• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.52 no.1
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• pp.23-28
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• 2010

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of probiotics supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, fecal concentrations of Lactobacillus and Escherichia coli, emission of noxious gases from the feces, and circulating concentrations of the blood cells in early-finishing pigs. A total of sixty pigs [(Landrace ${\times}$ Yorkshire) ${\times}$ Duroc] (initial body weight 56.48 ${\pm}$ 1.66 kg) were used for the 28 days feeding trial. Dietary treatments included 1) CON (basal diet), 2) P1 (CON + 0.1% Agariemycetes) and 3) P2 (CON + 0.2% Agariemycetes). There were three dietary treatments with five replicate pens per treatment and four pigs per pen. There was no significant difference in ADG (average dairy gain) among the treatments (P>0.05). The gain/feed ratio was higher in P2 than CON (P<0.05). The P2 showed the highest digestibility of dry matter and energy (P<0.05). No significant difference was observed in the fecal Lactobacillus counts but fecal Escherichia coli population of P2 was lower than that of CON (P<0.05). The ammonia, $H_2S$ and total mercaptan was higher in P1 and P2 than CON (P<0.05). Blood characteristics were not affected by probiotics (P>0.05) supplementation. In conclusion, the results showed that dietary supplementation of probiotics at 0.2% level affected gain/feed ratio, dry matter and energy digestibility; reduced fecal Escherichia coli and emission of fecal noxious gases in finishing pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.313-316
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• 2000

Three Holstein steers, fitted with ruminal and duodenal cannulas, were used in a replicated $3{\times}3$ Latin square design to determine the digestibility of dietary nitrogen in total digestive tract by three methods, 1) mobile nylon bag (MNB); 2) total fecal collection (TFC); and 3) washed fecal sample after freezing and thawing through a sieve with a pore size of $45{\mu}m$ (WFS). A basal diet of oaten hay-barley was supplemented with one of the following protein sources; soybean meal, fish meal or blood meal. Steers were fed at a level of 2% of body weight. The experimental diets were contained approximately 1.85% nitrogen. There were no differences (p>0.05) among the diets on DM, NDF and nitrogen disappearances, and the diet results were pooled to assess the methods. Total tract disappearances of dry matter and neutral detergent fiber were 61.6, 71.1 and 78.9 and 25.3, 63.2 and 64.6 for MNB, TFC and WFS methods, respectively. The lower digestibility of DM and NDF in the MNB method could be a result of low ruminal incubation time. The TFC method had the lower (p<0.05) determination of nitrogen disappearance in the total digestive tract than the MNB and WFS methods. On the other hand, nitrogen disappearance in the total digestive tract determined by the WFS technique was comparable to that in MNB technique, as there was no significant difference (p>0.05) between the methods. It is shown that the disappearance of dietary nitrogen in the total digestive tract could be estimated in the intact animals by using washed fecal sample prior to freezing and thawing.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.10.1-10.7
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• 2014

An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with citrus pulp, fish by-product, and Bacillus subtilis fermentation biomass on the growth performance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients, and fecal microflora of weanling pigs. A total of 180 weaned piglets (Landrace ${\times}$ Yorkshire ${\times}$ Duroc) were randomly allotted to three treatments on the basis of body weight (BW). There were six replicate pens in each treatment with 10 piglets per pen. Dietary treatments were corn-soybean meal-based basal diet supplemented with 0 (control), 2.5, and 5.0% citrus pulp, fish by-product, and B. subtilis fermentation biomass. The isocaloric and isoproteineous experimental diets were fed in mash form in two phases (d 0 ~ 14, phase I and d 15 ~ 28, phase II). Dietary treatments had significant linear effects on gain to feed ratio (G:F) in all periods, whereas significant linear effects on ATTD of dry matter (DM), gross energy (GE), and ash were only observed in phase I. Piglets fed diet supplemented with 5.0% citrus pulp, fish by-product, and B. subtilis fermentation biomass showed greater (p < 0.05) G:F (phase I, phase II, and overall) as well as ATTD of DM, GE, and ash (phase I) than pigs fed control diet. Dietary treatments also had significant linear effects on total anaerobic bacteria populations by d 14 and 28. In addition, piglets fed diet supplemented with 5.0% citrus pulp, fish by-product and B. subtilis fermentation biomass showed greater (p < 0.05) fecal total anaerobic bacteria populations (d 14 and 28) than pigs fed control diet. Dietary treatments had no significant effects (linear or quadratic) on average daily gain (ADG), average dial feed intake (ADFI; phase I, phase II, and overall), or fecal populations of Bifidobacterium spp., Clostridium spp., and coliforms (d 14 and 28). These results indicate that dietary supplementation with 5.0% citrus pulp, fish by-product, and B. subtilis fermentation biomass has the potential to improve the feed efficiency, nutrient digestibility, and fecal microflora of weanling pigs.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.435-440
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• 2011

In this experiment, two inclusion levels (15 and 30% of diets, as-fed basis) of brown rice (BR) were tested against a control diet with 0% BR (51% wheat flour of diet). Six female Maltese (8~9 months age, initial mean body weight of $2.8{\pm}0.3$ kg) were assigned to treatments in replicated $3{\times}3$ Latin square design. Total tract digestibilities of DM, OM, acid hydrolyzed fat, CP and gross energy by dogs fed experimental diets responded quadratically (P<0.01 or <0.05) to BR inclusion levels. Similarly, quadratic responses (P<0.001, P=0.015) were observed for digestible energy and metabolizable energy values, respectively. Wet and dry fecal output also exhibited quadratic responses (P=0.006, P=0.014, respectively) but no differences were observed between control and BR 30% diets. Linear (P=0.008) effect was observed for fecal score in dogs fed BR, and fecal ammonia concentration increased linearly (P=0.001) in response to increasing BR inclusion levels. It seems that the increase in fecal ammonia concentration may be partially related to the decrease tendency (P=0.07) in short-chain fatty acid concentration. In this experiment, inclusion of BR in dog diet did not result in pronounced changes in the digestibility but in fecal score. Although inclusion of BR in diets showed profound positive effect on fecal score, it is confounded by the high inclusion level of poultry offal meal.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.235-243
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• 2017

A total of 112 crossbred pigs [(Yorkshire ${\times}$ Landrace) ${\times}$ Duroc] with an average body weight (BW) of $27.98{\pm}1.28kg$ were used to evaluate the effects of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with rapeseed meal (RSM) as a source of protein on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood characteristics, and fecal noxious gas emission in growing pigs. The pigs were blocked and stratified based on BW into one of four dietary treatments in a 6-week trial. Each treatment consisted of 7 replicate pens with 4 pigs per pen (2 barrows and 2 gilts). Treatments were 1) maize-SBM based diet, 2) diet containing 2% RSM, 3) diet containing 4% RSM, and 4) diet containing 6% RSM. Supplementation with RSM resulted in no differences in growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and noxious gas emission, as compared with SBM supplementation during the experimental period (p > 0.05). Pigs fed with increased dietary RSM (0, 2, 4, and 6% of feed) had linear decreases in average daily gain (ADG) (p = 0.010) and nitrogen digestibility (p = 0.036) and a linear increase in blood creatinine concentration. In conclusion, RSM fed pigs had no detrimental effects on their growth performance, nutrient digestibility, blood characteristics, and fecal noxious gas emissions, as compared with SBM fed pigs. Thus, RSM is a good alternative to SBM as a protein source in growing pigs' diets.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.33 no.10
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• pp.1390-1401
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• 2023

In this study, a 12-week feeding experiment was conducted to characterize the effects of exogenous α-amylase on the growth, feed utilization, digestibility, plasma α-amylase activity, feed degradation rate, and fecal particle size of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Diet was supplemented with 0 (AA₀; control), 100 (AA₁₀₀), 200 (AA₂₀₀), or 400 (AA₄₀₀) mg/kg of α-amylase, respectively. Fish (273.1 ± 2.3 g) were stocked into 12 tanks (25 fish/1,000-L tank) and 3 tanks were randomly selected for each diet group. As a result, α-amylase was found to have no significant effects (p ≥ 0.05) on the growth, feed utilization parameters, and whole-body proximate compositions. α-Amylase-treated fish exhibited only a significant increase in the apparent digestibility coefficient of carbohydrates compared to the controls. In addition, in vitro analyses revealed that α-amylase dose-dependently increased (p < 0.05) the feed degradation rate, while photographs of the intestinal content after 2, 4, and 8 h of feeding demonstrated an improved degradation rate in the α-amylase-treated groups. Plasma α-amylase content was higher in the AA₂₀₀ and AA₄₀₀ groups, whereas the control group produced significantly larger-sized fecal particles (90% size class) than these two groups. In the intestine, no changes were observed in the expression levels of the immune-related TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-2, immunoglobulin-M, HSP-70, lysozyme, and amylase alpha-2A. However, growth-related genes IGF-1, IGF-2, TGF-β3, and growth hormone genes were upregulated in muscle tissues. Collectively, exogenous α-amylase has positive roles in the modulation of the digestibility coefficient, blood α-amylase concentration, growth-related gene expression, and diet degradation for improved digestion in olive flounder.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.527-532
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• 2019

Objective: Phosphorous (P) sources with greater bioavailability might increase animal production efficiency and decrease environmental pollution. The objective of current study was to determine animal performance, nutrient digestibility, blood metabolites and fecal P concentration in finishing lambs fed a diet with either di-calcium phosphate (DCP) or di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) as a P source. Methods: Twelve 4-month-old male lambs (initial body weight $24.87{\pm}3.4kg$) were randomly allocated to a diet with either DCP or DAP (~261 g/kg of total diet P) fed ad libitum for 93 days. Diets were iso-nitrogenous and iso-energetic and had same calcium (Ca) and P concentrations. Results: The DAP contained 19.7 g/kg of dry matter (DM) Ca, 185.4 g/kg DM P and 14,623 ppm fluorine, while DCP contained 230.3 g/kg DM Ca, 195.2 g/kg DM P and 1,039 ppm fluorine. The diet with DAP contained 60 ppm fluorine while the diet with DCP contained 13 ppm fluorine. Lambs fed the diet with DAP tended to have a greater daily DM intake compared to those fed diet with DCP (p = 0.09). Lambs fed DAP had greater plasma P concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity ($p{\leq}0.01$) compared with lambs fed DCP. Dry matter and organic matter digestibility of the diets were similar between two treatments at days 60 and 90, while they were greater in lambs fed DCP (p<0.05) at day 30 of the trial. Feeding DAP increased P digestibility (58.7% vs 50.2%; p<0.05) and decreased fecal P concentration in lambs compared with feeding DCP (3.1 vs 3.8 g/kg DM; p<0.05). Conclusion: Providing ~261 g/kg of total diet P as DAP in the diet of finishing lambs improved the bioavailability of P in the body and decreased excretion of P in feces without affecting lamb performance.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.965-973
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• 2021

The intention of this research is to analyze the effects of lactulose (LAC) supplementation on the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, microbial shedding, and fecal noxious gas emissions on weaning pigs in a 42-day trial. Based on the initial body weight and sex, a total of 255 piglets (21 day old) were randomly allocated into one of three dietary treatments with 15 replications and five pigs (two female and three male) per pen. The dietary treatments were as follows: a corn-soybean meal-based basal diet (CON) supplemented with 0, 1, and 2 g·kg^-1 of LAC. During phase 1, significant (p < 0.05) increases in the average daily feed intake and average daily gain (ADG) were observed, whereas during phase 2 and overall experimental period, significant improvements (p < 0.05) in the body weight, ADG, and gain to feed ratio were observed in pigs fed a graded level of LAC compared to those fed the CON diet. Additionally, dietary LAC supplementation significantly improved (p < 0.05) the nutrient digestibility dry matter, nitrogen, and gross energy in both phase 1 and phase 2. Moreover, the inclusion of LAC supplementation significantly increased (p < 0.05) the fecal Lactobacillus counts and reduced (p > 0.05) the E. coli counts in pigs. Furthermore, LAC supplementation reduced (p > 0.05) fecal ammonia and hydrogen sulfide gas emissions during phase 2. The results here indicate that the addition of lactulose at 1 g·kg^-1 and/or 2 g·kg^-1 would be optimal to improve the performance outcomes of weaning piglets.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1309-1315
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• 2012

A total of 140 weaning pigs ((Landrace${\times}$Yorkshire)${\times}$Duroc, BW = $6.47{\pm}0.86$ kg) were used in a 5-wk growth trail to determine the effects of phytoncide supplementation on growth performance, nutrient apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD), blood profiles, diarrhea scores and fecal microflora shedding. Pigs were assigned randomly by BW into 5 treatments, dietary treatments were: i) NC, basal diet; ii) PC, NC+0.05% tylosin; iii) EO, NC+0.1% essential oil; iv) PP, NC+0.2% PP (phytoncide with 2% citric acid), and v) PA, NC+0.2% PA (phytoncide). Each treatment had 7 replicate pens with 4 pigs per pen. All pigs were housed in pens with a self-feeder and nipple drinker to allow ad libitum access to feed and water throughout the experimental period. During 0 to 2 wks, supplementation with essential oil and PA decreased (p<0.05) G/F compared with the other treatments. During 2 to 5 wks, supplementation with PA led to a higher (p<0.05) G/F than the other treatments. At 2 wk, ATTD of dry matter (DM) and gross energy (GE) in EO treatment were decreased (p<0.05) compared with NC treatment. Dietary PC treatment improved (p<0.05) ATTD of DM and E compared with the CON group, and PA and PP treatments showed a higher (p<0.05) ATTD of E than that in NC treatment. Pigs fed phytoncide (PA and PP) had a greater (p<0.05) ATTD of DM than those of NC and EO treatments at 5 wk. Moreover, supplementation with phytoncide elevated (p<0.05) the concentration of immunoglobulin (IgG) in blood at 2 wk. The inclusion of EO, PP and PA treatments showed a greater (p<0.05) amount of fecal Lactobacillus compared with CON group. However, no difference (p>0.05) was observed in diarrhea scores among treatments. In conclusion, phytoncide can elevate feed efficiency, nutrient digestibility, and improve the fecal Lactobacillus counts in weaning pigs. Our results indicated that the phytoncide could be used as a good antibiotics alternative in weaning pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.11
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• pp.1625-1631
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• 2016

Forty-eight barrows with an average initial body weight of $25.5{\pm}0.3kg$ were assigned to 6 dietary treatments arranged in a $3{\times}2$ factorial of 3 graded levels of P at 1.42, 2.07, or 2.72 g/kg, and 2 levels of casein at 0 or 50 g/kg to compare the estimates of true total tract digestibility (TTTD) of P in soybean meal (SBM) for pigs fed diets with or without casein supplementation. The SBM is the only source of P in diets without casein, and in the diet with added casein, 1.0 to 2.4 g/kg of total dietary P was supplied by SBM as dietary level of SBM increased. The experiment consisted of a 5-d adjustment period and a 5-d total collection period with ferric oxide as a maker to indicate the initiation and termination of fecal collection. There were interactive effects of casein supplementation and total dietary P level on the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) and retention of P (p<0.05). Dietary P intake, fecal P output, digested P and retained P were increased linearly with graded increasing levels of SBM in diets regardless of casein addition (p<0.01). Compared with diets without casein, there was a reduction in fecal P in the casein-supplemented diets, which led to increases in digested P, retained P, ATTD, and retention of P (p<0.01). Digested N, ATTD of N, retained N, and N retention were affected by the interaction of casein supplementation and dietary P level (p<0.05). Fecal N output, urinary N output, digested N, and retained N increased linearly with graded increasing levels of SBM for each type of diet (p<0.01). The estimates of TTTD of P in SBM, derived from the regression of daily digested P against daily P intake, for pigs fed diets without casein and with casein were calculated to be 37.3% and 38.6%, respectively. Regressing daily digested N against daily N intake, the TTTD of N in SBM were determined at 94.3% and 94.4% for diets without casein and with added casein, respectively. There was no difference in determined values of TTTD of P or N in SBM for pigs fed diets with or without casein (p>0.05). In summary, our results demonstrate that the estimates of TTTD of P in SBM for pigs were not affected by constant casein inclusion in the basal diets.