The effect of fasting on liveweight and carcass characteristics in lambs

In two experiments, involving 250 and 300 lambs, respectively, lambs were fasted (with access to water) and slaughtered after 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 days. The effects of initial fat score, initial liveweight and sex (wethers and ewes) on the patterns of loss in liveweight, hot carcass weight and carcass characters (fat depth at the GR and C sites, kidney fat weight and the weights of chemical carcass components) were examined. In experiment 2 the effects of weaning and transport on fasting losses were also examined.

The rate of liveweight loss (expressed as a percentage of initial liveweight) was greater in the initial stages of the fast and was affected by fat score, with a greater loss in lambs with a lower fat score. The pattern of loss in hot carcass weight with fasting was curvilinear and in experiment 2 was affected by both fat score and liveweight, with leaner, heavier lambs having a greater loss. In experiment 2 the decrease in fat depth at the GR site interacted with fat score, with a greater loss in lambs with a lower fat score. Transport per se had no effect on hot carcass weight or carcass characteristics.     

Effect of preslaughter fasting on the characteristics of pig livers

Seventy-seven pigs of about 60 kg liveweight were killed in two experiments, which examined the influence of food deprivation preslaughter on the chemical composition, physical characteristics and eating quality of liver. In the first experiment pigs were fasted for 0, 24 or 48 hr before slaughter. Livers from fasted animals were lighter in weight ( P < 0.001) and contained proportionally slightly more water ( P < 0.001), fat ( P < 0.001) and protein ( P < 0.001) but very much less glycogen ( P < 0.001) and less lactate ( P < 0.001). They had higher pH values ( P < 0.001) both just after slaughter and during storage at 2°C for up to 72 hr. They were darker in colour initially ( P < 0.05) and after chilling for 72 hr ( P < 0.01) partly due to the higher ( P < 0.05) concentrations of haem pigments. The second experiment examined how these differences influenced eating quality. It included a control group killed 2 hr after food withdrawal and groups fasted for 12, 24 and 48 hr. After frying, livers from pigs fasted longer were found to be darker in appearance ( P < 0.001), less tender ( P < 0.001), less juicy ( P < 0.001) and, overall, less acceptable ( P < 0.001). Livers from pigs fasted longer also lost less weight during cooking ( P < 0.05) and were tougher ( P < 0.05) based on instrumental measurements. Livers from half of the pigs in each fasting group were stored at 2°C prior to assessment of eating quality; the remaining livers were frozen at −20°C. Freezing had small deleterious effects on the texture ( P < 0.01) and juiciness ( P < 0.05) of livers but did not influence mean overall acceptability.     

Effects of pre-slaughter administration of antifreeze proteins on frozen meat quality

The effects of pre-slaughter administration of antifreeze glycoproteins to lambs were assessed on lamb meat quality after thawing. Various concentrations of antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGP) from Antarctic Cod were injected intravenously into lambs (35 ± 5 kg liveweight) at various times prior to slaughter. The lambs were electrically stunned, slaughtered, then subjected to high voltage electrical stimulation. The rate of glycolysis was assessed by monitoring the rate of pH fall and the ultimate pH. Longissimus dorsi muscles were removed from the carcasses 24 h post-slaughter. Samples were vacuum packed and stored frozen at -20 °C for 2-16 weeks. Upon thawing, samples were assessed for drip loss and sensory properties (foreign flavour, storage flavour, texture, tenderness, juiciness and overall acceptability). At certain times, frozen samples were examined by scanning electron microscopy after ice sublimation. Injection of AFGP had no effect on the rate of pH decline, and for all treatments the pH of samples was not significantly different. Injection of AFGP 10 min before slaughter had no effect at any of the concentrations of AFGP for any of the factors assessed, suggesting that 10 min was insufficient time for the AFGP to become associated with the muscle tissue. Injection of AFGP at either 1 or 24 h before slaughter reduced drip loss and ice crystal size. Crystals were smallest in the lambs injected to a final concentration of 0.01 μg/kg AFGP, particularly when injected 24 h before slaughter. These results suggest that the addition of AFGP could reduce damage due to frozen storage of meat, if a cost-effective and consumer-acceptable method could be developed to incorporate these proteins into meat prior to freezing.     

Lamb meat quality of two breeds with protected origin designation. Influence of breed, sex and live weight

Lamb meat quality of two Portuguese products was examined. The influences of slaughter weight, sex and breed on eating quality were evaluated. Data were obtained from 72 lambs of two different breeds with protected designation origin. In accord with the normal slaughter weight in the region three classes were considered: A: 9–14 kg live weight; B: 14–19 kg live weight and C: 19–24 kg live weight. pH of M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle (MTL) was measured 1 h and 24 h after slaughter. Meat colour was estimated in the M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum muscle (MTL) muscle on the 12th rib using the L* a* b* system. Shear force was evaluated 72 h after slaughter. Sensorial analysis was assessed by a trained taste panel of 12 members. The pH values found could be considered within the normal pH range, between 5.5 and 5.9. When the pH measurement was made 24 h after slaughter, the heavy lambs had significant higher value than the light lambs. In relation to colour variables, live weight, sex and breed had no effect on the red index (a*). Lightness (L) decreased with increasing live weight and the light lambs had higher yellow index (b*) than the heavier lambs. Shear force increased with live weight and the Bragançano breed had a greater mean shear force than the Mirandesa (7.8 vs. 6.8 kg/cm²). The heavy carcasses had more flavour intensity than the light ones. Mirandesa lambs had significantly lower values for toughness, stringy and odour intensity than Bragançana lambs.     

Reduction of carcass yield in transported pigs

Pigs (53-70 kg) in a non-fasted state were either not transported or subjected to a journey lasting for 1 h or 6 h prior to slaughter. Pigs given the short transport lost 0.6% and pigs given the long transport 2.3% of their initial live weight. After lairage for 1 h with access to water, all pigs were killed 8 h after their last feed. Compared with pigs not transported before slaughter, killing out percentage was slightly, but not significantly, lowered in the short transport group and significantly (P<0.05) reduced in the long transport group. The loss in carcass weight of the latter group amounted to 2.1% of the carcass weight of the untransported control pigs. Overall, killing out percentage and liver weight expressed as a percentage of liveweight were negatively correlated with the percentage loss of live weight in transport (P<0.02). The carcass weight loss on chilling was not influenced by treatment. Measurements of adrenal ascorbic acid suggested that most of the stress of transport occurred during the loading and first hour of the journey. Transported pigs drank more water in lairage, particularly those transported for 6 h which also had a higher total protein concentration in their plasma (P<0.05). Plasma creatine phosphokinase activity was not influenced by transport. It is suggested that enforced deprivation of water is an important contributing factor to the weight loss of pigs during transport but that physical activity is not.     

Performance of growing–fattening lambs fed whole cotton seed

Effects of diets containing increasing levels of whole cotton seed (WCS) on feed intake, liveweight gain, feed conversion, feeding margin and carcass characteristics were studied. Diets contained 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 30% WCS and were fed ad libitum to growing lambs for 54 days. All diets were approximately isonitrogenous (163–186 g crude protein kg⁻¹ dry matter) and isocaloric (19–20 MJ gross energy kg⁻¹ of dry matter). During the first 28 days, four groups of 10 Karagouniko male lambs with initial liveweights of approximately 17·6 kg were fed diets containing 0, 5, 10 and 15% WCS and then, for the next 26 days, diets containing 0, 10, 20 and 30% WCS, respectively. Lambs fed the 15–30% WCS diet ingested about 20 mg kg liveweight⁻¹ day⁻¹ of free gossypol. At 54 days and liveweights of approximately 34·7 kg, five lambs from each treatment were slaughtered and carcass data were collected. There were significant differences in feed intake, liveweight gain, cooler shrink, rumen contents, intestinal fat and liver weight among the lambs fed these diets. Cooler shrink and intestinal fat, and perirenal fat and the combined weight of intestinal and perirenal fat, were significantly (P < 0·05) correlated. Pelleting of the WCS diets reduced the concentration of free gossypol in these diets. It was concluded that WCS was satisfactory as a feed ingredient for growing sheep and can be incorporated into ruminant diets as a source of energy and protein. No indication of gossypol toxicity was detected. © 1998 Society of Chemical Industry     

Fasting-induced glycogen depletion in different fibre types of red and white pig muscles—relationship with ultimate pH

The aim of the present work was to study the effect of fasting times (0, 24, 48 and 72 h) on glycogen level in different fibre types of a predominantly white (Longissimus, LD) and a predominantly red (Semispinalis, SS) pig muscle, and on ultimate pH (pH_u, 24 h post mortem). Thirty two individually housed Large White castrates (eight pigs per treatment) were slaughtered individually under minimal stressful conditions. Muscle samples were taken during bleeding for enzymic determination of muscle metabolites and histological examination using computerised image analysis. Myofibres were classified by a combination of metabolic (W, white; R, red) and contractile (α, fast-twitch; β, slow-twitch) characteristics. The SS showed higher glycogen depletion after 24 h fasting than the LD (?55 versus ?26%, respectively). No further significant changes in glycogen level were recorded with enhanced fasting times (up to 72 h), although in the SS a marked trend towards glycogen depletion was observed. Fasting for 24 h resulted in significantly increased pH_u in the SS whereas for the LD, a significant increase in pH_u occurred only after 48 h fasting. In response to fasting, significant decrease in histochemical staining intensity for glycogen occurred in the three fibre types of the SS. The βR fibres of the SS showed an almost complete glycogen depletion after 24 h fasting. With increasing fasting time, glycogen was further depleted in fast-twitch fibres (αW and αR). In the LD, only fast-twitch fibres exhibited significant decrease in glycogen level after 24 h fasting. However, this was of a much lower magnitude than that observed in the SS and furthermore, no further variation was recorded with increasing fasting time, regardless of fibre type. The present work is the first to report a significant interaction between muscle type and fasting-induced glycogen depletion in pig. Furthermore, these results demonstrate that within each muscle, the extent of fasting-induced glycogen depletion is strongly fibre-type-dependent.     

The effect of food dry matter intake on endogenous ileal amino acid excretion determined under peptide alimentation in the 50 kg liveweight pig

The daily ileal excretion of amino acids was measured at different food dry matter intakes for the 50 kg liveweight pig under conditions of peptide alimentation. The experiment comprised two cross-over design trials each involving four pairs of entire male pigs fitted with simple T-cannulae at the terminal ileum and fed a hydrolysed casein semi-synthetic diet. Each pair of pigs received one of four sequences of food dry matter intake arranged in a Latin square design, namely 0.06, 0.08, 0.10 and 0.12 (Trial 1) and 0.05, 0.07, 0.09 and 0.11 (Trial 2) of metabolic body weight (W^0.75) day^?1. Each pig received the diet at its described level of intake for 8 days, with continuous 24 h collection of ileal digesta on the fifth and eighth days. Chromic oxide was included in the diet to permit correction of ileal flows to complete digesta collection. Pooled digesta from each pig at each level of dry matter intake were centrifuged and ultrafiltered and the high-molecular-weight fraction was analysed for amino acid and nitrogen contents. There were significant (P < 0.05) linear relationships between endogenous ileal amino acid, nitrogen and dry matter excretion (mg day^?1) and food dry matter intake (g day^?1) except for lysine, glutamic acid and phenylalanine which increased in a curvilinear manner (P < 0.05). The results indicate that dietary dry matter intake influences endogenous excretion from the ileum. The relationships, determined under physiological conditions, provide preliminary data on the magnitude of small intestinal amino acid loss in the young growing pig.     

Tissue residue depletion of moxidectin in lambs (Ovis aries) following subcutaneous administration

To date, a tissue depletion study of moxidectin (MOX) in lambs is not available. Thus, considering that lamb meat is of great commercial interest in the world, the aim of the present study was to determine the residue levels of MOX in lamb target-tissues (muscle, liver, kidney and fat) and subsequently calculate the MOX withdrawal period. For this purpose, the target-tissues were analysed by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Method validation was performed based on Commission Decision 2002/657/EC and VICH GL49. To quantify the analyte, matrix-matched analytical curves were constructed with spiked blank tissues. The limits of detection and quantitation were 1.5 and 5 ng g^?1, respectively, for all matrices. The linearity, decision limit, detection capability accuracy and inter- and intra-day precision of the method are reported. The lambs were treated with a single subcutaneous dose of 0.2 mg MOX kg^?1 body weight and were slaughtered in accordance with accepted animal care protocols. Samples of target-tissues were collected on 2, 4, 7, 14, 28 and 42 days after MOX administration. During the whole study, the highest drug residue level occurred in the fat. For the other target-tissues (muscle, liver and kidney), MOX concentrations were below the maximum residue limit (MRL). Considering the MRL value of 500 µg kg^?1 for MOX residues in sheep fat, our results in lambs allowed the estimation of a MOX withdrawal period of 31 days. This indicates that the withdrawal period established for MOX in adult sheep (28 days) does not apply for lambs.     

Influence of level of barley supplementation on plasma carotenoid content and fat spectrocolorimetric characteristics in lambs fed a carotenoid-rich diet

This study investigated changes in plasma carotenoid concentration and fat reflectance spectrum characteristics and color in lambs fed a carotenoid-rich diet with low-level (L, 100 g/lamb/day) or high-level (H, 400 g/lamb/day) of barley supplementation for 75 days before slaughter. Each treatment used 24 Romane male lambs that were individually penned indoors. Plasma carotenoid concentration at slaughter was 16% lower in H lambs than in L lambs. H lambs had heavier and fatter carcasses than L lambs. Yellowness and redness of perirenal fat were slightly lower in H lambs than in L lambs. The absolute value of the mean integral (AVMI) calculated from the reflectance spectrum of the fat in the 450–510 nm band was not affected by the treatment. Yellowness, chroma and AVMI of subcutaneous fat were not affected by the treatment but decreased with initial animal's liveweight.     

Evaluation of colostrum bioactive protein transfer and blood metabolic traits in neonatal lambs in the first 24 hours of life

Colostrum is a unique resource that contributes to the passive transfer of immunity and plays a central role in the health status of neonatal ruminants. However, digestion and absorption of colostral proteins in the gut remain incompletely understood. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of bovine colostrum feeding on blood metabolic traits and to quantify colostral bioactive proteins in the gastrointestinal digesta and blood to evaluate intestinal transfer in neonatal lambs in the first 24 h of life. Fifty-four newborn lambs were used in this study, including 27 lambs fed pooled bovine colostrum and slaughtered at 6 (C6h), 12 (C12h), or 24 h (C24h) after birth; 18 lambs not fed any colostrum or milk and slaughtered at birth (N0h) or 24 h (N24h) after birth; and 9 milk-fed lambs slaughtered at 24 h (M24h) after birth. Lambs receiving colostrum or milk were bottle-fed within the first 2 h to obtain intakes of 8% of body weight at birth. Samples of blood and digesta from the abomasum, jejunum, and ileum were collected after slaughter. Serum concentrations of glucose, insulin, total protein, and aspartate aminotransferase were higher in colostrum-fed lambs than in N0h lambs. Serum concentrations of insulin, total protein, insulin-like growth factor 1, and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase were higher in C24h lambs than in N24h or M24h lambs. Apparent efficiencies of IgG absorption in C6h, C12h, and C24h lambs were 14.4, 26.8, and 17.2%, respectively, whereas apparent efficiencies of lactoferrin (LF), α-lactalbumin (α-LA), and β-lactoglobulin (β-LG) absorption were very low in colostrum-fed lambs, with mean values of 0.06, 0.002, and 0.003%, respectively. Concentrations of IgG, LF, α-LA, and β-LG in the digesta of the abomasum, jejunum, and ileum rapidly decreased from C6h to C24h lambs, and the disappearance rates of IgG, LF, α-LA, and β-LG were higher in lambs from C6h to C12h (62.1, 75.7, 91.3, and 95.0% for IgG, LF, α-LA, and β-LG, respectively) than from C12h to C24h (34.6, 22.5, 7.5, and 2.2% for IgG, LF, α-LA, and β-LG, respectively). These results indicated that bovine colostrum feeding improved the metabolic and immunological status of lambs, and that ingested colostral IgG was prone to intact uptake into the blood, whereas almost all ingested LF, α-LA, and β-LG disappeared in the lumen of the gastrointestinal tract in a time-dependent manner. The findings provide novel information for exploring selective absorption of colostral compounds in the small intestine of lambs.     

The effect of low level exposure to dietary cadmium,on cadmium,zinc, copper and iron contents of selected tissues of growing lambs

Twenty-four, 13–14 week pregnant Cheviot ewes were offered either a basal grass cube diet containing 0.3 mg cadmium (Cd) kg^?1, or the same diet supplemented with Cd to give dietary Cd contents of 3.4 or 6.4 mg Cd kg^?1. Increasing dietary Cd had no effect on numbers of viable offspring or mean birth weight of lambs. After weaning, some of the lambs were maintained on the same diets as their respective dams for approximately 280 days. Increased dietary Cd had no effect on food intake or carcass weight at slaughter. The liver zinc content of lambs consuming the diet with the highest Cd content declined significantly. Increasing the dietary content of Cd decreased the retention of copper by the liver. At slaughter, Cd could not be detected in blood nor in muscle tissues selected to represent prime cuts of edible carcass meat. In contrast, increased dietary Cd resulted in significantly elevated liver and kidney Cd contents.     

禁食时间对宰后早期鸡肉持水力和嫩度的影响

三黄鸡分别禁食0、8、16h和24h,三管齐断法宰杀,于宰后5h内分别测定滴水损失、蒸煮损失、加压损失、蛋白溶解性、剪切力值、糖原、乳酸和pH值等指标,观察禁食对宰后早期鸡肉持水力和嫩度的影响。结果表明：随着禁食时间延长,宰后糖原含量(P＜0.05)和pH值均降低;随着宰后时间延长,糖原含量和pH值变化趋势与宰后时间正相关,而乳酸含量变化趋势与宰后时间负相关。宰后早期,pH值对肌肉持水力有显著影响(P＜0.05),而蛋白溶解度对持水力变化贡献不大。禁食使得宰后早期肌肉剪切力值有增大趋势,但处理组之间差异不显著。与未禁食鸡相比,禁食8h和禁食16h能够提高宰后肌肉持水力。     

Muscle Characteristics and Meat Tenderness of Cimaterol-fed Lambs

Shear values of loineye muscle from (cimaterol) CIM-fed lambs were 32 and 28% greater than those of controls at 1 and 8 days postmortem. The CIM-fed animals showed lower (p<0.01) cytochrome oxidase activity, lower (p<0.01) initial glycogen, and higher (p<0.05) 24 hr pH in the longissimus and semimembranosus muscles. Intramuscular fat of treated lambs (2%) was lower (p<0.01) than that of controls (5.1%), whereas muscle protein concentration was greater (p<0.05). The decreased aerobic capacity, lower intramuscular fat, lower initial glycogen, higher ultimate muscle pH (5.8–6.2) with subsequently reduced postmortem proteolysis and higher protein concentration all appeared to contribute to greater meat toughness of CIM-fed lambs.     

Pre-slaughter stress arising from on-farm handling and its interactions with electrical stimulation on tenderness of lambs

The effect of electrical stimulation of lamb carcasses (n=269) or its absence (n=257) on shear force of m. longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LT) was monitored during ageing in pasture-fed merino lambs (n=526). The lambs were slaughtered on four different days allowing durations of between one to 10 days of recovery from pre-slaughter handling (yarding, weighing and crutching) that affected ultimate pH (pH(u)). The right LT was removed 20-40min post-slaughter, tightly-wrapped in cling film (prevents the muscle cross-section increasing and thus minimising shortening) and rapidly cooled to 15°C to enter rigor mortis and age. At 0, 4, 24 and 72h post-slaughter, pH measurements and samples for shear force measurement were taken. Pre-slaughter handling had a significant negative effect on pH(u) and several days recovery were required for pH(u) to reach values associated with optimal meat quality as reflected by pH(u). Lambs with one and three days recovery (no significant difference between them) had a pH(u)>5.7 in 50% of the muscles and 19.4%>pH(u) 5.8. Whereas, in lambs with 8-10 days recovery (no significant difference between them), only 8% had a pH(u)>5.7 and 3.1%>pH(u) 5.8. Within each slaughter day electrically stimulated lambs were always more tender than non-stimulated lambs. For non-stimulated muscles at 72h, shear force values >40N occurred for 11.2% of the muscles: for electrically stimulated muscles at 72h, shear force values >40N occurred for 1.9% of the muscles. The rates of tenderisation were slower for intermediate pH(u) values resulting in higher shear force values at all ageing durations. With ageing at 72h for intermediate pH(u), non-stimulated muscles (n=38) 17.64% were >40N and for stimulated muscles (n=34), 7.9% were >40N.     

Performance of growing–fattening lambs fed diets containing different proportions of cotton seed meal

A lamb feedlot study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional value of cotton seed meal (CSM) as compared with that of sunflower meal as protein supplements for growing lambs. Forty-five Karagouniko male lambs immediately after weaning, having an average liveweight of approximately 14.7 kg, were assigned randomly to one of three growing lamb rations. CSM substituted for sunflower meal in a growing–finishing feedlot diet at levels of 0, 10 and 20% to provide 0, 50 and 100% of supplemental protein requirement, respectively. Diets were fed ad libitum and water was offered freely. All diets were approximately isonitrogenous and isocaloric. After being fed for 61 days and having reached a liveweight of approximately 27.6 kg, five lambs from each treatment were slaughtered and carcass data were collected. No significant differences (P > 0.05) in feed intake or the weight increase of lambs were found among groups given the 0, 10 and 20% treatments, indicating that lambs utilized CSM as effectively as sunflower meal when fed on an equal crude protein and crude fibre basis. The dressing percentage of the cold carcass, but not the warm carcass, and intestinal content weight were significantly influenced (P < 0.05) by the diet. Cooler shrink and intestinal fat, and perirenal fat and the combined weight of intestinal and perirenal fat were significantly (P < 0.05) correlated. Feeding margin was highest for the control diet, intermediate for the 10% CSM diet and lowest for the 20% CSM diet. It was concluded that CSM is accepted readily by growing sheep and can be incorporated into diets as a source of supplemental protein for growing–fattening lambs. No evidence of gossypol toxicity was noted. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry     

Regeneration of teat canal keratin in lactating dairy cows.

This study was designed to determine the regeneration rate of teat canal keratin in two groups of 10 lactating Holstein cows. The weight of keratin obtained upon successive collections of keratin was determined. Intervals between successive collections were varied between 8 and 72 h. Following initial collection, the quantity of keratin removed was regenerated within 1 to 2.5 d. The rate of keratin regeneration per teat was approximately 1.5 mg of wet weight or .6 mg of dry weight per 24 h. The concentration (microgram lipid/mg keratin, wet weight) of lipid in keratin samples collected during regeneration was almost twice that present initially or after regeneration was complete. With the exception of free cholesterol, composition (%) of lipid components of keratin did not differ between samples collected initially, those collected early in the process of regeneration, and those collected after the mass of keratin removed had been replaced. Although data suggest that keratin matures during the process of regeneration, maturation appears complete by the time mass of keratin is fully regenerated. Additionally, the quantity of keratin recovered at initial sampling was inversely correlated with milk production. We hypothesize that as milk production increases, more keratin is lost during milking.     

大足黑山羊宰后成熟过程中感官与理化性质的变化

本实验以大足黑山羊后腿肉股四头肌为实验材料,测定其在成熟过程中的感官及理化指标（滴水损失、色泽、剪切值、蒸煮损失、pH值、糖原含量、肌原纤维小片化指数（myofibrillar fragmentation index,MFI）、挥发性盐基氮（total volatile basic nitrogen,TVB-N）含量和硫代巴比妥酸（thiobarbituric acid reactive substances,TBARS）值）的变化。结果表明：滴水损失、pH值、糖原含量、TBARS值等发生明显变化,并且主要变化在宰后前72 h内基本完成,而滴水损失、pH值在24 h后变化不显著（P＞0.05）;MFI值在成熟24 h后变化差异显著（P＜0.05）;TVB-N含量在0～72 h时,符合一级鲜肉的标准。羊肉的成熟时间依感官、色泽、pH值、TBARS值等指标的变化判断,以72 h为宜;从TVB-N含量的变化看,成熟时间应小于72 h。综合考虑,确定大足黑山羊的最佳成熟时间为72 h。     

Changes in biochemical components during the germination of spores of Penicillium roqueforti

Germination of spores of Penicillium roqueforti consisted of three stages, i.e. swelling, germ-tube emergence and hyphal elongation which occurred at 4, 12 and 16 h respectively after initiation of incubation of resting spores in the germination medium. The swelling phase represents the period during which the germinating spore assembled required synthetic enzymes though there was only a small increase in dry weight (2 mg h^?1 per 10⁹ spores). Nuclear division occurred since DNA multiplied rapidly during spore swelling. The percentages of RNA and proteins reached their maxima at the end of this period. The unsaturated fatty acids, e.g. linoleic and linolenic acids, were synthesised. Germ-tube emergence represented a transition phase during which growth was moderate (at a rate of 9 mg h^?1 per 10⁹ spores) as compared to hyphal elongation phase (34 mg h^?1 per 10⁹ spores). The percentage of RNA, proteins and carbohydrates decreased. The percentage of unsaturated fatty acids was highest at the middle of this period and then declined. The hyphal elongation phase represented a period of rapid growth. The relative contents of proteins and DNA remained constant while the percentage of carbohydrates and saturated fatty acids increased, reflecting the proliferation of cellular and membrane materials.     

Feed restriction around parturition does not affect colostrum immunoglobulin G concentration in dairy fat-tailed sheep but does affect performance and blood metabolites in newborn lambs

This study aimed to investigate the effect of prepartum and postpartum feed restriction of fat-tailed dairy sheep on colostrum IgG concentration, and performance and blood metabolites of newborn fat-tailed lambs. Twenty fat-tailed dairy sheep were randomly allocated into control (Ctrl; n = 10) and feed restriction (FR; n = 10) groups. The Ctrl group received a diet that met 100% of energy requirements, both prepartum (from wk −5 to parturition) and postpartum (from parturition to wk 5). The FR group received a diet equivalent to 100, 50, 65, 80, and 100% of the energy requirements in wk −5, −4, −3, −2, and −1 relative to parturition, respectively. After parturition, the FR group received a diet equivalent to the 100, 50, 65, 80, and 100% of the energy requirements in wk 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, respectively. At birth, lambs were assigned to their dam's experimental group. Both the Ctrl lambs (n = 10) and the FR lambs (n = 10) were allowed to suck colostrum and milk from the dams. Colostrum samples (50 mL) were collected at parturition (0 h) and then at 1, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 h postpartum. Blood samples were collected from all lambs before suckling colostrum (0 h) and then at 1, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 72 h after birth and weekly until the end of the experimental period (i.e., wk 5 relative to birth). The data were evaluated using the MIXED procedure of SAS (SAS Institute Inc.). The model included feed restriction, time, and the interaction feed restriction × time as fixed effects. The individual lamb was set as a repeated subject. Variables measured in colostrum and plasma were considered dependent variables, and significance was set at P < 0.05. Prepartum and postpartum feed restriction in fat-tailed dairy sheep did not affect colostrum IgG concentration. Consequently, no differences in blood IgG concentrations were observed in the lambs. In addition, the prepartum and postpartum feed restriction experienced by fat-tailed dairy sheep caused decreased body weight and milk intake in lambs from the FR group compared with the Ctrl group. Feed restriction also promoted increased concentration of blood metabolites such as triglycerides and urea in FR lambs compared with control lambs. In conclusion, prepartum and postpartum feed restriction in fat-tailed dairy sheep did not affect either colostrum IgG concentration or blood IgG concentration of the lambs. However, prepartum and postpartum feed restriction decreased lamb milk intake and, therefore, lamb body weight gain during the first 5 wk after birth.