جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « volatile fatty acids » در نشریات گروه « علوم دام »

In today's society, where we are facing an increase in the price of food items, it is very important to use agricultural by-products, industrial factories and waste from slaughterhouses and dairy industries in animal husbandry. One of these by-products is the poultry slaughterhouse waste powder, which is obtained during the production and processing of chicken meat. The successful replacement of these wastes with protein sources, including soybean meal, most of which is imported, while creating the correct balance between non-degradable protein and degradable protein in the rumen and a high-quality protein source, will reduce the cost of food rations and improve the economic status of livestock production and prevent environmental pollution. According to the mentioned cases, the aim of this research is the effect of replacing poultry slaughterhouse residue powder with soybean meal on feed consumption and ruminal parameters of Dalagh dairy ewes.

In this experiment, 20 ewes with 3 pregnancies of the Dalagh breed with an average weight of 36±3.7 kg were used in a completely randomized design (CRD) with 4 treatments and 5 replications. The treatments were including: control treatment (diet without poultry slaughterhouse residue powder), second treatment (diet containing 33 Percent replacement), third treatment (diet containing 66 Percent replacement) and fourth treatment (diet containing 100 Percent replacement of poultry slaughterhouse residue powder instead of soybean meal). Animals in each treatment were kept in individual cages for 42 days after ensuring their health. The ewes were weighed weekly and the feed and post-feed of each animal was recorded daily to calculate the dry matter consumption. Sampling of rumen fluid was done on the 42nd day of the experiment. The rumen fluid was taken in the morning before feeding (zero hour) and at three and six hours after feeding by esophageal tube, then the pH value of the rumen fluids was measured immediately after extraction by a mobile digital pH meter. It was calibrated, measured and recorded in the same place. To measure ammonia nitrogen in rumen fluid, samples 3 hours after morning feeding were used. After measuring the pH, the rumen fluid sample was filtered using a 4-layer cloth, and then the resulting sap was diluted with 0.2 normal hydrochloric acid at a ratio of 5 to 1 (five saps to one normal 0.2 HCl) and kept until the day of the experiment. The temperature was kept at -20°C. Broderick and Kang (1980) method was used to determine rumen ammonia nitrogen using a spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 630 nm. Ruminal fluid was sampled to measure the protozoan population on the last day. To count protozoa, the method of Dehority and Males (1984) was used. First, after straining the rumen liquid with a cloth, 4 ml of rumen liquid was poured into a test tube wrapped in foil, then 1 ml of formalin, 5 drops of methylene blue dye (2 grams of methylene blue with 100 ml Distilled water was added to the volume) and finally 3 ml of glycerol was added to the contents of the test tube. Protozoa counting was done by a stereomicroscope and a 40X magnification lens with a neobar slide. Counting was done 4 times for each sample and if there was a big difference between the counted protozoa, the counting was repeated. Finally, the number of protozoa per millimeter of rumen fluid was calculated. To measure volatile fatty acids, 5 ml samples of rumen fluid were prepared and 1 ml of 25% metaphosphoric acid was added to them and kept at -20°C until the experiment. Volatile fatty acids were determined using gas chromatography. The tested rumen enzymes were extracted in different parts of the rumen sap according to the method of Hristov et al. (2001). In order to divide the examined enzymes in the rumen sap into three solid, extracellular and intracellular parts, first the sap (about 50 ml) was filtered by a double layer of cloth and the remaining material on the cloth was considered as a solid part. To separate the protozoan and bacterial parts, the leachate was first centrifuged at 450g for 5 minutes at 37°C. Finally, the results of the experiment were analyzed with the GLM procedure of the SAS statistical program.

The amount of dry matter intake (DMI), the final weight of the ewes and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) were not affected by the experimental treatments. Among the different treatments, no significant difference was observed in terms of pH and protozoa population at three fasting times, three and six hours after feeding. While rumen NH3-N concentration was affected by the experimental treatments in such a way that by increasing the amount of poultry slaughterhouse residue powder in the diet, rumen NH3-N concentration also increased and the highest concentration of ammonia was observed in the treatment of 100 Percent replacement of poultry slaughterhouse residue powder with soybean meal (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in the concentration of acetate, propionate, butyrate, isovalerate, valerate and the ratio of acetate to propionate in the rumen, but the total concentration of VFAs in the rumen was affected by the experimental treatments and with the increase in the amount of poultry slaughterhouse residue powder in the diet, the concentration Total rumen VFAs increased (P<0.05). In terms of activity level of hydrolytic enzymes carboxymethylcellulase and microcrystalline cellulase (avicellase) in cellular, extracellular, solid and total parts, no significant difference was observed among experimental treatments.

In general, the results of this experiment showed that it is possible to completely replace poultry slaughterhouse residue powder with soybean meal without negative effects on feed intake and rumen health.

Rumen fermentation manipulation aims to maximize the feed efficiency and increase the usefulness of rearing ruminants; in simpler words, the goal of rumen manipulation is to increase processes in rumen fermentation that are beneficial for the host animal and to reduce, change, or eliminate inefficient or harmful processes in rumen fermentation. In this regard, trying to use natural products such as medicinal plants has been widely accepted. The desire and demand of consumers to use healthy meat and livestock products has increased the research to search for natural compounds and additives of plant origin that are beneficial for animal health. The positive effects of medicinal plants on the process of microbial fermentation and reduction of greenhouse gases through their active compounds (such as anthole in fennel or thymoquinone in black seed) have been shown. The present study was designed in two experiments to evaluate the effect of different levels of Foeniculum vulgare and Nigella sativa powder on rumen fermentation parameters and protozoa population of Sanjabi sheep by in vitro and in vivo methods.
The present study was designed and carried out in two experiments, in vitro and in vivo. In the first experiment (in vitro), 18 Sanjabi lambs (four to six months of age) with an average weight of 30.8 ± 6.7 kg were randomly divided into three groups with six replicates. Treatments included: control (basal diet without additives), fennel (basal diet plus 20 grams of fennel per kilogram of concentrate), and black seed group (basal diet plus 20 grams of black seed per kilogram of concentrate). In the second experiment (in vitro), 0, 5, 25, and 50 mg of fennel and black seed powder were added to the rumen liquor collected from six Sanjabi lambs (the control group of the first experiment). In both experiments, rumen liquor was taken through the esophageal tube. Gas production, pH, ammonia nitrogen concentration, total volatile fatty acids, in vitro digestibility of organic matter, and protozoa count were measured. In the in vivo experiment, the amount of excrement of sheep was measured by installing nets under the boxes of the animals. Data analysis was done using SAS statistical software. The normality of the counting data (population of protozoa) was first checked by a non-parametric Kolomogorov-Smirnov test and then analysis was done. The experimental design used in this research was completely randomized and for the first experiment, it was repeated measurements in time. Duncan's multiple range test was used to compare the mean of the treatments.
The results of the in vivo experiment showed that the use of fennel and black seed increased the amount of digested organic matter in the rumen significantly compared to the control (P<0.05). In the in vivo experiment, all studied protozoa populations decreased in all treatments (P<0.05). In the in vitro experiment, the addition of fennel caused a significant decrease in gas production (P˂0.0001), organic matter digestibility, and microbial mass at the levels of 25 and 50 mg compared to the control (P<0.05). Ammonia nitrogen concentration at all levels of black seed and the level of 50 mg of fennel had a significant decrease compared to the control (P<0.05). Total protozoa population and Entodinium spp. subfamily was affected by both fennel and black seed treatments in vitro and showed a significant decrease (P˂0.0001). The results of this study showed that black seed and fennel have anti-protozoa properties and can reduce different protozoa populations both in vitro and in vivo. Also, low levels of fennel can improve the fermentation efficiency by increasing the degraded organic matter and reducing gas production. In addition, the results obtained from this research showed that fennel and black seed medicinal plants had the potential to manipulate and change the process of rumen fermentation, and their anti-protozoal effects were evident and significant in both experiments. However, the effects of these plants on the fermentation process in vitro and in vivo did not follow the same process in most of the fermentation parameters, and in vitro results cannot be fully and reliably generalized to the conditions inside the rumen of live sheep.
The levels of fennel and black seed used in this study can reduce different protozoa populations and improve the process of rumen fermentation, although more researches are needed with different levels of these herbs to get more results.

Considering that soybean is mainly used in human nutrition and its meal is mostly used in poultry feed, and also due to the high price of soybean meal and its impact on the cost of each kilogram of feed, using of other protein sources such as camellia meal in the diet of fattening lambs can reduce the need of soybean meal for ruminant animals. Previous studies have shown that camelina meal with a suitable percentage of omega-3, crude protein, crude fat and poly unsaturated fatty acids (alpha-linolenic acid) makes it a suitable feedstuff for livestock, poultry and fish. However, due to the presence of anti-nutritional compounds such as trypsin inhibitor and glucosinolate, the limitations of camellia meal should be taken into consideration when used in the diet of animals. In many experiments, it has been determined that camelina is a plant resistant to harsh weather conditions compared to other oil plants, has a high yield potential, and it has been reported that it is possible to plant it in crop rotation with cereals.  In this study, the possibility of using camelina meal (CM) instead of soybean meal (SBM) in the diet of fattening lambs was investigated.

 Twenty-four male lambs aged four to six months with an average weight of 34.21±2.18 kg in a completely randomized design with four treatments and six replications were used. Animals were placed in the individual cages. Treatments included: 1) control (basal diet containing SBM), 2) basal diet with 33% replacement of SBM with CM, 3) basal diet with 67% replacement of SBM with CM, and 4) basal diet with 100% replacement of SBM with CM. Ruminal fluid was taken by esophageal tube and blood samples were taken from the jugular vein on days 0, 45 and the end of the experiment.

 The final weight and daily weight gain were not affected by the replacement of oil meals, but it caused a decrease in dry matter intake (P˂0.05). Ruminal ammonia nitrogen concentration increased in a way that was significant in 33 and 67% replacement (P<0.05). Volatile fatty acids concentration and pH were not affected by treatments. The total population of protozoa and genus Entodinium decreased with the increase in replacement percentage, and according to the interaction effect of time and treatment, the population increased with the increase in the duration of the experiment (P<0.05). The concentration of blood urea increased with the replacement of meals (P<0.05), although this process was influenced by the interaction of treatment and time. With the complete replacement of meals, the concentrations of blood cholesterol and triglycerides increased (P<0.05). Malondialdehyde in the blood of lambs was not affected by replacing SBM with CM. 

 According to the results, camelina meal can be used instead of soybean meal at a maximum level of 67% in diet of fattening lambs.

Introduction : 

One of the valuable unconventional foods is whey powder, which is a by-product of cheese production. Whey powder is used as an important source of energy and protein in animal nutrition. By reviewing the composition of whey powder based on dry matter and comparing it with the needs of livestock, its nutritional value can be understood. Whey powder as a feedstuff also has properties of a prebiotic; it contains a significant amount of lactose that is not absorbed to a large extent, but is fermented and converted to lactic acid and volatile fatty acids, which may stimulate the establishment of lactobacilli in the small intestine. Whey powder in animal feed, in addition to preventing environmental problems, reduces feed costs and improves yield. Adding whey powder to this juice probably improves and increases the weight of animals fed with whey powder by stimulating the microorganisms of the digestive system and as a result, by better synthesizing the required nutrients and improving the absorption of nutrients from the digestive system. This study was conducted to determine the effect of different levels of whey powder on growth performance, fermentation parameters, ruminal morphology, degradability and microbial protein biosynthesis in fattening Zell lambs.

In the first experiment, ruminal degradability of dry matter and crude protein were measured with nylon bag technique using three fistulated Zell sheep with mean weight of about 40 kg and mean age of about 10 months. In this experiment, nylon bags made of polyester (Dacron) with a pore diameter of 45 ± 5 micrometers and dimensions of 9 ×7 cm were used. Incubation time in rumen consisted of 0, 4, 8, 16, 24, 36, 48, 72 and 96. In the second experiment, the effect of different levels of whey powder on fermentation parameters, ruminal morphology and microbial protein biosynthesis, an experiment in completely randomized design (CRD) with four diets containing zero, 1.5, 3 and 4.5 % whey powder on 24 male lambs with initial mean weight of 24± 2 kg and mean age of 4.5±0.52 months for 90 days was performed. Every day, a certain amount of feed in the form of TMR was weighed for each experimental treatment and was provided to the experimental lambs at 8 am and 5 pm. To determine the daily weight gain of the experimental lambs, weighing was done with a digital metal scale every 14 days until the end of the 90th day of the experiment. Data obtained were analyzed by statistical software SAS (version 1.9). Comparison of experimental treatment means was done using Duncan's multi-range test at a significance level of 0.05.

A significant difference was observed for final weight, dry matter consumption and daily weight gain among the experimental treatments, and the highest values ​​were found in the 4.5% whey powder treatment. Significant differences were observed in pH, ammonia nitrogen, total volatile fatty acids, and acetic acid among the experimental treatments. Specifically, the treatment with 4.5% whey powder exhibited the highest levels of fermentation parameters. Additionally, the 4.5% whey powder treatment showed the highest population of total bacteria at 2 and 4 hours after feeding, as well as the highest protozoa population at 4 hours after feeding. Moreover, the 4.5% whey powder treatment demonstrated the highest thickness, height, and density of villi compared to the other experimental treatments. Furthermore, significant differences were found in the degradability parameters of dry matter and crude protein among the experimental treatments. In particular, the soluble, degradable, and effective rumen degradability in passage rate constant parts exhibited significant differences. The amount of gas produced from the fermentable part also showed a significant difference between the experimental treatments. The control treatment showed the lowest amount of gas produced from the fermentable part, which was significantly lower than the other treatments. However, no significant difference was observed between the experimental treatments in other parameters of gas production.
The highest amount of microbial protein production was observed in the treatment of 3% whey powder.

The consumption of higher levels of whey powder at a maximum of 4.5% in the diet of fattening lambs improved the growth performance and some ruminal indices and decomposability of dry matter and crude protein.

In order to investigate the effect of licorice extract (LE) on growth performance, fermentation parameters, and rumen protozoan population in fattening lambs, 28 male lambs weighing 36.45 ± 1.75 kg in a completely randomized design with four treatments and seven replicates were used. Experimental treatmeشnts included: control, basic diet without licorice extract, and treatments one to three included basic diet plus five, 10 and 25 mg of LE per kilogram of DM. The ratio of forage to concentrate was 30:70, which was given to the animals as per their appetite. Adding 25 mg of the extract to the diet increased the daily gain and improved the feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). The pH of rumen fluid and gas production increased at the level of 25 mg of extract (P<0.05). Methane production was not affected by adding LE to the diet. The changes in metabolizable energy, degraded organic matter and concentration of volatile fatty acids in diets containing 5 and 25 mg of LE were more than other groups (P<0.05). The total population of protozoa as well as the number of Entodinia decreased by feeding diets containing LE (P<0.05) but the number of Isotrichida increased, significantly. Based on the results of this research, adding 25 mg/kg of licorice extract to the diet improves the rumen metabolism and the performance of fattening lambs, but it had no effect on the amount of energy loss in the form of methane.

 The main factors limiting the consumption of low-quality fodder is their low nitrogen. Therefore, it is often difficult to provide sufficient nutrients, especially energy and protein for ruminants, which use these resources. Deficiency of nutrients in low quality forage also affects the supply of nutrients for growth of ruminal microorganisms and leads to a decrease in the ruminal digestion rate of these forages; this in turn reduces the feed intake and performance of the animal. Providing the sufficient nitrogen to ruminal microorganisms is important to increase carbohydrate digestibility and microbial protein production. Therefore, to achieve optimal performance, it is important to provide appropriate nitrogen supplements in areas where a significant portion of the ruminant diet consists of low-quality forage. One of the characteristics of ruminants is the ability to use non-protein nitrogen sources to synthesis of microbial protein in the rumen. Non-protein nitrogen, mainly urea, has been considered as a substitute for part of true protein due to its low price per unit of nitrogen compared to other true protein sources. The problem with using common urea is its rapid hydrolysis in the rumen and its conversion to ammonia. Most ruminal ammonia enters the bloodstream and causes destructive effects, from reduced feed intake and animal function to death from ammonia poisoning. The various slow-release urea compounds are made with the aim of continuously supplying nitrogen in the rumen. However, a part of the slow-release urea compounds may leave rumen without being converted to ammonia, reducing their performance for microbial protein production. Therefore, different sources of slow-release urea may have different effects. Processed or slow-release urea reduces ammonia poisoning and nitrogen wastage by reducing the rate of nitrogen release and improving feed costs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of two sources of slow-release urea and compare them with diets without urea or containing common urea in the fattening lambs fed with low quality forage, to ultimately reduce production costs.

 The present experiment was conducted at Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan. Four experimental treatments were including 1- control treatment (without urea) and three treatments containing three different sources of non-protein nitrogen including 2- 1.8% slow-releasing urea-slowgen 3- 1.69% slow-release urea-optigene 4- 1.6% common urea. Twenty-four male Arabic lambs with (a mean weight of 25.65 ± 0.6 kg and 5± 1.0 months old were assigned to four experimental treatments with six replications. The nutrients digestibility was measured during seven days. The feed orts and feces were daily weighted and about 10% of them were kept in the plastic bags at -20˚C. At the end of this short period, the orts and feces samples were mixed and one representative sample obtained. The samples were oven-dried and grounded using 1 mm mesh screen. The chemical composition of rations, feed orts and feces, including dry matter, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, organic matter, and crude protein were measured with standard methods. The dry matter intake, initial weight, every two weeks weight, final weight was recorded and feed conversion ratio and feed efficiency were calculated. Protozoa population, ammonia nitrogen, and pH of the rumen liquor were measured with standard procedure. The blood glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL), and BUN, were measured by spectrophotometric procedure. The data was analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS (version 9.4). The differences among treatments were evaluated using Duncan’s adjustment (P < 0.05).

 Compared to the control group, the use of slow-release urea sources had no effect on feed intake and digestibility of dry matter, NDF, ADF, and organic matter. Crude protein digestibility was highest in the control treatment and lowest in common urea treatment (P <0.05) and the control was not different from the slowgen treatment. Feed intake tended to increase in treatments containing urea (P = 0.07). Due to urea malnutrition, the use of urea sources may reduce feed intake, but in the present experiment this did not occur and even a slight increase was observed. This may be due to the presence of more molasses in urea-containing treatments; because molasses, due to its palatability, can increase the dry matter consumption of livestock. The growth performance of lambs in the whole period including final weight, average daily weight gain, total gain, feed conversion ratio, and feed efficiency were not affected by experimental treatments. The experimental treatments had no significant effect on the concentration of ruminal ammonia nitrogen, volatile fatty acids, protozoa population, pH, and blood parameters such as glucose and urea nitrogen. The diets containing common urea and slowgen had better benefits than control diets. In general, the findings of the present experiment showed that the results of treatments containing non-protein nitrogen sources were competitive with protein sources (control diet). In addition, there was no obvious difference between two sources of slow-release urea with each other, control, and common urea diets; but the slowgen worked better.

 Finally, according to the results of the present experiment, related to the concentration of ruminal parameters in the present experiment, it can be concluded that the use of non-protein nitrogen compounds such as normal urea or slow-release as a substitute for conventional protein sources such as soybean meal did not have negative effects on ruminal fermentation. so, due to the lower price of urea compounds compared to soybean meal and other real nitrogen sources, although no difference was observed between slow-release urea sources and common urea; it can be stated that production productivity has also improved economically, therefore, the use of urea sources for fattening periods is recommended.

A significant portion of livestock feed resources are roughage and fibrous in Iran, which is low in protein, minerals, and digestible energy; however, if treated by some methods, has the potential to be used as an energy source in livestock diets (Adesogan et al. 2019). There are 10 sugarcane development companies in Khuzestan province, which have 127,000 hectares under sugarcane cultivation and the area under sugarcane cultivation is 100,000 hectares per year (FAOSTAT 2013). Sugarcane is harvested in two ways: black (burning) and green (harvesting with a harvester). About 15 to 25 percent of the weight of sugarcane includes leaves and branches named sugarcane top, so the green harvesting produces about 20000 kg of wet biomass per hectare (Moradi et al. 2019). Due to the area under sugarcane cultivation in the Khuzestan province, and its 50% humidity, about two million tons of sugarcane top is produced each year. During harvesting, the sugarcane residues remain on the ground and cause special problems for the maintenance operation of the sugarcane on the field, so the residue is burned in two stages before and after harvesting, and it pollutes the environment, especially the air (Kingston et al. 2005). If the sugarcane top residues treated, due to breakdown of lignocellulose structure and degradation of lignin, cased to the increased access of ruminal microorganisms to lignosullose materials, so instead of burning, they can be used as fodder sources in animal feeding (Karp et al. 2013). Therefore, the aim of present experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide treatment to improve the nutritional value of sugarcane top for fattening lambs.

The present experiment was performed in Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources University of Khuzestan. The sugarcane top used in the present experiment was from variety of CP73 and CP57 harvested from Imam Khomeini agro-industry company of Shushtar. After the sugarcane was harvested, it was dried and chopped into 2 to 3 cm long with a chopper and transferred to the Shoaibiyeh Livestock Feed Company for steam treatment. Steam was conducted at 184ᵒC for 4 minutes; the equal pressure was 16 to 18 atm. (average 17 atm.). The sugarcane top was treated using a solution of 1% hydrogen peroxide, which pH was adjusted to 11.5 using a solution of sodium hydroxide (alkaline hydrogen peroxide). Twenty-four Arabi male lambs with average live weight of 30.4 ± 5 kg were used in a completely randomized design with 3 treatments and 8 replicates for a period of 70 days. Experimental treatments were: 1- control (untreated Sugarcane top), 2- diet containing steam treated Sugarcane top, and 3- diet containing steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide treated sugarcane top.

Treatment with steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide significantly reduced the percentage of NDF, ADF, crude fiber, lignin, and increased the significance of the gross energy of sugarcane (P <0.05), but had no effect on crude protein. In consistent with the results of the present experiment, other researchers also reported a decrease in dry matter, NDF, and ADF by applying water vapor under pressure. The decrease of these nutrients has been attributed to the fragmentation or hydrolysis of all or part of the hemicellulose. In compared to control, average feed intake, digestibility of nutrients, final weight, average daily gain, feed efficiency of lambs, rumen propionate and total volatile fatty acids, and blood glucose were increased with feeding of treated sugarcane top, and treatment 3 shown the best results (P<0.05). The components of the experimental diets are the same, and the only difference was in the type of treatments. Therefore, perhaps the reason for the increase in feed consumption in treatments containing sugarcane top treated with steam or steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide is to improve its digestibility. Increasing digestibility will cause the material to pass through the rumen faster and thus animals consume more feed. The concentration of alanine transaminase was decreased, because of treatment of sugarcane top (P<0.05). The concentration of rumen ammonia nitrogen and pH, blood aspartate transaminase, and carcass traits were not affected by the treatments. Therefore, treatment by steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide caused to improve the nutritional value of sugarcane top, and their combined use (third treatment) showed better results.

Treatment with steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide significantly reduced the percentage of NDF, ADF, crude fiber, lignin, and increased the significance of the gross energy of sugarcane (P <0.05), but had no effect on crude protein. In consistent with the results of the present experiment, other researchers also reported a decrease in dry matter, NDF, and ADF by applying water vapor under pressure. The decrease of these nutrients has been attributed to the fragmentation or hydrolysis of all or part of the hemicellulose. In compared to control, average feed intake, digestibility of nutrients, final weight, average daily gain, feed efficiency of lambs, rumen propionate and total volatile fatty acids, and blood glucose were increased with feeding of treated sugarcane top, and treatment 3 shown the best results (P<0.05). The components of the experimental diets are the same, and the only difference was in the type of treatments. Therefore, perhaps the reason for the increase in feed consumption in treatments containing sugarcane top treated with steam or steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide is to improve its digestibility. Increasing digestibility will cause the material to pass through the rumen faster and thus animals consume more feed. The concentration of alanine transaminase was decreased, because of treatment of sugarcane top (P<0.05). The concentration of rumen ammonia nitrogen and pH, blood aspartate transaminase, and carcass traits were not affected by the treatments. Therefore, treatment by steam and alkaline hydrogen peroxide caused to improve the nutritional value of sugarcane top, and their combined use (third treatment) showed better results.

In order to compare the effect of corn, sorghum and millet silages in experimental diets on nutrient intake, digestibility, and ruminal parameters, six two-year-old male Rainy goats were used with an average weight of 37±6.5 in a 3×3 Latin square design. Dry matter and other nutrients intake was higher in corn silage diet than the other two experimental diets and in sorghum silage diet was higher than millet silage diet (P<0.05). The organic of matter digestibility was higher in corn silage than millet silage diet (P<0.05). The rumen NH3-N concentration in corn silage diet was higher than millet silage diet at two, four, six and eight hours after feeding (P<0.05), but there was no significant difference between diets containing corn silage and sorghum silage at any time. The ruminal pH in sorghum silage was lower than the other two experimental diets at Eight hours after feed intake (P<0.05). The population of Holotrich, Cellolytic, entodinium protozoa and the total population of protozoa were higher in corn silage than sorghum silage diet and in sorghum silage diet were higher than the diet millet silage diet (P<0.05). The type of silages in the experimental diets had no significant effect on the production of ruminal microbial protein. But the production of valeric and isovaleric acid was higher in the millet silage diet than the sorghum silage diet (P<0.05). The experimental results showed a better quality of corn silage, but water shortages and recent droughts make it necessary to plant fodder with lower water consumption.

Processing and treatment of agricultural residues and by-products is a good economical solution for reusing them into the product cycle specially in animal feeding. The production a huge quantity of hatchery waste (HW) in the poultry industry has raised concerns about environmental pollution. Nutrients and energy in wastes, litter of broiler and hatchery after eliminating of their pathogens, can be recycled and used in livestock diets. Therefore, the purpose of this experiment was to investigate of the effect of feeding different levels of HW as the main source of dietary protein on lamb’s performance, nutrients digestibility, rumenal fermentation and blood parameters.

Twenty-four Kermani male lambs with an average initial weight of 23±0.33 kg and six months’ age, were used in a completely randomized design. The experimental diets included control diet and diets containing 3 and 6% of HW. To estimate of feed intake, the remaining feed of lambs collected and weighed daily before the morning meal. At the end of every two weeks the lambs are weighed for calculation of daily weight gain. Nutrients digestibility measured by acid insoluble ash marker method. Rumen liquid samples taken from lambs before and 3 and 6 h after feeding for NH3-N, pH and volatile fatty acids measuring. Blood samples were collected at the end of period and 3 h post morning feeding for determination of blood biochemical factors. At the end of main period, all lambs were slaughtered following an overnight fast and skinned. Empty body were weighted and stored at 4 °C for 24 hours (for determination of cold carcass weight).

In the present study, performance and dry matter intake in lambs fed with 6% hatchery waste powder were significantly higher than the control group (P<0.05). Dry matter, organic matter and crude protein digestibility was not affected by HW. But, neutral and acid detergent fiber digestibility decreased (P<0.05) by adding of HW in lamb’s diet. Adding of HW in lambs’ diet, increased warm and cold carcass weights linearly (P<0.05). The pH, protozoa population and NH3-N concentration in the rumen were not affected by the experimental diets. The HW in diet caused to decreasing (P<0.05) and increasing acetic and propionic acids concentration in lambs, respectively. Blood cholesterol and glucose level in lambs fed HW were significantly higher than other groups (P<0.05). but other factors such as BUN and total protein were not different among the experimental diets.

The chemical composition of the HW indicates that this by-product is relatively appropriate nutritious. Because of increase in feed intake and performance and too alter in ruminal fermentation characteristics, this waste can be used as part of a concentrate in the diet of lambs.

Zinc is involved in the regulation of many metabolic processes and zinc deficiency resulting in low appetite, consequently decreased feed intake. Also, zinc deficiency decreases the growth and weight gain of the animal. It has been reported that the daily requirement of zinc for suckling calves is 33 mg/kg DM. While, the amount of this element in cow’s milk is 3-5 mg/kg. Therefore, zinc supplementation may improve the performance of suckling calves. So, this study was performed to investigate the effect of different levels of zinc on performance and some blood and ruminal parameters in Holstein suckling calves.

This study was conducted using 18 newborn Holstein calves from 4 days of age to weaning (70 days) in a completely randomized design. Experimental treatments were treatment 1 (control, basal diet), treatment 2 (basal diet plus 30 mg / kg DM as zinc sulfate) and treatment 3 (basal diet plus 60 mg/ kg DM as zinc sulfate). The calves were housed in individual pens with cement floors and were offered with whole milk (approximately at 10% of weight) in two equal meals daily at 8:00 and 19:00 during the experimental period. They had free access to the pelleted starter and fresh-water. After 15 days, chopped wheat straw (5 %) and alfalfa (5%) were added to their starter. Daily feed and ort were measured to estimate daily dry matter intake and animals were weighed fortnightly to obtain average daily gain. Blood samples were taken from the jugular vein at the end of the trial (day 70) before the morning feeding for measurement of blood mineral (Zn, Ca, P, Fe, and Cu) status and the hematological parameters (hemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count, white blood cell count and hematocrit %). Also, the ruminal fluid samples were collected on day 70, 3 h after the morning feeding, by stomach tube and a vacuum pump for determination of ruminal volatile fatty acids concentrations.

The results showed that the use of different levels of zinc had no significant effect on feed conversion ratio in weaning calves. However, average daily gain in treatments 2 and 3 (724.29 and 765.00 g / day, respectively) and dry matter intake in treatment 3 (1692.41 g / day), were significantly (P<0.05) higher than the control treatment (628.29 and 1532.83 g / day, respectively). Supplementation of zinc significantly increased (P<0.05) serum zinc concentration in treatments 2 and 3 (1.184 and 1.168 mg / l, respectively). However, no significant differences were observed among treatments for the concentration of other minerals in blood serum (calcium, phosphorus, iron and copper). Also, supplementation of zinc had no significant effect on blood hematological parameters. Ruminal total volatile fatty acids, acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid concentrations, and acetic acid: propionic acid ratio were not affected by zinc supplementation.

Generally, the results showed that a basal diet containing 29.68 mg Zn/kg DM can supply the zinc requirement of Holstein suckling calves. But, zinc supplementation improved the performance of these animals.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of replacing different levels of tomato pulp silage as a fiber source on yield, microbial fermentation, volatile fatty acid production and blood metabolites in Baluchi sheep. This study was conducted in a completely randomized design with 30 Baluchi lambs with 3 treatments of 10 lambs and average weight of 25 ± 1.5 kg. The trial period was 90 days. Experimental treatments include: 1). the basal diet only corn silage 2). The basal diet + corn silage containing 5% tomato pulp 3). The basal diet + corn silage contained 10% tomato pulp. Results of dry matter intake and body weight change showed no significant difference between the experimental diets. Based on the results of this experiment, plasma glucose concentration was normal in all experimental animals and were not affected by the experimental diets. The amount of rumen fluid in the experimental sheep decreased with the use of tomato pulp silage in the diet and had a significant difference (p<0.05) with the control group. In general, according to the results, using tomato silage as a by-product of up to 10% can improve production performance.

The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of different levels of pomegranate peel on gas production and also ruminal degradation, protozoa population and rumen fermentation parameters in Zell sheep. In this study, three fistulated Zell ewes with a mean weight of 40±2.1 kg and 24 months age were used in a CRD model. The experimental treatments were control (without pomegranate peel) and treatments containing 5, 10 and 15 percent of pomegranate peel in diets. The results of dry matter and NDF degradability showed that the amount of rapidly (a), slowly (b) and potential degradable (a+b) fractions in control treatment was significantly higher than the other treatments (P<0.05). The CP degradability results of rapidly (a), slowly (b) and potential degradable (a+b) fractions in control and treatment containing 5 percent of pomegranate peel were significantly higher than the other treatments (P<0.05). The highest amount of total gas produced in 96 hours, ME and digestibility of OMD were observed in cotrol diet and significant differences were observed between experimental diets (P<0.05). The rumen protozoa population in treatment containing 10 and 15 percent of pomegranate peel were significantly lower compared to cotrol and 5 percent of pomegranate peel treatments (P<0.05).Butyric acid and propionic+isobutherric acids concentrations in control treatment was higher than the other treatments (P<0.05). In general, the results showed that the use of pomegranate peel up to 5 percent in the diet caused at least negative effects on rumen parameters such as nutrient degradation and protozoal population.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding different levels of leaf and stem of banana tree silage with inedible date on nutrients digestibility, ruminal VFA concentration, NH3-N, pH and species of ruminal protozoa in sheep. For ensiling, 85 kg of the leaf and stem of banana tree were mixed with 15 kg of inedible date and ensiled for 45 days. After determining the chemical composition and ME of the silage of leaf and stem of banana tree with inedible date, levels of 0, 7, 14 and 21 (DM basis) of silage were used in experimental diets. Four mature ram were used in a change over design with four periods of 21 days. In this study, ensiling of leaf and stem of banana tree with inedible date increased dry matter, organic matter, crude fat, but decreased ash and neutral detergent fiber of silage. Considering Fleig-point (100), pH (4.4) and ME (2.05), the silage of leaf and stem of banana tree with inedible date had proper quality. Apparent digestibility of dry matter, organic matter and neutral detergent fiber of experimental diets containing 14 and 21 % silage were lower than control diet (P<0.05). The mean concentration of ruminal VFA, acetate to propionate ratio, NH3-N, pH, total population and species of ruminal protozoa were not affected in sheep fed experimental diets. Considering no change in dry matter intake and ruminal fermentation parameters, silage of leaf and stem banana tree with inedible date can be used in sheep nutrition.

An experiment was conducted for evaluation the effects of raisin waste (RW) on the performance, blood parameters and volatile fatty acids (VFA). Numbers of 15 Baluchi male lambs (average weight of 21.15±0.67 kg) were allocated to 3 treatments with a completely randomized design. Experimental treatments included: 1) control (40% alfalfa and no RW), 2) replacement of 50% alfalfa with RW and 3) replacement of 100% alfalfa with RW. Using RW in treatments 2 and 3 had a significant effect on average daily gain compared with control ration (P<0.05). With increasing the amount of RW in the ration, the total protein of serum (TPP) decreased significantly (P<0.05) in the first period of experiment (14-28 days). However, other blood parameters such as glucose, cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase (AST), triglycerides (TG), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) were not affected by the treatments (P>0.05). The level of TG, AST, TPP and BUN decreased compared with control ration (P<0.05) within the second period of experiment (42-56 days). The lowest amount of acetic acid and valeric acid within the first period of the experiment was for treatment 3, while the highest level of valeric acid and isovaleric acid within the second period was for treatment 1( P<0.05). Adding RW to the ration had no significant effect on pH of ruminal fluid (P>0.05). Overall results showed that replacing part of alfalfa with RW as a low cost product not only had no negative-impact on the studied parameters in Baluchi lambs but it also improved their performance.

The aim of this study was to compare the effect of pelleted diets containing different levels of sugarcane Vinasses on dry matter (DM) intake (DMI), digestibility and ruminal parameters in male lambs using a completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 5 replications. The experimental diets were containing 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20% levels of sugarcane Vinasses in DM instead of sugarcane molasses. The experiment lasted for 25 days, including 15 days of adaptation and 10 days for sampling. No significant differences were observed for digestion of DM in response to vinasse addition (P>0.05). Digestibility of crude protein at the level of 20% Vinasses was lower than that of other groups (P<0.05). Ether extract digestibility decreased at the level of 10% Vinasses compared to control, and increased in other diets (P<0.05). Digestibility of NDF at level of 15% Vinasses was higher than that of other levels (P<0.05). The amount of acetate, butyrate and total volatile fatty acids was decreased by increasing the level of Vinasses (P<0.05). In total, sugarcane vinasse can be substituted for molasses without any adverse effect on digestibility and ruminal fermentation up to 15% of DM in Lorry-Bakhtiari male lambs diet and preventing its release to the environment. However, in order to make a more correct conclusion, we must consider the efficiency of animal growth and the economic efficiency of the inclusion of sugarcane vinasse in the diet.

Acorn kernel contains a high percentage of starch that can be used as a source of energy in animal’s diet, but it has a high percentage of tannin, which can have deleterious effects on the animals. Tannins are bitter phenolic compounds with a diverse structure that are divided into two groups of condensed and hydrolyzable. Condensed tannins are flavonoid polymers of the proanthocyanidins compounds. Hydrolyzable tannins have a polyhydric alcohol at their core, the hydroxyl groups of which are esterifies with gallic acid. They may have long chains of gallic acid coming from the central glucose core (Reed 1995). Tannins have a high tendency to bind to proteins such as enzymes (Osawa et al. 2000). The harmful consequences of the high percentage of tannin in the diet of ruminants can reduce feed intake, have a negative effect on the activity of rumen bacteria, reduce the efficiency of digestive enzymes in the livestock and also reduce the availability of nutrients, which ultimately reduce growth and production of these animals (Salinger et al. 1996). Also, the high levels of tannin compounds in the poultry diet can reduce feed intake, growth rate, digestion of protein and amino acids, intestinal and pancreatic activity (Armstrong et al. 1974; Brand et al. 1989; Mahmood et al. 1997, 2008). Various chemical and physical methods such as sodium bicarbonate, polyethylene glycol, soaking in water, cooking or steaming, have been reported to reduce the amount of tannin and its harmful side effects (Frutos et al. 2004). Now a day, bioprocessing has vast applies in livestock and poultry feed, using the enzymatic capabilities of microorganisms. Furthermore, Lactobacillus plantarum is a safe microorganism that has the potential for high enzymes to break down and eliminate tannin compounds (Curiel et al. 2009). This bacterium has vast applications for food processing in the industries (Siezen et al. 2011). Material and

The Experiment was done in a completely randomized design with 7 treatments and 3 replicates. Experimental groups were treatments with or without bacteria, aerobic or anaerobic condition and 5 or 10 days processing periods. The moisture content of all samples was adjusted to 50% by sterile water. For each gram of experimental sample, 107 CFU of Lactobacillus plantarum bacteria were added and then, placed into the incubator at 37 ° C. In this experiment, phenolic and tannin compounds, pH, soluble carbohydrate and volatile fatty acids (acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid) were measured. Phenolic and tannin compounds were measured based on Makkar (2000) method. Soluble carbohydrate was measured by spectrophotometric method with standard raffinose solution (Dubois 1956) and volatile fatty acids (acetic, propionic and butyric acid) were measured by gas chromatography. Soluble carbohydrate in four treatments (zero day and ten days without bacteria, ten days with bacteria in aerobic and anaerobic conditions) and volatile fatty acids in three treatments (10 days without bacteria and 10 days with bacteria in aerobic and anaerobic conditions) measured. These treatments were selected to interpret and justify the main events of fermentation processes. Data were analyzed by SAS software (2011). The comparison of the means was done using Duncan's multiple range test at P<0. 01.

The findings of the experiment indicate that the highest reductions in the content of total phenol, non-tannin phenol, total tannin, condensed tannin and hydrolyzable tannin (39, 24, 49, 49. 5 and 59 %, respectively, see table 1 and 2) were observed after 5 days of processing and there was no significant difference between 5 and 10 days of processing. It is assumed that significant reduction in phenol and tannin compounds was the consequence of Lactobacillus plantarum enzymatic activity. A research showed that Lactobacillus plantarum were reduced phenolic compounds of pomegranate juice (Mousavi et al. , 2013). Stopping the decline in phenolic compounds after the 5 days could result in lowering the pH to below 4 (Table 3) and cessation the biological activity of the Lactobacillus plantarum (Hunget 1957), or decreasing the efficiency of the enzyme tanase (tannin aceyl hydrolase). Also, there was no significant difference between the total phenol, non-tannin phenol (Table 1), total tannin, condensed tannin and hydrolyzable tannin percentage (Table 2) of aerobic and anaerobic treatments, which showed that the biological processes reduced phenolic compounds in aerobic or anaerobic conditions with the same efficiency. It has been reported that the enzymatic processes of breaking tannins compounds by bacteria in aerobic conditions are slightly different from the anaerobic conditions, resulting in different end products (Bhat et al. 1998). Our research findings show that the acidity of experimental samples in aerobic treatments was more than anaerobic in the 5 or 10 days of bioprocessing period (P<0. 01). Smetankova et al. (2012) showed that Lactobacillus plantarum grows faster in aerobic conditions and therefore, the pH decreases more quickly. After the processing, the amount of fatty acids (acetate, propionate and butyrate) increased, but the percentage of soluble carbohydrate decreased (P<0. 01). Table 4 shows that acorn kernel contains high percentage of soluble carbohydrate (on day zero), which is required for the growth and biological activity of Lactobacillus plantarum bacteria. Table 5 presents the results of statistical analysis of the treatments for the percentage of volatile fatty acids. The results showed that the percentage of acetic acid, propionic acid and butyric acid after 10 days of aerobic or anaerobic bacterial processing increased significantly, in comparison with non-bacterial treatment, but no significant difference was observed between aerobic and aerobic conditions, which indicates that in this study the activity of bacteria for the production of volatile fatty acids was not different in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions after ten days.

For the first time, this study has shown that in both aerobic and anaerobic conditions, the tannins compounds were broken down and reduced in equal proportion. The results of the experiment have shown that Lactobacillus plantarum bacteria can be used for bioprocessing of acorn kernel to reduce its tannins.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary inclusion of monensin alone or in combination with Methafix (a commercial product containing malate and fumarate) on rumen fermentation parameters and fatty acids composition of longissimus dorsi muscle (LD) of Farhani finishing lambs. Twenty four male Farhani lambs (4-6 months old, average body weight 35.9 ± 7.4 kg) were used. The lambs were randomly divided into four groups and individually fed with one of the four dietary treatments; control diet (Control), Control plus 24 mg of monensin/kg of DM (Monensin), control plus 4 g of Methafix/kg DM (Metafix) and Controlplus 24 mg of monensin and 4 g of Methafix/kg DM (MonMet). Results showed that Monensin and/or MonMet decreased acetate (P0.05). However, dietary supplementation with M and ME increased LM concentrations of docosahexaenoic, docosatetraenoic, eicosapentaenoic and omega-3 fatty acids in comparison with control (P

The objective of this experiment was to studythe effects of fiber-rich molting diets as alternative to the conventional feed withdrawal method, on performance, gastro intestinal fermentation and microbial activity of laying hens. One hundred eighty Hy-line (W36) laying hens were used in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments and 6 replicates by 12 birds in each replication during 12 days. Treatments were: 1- control group (hens fed with a layer diet), 2- feed withdrawal group, 3- laying hen diet containing 20000 mg zinc oxide/kg, 4- laying hen diet diluted by adding 90% alfalfa meal, 5- laying hen diet diluted by adding 90% palm kernel meal. Egg production of hen was monitored for 12 weeks during post molting period. Results show that lactobacilli and Escherichia coli bacteria population was significantly greater (P

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of Citrus Limon essential oil on nutrient digestibility, blood and ruminal metabolites in male Holstein calves. This study were conducted using four male Holstein calves, each fitted with a permanent rumen cannula (average body weight 650±20 kg) that received experimental diets including control with 600, 800 and 1000 mg/d lemon essential oil and control with monensin 300 mg/d in a change-over complete randomized block design with five periods of 17 days. Apparent digestibility of OM in ration including of 1000 mg per day of Citrus Limon was highther than the others treatments (P<0.05). Experimental treatments had not affected on DM, CP, EE, NDF and ADF digestibility. The effect of treatments were not significant on glucose, HDL, albumin, total protein, cratinin, and triglyceride and urea concentration, but cholesterol values and BHB concentration in serum of control treatment were more than the other treatments (P<0.05). The concentration of propionate in rumen of animals received 1000 mg Citrus Limon essential oil, was more than control of treatment, but their concentration of butyrate was low than control treatment (P<0.05). In conclusion, results showed that utilization of 1000 mg per day dose of Citrus Limon essential oil in diet could improve the OM digestibility, rumen fermentation characteristics and blood BHB concentration of male Holstein calves.

In present study investigated the effects of different levels of corn silage and alfalfa hay on rumen metabolites and milk production of Holstein cows. Fifteen Holstein cows (37 ±10 days in milk) were used in a completely randomize design. Treatments included three levels of hay and corn silage included: 1) 10% alfalfa hay -30% silage corn (CS), 2) 20% alfalfa hay -20% silage corn (AH- CS) and 3) 30% alfalfa hay -10% silage corn (AH); And the ratio of forage: concentrate was 60:40. Cows were fed the total mixed rations (TMR) twice daily. Cows were milked 3 times daily at 0200, 1000, and 1800 h. Milk production recorded at each milking time. Milk composition was measured every week and individual dry matter intake (DMI) was measured daily. DMI was higher when cows were fed diets AH-CS (23.20 kg per day) compared with diet CS (22.95 kg per day) and diet AH (18.64 kg per day). Treatments affect on milk production (P= 0.009). Replacing corn silage with alfalfa hay increased milk fat percent, but didn’t affect on milk protein percent (P>0.05). Average concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA) in rumen were 75.90, 65.58 and 71.40 mM/l, for cows receiving diet 1, 2 and 3 respectively, that did not show significant differences (P>0.05). The results of this experiment indicated that feeding alfalfa hay more than corn silage reduced DMI, therefore decrease milk production, although had a trend to increase milk fat percentage.