The effects of bentonite on rumen protozoal population and rumen fluid characteristics of sheep fed palm kernel cake

Blood Metabolites and Feed Utilization Efficiency in Thai-Native-Anglo-Nubian Goats Fed a Concentrate Diet Including Yeast Fermented Palm Kernel Cake Instead of Soybean Meal

Feed is the most expensive component in goat production. Hence, lowering it is crucial to increasing producer profitability. The microbial community in rumen is vital for nutritional digestion and absorption in ruminants. Live yeast and yeast-based products generated from the strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae (commercial strain) are actively being used and investigated. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of substituting soybean meal (SBM) in concentrate diets with yeast-fermented palm kernel cake protein (YFPKCP) on dry matter intake, digestibility, blood markers, and nitrogen balance. Five crossbred Thai Native-Anglo-Nubian goats (50% Thai Native goats with 50% Anglo-Nubian goats) weighing an average of 27 ± 2 kg were randomly allocated to one of five diets using a 5 × 5 Latin square design: 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% YFPKCP replacement for SBM. Plicatulum hay (Paspalum plicatulum Michx.) was provided ad libitum. There were no significant differences in dry matter (DM) intake among treatments, but the apparent digestibility of DM, crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), and acid detergent fiber (ADF) were affected (p < 0.05) by including YFPKCP in diets. They also tended to be slightly lower for goats fed the diet containing 100% YFPKCP replacement for SBM compared to other treatments. Ruminal pH, ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N), blood glucose, and packed cell volume were equivalent among treatments. On the other hand, replacement YFPKCP reduced digestibility and N absorption by up to 75% (p < 0.05). Furthermore, there was no difference in total volatile fatty-acid concentration among goats fed YFPKCP as a substitute for SBM. According to the results of this study, the level of YFPKCP in the concentrate replacement of SBM for goats fed plicatulum hay should be 75%.

Effect of SOP “STAR COW” on Enteric Gaseous Emissions and Dairy Cattle Performance

Feed additives have received increasing attention as a viable means to reduce enteric emissions from ruminants, which contribute to total anthropogenic methane (CH4) emissions. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of the commercial feed additive SOP STAR COW (SOP) to reduce enteric emissions from dairy cows and to assess potential impacts on milk production. Twenty cows were blocked by parity and days in milk and randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups (n = 10): supplemented with 8 g/day SOP STAR COW, and an unsupplemented control group. Enteric emissions were measured in individual head chambers over a 12-h period, every 14 days for six weeks. SOP-treated cows over time showed a reduction in CH4 of 20.4% from day 14 to day 42 (p = 0.014), while protein % of the milk was increased (+4.9% from day 0 to day 14 (p = 0.036) and +6.5% from day 0 to day 42 (p = 0.002)). However, kg of milk protein remained similar within the SOP-treated cows over the trial period. The control and SOP-treated cows showed similar results for kg of milk fat and kg of milk protein produced per day. No differences in enteric emissions or milk parameters were detected between the control and SOP-treated cows on respective test days.

Effects of corn supplementation on the antioxidant activity, selected minerals, and gene expression of selenoprotein and metallothionein in serum, liver, and kidney of sheep-fed palm kernel cake: urea-treated rice straw diets

This study aimed to determine influence of corn inclusion on glutathion peroxidase (GPx) activity, selected minerals concentration, and gene expression in sheep-fed palm kernel cake (PKC) and urea-treated rice straw. Twenty-seven of Dorper sheep were divided into three groups and fed a basal diet of (20% rice straw and 80% concentrate) with addition of ground corn at either 0% (T1), 5% (T2), or 10% (T3), respectively. After 120 days feeding trial, all animals were slaughtered and tissue samples of kidney, liver, and muscles were taken for enzyme and mineral analyses. The results showed that Cu concentration in the liver was lower treatment T3 compared to the control and T2. The serum activity of GPx was higher in T2 than in T3 at day 120 of experiment. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations decreased at day 80 in sheep on T3, whereas MDA of liver increased linearly with increasing corn supplementation. The qRT-PCR analyses revealed significant up-regulation of ATP7A and MIa genes in T3, while hepatic Cu/Zn SOD, GPx1, and GPx4 mRNA showed a higher expression in lamb hepatocytes in T3 compared to those on T1. Present study results suggest that feeding PKC as basal diet can increase antioxidant activity, but cause liver dysfunction in sheep. Inclusion corn was found to regulate transcriptional levels of the GPx family and metallothionein genes. These genes may play a role in the antioxidant protection response and reduce incidence of toxicity associated with Cu.