• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.620-633
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• 1998

Methods developed for measuring digestibility and availability of amino acids in feedstuffs used in pig nutrition are reviewed. Digestibility is a proportion of an amino acid in a feed that is absorbed from the digestive tract and should be determined from the difference between the amount of amino acid consumed and passing the distal ileum. Techniques for ileal digesta sampling including various types of cannulas: a re-entrant, T-piece, IPV, IPVC and ileaorectal anastomosis are described and comparisons amongst these methods are presented. Other methodologies like mobile bag technique, in vitro assays and mathematical prediction method are also described. Significance and methodologies for measurement of endogenous nitrogen and amino acids losses at the distal ileum and their effect on the apparent and true nitrogen and amino acid digestibilities in feeds are discussed. Factors influencing the apparent and true amino acid digestibilities such as dry matter intake, protein, fibre and antinutritive compounds content in the diet are discussed. Amino acid bioavailability -the proportion of the total amino acid digested and absorbed in a form utilized in metabolism - measured by the growth assay may differ from its ileal digestibility. Chemical methods for determination of available lysine content in heat treated feeds are evaluated.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.210-214
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• 1997

Ruminal degradation characteristics and intestinal availability of crude protein (CP) in four animal-origin feeds (fish meal, meat meal, viscera meal, feather meal) were estimated by mobile nylon bag technique. Three ruminally and duodenally cannulated Holstein dairy cows (average body wt. 550kg) fed a diet containing 40% concentrate and 60% orchard grass hay on a dry matter (DM) basis. Assuming that the outflow rate of diet in rumen is 5% per hour (k =0.05), contents of quickly degradable CP (QDP), slowly degradable CP (SDP), and undegradable CP (UDP) in the rumen were 27.6%, 9.4%, 63.0% for fish meal, 34.3% 28.1%, 37,6% for meat meal, 43.9%, 12.5%, 43.6% for viscera meal, and 14.4%, 15.8%, 69.8% for feather meal, respectively. Intestinal CP degradability was 51.0% for fish meal, 27.2% for meat meal, 37.9% for viscera meal and 56.2% for feather meal. Available UDP in the intestinal tract was contained 288 g, 217 g, 246 g and 423 g per kilogram DM of diet in fish meal, meat meal, viscera meal and feather meal, respectively.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.460-466
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• 1999

The huge amount of demand for feedgrains from this region could not possibly be met by producing countries from the other regions. In order to fulfill this increasing demand for conventional raw materials, an alternative for the conventional raw materials produced in the Asia and Pacific region is becoming increasingly more important. A potential alternative is concentrates or non-conventional concentrates produced locally in relative abundance in this region. These feedstuffs include feed grains, by-products from the milling, sugar industries, brewing and distilling industries. Vegetable, citrus, and animal by-products from abattoir, feather meal and blood meal are also possibilities. In addition to more widespread use of unconventional feed sources, the following approach is recommended to improve utilization and performance. These include establishing the nutritive value of non-conventional feeds, quality control to minimize variability, proper storage and processing to assure the nutritive value and prevent mycotoxin contamination, properly balance amino acids with protein sources, supplementation with synthetic amino acids and the use of enzymes to increase digestibility. Currently, practical applications for these resources in feed formulation are negligible despite the potential. The socio-economic aspects will dominate the use of these non-conventional concentrates. In the future, the feed industry will resolve the problems in using locally available raw feed materials.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.633-641
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• 2021

Objective: The effects of adding fermented feed to a pelleted total mixed ration (PTMR) on the growth performance of lambs remain unclear. The present study aimed to investigate the feed efficiency and productivity of lambs that were fed PTMR containing fermented soybean meal (FSM) or wheat bran (FWB). Methods: Sixty 90-d-old hybrid lambs were randomly allocated into 12 pens (5 lambs/pen) that were randomly assigned to 4 dietary treatments (3 pens/treatment) with PTMR (basal diet), 2% FSM, or Lactobacillus- or yeast-FWB (L-FWB or Y-FWB) addition in the basal diet. Results: The findings showed that lambs fed 2% FSM supplemented diet had enhanced (p<0.05) average daily gain (ADG) and carcass yield (p = 0.015), while they had a decreased (p = 0.006) feed conversion ratio compared to that of other three groups. Inclusion of FSM or FWB in PTMR improved (p<0.05) the nutrient digestibility, while it reduced the urea nitrogen content in serum compared to the PTMR group. Additionally, the decreased ratio of N excretion to ADG (p<0.01) was observed with FSM and L-FWB supplementation compared with the PTMR and Y-FWB groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, feeding the fermented feed-supplemented diet improved nutrient digestibility and growth performance, and 2% FSM-supplemented diet exhibited superior production-promoting efficiency to lambs.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.677-684
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• 2008

Accurate estimation of dry matter intake (DMI) is a prerequisite to meet animal performance targets without penalizing animal health and the environment. The objective of the current study was to evaluate some of the existing models in order to predict DMI when lactating dairy cows were offered a total mixed ration containing a high level of concentrates and locally produced agricultural by-products. Six popular models were chosen for DMI prediction (Brown et al., 1977; Rayburn and Fox, 1993; Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries Research Council Secretariat, 1999; National Research Council (NRC), 2001; Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS), Fox et al., 2003; Fuentes-Pila et al., 2003). Databases for DMI comparison were constructed from two different sources: i) 12 commercial farm investigations and ii) a controlled dairy cow experiment. The model evaluation was performed using two different methods: i) linear regression analysis and ii) mean square error prediction analysis. In the commercial farm investigation, DMI predicted by Fuentes-Pila et al. (2003) was the most accurate when compared with the actual mean DMI, whilst the CNCPS prediction showed larger mean bias (difference between mean predicted and mean observed values). Similar results were observed in the controlled dairy cow experiment where the mean bias by Fuentes-Pila et al. (2003) was the smallest of all six chosen models. The more accurate prediction by Fuentes-Pila et al. (2003) could be attributed to the inclusion of dietary factors, particularly fiber as these factors were not considered in some models (i.e. NRC, 2001; CNCPS (Fox et al., 2003)). Linear regression analysis had little meaningful biological significance when evaluating models for prediction of DMI in this study. Further research is required to improve the accuracy of the models, and may recommend more mechanistic approaches to investigate feedstuffs (common to the Asian region), animal genotype, environmental conditions and their interaction, as the majority of the models employed are based on empirical approaches.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.608-619
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• 1998

The small and the large intestine of swine represent the organs that extract nutrients from feedstuffs through digestion and fermentation and that allow their absorption and incorporation into the blood circulation. Special attention is directed towards the small intestine of young pigs since the transition to a solid diet at weaning exerts major impacts on the structural and functional integrity of the small intestine. Dietary factors involved in postweaning changes of gut morphology and biochemistry such as removal of bioactive compounds in sows milk at weaning, anti-nutritional factors in weaner diets, dietary fiber and the role of voluntary feed intake will be elucidated. The microbial function of the large intestine which is carried out by a diverse population of microorganisms is dependent on substrate availability. Short chain fatty acids as main fermentation products contribute to the energy supply of the host but they are also important for the maintenance of the morphological and functional integrity of the epithelium in the colon. As a result of bacterial nitrogen assimilation in the large intestine, nitrogen is shifted from the urinary to the fecal excretion route thus saving metabolic energy to the pig because less ammonia would become available for conversion to urea.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.15 no.10
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• pp.1458-1468
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• 2002

There is increasing interest in exploiting natural products as feed additives to solve problems in animal nutrition and livestock production. Essential oils and saponins are two types of plant secondary compounds that hold promise as natural feed additives for ruminants. This paper describes recent advances in research into these additives. The research has generally concentrated on protein metabolism. Dietary essential oils caused rates of NH$_3$ production from amino acids in ruminal fluid taken from sheep and cattle receiving the oils to decrease, yet proteinase and peptidase activities were unchanged. Hyper-ammonia-producing (HAP) bacteria were the most sensitive of ruminal bacteria to essential oils in pure culture. Essential oils also slowed colonisation and digestion of some feedstuffs. Ruminobacter amylophilus may be a key organism in mediating these effects. Saponin-containing plants and their extracts appear to be useful as a means of suppressing the bacteriolytic activity of rumen ciliate protozoa and thereby enhancing total microbial protein flow from the rumen. The effects of some saponins seems to be transient, which may stem from the hydrolysis of saponins to their corresponding sapogenin aglycones, which are much less toxic to protozoa. Saponins also have selective antibacterial effects which may prove useful in, for example, controlling starch digestion. These studies illustrate that plant secondary compounds, of which essential oils and saponins comprise a small proportion, have great potential as 'natural' manipulators of rumen fermentation, to the potential benefit of the farmer and the environment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.843-848
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• 2017

Objective: This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of a corn- or cassava- based diet on the production of meat-type ducks. Methods: Four hundred day-old ducks were used in this experiment. They were divided into five groups with each group replicated eight times. The ducks fed the corn-based diets served as the control group. The four other groups comprised different treatments, with each one given the cassava-based diet based on phase-feeding. Three treatments were fed the cassava-based diet from 16, 28, and 35 d; respectively up to 42 d of age and the other group was fed the cassava-based diet from 1 to 42 d of age. Results: The results indicated that ducks on either the corn- or cassava-based diets were similar in growth during 1 to 9 d of age. However, toward 35 to 42 d, the cassava-diet produced a higher weight gain (p<0.05). The cassava-based diet was better than the corn-based diet at increasing the outer and inner breast weights at 28, 35, or 42 d (p<0.05). In contrast, the corn-based diet was better at increasing abdominal fat (p<0.05). The two diets did not differ in their effects on the serum triglyceride, cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, very-low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and liver cholesterol. The corn-based diet, however, caused a highly significantly greater level of liver triglyceride (p<0.01). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that both the cassava- and corn- based diets are similar in their effect on meat-type ducks during the starter stage but toward the finisher stage, the cassava-based diet has a better influence on weight gain and carcass characteristics.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.1060-1068
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• 2009

The buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) is an important contributor to milk, meat, power, fuel and leather production in many developing countries. Buffaloes can be categorized into Asian and Mediterranean buffaloes. Asian buffalo includes two subspecies known as Riverine and Swamp types. Riverine (water buffalo) and Swamp buffaloes possess different genetics (50 vs. 48 chromosomes, respectively), morphology (body frame, body weight, horn shape and skin color) and behavior (wallowing in mud or water) and thus, are reared and used for different purposes. Low per head milk yield, poor reproductive performance (seasonal breeding behavior, anestrous, and longer calving interval) and low growth rate in buffaloes have been attributed to insufficient supply of nutrients. In many parts of Asia, where the buffalo is an integral part of the food chain and rural economy, irregular and inadequate availability of quality feedstuffs and their utilization are hampering the performance of this unique animal. Balanced nutrition and better management can enhance buffalo productivity. Many efforts have been made in the last few decades to improve nutrient supply and utilization in buffaloes. Recent research on locally available feed resources such as crop residues, and industrial by-products, dietary addition of micronutrients, use of performance modifiers and use of ruminally protected fat and protein sources have shown significant potential to improve growth, milk yield and reproductive performance of buffaloes. However, a number of issues, including establishment of nutrient requirements for dairy and beef, development of buffalo calf feeding systems, nutritional management of metabolic and reproductive anomalies, and understanding and exploitation of the buffalo gut ecosystem, need to be addressed. Extensive coordinated research and extension efforts are required for improved buffalo nutrition in developing countries.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.985-993
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• 2017

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate increasing doses of a novel microbial phytase (Cibenza Phytaverse, Novus International, St. Charles, MO, USA) on standardized total tract digestibility (STTD) of P in canola meal (CM), corn, corn-derived distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), rice bran (RB), sorghum, soybean meal (SBM), sunflower meal (SFM), and wheat. Methods: Two cohorts of 36 pigs each (initial body weight = $78.5{\pm}3.7kg$) were randomly assigned to 2 rooms, each housing 36 pigs, and then allotted to 6 diets with 6 replicates per diet in a randomized complete block design. Test ingredient was the only dietary source of P and diets contained 6 concentrations of phytase (0, 125, 250, 500, 1,000, or 2,000 phytase units [FTU]/kg) with 0.4% of $TiO_2$ as a digestibility marker. Feeding schedule for each ingredient was 5 d acclimation, 5 d fecal collection, and 4 d washout. The STTD of P increased (linear or exponential $p{\leq}0.001$) with the inclusion of phytase for all ingredients. Results: Basal STTD of P was 37.6% for CM, 37.6% for corn, 68.6% for DDGS, 10.3% for RB, 41.2% for sorghum, 36.7% for SBM, 26.2% for SFM, and 55.1% for wheat. The efficiency of this novel phytase to hydrolyze phytate is best described with a broken-line model for corn, an exponential model for CM, RB, SBM, SFM, and wheat, and a linear model for DDGS and sorghum. Based on best-fit model the phytase dose (FTU/kg) needed for highest STTD of P (%), respectively, was 735 for 64.3% in CM, 550 for 69.4% in corn, 160 for 55.5% in SBM, 1,219 for 57.8% in SFM, and 881 for 64.0% in wheat, whereas a maximum response was not obtained for sorghum, DDGS and RB within the evaluated phytase range of 0 to 2,000 FTU/kg. These differences in the phytase concentration needed to maximize the STTD of P clearly indicate that the enzyme does not have the same hydrolysis efficiency among the evaluated ingredients. Conclusion: Variations in enzyme efficacy to release P from phytate in various feedstuffs need to be taken into consideration when determining the matrix value for phytase in a mixed diet, which likely depends on the type and inclusion concentration of ingredients used in mixed diets for pigs. The use of a fixed P matrix value across different diet types for a given phytase concentration is discouraged as it may result in inaccurate diet formulation.