• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.11
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• pp.1579-1584
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• 2002

Twelve adult male crossbred (Sahiwal${\times}$Holstein Friesian) cattle were distributed into four groups of three each on body weight basis. Animals were given wheat straw as a basal diet. The animals of group I and II were supplemented with concentrate mixture and animals of group III and IV were supplemented with cold processed urea molasses mineral block (UMMB). Thirty mg monensin/day/animal was supplemented to the animals of group II and 35 ppm monensin were incorporated in the UMMB supplemented to the animals of group IV. Vit.A and D mixture was given to all the animals once a week. Dry matter (DM) intake (kg/d) through wheat straw was 19.0 percent higher in the UMMB (without monensin) supplemented group (group III) than those of the concentrate mixture (without monensin) supplemented group i.e. group I. Total DM intake (kg/d) was lower in the monensin supplemented groups than those of non-supplemented groups though differences were not statistically significant. Digestible dry matter, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and total digestible nutrients (TDN) intake were similar in all the groups. Average block consumption for 45 d period in the group III (0.95 kg/d) and group IV (0.84 kg/d) did not differ significantly. DM digestibility (%) was significantly (p<0.01) higher in the group II (58.9) as compared to the group I (52.7) and group III (54.0) but similar to the group IV (57.2). OM digestibility was also significantly (p<0.05) higher in the group II (63.2) as compared to that of the group I (54.9) but similar to the group III (57.8) and IV (59.2). Ether extract (EE) digestibility was significantly (p<0.01) higher in the group I (76.9) and II (80.3) as compared to the group III (59.87) and IV (55.77). Nitrogen free extract (NFE) digestibility was significantly (p<0.05) higher in the group II (62.38) as compared to that of the other groups. Crude protein (CP) and crude fibre (CF) digestibilities were not affected either due to UMMB or monensin. Nitrogen balance did also not differ significantly among the groups. However, Ca and P balance (g/d) in the group III (3.1, 1.3) and IV (3.0, 1.4) were significantly (p<0.01) higher than those of the group I (0.6, 0.2) and II (0.4, 0.3). Blood glucose (mg/100ml) was significantly (p<0.01) higher in the group II (65.2) and IV (65.2) as compared to the group I (55.2) and group III (53.9). Plasma urea-N level (mg/100 ml) in the group III (19.0) and IV (17.8) were significantly (p<0.01) higher than that of the group I (10.5) and II (12.3). So, monensin supplementation either with cold process UMMB or concentrate mixture did not show any additional effect on feed intake and digestibility but increases blood glucose level in adult cattle.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.679-695
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• 2020

Evaluating amino acid requirements, specifically threonine requirements, in horses will enable better feed formulation and result in economic production, improved animal health, and reduced environmental pollution. However, the current knowledge of protein and amino acid requirements in horses is still limited. Because horses have a unique digestive system and consume a variety of feed ingredients, their protein digestibility may be affected than other species by different feed composition, and thus amino acid requirements are susceptible to vary between situations. Therefore, a careful evaluation of amino acid requirements with a proper method is needed for various conditions. This review will also provide comprehensive information that needs to be considered when designing an amino acid requirement study in horses.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.1150-1156
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• 2014

This trail was conducted to study the effect of L-proline on the growth performance, and blood parameter in the weaned lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-challenged pigs. Thirty six pigs ($9.13{\pm}0.85$ kg) were assigned randomly to dietary treatments in a $2{\times}3$ factorial arrangement in a 20-d growth assay. Factors were intraperitoneal injection with saline or LPS, and three dietary L-proline supplement levels (0%, 0.5%, or 1.0%). On d 10, blood samples were collected at 3 h after LPS (100 ${\mu}g$ LPS/kg body weight [BW]) or saline injection. On d 20 of the trial, all pigs were orally administrated D-xylose (0.1 g/kg BW) at 2 h, and blood samples were collected at 3 h after LPS or saline injection. As a result, dietary supplementation with 0.5% proline had a tendency to increase average daily gain (ADG) in piglets during d 10 to 20 (p = 0.088). Without LPS challenge, dietary supplementation with 1.0% proline had no effect on growth hormone (GH) concentrations on d 10 (p>0.05), but decreased it after LPS challenge (p<0.05). There was LPS challenge${\times}$proline interaction for GH concentrations on d 10 (p<0.05). Dietary supplementation with 1.0% proline decreased glucagon concentration on d 10 after LPS challenge (p<0.05). In addition, dietary supplementation with proline increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity significantly on d 10 and 20 (p<0.05), and 1.0% proline increased heat shock proteins-70 concentration on d 10 (p<0.05). Moreover, proline supplementation increased diamine oxidase (DAO) concentrations after LPS challenge (p<0.05). There was LPS challenge${\times}$proline interaction for DAO (p<0.05). Furthermore, dietary supplementation with 1.0% proline increased the D-xylose level when no LPS challenge (p<0.05). These results indicate that proline supplementation could improve growth performance, increase SOD activities, and has a positive effect on the gastrointestinal tract digestibility in early weaned pigs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.316-320
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• 2001

Sixteen growing crossbred Anglo-Nubian goats, 10-12 months old, pre-experimental average body weights of $18.3{\pm}0.28kg$ were randomly allotted to four diets to investigate the efficiency of utilisation of diets containing increasing levels of desiccated coconut waste meal (DCWM) in the tropical environment of Samoa, South Pacific region. The four diets were designated as 1, 2, 3 and 4. Diet 1 that has no DCWM served as the control, while diets 2, 3 and contained different levels of DCWM. Voluntary concentrate intake, growth rate, feed efficiency and nutrient digestibility coefficients were measured. Gross energy (GE) and organic matter (OM) values of the diets increased linearly with increase in the levels of DCWM in the diets. Voluntary concentrate intake decreased with increasing proportion of DCWM in the diets. Forage intake increased with increase in the levels of DCWM diets offered to the growing goats. Total voluntary feed intakes were statistical significant (p<0.05) and the goats on diet 4 had the least intake followed by those on diet 3. Goats an diets 1 and 2 were different in total feed intake but not at a significant level (p>0.05). Feed efficiency (FE) followed the trend of voluntary concentrate intake and daily live weight gains. Dry matter digestibility (DMD) was significantly different (p<0.05) among the goats offered the different diets. DMD improved with increasing levels of DCWM. The goats accepted all, the diets that were compounded with the different levels of dried DCWM and this seems to suggest that DCWM have no deleterious effects. However, the best level at which dried DCWM could replace brewers dried grains in the diets of growing goats is at 38.5% (diet II). Based on voluntary feed intake, live-weight gain and apparent nutrient digestibility coefficients of the goats it could be concluded that DCWM based diets merits further attention as a locally available feed source in ruminants nutrition in the Pacific Island countries where feed availability is seasonal.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.8
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• pp.1164-1170
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• 2008

In this study, the effects of propolis and vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) supplementation in diets were investigated on feed intake (FI), body weight (BW), body weight gain (BWG), feed conversion rate (FCR) and digestibility and on egg production and qualities (weight, mortality, shell thickness) in laying hens exposed to heat stress. A total of 150 Hyline White Leghorn, aged 42 weeks, hens was divided into five groups of 30 hens. Chicks were randomly divided into 1 positive control, 1 control and 3 treatment groups. The chicks were kept in cages in temperature-controlled rooms at $22^{\circ}C$ for 24 h/d (positive control, Thermoneutral, TN group) or $34^{\circ}C$ for 9 h/d from 08.00-17.00 h followed by $22^{\circ}C$ for 15 h (control, heat stress, HS group) and fed a basal diet or basal diet supplemented with vitamin C (250 mg/kg of L- ascorbic acid/kg of diet) or two levels of propolis (2 and 5 g of ethanol extracted propolis/kg of diet). Increased FI (p<0.05) and improvement in FCR (p<0.05), hen day egg (p<0.05) and egg weight (p<0.05) were found in Vitamin C and propolis-supplemented laying hens reared under heat stress conditions. Mortality rate was higher in the control group than TN, vitamin C and propolis groups (p<0.05). Digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and ether extract improved with increasing of both dietary vitamin C and propolis (p<0.05). Vitamin C or propolis supplementation did not affect either the percentage shape index, yolk index or haugh unit and albumen index (p>0.05). However, the egg shell thickness and egg shell weight appeared to be increased in Vitamin C and propolis groups in comparison to HS group birds (p<0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of laying hens with anti-oxidants (vitamin C and propolis) can attenuate heat stress-induced oxidative damage. These positive effects were evidenced by increased growth performance and digestibility, improvement of egg shell thickness and egg weight in comparison to non-supplemented birds. Moreover, supplementation with propolis (5 g/kg diet) was the most efficient treatment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1248-1254
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• 2012

The effect of silage additives on ensiling characteristics and nutritive value of Napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) silages was studied. Napier grass silages were made with no additive, fermented juice of epiphytic lactic acid bacteria (FJLB), molasses or cassava meal. The ensiling characteristics were determined by ensiling Napier grass silages in airtight plastic pouches for 2, 4, 7, 14, 21 and 45 d. The effect of Napier grass silages treated with these additives on voluntary feed intake, digestibility, rumen fermentation and microbial rumen fermentation was determined in 4 fistulated cows using $4{\times}4$ Latin square design. The pH value of the treated silages rapidly decreased, and reached to the lowest value within 7 d of the start of fermentation, as compared to the control. Lactic acid content of silages treated with FJLB was stable at 14 d of fermentation and constant until 45 d of ensiling. At 45 d of ensiling, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) of silage treated with cassava meal were significantly lower (p<0.05) than the others. In the feeding trial, the intake of silage increased (p<0.05) in the cow fed with the treated silage. Among the treatments, dry matter intake was the lowest in the silage treated with cassava meal. The organic matter, crude protein and NDF digestibility of the silage treated with molasses was higher than the silage without additive and the silage treated with FJLB. The rumen parameters: ruminal pH, ammonia-nitrogen ($NH_3$-N), volatile fatty acid (VFA), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and bacterial populations were not significantly different among the treatments. In conclusion, these studies confirmed that the applying of molasses improved fermentative quality, feed intake and digestibility of Napier grass.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.359-364
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• 2016

The study was carried out to explore the effects of replacing wheat straw with fungal treated wheat straw as an ingredient of total mixed ration (TMR) on the growth performance and nutrient digestibility in Nili Ravi buffalo male calves. Fungal treated wheat straw was prepared using Arachniotus sp. Four TMRs were formulated where wheat straw was replaced with 0 (TMR1), 33 (TMR2), 67 (TMR3), and 100% (TMR4) fungal treated wheat straw in TMR. All TMRs were iso-caloric and iso-nitrogenous. The experimental TMRs were randomly assigned to four groups of male calves (n = 6) according to completely randomized design and the experiment continued for four months. The calves fed TMR2 exhibited a significant improve in dry matter intake, average daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio and feed economics compared to other groups. The same group also showed higher digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, neutral-, and acid detergent fibers than those fed on other TMRs. It is concluded that TMR with 33% fungal-treated wheat straw replacement has a potential to give an enhanced growth performance and nutrient digestibility in male Nili Ravi buffalo calves.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.465-474
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• 2010

The effects of four types of tropical protein-rich trees on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen (N) balance, urinary purine derivative (PD) excretion and blood metabolites in four Thai Brahman cattle (290${\pm}$2.5 kg) were studied. The animals were fed twice daily, with each feeding consisting of 1 kg (fresh weight) rice straw and one of the four dietary supplements: i) 1.98 kg oven-dried rain tree pods (RTP) and 20 g premix (RTPP), ii) 980 g RTP and 1 kg sun-dried leucaena leaves and 20 g premix (LLRT), iii) 980 g RTP and 1 kg sun-dried cassia leaves and 20 g premix (CLRT) and iv) 980 g RTP and 1 kg sun-dried mulberry leaves and 20 g premix (MLRT). The apparent dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) digestibilities were higher (p<0.05) in cattle fed the CLRT supplement than in those fed the other supplements, whilst the apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) was higher (p<0.05) in cattle fed the CLRT and MLRT supplements than in those fed the other supplements. The N-balance of cattle fed LLRT and CLRT supplements was higher (p<0.05) than in cattle fed RTPP and MLRT supplements, whilst the apparent digestibility of N was highest (p<0.05) in cattle fed RTPP supplement, compared to the other supplements. Allantoin and PD excretion in the urine, and the ratios of allantoin/DOMI and PD/DOMI were higher (p<0.05) in cattle fed RTPP and MLRT than for those fed LLRT and CLRT supplements. Plasma ${\beta}$-hydroxy butyrate (${\beta}$-HBA) and insulin concentrations were higher (p<0.05) in cattle fed RTPP supplement than in those fed the other supplements. The study demonstrated the value of using local multipurpose trees (MPTs) to improve Brahman cattle feeding systems in the tropics.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.1629-1629
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• 2001

The knowledge of the nutrition in animal production is difficult to assess due of difficulty to determine the amount and quality of feeds intake, mainly if forages are the most important compound in the diet. It must be able to know responses to the metabolic process in lactating dairy cows earring out feeds evaluation trials. These metabolism studies with cows, requires measurements of: I) The amount of all feeds consumed. II) Excretion of faeces. III) Excretion of urine. Taking as a basis these trials, forage and total intake, dietary digestibility and balances of nitrogen and energy can be calculated. However, these feeds evaluation experiments with animals are very time consuming and expensives. The faeces excreted by animals containt undigested residues of the diet consumed. For this reason, their analysis can be an successful tool to determine the amount and quality of feed intake and other important biological parameters. The aim of this work was to know if faeces analysis by NIR could be used to determine with enough accuracy some attributes of different lactating dairy cows diets, using a global equation, developed on an heterogeneus population. For this purpose a total of 79 faecal samples from eight grass, three grass silages and two maize silages metabolic trials, on six cows each one, were used to constitute the initial population. The calibration equations were developed to predict forage and total intake, organic matter digestibility, digestibility coefficient of crude energy and digestibility energy. The combination of several trials with different diets and animal conditions gave promising results.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.319-324
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• 2014

An 8 weeks feeding trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of dietary microbial phytase (P) supplementation on nutrient digestibility, and body composition in juvenile olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus fed soybean meal-based diets. Seven experimental diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isocaloric to contain 50.0% crude protein (CP) and 16.7 kJ of available energy/g with or without dietary phytase supplementation. White fish meal (FM) provided 92.4% of the total protein in the basal diet ($S_0$), in the other 6 diets, 30% or 40% FM protein was replaced by soybean meal: 70% FM + 30% soybean meal ($S_{30}$); 70% FM + 30% SM + 1000 U phytase/kg diet ($S_{30}P_{1000}$); 70% FM + 30% SM + 2000 U phytase/kg diet ($S_{30}P_{2000}$); 60% FM + 40% SM ($S_{40}$); 60% FM + 40% SM + 1000 U phytase/kg diet ($S_{40}P_{1000}$); and 60% FM + 40% SM + 2000 U phytase/kg diet ($S_{40}P_{2000}$). After two weeks of the conditioning period, triplicate groups of 25 fish initially averaging $6.15{\pm}0.04g$ ($mean{\pm}S.D.$) were randomly distributed into the aquarium and were fed one of the experimental diets for 8 weeks. After feeding trial, supplementation of phytase significantly improved the apparent digestibility coefficients of phosphorus in flounder diets (P<0.05) containing 30% and 40% soybean meal regardless the levels. However, phytase had no significant influence on growth performance and whole body composition of fish. Based on the experimental results, we conclude that dietary supplementation of phytase could improve the apparent digestibility coefficient of phosphorus in olive flounder.