• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.84-92
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• 1999

The rumen microbial ecosystem is coming to be recognized as a rich alternative source of genes for industrially useful enzymes. Recent advances in biotechnology are enabling development of novel strategies for effective delivery and enhancement of these gene products. One particularly promising avenue for industrial application of rumen enzymes is as feed supplements for nonruminant and ruminant animal diets. Increasing competition in the livestock industry has forced producers to cut costs by adopting new technologies aimed at increasing production efficiency. Cellulases, xylanases, ${\beta}$-glucanases, pectinases, and phytases have been shown to increase the efficiency of feedstuff utilization (e.g., degradation of cellulose, xylan and ${\beta}$-glucan) and to decrease pollutants (e.g., phytic acid). These enzymes enhance the availability of feed components to the animal and eliminate some of their naturally occurring antinutritional effects. In the past, the cost and inconvenience of enzyme production and delivery has hampered widespread application of this promising technology. Over the last decade, however, advances in recombinant DNA technology have significantly improved microbial production systems. Novel strategies for delivery and enhancement of genes and gene products from the rumen include expression of seed proteins, oleosin proteins in canola and transgenic animals secreting digestive enzymes from the pancreas. Thus, the biotechnological framework is in place to achieve substantial improvements in animal production through enzyme supplementation. On the other hand, the rumen ecosystem provides ongoing enrichment and natural selection of microbes adapted to specific conditions, and represents a virtually untapped resource of novel products such as enzymes, detoxificants and antibiotics.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.18 no.10
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• pp.1457-1463
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• 2005

In this research, the possibilities of using canola meal (CM) in place of soybean meal (SBM), and also the effects of multi-enzyme and phytase supplementation on the performance of quails were investigated. For this purpose, soybean meal (44% CP), canola meal (37% CP), phytase (produced from Peniophora luci) and multi-enzyme ($\beta$-glucanases, pectinases, cellulases and hemicellulases) were used. CM was used supplying 0, 25 and 50% of CP from SBM and each of the phytase and multi-enzyme blends were added to the each level. This study was conducted with 675 day old quails (Coturnix coturnix Japonica) in 9 groups with 3 replicates including 25 birds (mixed sex) per replicate. Nine isocalaric and isonitrogenous diets were prepared. The effects of enzymes and CM levels were studied with a 3${\times}$3${\times}$3 factorial arrangement for three CM levels (0, 25 and 50%), three treatments (without enzyme, phytase enzyme and multi-enzyme) and three replicates. While the 25% CM level did not affect the liveweight gain 50% CM level decreased the liveweight gain (p<0.05). Multi-enzyme addition to the 50% CM group increased the liveweight gain compared to the other groups (p<0.05). CM levels and enzyme supplementation had no effect on feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, dressing percentage, viability, tibia ash content, Ca and P contents of tibia ash, viscera weight, gizzard weight and length of growth period. While heart weight and liver weight were not affected by CM levels, but they were affected by enzyme supplementation. CM levels and enzyme supplementation did not affect final liveweight, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, egg yield, egg weight, shell weight and shell index during laying period. The increase in the CM level lightened the colour of the yolk (p<0.05).

• Food Science and Preservation
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.72-78
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• 2010

To develop a low-ethanol strawberry wine, the use of pectinase to improve the extraction yield of strawberry juice was investigated, and changes in physicochemical characteristics during ethanolic fermentation were assessed. The juice yield from strawberry fruit increased by 18.9% after Viscozyme L treatment (1,000 ppm, 30 min), compared with a control group, a greater increase than seen with other pectinases (17.5-18.7%). No significant quality differences were observed between control juice and juice prepared with enzyme treatment, indicating that neither physicochemical characteristics nor ethanol content during fermentation were affected by pectinase treatment. The major pigments of strawberry juice were cyanidin-3-glucoside and pelargonidin-3-glucoside, both of which are anthocyanins. The pigment level after enzyme treatment was slightly lower than that of the control group, at all fermentation times. We consider that the economics of strawberry wine manufacture may be increased by use of pectinase because juice level was increased, but no change in ethanol content or physicochemical characteristics was apparent.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.365-374
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• 2021

White rot or stem rot caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum is one of the most destructive fungal diseases that have become a serious threat to the successful cultivation of oilseed Brassicas. The study was designed with an aim to investigate the association between the pathogenic aggressiveness and pathogenicity determinants of this pathogen specifically in Brassica for the first time. For this, a total of 58 isolates of S. sclerotiorum from different geographical regions were collected and purified. These isolates were inoculated on a Brassica juncea cv. RL-1359 and they exhibited high level of variation in their disease progression. The isolates were grouped and then 24 isolates were selected for the biochemical analysis of pathogenicity determinants. The isolates varied significantly with respect to their total organic acids, oxalic acid production and pectin methyl esterase and polygalacturonase activity. The oxalic acid production corresponded to the disease progression of the isolates; the isolates with higher oxalic acid production were the more aggressive ones and vice-versa. This is, in our knowledge, the first study to establish a correlation between oxalic acid production and pathogenic aggressiveness of S. sclerotiorum on B. juncea. However, the pectinases' enzyme activity did not follow the trend as of disease progression. These suggest an indispensable role of oxalic acid in pathogenicity of the fungus and the potential to be used as biochemical marker for preliminary assessment of pathogenic aggressiveness of various isolates before incorporating them in a breeding program.