Enhancing the Quality of Total Mixed Ration Containing Cottonseed or Rapeseed Meal by Optimization of Fermentation Conditions

Effects of replacing soybean meal with enzymolysis-fermentation compound protein feed on growth performance, apparent digestibility of nutrients, carcass traits, and meat quality in growing-finishing pigs

BACKGROUND

Addressing the shortage of high-quality protein resources, this study was conducted to investigate the effects of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with different levels of enzymolysis-fermentation compound protein feed (EFCP) in the diets of growing-finishing pigs, focusing on growth performance, nutrients digestibility, carcass traits, and meat quality.

METHODS

Sixty DLY (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire) pigs with an initial body weight of 42.76 ± 2.05 kg were assigned to 5 dietary treatments in a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial design. These dietary treatments included a corn-soybean meal diet (CON), untreated compound protein feed (UCP) substitution 50% (U50) and 100% SBM (U100) diets, and EFCP substitution 50% (EF50) and 100% SBM (EF100) diets. Each treatment had 6 pens (replicates) with 2 pigs per pen, and the experiment lasted 58 d, divided into phase I (1-28 d) and phase II (29-58 d). Following phase I, only the CON, U50, and EF50 groups were continued for phase II, each with 5 replicate pens. On d 59, a total of 15 pigs (1 pig/pen, 5 pens/treatment) were euthanized.

RESULTS

During phase I, the EF50 group had a higher average daily gain (ADG) in pigs (P < 0.05) compared to the CON group, whereas the U50 group did not have a significant difference. As the substitution ratio of UCP and EFCP increased in phase I, there was a noticeable reduction in the final body weight and ADG (P < 0.05), along with an increase in the feed-to-gain ratio (F/G) (P < 0.05). In phase II, there were no significant differences in growth performance among the treatment groups, but EF50 increased the apparent digestibility of several nutrients (including dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, acid detergent fiber, ash, gross energy) compared to U50. The EF50 group also exhibited significantly higher serum levels of neuropeptide Y and ghrelin compared to the CON and U50 groups (P < 0.05). Moreover, the EF50 group had higher carcass weight and carcass length than those in the CON and U50 groups (P < 0.05), with no significant difference in meat quality.

CONCLUSIONS

The study findings suggest that replacing 50% SBM with EFCP during the growing-finishing period can improve the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and carcass traits of pigs without compromising meat quality. This research offers valuable insights into the modification of unconventional plant protein meals and developing alternatives to SBM.

Impact of fermented feed of soybean hulls and rapeseed cake on immunity, antioxidant capacity, and gut microbiota in Chahua chicken

The present study investigated the effects of replacing part of the basal diet with 2-stage fermented feed (FF) (soybean hulls:rapeseed cake (2:1, m/m)) on the growth performance, immunity, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal health of Chahua chicken. A total of 160 Chahua chickens were randomly divided into 4 groups to receive a control diet or diet with 5%, 10%, or 15% of the basal diet replaced by FF, respectively for 56 d. The results showed that FF significantly improved the average daily gain (ADG) and average daily feed intake (ADFI) of Chahua chickens (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the serum immunoglobulin (Ig) A, glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), and superoxide dismutase (SOD) in Chahua chicken receiving the diet added with 15% FF significantly increased (P < 0.05). Chahua chicken in both the 10% and 15% groups showed increased serum IgG and IgM and decreased malondialdehyde. Serum interleukin-2 and interferon-gamma significantly increased in all FF groups. Compared with the CON group, higher ileal villus height (VH) was found in the 10% FF group. Treatment with FF significantly increased the ileal villus height/crypt depth (VH/CD) ratio, jejunal VH, and jejunal VH/CD ratio while reducing ileal and jejunal CD. The modified gut microbiota composition was observed in the Chahua chicken fed a diet containing FF, in particular, with the increased abundance of Faecalibacterium and Lactobacillus. The abundance of Lactobacillus significantly increased in the 10% and 15% FF groups (all P < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between Lactobacillus and VH (R = 0.38, P = 0.10, Figure 3B), AH/CD ratio (R = 0.63, P = 0.003), and a negative correlation with CD (R = -0.72, P = 0.001). These results indicate that FF improves immunity, antioxidant capacity, and intestinal health and consequently enhances growth performance in Chahua chicken.

Optimizing the Fermentation Conditions of Cudrania tricuspidata Fruit Using Bacillus amyloliquefaciens for Anti-Inflammatory Activity and GC-MS-Based Volatile Component Characteristics

The aim of this study is to optimize the performance conditions used for maximum anti-inflammatory activity and to clarify in vitroanti-inflammatory properties of fermented C. tricuspidata fruit. Based on the single-factor experiment and Box-Behnken design, the optimized fermentation conditions of C. tricuspidata fruit for maximum anti-inflammatory activity were 3.8 d fermentation period, 8.4% (v/w) inoculation concentration, and 29.2°C fermentation temperature. Under optimal conditions, anti-inflammatory activity-based nitric oxide of fermented C. tricuspidata fruit reached 93.9%. Moreover, this study provides a theoretical basis and experimental data containing β-hexosaminidase and reactive oxygen species for the medical use and industrialization of C. tricuspidata fruit fermentation. Interestingly, the results of GC-MS analysis confirmed that fermented C. tricuspidata fruits detect volatile components different from unfermented C. tricuspidata fruits. We suggested that this volatile component may have been involved in the anti-inflammatory reaction, but scientific verification of this is needed later. Therefore, an in-depth study of volatile components detected from fermented C. tricuspidata fruits will need to be conducted later.

Evaluating Fermentation Quality, Aerobic Stability, and Rumen-Degradation (In Situ) Characteristics of Various Protein-Based Total Mixed Rations

The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate changes in fermentation quality, chemical composition, aerobic stability, anti-nutritional factors, and in situ disappearance characteristics of various protein-based total mixed rations. Soybean meal (control, non-fermented), fermented cottonseed meal (F-CSM), and fermented rapeseed meal (F-RSM) group were used to prepare the TMRs with corn, whole-plant corn silage, corn stalks, wheat bran, and premix. The test groups were inoculated at 50% moisture with Bacillus clausii and Saccharomyces cariocanus and stored aerobically for 60 h. The nylon-bag method was used to measure and study the rumen's nutrient degradation. The pH of all TMRs after 48 h of air exposure was below 4.8, whereas that of the F-CSM and control and F-RSM groups increased to 5.0 and >7.0, respectively. After 8 h of aerobic exposure, the temperatures of all groups significantly increased, and 56 h later, they were 2 °C higher than the surrounding air. The lactic acid concentration in the F-CSM and F-RSM groups increased after 12 h of aerobic exposure and then decreased. The acetic acid concentrations in the fermented groups decreased significantly with the increasing air-exposure time. The yeast population of the TMRs increased to more than 8.0 log10 CFU/g before 72 h of air exposure, followed by a decrease in the population (5.0 log10 CFU/g). After fermentation, the free gossypol (FG) concentration in F-CSM decreased by half and did not change significantly during the air-exposure period. Fermentation with probiotics also reduced the F-RSM's glucosinolate concentration, resulting in a more than 50% detoxification rate. Compared with the F-CSM and F-RSM groups, the effective degradation rates of nutrients in the control group were the lowest, and the dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), natural detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) all degraded effectively at rates of 28.4%, 34.5%, 27.8%, and 22.8%, respectively. Fermentation with B. clausii and S. cariocanus could improve the fermentation quality and nutrient composition, decrease the anti-nutritional factor, and increase nutrient degradation of the TMR with cottonseed meal or rapeseed meal as the main protein source, thus achieving detoxification.

Fermented cottonseed and rapeseed meals outperform soybean meal in improving performance, rumen fermentation, and bacterial composition in Hu sheep

Background

This study examined the effects of substituting cottonseed meal (CSM) or rapeseed meal (RSM) for soybean meal (SBM) on Hu sheep performance, rumen fermentation, and bacterial composition. 51 four-month-old indigenous male Hu sheep with starting body weights of 22.51 ± 2.84 kg and similar origins were randomly assigned to three treatments; (1) non-fermented total mixed ration (TMR) with SBM (CK), (2) fermented TMR containing CSM (F-CSM group), and (3) fermented TMR containing RSM (F-RSM group).

Results

The three groups’ intake of dry matter differed significantly (p &lt; 0.05). In terms of average daily gain, the F-RSM group outperformed the CK and F-CSM groups (p &lt; 0.05). The pH of the rumen was substantially lower in the CK group than in the F-CSM and F-RSM groups (p &lt; 0.05), and the F-CSM group had greater amounts of volatile fatty acids (VFA) than the F-RSM and CK groups. In comparison to the CK group, the microbial crude protein yield was significantly higher in the F-CSM and F-RSM groups (p &lt; 0.05). The F-CSM group significantly outperformed the F-RSM group of pepsin and cellulose enzyme activity (p &lt; 0.05). The relative abundance of Bacteroidetes was greater in the CK and F-RSM groups compared to the F-CSM group (p &lt; 0.05). In comparison to the other groups, Firmicutes were less abundant in the CK group (p &lt; 0.05). Prevotella was present in a higher relative abundance in the F-CSM and F-RSM groups than in the CK group (p &lt; 0.05). Prevotella was greater in relative abundance in the F-CSM and F-RSM groups than in the CK group (p &lt; 0.05). The relative abundances of Veillonellaceae_UCG-001 and Lachnospiraceae_XPB1014 correlated with rumen butyric acid content and NH3-N content (p &lt; 0.05). Gene function prediction revealed that replacing SBM with F-CSM or F-RSM in the diet of Hu sheep can promote glycan biosynthesis and metabolism.

Conclusion

The replacement of F-CSM and F-RSM for SBM has an influence on the richness and diversity of rumen bacteria at the phylum and genus levels. Replacement of SBM with F-CSM increased VFA yield and further promoted the performance of Hu sheep.

Mixed-Strain Fermentation Conditions Screening of Polypeptides from Rapeseed Meal and the Microbial Diversity Analysis by High-Throughput Sequencing

Conventional fermentation of rapeseed meal has disadvantages such as sterilization requirement, high energy consumption and low efficiency, as well as poor action of single bacteria. To overcome these drawbacks, mixed-strain fermentation of unsterilized rapeseed meal was investigated. Mixed-fermentation of unsterilized rapeseed meal (ratio of solid–liquid 1:1.2 g/mL) using Bacillus subtilis, Pediococcus acidilactici and Candida tropicalis (at 40 °C, for 3 days, with inoculation amount of 15% (w/w)) substantially increased the polypeptide content in rapeseed meal by 814.5% and decreased the glucosinolate content by 46.20%. The relationship between microbial diversity and physicochemical indicators showed that the improvement in polypeptide content was mainly caused by C. tropicalis (on the first day of fermentation) and B. subtilis (on the second day). Compared to raw rapeseed meal, the microbial diversity following the fermentation was significantly reduced, indicating that mixed-strain fermentation can inhibit the growth of miscellaneous bacteria. The study findings suggest that mixed-strain fermentation could be used to considerably increase the polypeptide content of unsterilized rapeseed meal, increasing the potential of rapeseed meal.

The Yeast Fermentation Effect on Content of Bioactive, Nutritional and Anti-Nutritional Factors in Rapeseed Meal

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in the content of bioactive, nutritional and anti-nutritional factors in rapeseed meal that was fermented with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Saccharomyces boulardii yeasts at two different periods of time, for improvement of nutritional characteristics in piglets’ feeding. The fermentation has reduced the content of two anti-nutritional factors, intact glucosinolates and 3-butyl isothiocyanate, by 51.60–66.04% and 55.21–63.39%, respectively, by fermentation with either Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Saccharomyces boulardii for 24 h. The fermentation by these yeasts also lowered the content of total polyphenolic compounds by 21.58–23.55% and antioxidant activity (DPPH) by 17.03–21.07%. Furthermore, the content of carbohydrates and organic acids has dramatically decreased between 89.20 and 98.35% and between 31.48 and 77.18%, respectively. However, the content of some individual phenolic acids (gallic, p-coumaric, sinapic) and crude protein content (10–13%) has been increased. Thus, the results showed that fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae or Saccharomyces boulardii has reduced the content of antinutritive factors and increased the protein content of the rapeseed meal, without major adverse effects on its overall nutritive value.