• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.496-500
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• 2001

In vitro and in vivo experiments were carried out to evaluate the nutritive value of three tropical browse species as assessed by DM and CP digestibility, and NDF and ADF degradability with incubation times (T) of 6, 12, 24 and 48h. During the in vivo digestibility experiment three male castrated sheep (age 16 - 25 months) with a mean liveweight of $11.5{\pm}0.9kg$ were placed in individual metabolism stalls and were allocated to one of the three browse species in a $3{\times}3$ Latin square design. The browse species were all leguminous and consisted of: Acacia sieberina (A. sieberina), Ficus polita (F. polita), and Ficus sycomorus (F. sycomorus). The mean DM and CP contents of F. polita were higher than for A. sieberina and F. sycomorus (p<0.05). In contrast the NDF and ADF contents of F. sycomorus were higher compared to the other species examined (p<0.05). The in vitro DM and CP digestibility, and NDF and ADF degradability observed at different stages of incubation were higher in F. polita followed by A. sieberina and F. sycomorus. The DM and CP digestibility at 48 h incubation were 72.92, 74.84 and 53.52% and 77.38, 77.68 and 63.64% for A. seiberina, F. polita and F. sycomorus, respectively. This shows that F. polita contains more soluble materials which ruminant can benefit from and hence has more feeding value. The fermentation of F. sycomorus was slower for all the nutrients evaluated due to the presence of more fibre. Similarly, higher in vivo digestibility coefficient of DM, CP, NDF, ADF and hemicellulose were observed for F. polita reflecting its higher values of CP, ether extract (EE) and hemicellulose associated with lower values of NDF and ADF. Higher DMI and daily gain were recorded in sheep during feeding of F. polita compared to the other species evaluated. The digestibility of all the nutrients examined were higher in the in vivo than in the in vitro trial except for CP and DM. Sheep showed no visual signs of toxicity throughout the study periods. These results showed A. seiberina, F. polita and F. sycomorus can sustain sheep on a maintenance diet and could as well be used as a supplementary feed to low producing animals during the tropical dry season. Further research is needed to ascertain the viability of using these browse species on a long-term basis.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.692-696
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• 1998

An experiment was conducted with eight growing sheep (average initial weight 20.6 kg and average final weight 23.7 kg) in a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design to study the effect of type of forage supplementation to a basal diet of rice straw (ad libitum) and cassava (Manihot esculanta, approximately 9 g of dry matter $(DM).kg^{-0.75}{\cdot}day^{-1}$) on voluntary intake, digestion, rumen microbial protein synthesis and daily weight gain. Forages used were Leucaena (L, Leucaena leucocephala), Gliricidia (G, Gliricidia maculata) and Tithonia (T, Tithonia diversifolia, wild sunflower) at a DM supplementation level of approximately $13g.kg^{-0.75}.day^{-1}$. Organic matter intake was 40.4, 55.5, 55.0 and $54.9g{\cdot}kg.^{-0.75}{\cdot}day^{-1}$ for control (C, ad libitum straw and cassava), L, G and T. respectively, significantly lower for C than for the supplemented diets. Intake of supplementary forage had also a significantly positive effect on voluntary rice straw intake. All forage supplemented diets showed a significantly higher whole diet organic matter digestion than C ($488g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$), while T ($557g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) differed significantly from L ($516g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) but not from G ($526g{\cdot}kg^{-1}$). Daily weight gain was -1.7, 5.2, 5.4 and $4.7g{\cdot}kg^{-0.75}$, for C, L, G and T. respectively, significantly lower for C than for the forage-supplemented diets. Efficiency of microbial protein synthesis estimated from urinary excretion of purine derivatives was lower for C (3.8 g microbial N. (kg digestible organic matter intake $(DOMI))^{-1}$ than for the forage supplemented diets (11.3, 9.0 and 9.4 g microbial $N.(kg\;DOMI)^{-1}$ for L, G and T. respectively).

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.557-562
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• 1996

The effects of diets differing in protein content through soybean meal supplementation on ruminal fractionation of selenium (Se) were studied. A $3{\times}3$ Latin square design was used with three Japanese Corriedale wethers (45 kg average body weight), three periods, and three dietary treatment. The three dietary treatments were : Diet 1, without soybean meal supplementation (14% crude protein, CP); Diet 2, with 10% soybean meal supplementation (16.5% CP); and Diet 3, with 20% soybean meal supplementation (19% CP). All the diets had a Se supplementation in the form of sodium selenite at 0.2 mg Se/kg dietary DM. The Se supplement and the concentrate mixture were fed only in the morning before the hay was given. Daily feeding schedule for gay was set at 09:00 and 17:00 h. On the final day of collection period, ruminal fluid samples were obtained at 0.5, 2, 6, 12 and 24 h post-feeding starting at 09:00 h. Total ruminal fluid Se was markedly higher (p<0.05) in Diet 3 than those in Diets 1 and 2 at almost all sampling time except at 24 h. The proportion of Se in soluble protein to the total ruminal Se was higher (p< 0.05) in Diet 3 (40%) followed by Diet 2 (28%) and Diet 1 (21%). The proportion of free inorganic Se to the total ruminal Se was the reverse, especially after two hours where Diet 1 (p<0.05) was higher than the other diets. Bacterial Se was lower (p < 0.05) in Diet 1 than those in Diets 2 and 3 at any sampling time. The highest was observed at 2 h postprandially in all diets with a value of 421, 556, $655{\mu}g/kg$ bacterial DM for Diet 1, 2 and 3, respectively. No differences (p>0.05) were observed on ruminal pH, ammonia and total nolatile fatty acids although increasing protein supplementation tended to decline the ruminal pH and increase ruminal ammonia. This study concludes that increasing dietary protein content by soybean meal supplementation can affect the ruminal Se metabolism.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.102-110
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• 2015

The purpose of this experiment was to determine and compare the digestibility of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) in full-oil (no oil extracted) and de-oiled (oil extracted) corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) with different condensed distillers solubles (CDS) ratios. Six barrows ($29.6{\pm}2.3kg$) fitted with ileal T-cannula were allotted into a $6{\times}6$ Latin square design. Each period was comprised of a 5-d adaption period followed by a 2-d collection of ileal digesta. The five test diets contained 62% DDGS as the sole source of AA. A nitrogen-free diet was used to measure the basal endogenous losses of CP and AA. Chromic oxide (0.3%) was used as an index in each diet. The results showed that CP and AA were very similar in 5 DDGS, but the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of lysine (from 56.16% to 71.15%) and tryptophan (from 54.90% to 68.38%) had the lowest values and largest variation within the essential AA, which suggests reduced availability of AA and different levels of Maillard reactions in the five DDGS. The apparent ileal digestibility and SID of CP and most of AA in full-oil DDGS (sources 1 and 2) were greater (p<0.05) than de-oiled DDGS (sources 3, 4, and 5). Comparing the AA SID in the 5 DDGS, full-oil with low CDS ratio DDGS (source 1) had non-significantly higher values (p>0.05) than full-oil with high CDS ratio DDGS (source 2); however, the SID of most AA of de-oiled with low CDS ratios DDGS (source 3) were non-significantly lower (p>0.05) than de-oiled with high CDS ratio DDGS (source 4); and the de-oiled DDGS with middle CDS ratio (source 5) but with different drying processing had the lowest SID AA values. In conclusion, de-oiled DDGS had lower SID of CP and AA than full-oil DDGS; a higher CDS ratio tended to decrease the SID of AA in full-oil DDGS but not in de-oiled DDGS; and compared with CDS ratio, processing, especially drying, may have more of an effect on AA digestibility of DDGS.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1632-1638
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• 2010

Two experiments with growing pigs were conducted to investigate the effects of two distinct multienzyme preparations on nutrient digestibility, growth performance and blood profiles. In Exp. 1, a total of 96 pigs ($29.7{\pm}0.69\;kg$) were utilized in a 42-day performance and digestibility trial using four dietary treatments: CON (control diet), ENDO (control+0.10% Endopower), NSPase1 (control+0.10% NSPase) and NSPase2 (control+0.20% NSPase). Endopower was a commercial multienzyme preparation which contained ${\alpha}$-galactosidase, galactomannase, xylanase and ${\beta}$-glucanase. NSPase mainly contained ${\alpha}$-1,6-${\beta}$-galactosidase, ${\beta}$-1,4-mannanase and ${\beta}$-1,4-mannosidase. There were six replication pens per treatment with four pigs per pen. Pigs fed NSPase1 diet had a higher ADG (p<0.05) and G:F (p<0.05) than those fed the control diet. There were no significant differences in growth performance among the multienzyme treatments (p>0.05). Compared with CON, apparent digestibility of DM was increased (p<0.05) by ENDO treatment. N digestibility was improved (p<0.05) in response to multienzyme treatments during the experimental period. Blood urea nitrogen (BUN) was higher (p<0.05) in ENDO treatment than in CON and NSPase1 treatments at the end of the experiment, while the glucose level improved (p<0.05) due to ENDO and NSPase2 treatments. In Exp. 2, four ileal-cannulated, growing barrows ($20.17{\pm}1.31\;kg$) were housed in individual metabolism crates and randomly assigned to 1of 4 treatments (same as Exp. 1) within a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design. Enzyme supplementations improved the majority of apparent ileal amino acid digestibilities (p<0.05). It is concluded that the supplementation of NSPase1 improved growth performance as well as N digestibility and partially improved apparent ileal amino acid digestibility in growing pigs fed a diet based on corn and soybean meal.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.12
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• pp.1578-1586
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• 2010

This study estimated the effect of fermented persimmon (Diospros kaki L.) extract (FPE) supplement on feed intake, digestibility, nitrogen (N) balance, and rumen fermentation characteristics in sheep. Five male sheep (Corriedale${\times}$Polwarth) with average body weight of $48.6{\pm}1.3\;kg$ were housed in metabolism crates and assigned to a 5${\times}$5 Latin square design with five consecutive 20-d periods which consisted of 14-d adaptation and 6-d data collection. The sheep were fed ad libitum a diet containing concentrate and rice straw (3:7). The five treatments were FPE supplemented at 0 (Control), 5, 10, 20, and 30 g/kg of concentrate. Intakes of dry matter (DM, p<0.01), organic matter (OM, p<0.01), neutral detergent fiber (NDF, p<0.05), acid detergent fiber (ADF, p<0.05), and nitrogen-free extract (NFE, p<0.01) increased quadratically with increasing intake of FPE supplement and maximized (p<0.05) at 10 g/kg FPE. The digestibilities of DM (p<0.05), OM (p<0.05), crude protein (p<0.01), and NFE (p<0.01) increased quadratically with increasing amount of FPE supplement, and sheep fed 5 and 10 g/kg diets had greater (p<0.05) DM, OM, and NFE digestibilites than the Control treatment. By increasing FPE supplement concentration, N intake (p<0.01) and fecal N (p<0.05) increased linearly, whereas retained N (p<0.05) and retained N ratio (p<0.05) increased quadratically. The retained N was maximized (p<0.05) in sheep fed 5 and 10 g/kg diets. The mean rumen pH was not affected by FPE supplement, but there was a quadratic increase (p<0.05) of mean rumen ammonia N concentration and a linear increase (p<0.01) in mean rumen total volatile fatty acid (VFA) and acetate concentrations. The mean concentration of rumen propionate in sheep fed all FPE supplemented diets was greater (p<0.05) than the Control, but the mean ratios of rumen acetate to propionate in sheep fed 5 and 10 g/kg diets were lower (p<0.05) than that of Control sheep. In conclusion, FPE supplemented at 5-10 g/kg of concentrate improved feed intake, the digestibilites of OM and NFE, N metabolism, and rumen fermentation indices of sheep.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.1325-1332
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• 2010

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the particle size (PS) of alfalfa hay (AH) and soybean hull (SH) on milk production of dairy cows and the population of major cellulolytic bacteria in the rumen. Eight lactating Holstein cows, averaging $590{\pm}33\;kg$ BW and $47{\pm}13$ days in milk (DIM), were assigned in a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design to a $2{\times}2$ factorial arrangement of treatments: alfalfa hay particle size (fine vs. coarse) combined with soy hull (zero or substituted as 50% of AH). The cows were fed diets formulated according to NRC (2001). Physically effective factor (pef) and physically effective fiber (peNDF) contents of diets increased by increasing AH particle size and inclusion of SH in the diets (p<0.01). Dry matter intake was not significantly affected by treatments but intake of peNDF was increased marginally by increasing the PS of AH (p = 0.08) and by SH inclusion (p<0.01) in the diets. Milk production was increased by feeding diets containing SH (p = 0.04), but it was not affected by the dietary PS. Milk fat content was increased by increasing AH particle size (p = 0.03) and decreased by SH substitution for a portion of AH (p<0.01). The numbers of total bacteria and cellulolytic species were not affected by PS of AH or by SH. F. succinogenes was the most abundant species in the rumen followed by R. albus and R. flavefaciens (p<0.01). This study showed that SH cannot replace the physically effective fiber in AH having either coarse or fine particle size. In diets containing SH, increasing of diet PS using coarse AH can maintain milk fat content similar to diets without SH. Particle size and peNDF content of diets did not affect the number of total or fibrolytic bacteria in the rumen.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1568-1574
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• 2012

Three Holstein steers in the growing phase, each with a ruminal cannula, were used to test the hypothesis that the synchronization of the hourly rate of carbohydrate and nitrogen (N) released in the rumen would increase the amount of retained nitrogen for growth and thus improve the efficiency of microbial protein synthesis (EMPS). In Experiment 1, in situ degradability coefficients of carbohydrate and N in feeds including Korean rice wine residue (RWR) were determined. In Experiment 2, three total mixed ration (TMR) diets having different rates of carbohydrate and N release in the rumen were formulated using the in situ degradability of the feeds. All diets were made to contain similar contents of crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) but varied in their hourly pattern of nutrient release. The synchrony index of the three TMRs was 0.51 (LS), 0.77 (MS) and 0.95 (HS), respectively. The diets were fed at a restricted level (2% of the animal's body weight) in a $3{\times}3$ Latin-square design. Synchronizing the hourly supply of energy and N in the rumen did not significantly alter the digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, NDF or acid detergent fiber (ADF) (p>0.05). The ruminal $NH_3$-N content of the LS group at three hours after feeding was significantly higher (p<0.05) than that of the other groups; however, the mean values of ruminal $NH_3$-N, pH and VFA concentration among the three groups were not significantly different (p>0.05). In addition, the purine derivative (PD) excretion in urine and microbial-N production (MN) among the three groups were not significantly different (p>0.05). In conclusion, synchronizing dietary energy and N supply to the rumen did not have a major effect on nutrient digestion or microbial protein synthesis (MPS) in Holstein steers.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.311-319
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• 2012

This study examined the effects of supplementation of fish oil and canola oil in the diet on milk yield, milk components and fatty acid composition of Holstein dairy cows in early lactation. Eight multiparous early lactation Holstein cows ($42{\pm}12$ DIM, $40{\pm}6kg$ daily milk yield) were fed a total mixed ration supplemented with either 0% oil (Control), 2% fish oil (FO), 1% canola oil +1% fish oil (FOCO), or 2% canola oil (CO) according to a double $4{\times}4$ Latin square design. Each period lasted 3 wk; experimental analyses were restricted to the last week of each period. Supplemental oils were added to a basal diet which was formulated according to NRC (2001) and consisted of 20% alfalfa, 20% corn silage and 60% concentrate. Milk yield was similar between diets (p>0.05), but dry matter intake (DMI) was lower (p<0.05) in cows fed FO diet compared to other diets. Milk fat percentage and daily yield decreased (p<0.01) with the supplementation of fish and canola oil. The daily yield and percentage of milk protein, lactose and solids-not-fat (SNF) were not affected by diets (p>0.05). The proportion (g/100 g fatty acids) of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) decreased and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) increased (p<0.05) in milk of all cows fed diets supplemented with oil. The proportions of 6:0, 8:0, 10:0 12:0 and 14:0 fatty acids in milk fat decreased (p<0.01) for all diets supplemented with oil, but the proportions of 14:1, 16:0 and 16:1 fatty acids were not affected by diets (p>0.05). The proportion of trans(t)-18:1 increased (p<0.01) in milk fat of cows fed FO and FOCO diets, but CO diet had the highest proportion of cis(c)-11 18:1 (p<0.01). The concentration of t-10, c-12 18:2, c-9 t-11 18:2, 18:3, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6) increased (p<0.05) in FO and FOCO diets in comparison with the other two diets. These data indicate that including fish oil in combination with canola oil significantly modifies the fatty acid composition of milk.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1124-1131
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• 2012

Four Thai - rumen fistulated male swamp buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), about four years old with $400{\pm}20kg$ liveweight, were randomly assigned according to a $4{\times}4$ Latin square design to receive dietary treatments. The treatments were: ground corn cob (GCC) replacement for cassava chip (CC) in concentrate at 0% (T1); GCC replacement at 33% (T2); GCC replacement at 67% (T3); and GCC replacement at 100% (T4), respectively. During the experiment, concentrate was offered at 0.5% BW while 5% urea-treated rice straw was given at ad libitum. The result revealed that there was no effect of GCC replacement on DMI among treatments. In addition, digestibilities of DM, OM and CP were not different while aNDF linearly increased with an increasing level of GCC replacement. However, GCC replacement did not affect rumen fermentation such as ruminal pH, $NH_3$-N and VFA concentration; except C3 proportion which was the highest at 33% replacement while the lowest was at 100% replacement. All replacements of GCC resulted in similar protozoal and bacterial populations and microbial protein synthesis (MPS). Purine derivatives (PD) concentration in urine and PD to creatinine (PDC) index were varied with time of urination and among treatments at 0 to 8 and 8 to 16 h post feeding and higher values were shown among the GCC replacement groups. However at 16 to 24 h-post feeding, it was untraceable. In addition, creatinine concentration was similar among all treatments at every sampling time. Based on the above results, GCC can be used as an energy source for swamp buffalo fed with rice straw. Spot sampling of urine can be used for purine derivatives determination.