 kg DM/d and 68.4% during the summer, respectively and decreased significantly to 1.2 kg DM/d and 36.4% in winter. There were significant correlations between diet composition and CP content in winter, diet composition and botanical composition in summer. A highly positive correlation between herbage intake and digestibility was observed in grazing sheep.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changqing Li
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan.,Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
| | - Alatengdalai
- Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
| | - Shuyuan Xue
- Inner Mongolia Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Hohhot 010031, China
| | - Atsushi Tajima
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan
| | - Naoto Ishikawa
- Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan
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Cottle DJ. The trials and tribulations of estimating the pasture intake of grazing animals. ANIMAL PRODUCTION SCIENCE 2013. [DOI: 10.1071/an13164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The present paper reviews estimation methods for measuring pasture intake of individual grazing animals, in particular, the use of indigestible plant markers. Natural alkanes and alcohols function essentially as an internal marker and thus accommodate differences in forage digestibility among individuals and those arising from interactions between supplement and forage. An estimate of diet composition partitions total intake into its component plant species. Estimates of diet composition require correction for incomplete faecal marker recovery, where relative recoveries (i.e. the recovery of the alkanes relative to each other) suffice. If estimates of whole-diet digestibility are also wanted, actual faecal alkane recoveries must be used. Using known labelled supplement intakes as a means of estimating the intake of all other diet components avoids the need to dose animals separately with synthetic alkanes. The results, problems and possible workarounds for a commercial system under development to estimate individual animal pasture intakes using known labelled-supplement intakes are outlined. A prototype bin system was trialled and, despite many initial technological problems, it showed enough promise for Sapien Technology to continue to develop the system with Proway Livestock.
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Abstract
N-alkanes are long-chain saturated hydrocarbons occurring in plant cuticles that can be used as chemical markers for estimating the diet composition of herbivores. An important constraint of using n-alkanes to estimate diet composition with currently employed mathematical procedures is that the number of markers must be equal or larger than the number of diet components. This is a considerable limitation when dealing with free-ranging herbivores feeding on complex plant communities. We present a novel approach for the estimation of diet composition using n-alkanes which applies equally to cases where the number of markers is lower, equal or greater than the number of plant species in the diet. The model uses linear programming to estimate the minimum and maximum proportions of each plant in the diet, and avoids the need for grouping species in order to reduce the number of estimated dietary components. We illustrate the model with two data sets of n-alkane content of plants and faeces obtained from a sheep grazing experiment conducted in Australia and a red deer study in Portugal. Our results are consistent with previous studies on those data sets and provide additional information on the proportions of individual species in the diet. Results show that sheep included in the diet high proportions of white clover (from 0.25 to 0.37), and relatively high proportions of grasses (e.g. brome from 0.14 to 0.26) but tended to avoid Lotus spp. (always less than 0.04 of the diet). For red deer we found high proportions of legumes (e.g. Trifolium angustifolium and Vicia sativa reaching maximum proportions of 0.42 and 0.30 of the diet, respectively) with grasses being less important and Cistus ladanifer, a browse, also having relevance (from 0.21 to 0.42 of the diet).
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15
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Evaluation of long-chain alcohols as diet composition markers in goats grazing heathland areas. Animal 2012; 6:683-92. [DOI: 10.1017/s1751731111001881] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
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16
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Bezabih M, Pellikaan W, Hendriks W. Using n-alkanes and their carbon isotope enrichments (δ13C) to estimate the botanical composition of pasture mixes from the Mid Rift Valley grasslands of Ethiopia. Livest Sci 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2011.08.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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17
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Evaluation of n-alkanes and their carbon isotope enrichments (δ13C) as diet composition markers. Animal 2011; 5:57-66. [DOI: 10.1017/s1751731110001515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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18
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Mikolayunas C, Thomas D, Armentano L, Berger Y. Effect of rumen-undegradable protein supplementation and fresh forage composition on nitrogen utilization of dairy ewes. J Dairy Sci 2011; 94:416-25. [DOI: 10.3168/jds.2010-3656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2010] [Accepted: 09/14/2010] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
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Ferreira L, Celaya R, Santos A, Falco V, Guedes C, Rodrigues M, Osoro K. Comparison of long-chain fatty acids and alkanes as markers to estimate diet composition of equines and cattle consuming heathland vegetation species. Livest Sci 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2010.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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20
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Ferreira L, Celaya R, Falco V, Oliván M, Santos A, Guedes C, Rodrigues M, Osoro K. Evaluation of very long-chain fatty acids and n-alkane epicuticular compounds as markers for estimating diet composition of sheep fed heathland vegetation species. Anim Feed Sci Technol 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2010.01.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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21
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Ferreira LMM, Carvalho S, Falco V, Celaya R, García U, Santos AS, Rodrigues MAM, Osoro K. Assessment of very long-chain fatty acids as complementary or alternative natural fecal markers to n-alkanes for estimating diet composition of goats feeding on mixed diets1. J Anim Sci 2009; 87:2732-45. [DOI: 10.2527/jas.2008-1718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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22
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The potential use of long-chain alcohols and fatty acids as diet composition markers: factors influencing faecal recovery rates and diet composition estimates in sheep. Animal 2009; 3:1605-12. [DOI: 10.1017/s1751731109990401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
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Tajbakhsh M, Khalilzadeh MA, Dabiri HA. Volatile Constituents of Lathyrus rotundifoliusWilld. and Trifolium mazanderanicumRech. f. Two Papilionaceae Herbs Growing Wild in Iran. JOURNAL OF ESSENTIAL OIL RESEARCH 2008. [DOI: 10.1080/10412905.2008.9699970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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The use of n-alkanes to estimate diet composition of ruminants grazing on species diverse plant communities — Effect of feeding selectivity on diet composition estimates. Livest Sci 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.livsci.2006.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Dietary selection and ingestive behaviour of fallow deer and sheep grazing on adjacent monocultures of white clover and tall fescue. Small Rumin Res 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2006.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Using n-alkanes and other plant wax components to estimate intake, digestibility and diet composition of grazing/browsing sheep and goats. Small Rumin Res 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.smallrumres.2005.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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Ali H, Mayes R, Hector B, Orskov E. Assessment of n-alkanes, long-chain fatty alcohols and long-chain fatty acids as diet composition markers: The concentrations of these compounds in rangeland species from Sudan. Anim Feed Sci Technol 2005. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2005.02.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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Bugalho MN, Milne JA, Mayes RW, Rego FC. Plant-wax alkanes as seasonal markers of red deer dietary components. CAN J ZOOL 2005. [DOI: 10.1139/z05-031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
n-Alkanes are long-chain hydrocarbons commonly occurring in plant cuticles that can be recovered in herbivore faeces. Differences among plant species in their content of cuticular wax n-alkanes can be exploited to estimate diet composition of herbivores. n-Alkanes have been used mainly in domesticated herbivores feeding on relatively simple diets over short-term periods. Extending the method to wild herbivores feeding on seasonal complex diets is possible provided that n-alkanes act as effective dietary component markers in different seasons. The n-alkane content of browse species and herbage layer and of faeces of red deer (Cervus elaphus L., 1758) males and females in a region with a Mediterranean climate is described. Information on the n-alkane content of plant species was related to that of faeces to estimate the diet composition of red deer. Plant species had distinct n-alkane contents, some of which varied seasonally. The n-alkane content of faeces also varied seasonally and between red deer sexes. Both red deer males and females had relatively high proportion of browse in their diets during summer and of herbage layer in spring, as shown by other studies in Mediterranean environments.
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