Sheep food repellents: Efficacy of various products,habituation, and social facilitation

The study of food repulsion in ungulates is of practical importance for controlling browsing damage to forest trees and agricultural crops. Experiments with domestic sheep assessed the repulsive value of three natural and two synthetic products, using a food-choice situation. Animals were individually presented with two troughs, each containing 30 g of maize, one treated with a chemical product, and the other a control. The odor of domestic dog feces appeared to be highly repulsive, as none of the treated food was eaten, whereas 3 g ±9 and 6 g ±10 were eaten, respectively, of food treated with fetal fluids from sheep and odor of pig feces. Synthetic odors of lion feces and a commercial deer repellent were less efficient as repellents with 11 g ±13 and 14 g ±15 of food eaten, respectively. Habituation to three of the repellents was tested for a minimum of seven successive days. With dog feces, no habituation to the odor was observed. On the contrary, significant habituation (P < 0.05) was observed as early as the third trial for sheep fetal fluids and the fourth trial for the commercial repellent. To test for the effects of social facilitation, groups of four sheep including no, one, or two anosmic animals were presented with food treated with the odor of dog feces. No social facilitation was observed as none of the intact sheep ate any of the food, although the anosmic animals actively ate it throughout the test. In individual food choice tests, the odor of dog feces appeared to be an especially efficient repellent when compared with the other natural or synthetic products. Such repulsion was nearly complete, and neither habituation nor social facilitation could be observed.     

Use of predator odors as repellents to reduce feeding damage by herbivores

The effectiveness of predator odors (fecal, urine, and anal scent gland) in suppressing feeding damage by snowshoe hares was investigated in pen bioassays at the University of British Columbia Research Forest, Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada. A total of 28 bioassay trials tested the effects of these odors on hare consumption of willow browse and coniferous seedlings. Lynx and bobcat feces, weasel anal gland secretion, and lynx, bobcat, wolf, coyote, fox, and wolverine urines resulted in the most effective suppression of hare feeding damage. Novel odors of domestic dog urine and 2-methylbutyric acid did not reduce feeding. A field bioassay with lodgepole pine seedlings and weasel scent provided significant results comparable to the pen bioassays. The short-term (up to seven days) effectiveness of these treatments was more likely due to evaporative loss of the active repellent components of a given odor than habituation of hares to the stimulus. Predator odors as repellents have a biological basis compared with the anthropomorphic origins of commercial repellents. When encapsulated in weather-proof controlled-release devices, these odors could provide long-term protection for forestry plantations and agricultural crops which experience hare/rabbit feeding damage.     

Taxon-specific differences in responsiveness to capsaicin and several analogues: Correlates between chemical structure and behavioral aversiveness

The present set of experiments was designed to explore avian insensitivity to capsaicin. Based upon a molecular model of avian chemosensory repellency, we hypothesized that structural modifications of the basic capsaicin molecule, which is itself not aversive to birds, might produce aversive analogues. To this end, European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) were given varied concentrations of synthetic capsaicin and four analogues (methyl capsaicin, veratryl amine, veratryl acetamide, vanillyl acetamide) in feeding and drinking tests. The results agreed with a model that we are developing to describe the chemical nature of avian repellents. Synthetic capsaicin and vanillyl acetamide were not repellent to birds, owing to the presence of an acidic phenolic OH group. Conversely, veratryl acetamide was aversive, due to the basic nature of this compound. For rats, repellent effectiveness among compounds was reversed: synthetic capsaicin was the best repellent while veratryl acetamide was the worst. We speculate that this taxonomic reversal may reflect basic differences in trigeminal chemoreception. In any case, it is clear that chemical correlates of mammalian repellents are opposite to those that predict avian repellency.     

An evaluation of repellents to suppress browsing by possums

The efficacy in feeding suppression trials with possums (Trichosorus vulpecula Kerr) of six synthetic odorous chemicals uniquely associated with various of the Mustelidae species and of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has been evaluated with respect to several proprietary repellents. The predator odors, two proprietary repellents, and two other repellent formulations (olive oil in petroleum jelly and a synthetic fermented egg odor cocktail) were applied as 5% w/v solutions in paraffin to the foliage ofPinus radiata seedlings and the extent of browse compared with that on seedlings treated with Treepel, an effective egg-based repellent already available commercially. All four of the mustelid predator odors [()-2-n-propylthietane, ()-3-n-propyl-1,2-dithiolane, 2,2-dimethylthietane, and 3,3-dimethyl-1,2-dithiolane] and the volatile compound from fox urine (³-isopentenyl methyl sulfide) were shown to be more or at least equally effective compared to Treepel. This was true also of one commercial repellent Gori, which contained bitrex and the synthetic fermented egg formulation. The most effective compounds will be evaluated when administered with adhesives and surfactants in the further development of possum repellents with longer field lives.     

Biobased plastics with insect‐repellent functionality

Natural insecticides/repellents, such as pyrethrum (derived from chrysanthemum plants), and insect repellent N,N‐Diethyl‐meta‐toluamide (DEET) were added to poly(lactic acid) (PLA) fibers through extrusion and spray coating on the PLA fabrics. Contact irritancy assay (CIA) showed that DEET‐treated PLA fabrics caused the lowest relative escape response of mosquitoes with an escape frequency of 33.3% ± 3.3%, indicating that DEET was less effect compared with natural insecticides/repellents. This was followed by the extruded natural pyrethrum‐treated PLA fabric with an escape frequency of 80% ± 6.3%. Finally, the PLA fabrics spray‐coated with natural pyrethrum caused the highest escape frequency of 98.3% ± 1.7%. Thus, it was found that pyrethrum/PLA fabrics functioned as a mosquito repellent better than DEET/PLA fabrics. In addition, TGA and tensile testing results demonstrated that pyrethrum was sufficiently thermally stable to be extrusion compounded with PLA. GPC results showed that DEET promoted de‐polymerization of PLA when co‐extruded. The results demonstrated that pyrethrum can be a viable additive for PLA to produce fibers that function as mosquito repellent to produce temporary garments that are compostable. The potential use of the developed biobased fibers with natural insect repellents is for single use of personal protection equipment (PPE) garments. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 59:E460–E467, 2019. © 2019 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Fish silage prepared from fish species of shrimp by-catch. II. Biological test in broilers

The purpose of this study was the nutritional evaluation of proteins in fish silage. A biological test was conducted in chicks (broilers) to evaluate two levels of inclusion of fish silage (2.5% and 5%, respectively) in diets normally used for feeding them. Chicks were evaluated in weight gain, food consumption, and feeding conversion index. Finally, flavor and acceptability tests of meat from broilers fed the experimental diet were conducted. Results of the biological assay indicated that the best biological response was that of the animals fed the 5% fish silage diet. Sensory tests revealed that the meat of chicks fed the experimental diets had favorable acceptance by the consumers.     

Neuronal Responses of Antennal Olfactory Sensilla to Insect Chemical Repellents in the Yellow Fever Mosquito, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aedes aegypti</Emphasis>

The yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is a vector of many human diseases such as yellow fever, dengue fever, and Zika. As insecticide resistance has been widely reported, chemical repellents have been adopted as alternative options for mosquito and mosquito-borne disease control. This study characterized the responses of olfactory receptor neurons (ORNs) in different types of antennal olfactory sensilla in Ae. aegypti to 48 chemicals that exhibited repellent activity in various insect species. Both excitatory and inhibitory responses were observed from ORNs in response to these chemicals and differential tuning properties were also observed among ORNs. Remarkable excitatory responses were recorded from the ORNs in sensilla SST1, SST2, SBTI, SBTII, and LST2, while inhibitory activities were detected from a neuron in sensillum SST2 in response to several terpene/terpenoid compounds. Moreover, the temporal dynamics of neuronal responses were found to be compound-specific and concentration-dependent. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis of the response to each compound across ORNs in seven types of olfactory sensilla in Ae. aegypti revealed that odor reception depended not only on chemical class but also specific chemical structure. Results of this study give new insights into the sensory physiology of Aedes mosquitoes to the chemical repellents and should contribute to the development of new repellent reagents for human protection.     

Preparation and properties of waterborne polyurethane modified by stearyl acrylate for water repellents

Double bond end-capped waterborne polyurethane (DWPU) was synthesized from toluene diisocyanate, hydroxypropyl polysiloxane, trimethylolpropane, N-methyldiethanolamine, and hydroxyethyl acrylate. Then water repellents with long-chain hydrophobic alkyl structure were obtained by radical copolymerization of stearyl acrylate (SA) and DWPU. The waterproofing performance and other properties of the water repellents were studied for different SA contents. The results showed that, for the water repellent with SA content of 50 wt%, the water absorption of the film reduced to 4.29% while the water contact angle of fabric coated by the water repellent rose to 141.5°. In addition, the optimum SA content of the water repellent was 40%, achieving the highest score of 85 points in the waterproof performance evaluation.     

Cover and efficacy of predator-based repellents for Townsend's voleMicrotus townsendii

Predator-based repellents have been used experimentally to control wildlife damage in both agriculture and forestry, but they have not always been effective. We examined the relative importance of cover and predator odors in forage patch selection by Townsend's vole,Microtus townsendii, and its behavior related to cover and predator cues. Experiments were conducted in which forage patch and area choices were related to available habitat alternatives. Outdoor enclosures were divided into halves: one side was treated and the other used as a control. Treatments consisting of cover, repellent, and cover plus repellent were compared to controls (no cover, no repellent). In the absence of cover, voles preferred to feed on the side without repellents. When cover was present, voles preferred to feed on the side with cover, regardless of whether or not repellents were present. Voles visited more feeding stations on the side without cover when repellents and cover were present than they visited during cover-only treatments. These additional feeding stations, visited outside of cover, were used only lightly as food sources. The amounts of oats eaten by voles decreased with increasing distance from cover. This inverse relationship had a steeper slope in coveronly treatments compared to cover plus repellent treatments. A selection model based on forage patch selection and a habitat preference hierarchy is proposed. We conclude that predator odors are effective as repellents, but their efficacy depends on habitat conditions. Managers intending to use predator-based repellents must ensure that alternative sites available to pests are better quality habitat than in areas to be protected.     

Bird Aversive Properties of Methyl Anthranilate, Yucca, Xanthoxylum, and Their Mixtures

We tested the bird aversive properties of methyl anthranilate, yucca extracts, and Xanthoxylum spp. extracts in oneand two-bottle drinking assays that used European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). In oneand two-bottle tests, methyl anthranilate proved to be the more potent stimulus in producing an avoidance response. Starlings avoided consuming Xanthoxylum and yucca only in the two-bottle tests. Previous studies showed that yucca was a good adjuvant in stabilizing lipophilic compounds in water. Starlings did not avoid binary mixtures of methyl anthranilate and yucca differently from what would be expected if they were only responding to the solution's methyl anthranilate content. However, yucca enhanced the aversive qualities of Xanthoxylum. The ability to identify mode of action for repellency and synergistic combinations of chemicals derived from natural products for use in repellent mixtures is an important aspect of the development of cost-effective, environmentally safe repellents for use in conflict resolution between humans and wildlife.     

Which Chemical Constituents from Dog Feces are Involved in its Food Repellent Effect in Sheep?

This study is an attempt to identity the active chemicals (signal) of the odor of dog feces that suppress feeding in domestic sheep. The repellent effects of the odors of dog, wolf, pig, and sheep feces (potential predator and nonpredator species) were assessed on sheep, using a food-choice situation. The odors of wolf and dog feces had the highest repellent effect. A total pentane extract of dog feces was split by micropreparative gas chromatography and the fractions obtained were analyzed and presented to sheep in a food-choice situation. The quantitatively major constituents of the pentane extract, identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, are indole and fatty acids. In food repellency tests, indole had no repellent effect. The active odorous signal contained in dog feces appears to consist of fatty acids mixed with neutral compounds acting synergically. These experiments underline the complexity of this biological signal and constitute a first step in the development of a practical repellent for ungulates.     

Avoidance of bird repellents by mice (Mus musculus)

It is believed that mammalian chemosensory irritants are not aversive to birds and vice versa. Nevertheless, few avian repellents have been tested against mammals. For that reason, we evaluated the efficacy of 1.0% w/v methyl anthranilate, orthoaminoacetophenone, 2-amino-4,5-methoxyacetophenone, 2-methoxyacetophenone, and veratryl amine as mouse repellents in 3-hr no-choice drinking tests. Relative to ingestion of plain water, all test substances significantly reduced (P < 0.05) intake. Orthoaminoaceto-phenone was the most effective repellent, with intake reduced to levels statistically indistinguishable from zero.     

Frying quality and oxidative stability of high-oleic corn oils

To determine the frying stability of corn oils that are genetically modified to contain 65% oleic acid, high-oleic corn oil was evaluated in room odor tests and by total polar compound analysis. Flavor characteristics of french-fried potatoes, prepared in the oil, were also evaluated by trained analytical sensory panelists. In comparison to normal corn oil, hydrogenated corn oil and high-oleic (80 and 90%) sunflower oils, high-oleic corn oil had significantly (P<0.05) lower total polar compound levels after 20 h of oil heating and frying at 190°C than the other oils. Fried-food flavor intensity was significantly higher in the normal corn oil during the early portion of the frying schedule than in any of the high-oleic or hydrogenated oils; however, after 17.5 h of frying, the potatoes fried in normal corn oil had the lowest intensity of fried-food flavor. Corn oil also had the highest intensities of off-odors, including acrid and burnt, in room odor tests. High-oleic corn oil also was evaluated as a salad oil for flavor characteristics and oxidative stability. Results showed that dry-milled high-oleic corn oil had good initial flavor quality and was significantly (P<0.05) more stable than dry-milled normal corn oil after oven storage tests at 60°C, as evaluated by flavor scores and peroxide values. Although the high-oleic corn oil had significantly (P<0.05) better flavor and oxidative stability than corn oil after aging at 60°C, even more pronounced effects were found in high-temperature frying tests, suggesting the advantages of high-oleic corn oil compared to normal or hydrogenated corn oils.     

Deodorization of lipase‐interesterified butterfat and rapeseed oil blends in a pilot deodorizer

A mixture of butterfat and rapeseed oil (7 : 3, wt/wt) was interesterified using immobilized lipase from Thermomyces lanuginosus at 50 °C. The interesterified mixture was then deodorized at five temperatures (60–180 °C) and three samples were withdrawn at 1, 2, and 3 h. The operation was monitored by free fatty acid (FFA) content, peroxide value (PV), volatiles, and the sensory evaluation of the samples with respect to flavor and odor (most importantly the butter flavor and odor and the off‐flavor and odor from butyric acid). ANOVA partial least squares regression analysis showed that deodorization time, and especially deodorization temperature, significantly affected the sensory properties and levels of volatiles, FFA and peroxides in the samples. The best compromise between removing undesirable off‐flavors while maintaining the desirable butter flavor seemed to be obtained by using a deodorization temperature of 120 °C for 2 h. Response surface methodology analysis showed a significant effect of deodorization temperature and, to a lesser extent, deodorization time. The butter flavor and odor had an optimum at a deodorization temperature of approximately 100–120 °C for 1–2 h. These conditions are therefore recommended in order to remove the off‐flavor and odor, while maintaining as much as possible of the attractive butter flavor and odor.     

Endogenous Free Fatty Acids Repel and Attract Collembola

We used video recording of the movement pattern of Protaphorura armata (Collembola) to test whether its avoidance of the odor of dead conspecifics extends to related species. P. armata was repelled by the odor of dead individuals of Onychiurus scotarius and Onychiurus circulans, but not by live individuals. Free palmitic, oleic, and linoleic acids were present in extracts of the three repellent species, but only free palmitic acid was detected in extracts of a fourth nonrepellent species, Folsomia candida. Synthetic palmitic acid was attractive to P. armata, linoleic acid was repellent, and oleic acid gave no response. o. scotarius and O. circulans also contained 2,3-dimethoxy-pyrido[2,3-b]pyrazine, known as a defense substance. We discuss the role of free fatty acids in predator avoidance, conspecifics attraction, and food recognition in P. armata.     

Enhancement of hydrostatic pressure for water repellent treated fabrics

The aqueous dispersions based on perfluorinated acrylate and other comonomers were prepared by means of emulsion polymerization in the presence of stearyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (STAC) and 2,2′‐azobis(2‐amidinopropane) dihydrochloride (ABAP) as water‐soluble initiators. Several different types of resins and additives were added with the water‐repellent polymers. Hydrostatic pressure and water repellency of fabrics that were treated by fluorinated water repellents with different recipes were measured and compared. In addition, the nano clay and the blocked isocyanate crosslinking agent (Jintexguard FCN) do, indeed, substantially increase the hydrostatic pressure. Actually, increased hydrostatic pressure for the water repellent treated fabrics is our objective of this study. However, our recipes containing the fluorinated‐acrylate copolymer, nano clay, and Jintexguard FCN will successfully provide excellent hydrostatic pressure, excellent water repellency, and excellent soft hand. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 100: 4711–4715, 2006     

Antennal Olfactory Sensilla Responses to Insect Chemical Repellents in the Common Bed Bug,Cimex lectularius

Populations of the common bed bug Cimex lectularius (Hemiptera; Cimicidae), a temporary ectoparasite on both humans and animals, have surged in many developed countries. Similar to other haematophagous arthropods, C. lectularius relies on its olfactory system to detect semiochemicals in the environment, including both attractants and repellents. To elucidate the olfactory responses of the common bed bug to commonly used insect chemical repellents, particularly haematophagous repellents, we investigated the neuronal responses of individual olfactory sensilla in C. lectularius’ antennae to 52 insect chemical repellents, both synthetic and botanic. Different types of sensilla displayed highly distinctive response profiles. While C sensilla did not respond to any of the insect chemical repellents, Dγ sensilla proved to be the most sensitive in response to terpene-derived insect chemical repellents. Different chemical repellents elicited neuronal responses with differing temporal characteristics, and the responses of the olfactory sensilla to the insect chemical repellents were dose-dependent, with an olfactory response to the terpene-derived chemical repellent, but not to the non-terpene-derived chemical repellents. Overall, this study furnishes a comprehensive map of the olfactory response of bed bugs to commonly used insect chemical repellents, providing useful information for those developing new agents (attractants or repellents) for bed bug control.     

Behavioral Responses of Adult <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sitophilus granarius</Emphasis> to Individual Cereal Volatiles

The antennae of Sitophilus granarius (L.) (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) adults detect a wide variety of compounds in the odor blend of various cereal grains (Germinara et al., Tec. Molit., 53:27–34, 2002). In the present study, we looked at the behavioral responses of the granary weevil to 20 of these individual volatiles (aliphatic alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, and aromatics) in a two-choice pitfall olfactometer, using the aggregation pheromone and propionic acid as the attractant and repellent controls, respectively. Five doses, ranging from 1 μg to 1 mg, of each compound were tested. At least one concentration of eight compounds attracted beetles but required doses 1,000- to 5,000-fold higher than the concentration of aggregation pheromone to elicit a response. Three compounds, while attractive at lower concentrations, acted as repellents at higher doses. Twelve compounds were repellent at concentrations similar to the quantity of propionic acid that significantly repelled beetles. The data show that granary weevil adults have the ability to respond behaviorally to a wide range of cereal volatiles and that responses may change as a function of concentration. The results suggest that host finding behavior of weevils will depend on the balance of positive and negative volatile stimuli from grain as the relative concentrations of volatiles may change during storage. An understanding of how the weevils respond to such changes could be useful for the development of effective integrated pest management strategies.     

Efficacy of tertiary butylhydroquinone on the storage and heat stability of liquid canola shortening

The sensory (odor and flavor) and physicochemical characteristics of tertiary butylhydroquinone (TBHQ) treated and butylated hydroxyanisole/toluene (BHA/BHT) treated liquid canola shortenings, subjected to accelerated storage (Schaal oven test at 65°C) and deep fat heating (at 185°C), were determined. Data for the Schaal oven test indicate that TBHQ was effective in retarding oxidative rancidity in liquid canola shortenings. However, addition of the commonly used mixture of BHA/BHT to canola shortenings resulted in only a slight decrease in oxidation during schaal oven storage. The results obtained from deep fat heating of canola liquid shortening show that neither TBHQ nor BHA/BHT was effective in enhancing oxidative and thermal stability of this product.     

Metal inactivation in edible oils by carboxymethylmercapto succinic acid

Summary Carboxymethylmercapto succinic acid was one of the most effective metal inactivators examined for use in glyceride oils. The effectiveness is based on oxidative A.O.M. peroxide tests and on the organoleptic evaluation of various types of oils and shortenings. Indexes as high as 80-fold have been observed in preventing peroxide development. Extensive taste panel evaluations have shown significant improvements in the initial flavor and flavor stability of oils and shortenings treated with this mercapto acid. Indications are that the material has an extremely low order of toxicity. Acute tests have shown that the toxicity of the sodium salt is less than that of sodium citrate. The thermal instability to withstand deodorization temperatures and the possibility of the development of a mercaptan odor and taste in oils subjected to a high temperature is a serious disadvantage. Under some conditions the low order of fat solubility and the poisoning of hydrogenation catalyst would be detrimental in some oil-processing operations. Carboxymethylmercapto succinic acid and its derivatives may find use in salad oils, special hydrogenated oils for candy, icing, etc., vitamin preparations, drugs, and similar products where excellent trace metal-inactivating properties are required and where exposure to high temperatures is not encountered. Presented at the spring meeting of the American Oil Chemists’ Society, May 4–6, 1953, in New Orleans, La. One of the laboratories of the Bureau of Agricultural and Industrial Chemistry, Agricultural Research Service, U. S. Department of Agriculture.