Effects of Dietary Protein Levels on Production Performance, Meat Quality Traits, and Gut Microbiome of Fatting Dezhou Donkeys

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Dear authors

I am pleased to be invited to read this interesting manuscript. please check comments on the attached documents.

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This study aimed to investigate the effects of varying dietary protein levels on growth performance, meat quality traits, amino acid and fatty acid compositions, and hindgut microbiota in Dezhou donkeys. The introduction chapter contains a review of the world literature on the subject of the article. The amount of donkeys used in these studies is relatively small, there is no information about replicates for growth performance, for the remaining characteristics these were individual animals. The research methods used are correct. The discussion is exhaustively correct.

General comments

The research methods used are correct. The Abstract, Materials and Methods, and Results chapters requires additions in some places

No information on the type of building (closed, no runs, no windows?), housing system and type of litter

No information on temperature, relative humidity, the lighting program (length, intensity, color, type)

What scale was used to determine BW, FI

No information on the study of the normal distribution of traits

Other

Please use a small p In italic (p < 0.05) instead of a capital P

When giving the temperature, a space should be used after the number, for example -20 °C instead of -20°C

The Reference chapter must be prepared in accordance with the requirements of Microorganisms journal. please use a "dot" after each abbreviation, position No. 3, 7, 9, 12, 16, 17, 30, 32, 33, 34,46, 53, 59, 63, and 66

 

Detailed comments

L9 please add a phone number to the corresponding author

L13 what age are the donkeys?

L16 MP also - see Table 2

L18-19 no significant differences with the LP group

L20+ no description of the effect of diet on basic chemical composition and serum parameters

Table 1 from page 3

L94, 95 „method” with a lower case letter

L99-102 Is there data for ash percentage and other listed components in the diet in this article?

L151 Please provide calibration plate data

L284 "Shearing" in lower case

L286 no OM description

Table 5 from page 9

In Table 5 L* In italic

a*, lower case In italic instead of current form

b* , lower case In italic instead of current form

L315 no description for C6:0; C15:0; C17:0

L349 Or LP as well?

L526 [64,65] instead of current form

 

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf