Search Results (8)

Consumers increasingly demand dairy products with improved nutritional quality, particularly regarding their fatty acid (FA) composition, due to recognized implications for human health. This study aimed to evaluate the modification in the composition, FA profile, and sensory profile of cheeses elaborated with ewe milk, through the diet inclusion of crushed sunflower (Helianthus annuus) seeds and sunflower seed silage in corn silage-based diets. The study was conducted with six East-Friesian ewes in a double 3 × 3 Latin square design, including three 21-day periods. Three diets were based on ad libitum corn silage as follows: control (CTRL, without supplementation), sunflower seeds (SFS, supplemented with 86 g/kg crushed sunflower seeds), and sunflower seed silage (SFSS, supplemented with 137 g/kg sunflower seed silage). The composition and FA profile of milk and cheese, and the sensory properties of cheese, together with the sensory profile, were evaluated. Dietary feeding with SFS and SFSS did not affect milk production and milk fat percentage but increased protein percentage. SFS and/or SFSS increased C18:0, C18:1 trans-9, and C18:1 cis-9 compared to CTRL in milk and cheese. Cheeses from SFS ewes showed improved taste and total acceptability, while odor, color, and texture of cheese remained unaffected. Therefore, SFS and SFSS appeared as a viable strategy to increase the contribution of FA with beneficial effects for health in milk and cheeses. Full article

Effective degradation (ED) of crude protein (CP) was estimated in vitro at 0.02, 0.05 and 0.08 h⁻¹ assumed ruminal passage rates for a total of 40 feedstuffs, for which in situ ED was available and used as reference degradation values. For this, the Streptomyces griseus protease test was used. The differences between in vitro CP degradation and the in situ CP degradation values were lowest in legume grains and highest in cereal by-products and barley. The differences between in situ and in vitro ED were expressed using a degradation quotient (degQ), where degQ = (ED_{in vitro} − ED_{in situ})/ED_{in situ}. Among the tested feedstuffs, eight specific clusters were identified according to degQ for the assumed passage rates. The feedstuffs clustered in an unspecific way, i.e., feedstuffs of different nutrient composition, origin or treatment did not necessarily group together. Formaldehyde–treated rapeseed meal, soybean meal, wheat, a treated lupin, sunflower meal and barley could not be assigned to any of the clusters. Groupwise degradation (range of degQ for assumed passage rates are given in brackets) was detected in grass silages (−0.17, −0.11), cereal by-products together with sugar beet pulp (−0.47, −0.35) and partly in legume grains (−0.14, 0.14). The clustering probably based on different specific nutrient composition and matrix effects that influence the solubility of feed protein and limit the performance of the protease. The matrix can be affected by treatment (chemically, thermally or mechanically), changing the chemical and physical structure of the protein within the plant. The S. griseus protease test had reliable sensitivity to reflect differences between native feedstuffs and treatments (thermally or chemically) that were found in situ. The in situ results, however, are mostly underestimated. The clustering results do not allow a clear conclusion on the groupwise or feed-specific use of carbohydrate-degrading enzymes as pre- or co-inoculants as part of the S. griseus protease test and need to be tested for its potential to make this test more conform with in situ data. Full article

Beef contains an array of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) isomers for which positive effects have been reported in animal models of human disease. The objectives were to develop a CLA-enriched beef production system and to assess its quality. Sixty Spring-born heifers were housed in Autumn and offered unwilted grass silage and a barley/soyabean concentrate or wilted grass silage and a concentrate containing sunflower oil and fish oil. In May, both groups were offered either pasture for 22 weeks, restricted pasture and sunflower oil and fish oil for 22 weeks, or pasture for 11 weeks and restricted pasture and sunflower oil and fish oil for the final 11 weeks. The predominant CLA isomer in beef was cis9, trans11 representing on average, 80% total CLA. The modified winter diet followed by supplementation for 22 weeks resulted in beef that had a CLA concentration that was higher, at a comparable intramuscular fatty acid concentration, than previously reported. The lipid and colour stability (over 10 days in modified atmosphere packaging) and sensory characteristics were generally not negatively affected. There were minor effects on the expression of candidate genes involved in lipid metabolism. Consumption of this beef would make a substantial contribution to the quantity of CLA suggested to have a positive effect on consumer health. Full article

Renewable energy is becoming a widely discussed topic in the European Union (EU), due to a desire to reduce the negative effects of fossil fuels on climate change and biodiversity. About 60% of the total renewable energy produced in the EU is derived from biomass. Anaerobic digestion (AD) is an important pathway to convert biomass into biogas and then into bioenergy. Helianthus salicifolius is a perennial plant, whose biomass can serve as a co-substrate in biogas plants. Biomass composition, in addition to the biomethane and biogas potential, were investigated in raw green biomass and silage obtained from Helianthus salicifolius plants grown under different types (mineral and organic) and doses (0, 85, 170 kg N ha⁻¹) of nitrogen fertilization. The biomethane production efficiency from Helianthus salicifolius was recorded for 25 days and found to range on average between 169.4 NL kg⁻¹ VS for raw biomass and 193.2 NL kg⁻¹ VS for silage. It follows from the current study that ensiling increases substrate digestibility and has a positive impact on methane concentration, but the biomethane and biogas production outputs from those substrates did not differ significantly at the end of the process. Full article

The article examines existing methods for assessing the homogeneity of feed mixes in the feed industry and agriculture. As an alternative to existing approaches, the authors offer a low-cost online technology to assess the homogeneity of feed. The feedstuff under study includes feed mixes for cattle or compound feed consisting of naturally-grown feed (green mass of freshly cut grass, haylage, corn silage, etc.) and concentrated components (grain milling, sunflower, and soybean meal). The proposed method based on an RGB camera, a diode lamp, filters, and software is approved by a preliminary study of the physical properties of feed mix components by Specim IQ hyperspectral camera and revealing characteristics of light absorption of each type of components (concentrated/natural origin). The article presents a method of processing a feed mix image fixed by an RGB camera through light filters using Matlab Image Processing Toolbox tools, namely, a Color Thresholder app and Image Region Analyzer app. Full article

Various analytical techniques for detecting mycotoxins have been developed in order to control their concentration in food and feed. Conventional analytical approaches for mycotoxin identification include thin-layer chromatography (TLC), high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and gas chromatography (GC). Rapid methods for mycotoxin analysis are also becoming increasingly relevant. One of the most common rapid methods for determining these compounds is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The current study aimed to compare three available ELISA kits for the detection and quantification of aflatoxins B1, B2, G1, and G2 in spiked feed samples at known quantities. All three ELISA kits were validated and showed good performance with high recovery rates and LOD and LOQ values lower than the MRL. The developed HPLC-FL method was validated for all the compounds determining the accuracy, precision, linearity, decision limit, and detection capability with fairly good results. Unknown feed samples (corn, silage, pellet, barley, wheat, soya, and sunflower) were also tested using the best ELISA kit and HPLC, and the results were compared. Both ELISA and HPLC were proven to be suitable methods for mycotoxin analysis. The analytical technique should be determined primarily by the availability and number of samples. Full article

This study determined production performance, nutrient digestibility, and milk composition of dairy ewes supplemented with crushed sunflower seeds (Helianthus annuus) and sunflower seed silage in corn silage-based diets. Six ewes were grouped in a double 3 × 3 Latin square design with three periods of 21 days. All treatments were based on ad libitum corn silage. Control diet was based on alfalfa hay (333 g/kg DM), sorghum grain (253 g/kg DM), triticale grain (200 g/kg DM), soybean meal (167 g /kg DM), and vitamin and mineral premix (47 g/kg DM). Sunflower seeds (SF) and sunflower seed silage (SFS) treatments consisted of alfalfa hay (333 g/kg DM), sorghum grain (267 g/kg DM), triticale grain (100 g/kg DM), soybean meal (167 g /kg DM), SF or SFS (87 g/kg DM) and vitamin and mineral premix (47 g/kg DM). Compared to control, SF and SFS increased intake and digestibility of fiber components, such as neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF). Body weight, nitrogen balance, milk yield, milk fat yield, milk protein yield, lactose yield and milk urea N were similar between treatments. Overall, results demonstrated that crushed sunflower seeds and ensiled seeds do not change significantly productive parameters of dairy sheep. Full article

The objective of this study was to determine productive performance, milk composition and milk fatty acids (FA) of goats supplemented with sunflower and linseed whole seeds in grass silage-based diets. Nine Alpine goats were grouped in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design (n = 3), that included three 21-d periods. Treatments were based on grass silage offered ad libitum and a concentrate mixture supplemented with either 40 g/d of Megalac-R^® (control), 80 g/d of sunflower seed (SF), or 80 g/d of linseed (LS). Dry matter intake (1292 ± 14.0 g/d) and digestibility (g/kg) of dry matter (640 ± 32.1), organic matter (668 ± 32.4), neutral detergent fiber (628 ± 41.4) and acid detergent fiber (567 ± 60.9) was not affected by treatments (p > 0.05). Treatment did not affect milk fat yield (39.9 ± 1.24 g/d), protein content (4.5 ± 0.03 %) and protein yield (34.7 ± 1.22 g/d). Compared to control, SF and LS, decreased C16:0 (28.2 vs. 23.1 and 22.4 g/100 g), and increased total C18:1 (24.1 vs. 27.6 and 28.4 g/100 g) respectively. Overall, SF and LS resulted an effective strategy for altering the FA composition of goat´s milk towards a healthier profile for humans without deleterious effects on animal performance. Full article