Chemical Characterisation and in Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Eight Faba Bean Varieties

Forage:Concentrate Ratio Effects on In Vivo Digestibility and In Vitro Degradability of Horse's Diet

Determination of digestibility represents the first step for the evaluation of the net energy content of feed for livestock animals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vivo digestibility and in vitro degradability of five diets characterized by different forage/concentrate ratios (F:C) in horses. The in vitro degradability was determined by the Gas Production Technique (GPT), using as an inoculum source the feces of the same subjects used for the in vivo test. Five diets consisting of poliphyte hay, straw and grains of barley and oats with a different F:C ratio [90/10 (Diet 1); 78/22 (Diet 2); 68/32 (Diet 3); 60/40 (Diet 4); 50/50 (Diet 5) were formulated and administered in succession, starting with Diet 1. In the in vivo results, no significant differences emerged, despite the different F:C content. In in vitro fermentation, four diets out of the five (2, 3, 4, 5) presented a similar trend of the curve of gas production, showing good activity of the fecal micro population during the first hours of incubation. An important correlation between gas and Volatile Fatty Acid (VFA) were found, suggesting that the processes linked to the micro population deriving from the horse's caecum follow metabolic pathways whose products can be modeled in the same way as for the rumen. The GPT could represent the correct method for studying the nutritional characteristics of feed for horses, using feces as the source of inoculum, even if further investigations must be performed to improve the technique.

Castanea sativa Mill. Leaf: UHPLC-HR MS/MS Analysis and Effects on In Vitro Rumen Fermentation and Methanogenesis

Castanea sativa Mill. (Fagaceae) is a deciduous tree grown for its wood and edible fruits. Chestnut processing produces residues (burs, shells, and leaves) exploitable for their diversity in bioactive compounds in animal nutrition. In fact, plant-specialized metabolites likely act as rumen modifiers. Thus, the recovery of residual plant parts as feed ingredients is an evaluable strategy. In this context, European chestnut leaves from northern Germany have been investigated, proving to be a good source of flavonoids as well as gallo- and ellagitannins. To this purpose, an alcoholic extract was obtained and an untargeted profiling carried out, mainly by means of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HR MS/MS) techniques. To better unravel the polyphenol constituents, fractionation strategies were employed to obtain a lipophilic fraction and a polar one. This latter was highly responsive to total phenolic and flavonoid content analyses, as well as to antiradical (DPPH^● and ABTS^+●) and reducing activity (PFRAP) assays. The effect of the alcoholic extract and its fractions on rumen liquor was also evaluated in vitro in terms of fermentative parameter changes and impact on methanogenesis. The data acquired confirm that chestnut leaf extract and the fractions therefrom promote an increase in total volatile fatty acids, while decreasing acetate/propionate ratio and CH₄ production.

Antioxidants in Animal Nutrition: UHPLC-ESI-QqTOF Analysis and Effects on In Vitro Rumen Fermentation of Oak Leaf Extracts

The genus Quercus supplies a large amount of residual material (e.g., bark, acorns, leaves, wood), the valorization of which can favor a supply of antioxidant polyphenols to be used in the pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, or cosmeceutical sector. The recovery of specialized metabolites could also benefit livestock feeding, so much so that polyphenols have gained attention as rumen fermentation modifiers and for mitigating the oxidative imbalance to which farm animals are subject. In this context, leaves of Quercus robur L. from Northern Germany were of interest and the alcoholic extract obtained underwent an untargeted profiling by means of ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography/high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-HRMS/MS) techniques. As triterpenes and fatty acids occurred, the alcoholic extract fractionation pointed out the obtainment of a polyphenol fraction, broadly constituted by coumaroyl flavonol glycosides and condensed tannins. Total phenol, flavonoid and condensed tannins content assays, as well as antiradical (DPPH^● and ABTS^+●) and reducing activity (PFRAP) were carried out on the alcoholic extract and its fractions. When the effects on rumen liquor was evaluated in vitro in terms of changes in fermentation characteristics, it was observed that oak leaf extract and its fractions promoted an increase in total volatile fatty acids and differently modulated the relative content of each fatty acid.

Amaranthus grain as a new ingredient in diets for dairy cows: productive, qualitative, and in vitro fermentation traits

BACKGROUND

In recent decades, grain amaranths have attracted attention due to their valuable combination of nutritional traits, with higher protein and oil content than conventional cereals. Before they can be proposed as an unconventional ingredient in animal feed, many aspects still need to be investigated from field production to nutritive value. The present research aimed to study the agronomic traits, proximate composition, and digestibility/degradability, fatty acid profile, antioxidant activity, and total phenolic content of two grain amaranth species, Amaranthus cruentus and Amaranthus hypochondriacus (for a total of six accessions), grown in a Mediterranean environment.

RESULTS

Both species showed seed yields comparable to or higher than the traditional cereal crops in the same environment. On the whole, A. cruentus resulted in a higher seed production than A. hypochondriacus. Mexico and Montana accessions, both belonging to A. cruentus, showed the highest yield (3.73 t ha^-1 , on average). Few differences emerged in nutritive value between species and accessions: the Illinois accession of A. cruentus showed the best performance in terms of in vitro degradability and gas production, but not for volatile fatty acid production; the fermentation kinetics was slowest in the Illinois accession and fastest in the Montana accession of A. cruentus and the India accession of A. hypochondriacus.

CONCLUSION

From a health perspective, the Nebraska accession of A. hypochondriacus represents the best accession, with the lowest saturated fatty acid content and the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid content. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Improvement of Rumen Fermentation Efficiency Using Different Energy Sources: In Vitro Comparison between Buffalo and Cow

During haymaking and ensilage, a significant loss of sugars occurs. The addition of a total mixed ratio (TMR) with a liquid feed might provide promptly utilisable energy and recover the nutrients lost during the conservation. Interesting results were already obtained by including liquid feed in a TMR in a dairy cow. However, the possibility to also utilize them in Italian Mediterranean buffalo is not yet supported by data. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro fermentation characteristics and kinetics of different types of liquid feed, utilising bovine and buffalo rumen liquor as inocula. TMR supplemented with 0.025 g of four different liquid feeds was incubated with the TMR as control with buffalo and bovine rumen fluid using in vitro gas production technique. Considering bovine inoculum, all the experimental diets showed lower organic matter degradability and higher volatile fatty acid production than control TMR, while with buffalo rumen liquor, significant differences were observed between experimental and control diets in terms of gas production and fermentation kinetics. The tested liquid feeds can have different fermentation patterns depending on their ingredients and compositions. Supplementing liquid feeds to a standard diet seems to provide a source of energy that improves fermentation. No negative effects were observed on the in vitro fermentation at the dosage utilised.

The Effects of Replacing Soybean Meal with Rapeseed Meal, Cottonseed Cake, and Fava Beans on the Milk Yield and Quality Traits in Milking Ewes

Simple Summary

The substitution of soybean meal in farm animal diets is considered vital for the economic and environmental sustainability of the livestock sector. However, data regarding the effects of a soybean meal replacement on the milk yield and quality traits in dairy sheep are scarce. In our study, two isonitrogenous and isoenergetic diets were used, with soybean meal of a typical ration being replaced by a mixture of rapeseed meal, cottonseed cake, and fava beans. The milk yield and the body condition scores were recorded, and milk samples were analyzed monthly for their fat, protein, lactose, and total solids yields, as well as for somatic cell counts, total bacterial counts, pH, electrical conductivity, and the refractive index. Daily and 100-day fat yields were significantly increased in the group fed the experimental ration and the electrical conductivity was significantly decreased in the same group, while no adverse effects on any of the rest of the studied milk production traits were observed.

Abstract

The replacement of soybean meal (SBM) from intensively reared dairy sheep diets has emerged as a significant challenge for sustainable production. However, the effects of this replacement on milk production have not been sufficiently elucidated. The objective of this study was to prospectively assess the effects of replacing SBM with a mixture of alternative protein sources on the milk yield (MY) and the milk quality traits (MQT) in intensively reared dairy sheep. A total of 112 multiparous, purebred milking ewes of the Chios and Frizarta breeds, from two intensive dairy sheep farms, were involved in the study, postweaning, and were assigned to either the control (CR) or the experimental ration (ER) group. In the ER, 3/4 of the SBM was replaced by a mixture of rapeseed meal, cottonseed cake, and fava beans, producing a ration of a similar nutritional value. MY, MQT, and body condition scores were recorded for each individual ewe monthly for a period of 4 months during lactation. The experimental ration was associated with beneficial effects on daily and 100-day fat yields and on the electrical conductivity of milk as an improved udder health status indicator, with no adverse effects on any of the rest of the studied milk production traits.

Nutritive value of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) as a feedstuff resource in livestock nutrition: A review

The review evaluates faba bean (Vicia faba L.; FB) seeds relative to their nutritional composition, their content of antinutritional factors, and their impact on animal performance. The literature indicates that FB plant is a cool-season, annual grain legume that grows the best in cool and humid conditions. Its seeds are rich in protein, energy, and mineral compounds and have particularly high unsaturated fatty acid levels. However, FB seeds also contain various proportions of antinutritional factors (ANFs) that can interfere with nutrient utilization in nonruminants. The various processing methods are efficient in either reducing or inactivating the ANFs of FB seeds, with extrusion treatment offering the most effective method of improving apparent nutrient and energy digestibility of nonruminants. In vivo studies on ruminants, pigs, poultry, and fishes reveal that FB seeds have the potential to be used as a substitute for soybean meal and/or cereal seeds in livestock diets in order to support milk, meat, and/or egg production.

Roughage to Concentrate Ratio and Saccharomyces cerevisiae Inclusion Could Modulate Feed Digestion and In Vitro Ruminal Fermentation

The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of the roughage-to-concentrate (R:C) ratio and the addition of live yeast (LY) on ruminal fermentation characteristics and methane (CH4) production. The experimental design was randomly allocated according to a completely randomized design in a 4 × 4 factorial arrangement. The first factor was four rations of R:C at 80:20, 60:40, 40:60, and 20:80, and the second factor was an additional four doses of Saccharomyces cerevisiae (live yeast; LY) at 0, 2.0 × 106, 4.0 × 106, and 6.0 × 106 colony-forming unit (cfu), respectively. For the in vitro method, during the incubation, the gas production was noted at 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 18, 24, 48, 72, and 96 h. The rumen solution mixture was collected at 0, 4, 8, 12, and 24 h of incubating after inoculation. Cumulative gas production at 96 h was highest in the R:C ratio, at 20:80, while the addition of LY improves the kinetics and accumulation of gas (p > 0.05). Maximum in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) and in vitro organic matter digestibility (IVOMD) at 24 h after incubation were achieved at the R:C ratio 20:80 and the addition of LY at 6 × 106 cfu, which were greater than the control by 13.7% and 12.4%, respectively. Ruminal pH at 8 h after incubation decreased with an increased proportion of concentrates in the diet, whereas it was lowest when the R:C ratio was at 20:80. Increasing the proportion of a concentrate diet increased total volatile fatty acid (TVFA) and propionic acid (C3), whereas the acetic acid (C2) and C2-to-C3 ratios decreased (p < 0.05). TVFA and C3 increased with the addition of LY at 6 × 106 cfu, which was greater than the control by 11.5% and 17.2%, respectively. No interaction effect was observed between the R:C ratio and LY on the CH4 concentration. The calculated ruminal CH4 production decreased with the increasing proportion of concentrates in the diet, particularly the R:C ratio at 20:80. The CH4 production for LY addition at 6 × 106 cfu was lower than the control treatment by 17.2%. Moreover, the greatest populations of bacteria, protozoa, and fungi at 8 h after incubation were found with the addition of LY at 6 × 106 cfu, which were higher than the control by 19.0%, 20.7%, and 40.4%, respectively. In conclusion, a high ratio of roughage and the concentrate and addition of LY at 6.0 × 106 cfu of the total dietary substrate could improve rumen fermentation, improve feed digestibility, and reduce the CH4 production.