Effect of replacing grass silage with red clover silage on ruminal lipid metabolism in lactating cows fed diets containing a 60:40 forage-to-concentrate ratio

Diets based on red clover silage (RCS) typically increase the concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in ruminant milk and meat compared with grass silages (GS), an effect that has been attributed to higher activity of polyphenol oxidase in red clover, promoting ruminal escape of dietary lipid. Four multiparous Finnish Ayrshire cows in mid lactation fitted with rumen cannulas were used in a 4 × 4 Latin Square design with 21-d experimental periods to evaluate the effects of incremental replacement of GS with RCS on ruminal lipid metabolism, using the omasal sampling technique in combination with Cr-EDTA, Yb acetate, and indigestible neutral detergent fiber as markers. Treatments comprised total mixed rations offered ad libitum containing 600 g of forage/kg of diet dry matter, with RCS replacing GS in a ratio of 0:100, 33:67, 67:33, and 100:0 on a dry matter basis. Silages contained a high proportion of lipid as nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), with no difference between forage species (75 and 73% for GS and RCS, respectively). Substitution of GS with RCS had no influence on the intakes of NEFA, polar lipid, triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, monoacylglycerol, or total fatty acids (FA), but altered the ingestion of specific FA. Replacing GS with RCS decreased linearly 18:3n-3 and increased linearly 18:2n-6 intakes. Changes in the proportion of RCS in the diet had no effect on the amounts or on the relative proportions of different lipid fractions at the omasum. On average, NEFA, polar lipid, triacylglycerol, diacylglycerol, and monoacylglycerol accounted for 80, 12, 4.4, 2.4, and 0.8% of total FA in omasal digesta, respectively. Replacement of GS with RCS increased linearly the amount of esterified and nonesterified 18:3n-3 at the omasum. Flows of cis-9 18:1 and 18:2n-6 were also increased linearly in response to RCS in the diet, whereas 3,7,11,15-tetramethyl-16:0 at the omasum was decreased. Replacing GS with RCS in the diet decreased linearly the lipolysis of dietary esterified lipids in the rumen from 85 to 70%. Effects on lipolysis due to forage species were also associated with linear decreases in apparent ruminal 18:3n-3 biohydrogenation from 93 to 85% and a trend toward lowered biohydrogenation of cis-9 18:1 and 18:2n-6 in the rumen. However, forage species had no effect on the flow of bound phenols formed as a consequence of polyphenol oxidase activity at the omasum. In conclusion, despite minimal differences in the extent of lipolysis in silo, lipid and constituent FA in RCS were less susceptible to ruminal lipolysis and biohydrogenation compared with GS.     

Response of dairy cows fed grass silage diets to abomasal infusions of histidine alone or in combinations with methionine and lysine

The response of dairy cows fed grass silage-based diets to the abomasal infusion of water (control) or 6.5 g of His alone or in combination with either 6.0 g of Met or 19.0 g of Lys or both was studied in an incomplete 4 x 5 Latin square experiment with 14-d periods. Each cow received a basal diet of 8 kg/d of cereal concentrate [12.1% crude protein (CP)] and free access to grass silage (14.1% CP) ensiled with an acid-based additive. Postruminal infusions increased arterial plasma concentrations of the amino acids (AA) infused, but compared with control, only the infusion of His (18 vs. 57 mumol/L) was associated with significant increases in milk and milk protein yields. Infusions of His did not affect dry matter intake of grass silage, rumen fermentation, or diet digestibility. Milk protein content was unchanged by treatments, but His infusions decreased lactose and fat contents. The combinations of AA did not produce any further responses compared with His alone. However, milk protein percentage was slightly higher, and milk fat percentage tended to be higher when Met rather than Lys was infused with His. We concluded that His is the first-limiting AA when grass silage-based diets are supplemented with cereal concentrates, while neither Met nor Lys are the second-limiting AA with grass silage feeding.     

Effects of dietary energy allowance and decline in dry matter intake during the dry period on responses to glucose and insulin in transition dairy cows

We assessed whether high energy intake during the early dry period [144% of metabolizable energy (ME) requirements/d] followed by a gradual restriction of energy intake in the close-up dry period (119% of ME/d; HEI) impaired whole-body insulin sensitivity compared with a controlled energy intake (100% of ME/d; CEI) throughout the 6-wk dry period. Multiparous Ayrshire dairy cows (n = 16) were blocked by body weight, body condition score, and expected date of parturition and were used in a randomized complete block design until 10 d after parturition. Cows were fed either HEI or CEI diets based on grass silage during the first 3 wk of the dry period and grass silage supplemented with a commercial concentrate (30% of ME intake) during the final 3 wk of gestation. After calving, all cows were fed grass silage ad libitum and an increasing amount of commercial concentrate (maximum 9 kg at d 10 postpartum). Intravenous glucose tolerance tests (IVGTT) and intravenous insulin challenges were performed ?10 ± 5 d (n = 15) and +10 ± 1 d (n = 14) relative to parturition. Following glucose injection, we did not find any treatment effects on glucose and insulin responses. The prepartal nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) response of the HEI group was blunted, basal NEFA and the decrement of NEFA were smaller, and the area under the response curve (AUC) of NEFA was less negative in HEI cows than in CEI cows. The NEFA response reversed after parturition; the NEFA AUC of the HEI group was more negative than that of the CEI group. We did not find similar responses after insulin injection. Across the treatments, NEFA AUC correlated strongly with the basal NEFA concentration during the IVGTT pre- and postpartum. Calculated and model-based indices characterizing the overall glucose tolerance and β-cell function and the insulin sensitivity were higher after parturition than during the dry period. Consistent with the lower basal insulin, the acute insulin release after the glucose infusion was smaller in postpartal IVGTT than in prepartal IVGTT. The results suggest that whole-body insulin sensitivity of the cows increased after parturition. However, the role of peripheral insulin sensitivity in the regulation of glucose partitioning seems to be minor relative to the major change in insulin secretion and clearance during the periparturient period.     

复合波杂自然发酵工艺研究

波杂是以谷物作为原料,采用传统手工制作方法酿造而成的一种低酒精含量的柯尔克孜族传统发酵饮料。其具有CO2杀口感、低糖度、质地浓稠等特点。该研究以大麦、糜子（黑皮）、玉米三种谷物为原料,用传统发酵工艺进行自然发酵生产波杂,研究原料配比,发酵温度,发酵时间,酶制剂添加量对复合波杂品质的影响,并通过响应面试验法确定最佳发酵条件。结果表明,复合波杂自然发酵最佳工艺条件为大麦∶糜子∶玉米=1.0∶2.5∶1.5,发酵温度30.8 ℃,发酵时间29 h,酶制剂添加量3.25%。在此条件下波杂酒精度达到（3.67±0.06）%vol,可溶性固形物含量（8.70±0.29）°Bx,感官评分为（88.33±2.08）分。     

Die Molekularstrahleptaxie — vom Forschungsinstrument zum Industriellen Produktionswerkzeug

High technology molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is a complex chemo‐physical crystal growth process for deposition of ultra thin monocrystalline layers on monocrystalline wafers. The goal is to obtain the crystal growth with precision of an atom in both, vertical as well as in horizontal direction. One most important condition is to achieve ultra high vacuum environment, it means, that in the deposition chamber is a background pressure in the range of 10^‐10 Torr or even better. Then the mean free path of the evaporated species is in the range of several hundred kilometers and there are no interactions between the molecules in the beams. The molecular beams come typically from thermally evaporated sources (effusion cells), but also different techniques are often used (chemical beam epitaxy — CBE, metal‐organic molecular beam epitaxy — MOMBE, gas‐source molecular beam epitaxy — GSMBE). Normally the molecular beams can be abrupted by individual source shutters with open‐close cycles of a few hundred milliseconds. Together with the natural very low growth rate of a few Ångstroms per second it is possible to composite atomically layers from one material to another.     

Improvement in menthol extraction of fresh leaves of Mentha arvensis by the application of multi-enzymatic extract of Aspergillus niger

The objective of this study was to optimize the enzymatic pretreatment process of extracting menthol, a major component of the essential oil stored in the trichomes of fresh leaves of Mentha arvensis, by the action of the crude enzymatic extract previously produced by the Aspergillus niger fungus cultivated in cactus pear. Under the experimental conditions of 42?°C, 141?min and 58?mL of enzyme in 442?mL of water, there was an increase of 186.63% in the hydrodistillation yield, which represents an acceptable positive deviation of 12.54% compared to the predicted value of the model obtained by experimental design. Trichome rupture can be confirmed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the chemical structure of the obtained menthol was not modified according to gas chromatography and infrared spectroscopy. The enzymatic pretreatment applied before the hydrodistillation step was successful and proves the potential of the association of biotechnological techniques with a physicochemical process.     

Effects of feeding grass or red clover silage cut at two maturity stages in dairy cows. 1. Nitrogen metabolism and supply of amino acids

This study investigated the effects of plant species (red clover vs. timothy-meadow fescue) and forage maturity at primary harvest (early vs. late cut silage) on rumen fermentation, nutrient digestion, and nitrogen metabolism including omasal canal AA flow and plasma AA concentration in lactating cows. Five dairy cows equipped with rumen cannulas were used in a study designed as a 5 × 5 Latin square with 21-d periods. The diets consisted of early-cut and late-cut grass and red clover silage, respectively, and a mixture of late-cut grass and early-cut red clover silages given ad libitum with 9 kg/d of a standard concentrate. Grass silage dry matter intake tended to decrease but that of red clover silages tended to increase with advancing maturity. Milk yields were unchanged among treatments, milk protein and fat concentrations being lower for red clover than for grass silage diets. Rumen fluid pH was unchanged but volatile fatty acid and ammonia concentrations were higher for red clover than for grass silage diets. Intake of N, and omasal canal flows of total nonammonia N (NAN), microbial NAN, and dietary NAN were higher for red clover than for grass silage diets but were not affected by forage maturity. However, microbial NAN flow and amount of N excreted in the feces decreased with advancing maturity for grass diets but increased for red clover diets. Apparent ruminal N degradability of the diets was unchanged, but true ruminal N degradability decreased and efficiency of microbial synthesis increased with red clover diets compared with grass silage diets. Omasal canal flows of AA, except those for Met and Cys, were on average 20% higher for red clover than grass silage diets. Omasal canal digesta concentrations of Leu, Phe, branched-chain, and essential AA were higher but those of Met lower for red clover than for grass silage diets. Plasma AA concentrations, except for His (unchanged) and Met (lower), were higher for red clover than for grass diets. However, none of these AA-related variables were affected by forage maturity. Total digestibility of N and excretion of N in the urine were higher for red clover than for grass diets and decreased with advancing maturity. It was concluded that despite the higher total AA supply of cows fed red clover versus grass silage diets, further milk production responses on red clover diets were compromised by an inadequate supply of Met as evidenced by lower Met concentration in the AA profile of omasal digesta and plasma.     

Effects of feeding grass or red clover silage cut at two maturity stages in dairy cows. 2. Dry matter intake and cell wall digestion kinetics

This study examined the effects of red clover or grass silages cut at 2 stages of growth on feed intake, cell wall digestion, and ruminal passage kinetics in lactating dairy cows. Five dairy cows equipped with rumen cannulas were used in a study designed as a 5 × 5 Latin square with 21-d periods. Diets consisted of early-cut and late-cut grass and red clover silages and a mixture of late-cut grass and early-cut red clover silages offered ad libitum. All diets were supplemented with 9 kg/d of concentrate. Ruminal digestion and passage kinetics were assessed by the rumen evacuation technique. Apparent total-tract digestibility was determined by total fecal collection. The silage dry matter intake was highest when the mixed forage diet was fed and lowest with the early-cut red clover diet. Delaying the harvest tended to decrease DMI of grass and increase that of red clover. The intake of neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and potentially digestible NDF (pdNDF) was lower but the intake of indigestible NDF (iNDF) was higher for red clover diets than for grass diets. The rumen pool size of iNDF and the ratio of iNDF to pdNDF in the rumen contents were larger, and pool sizes of NDF and pdNDF were smaller for red clover than for grass silage diets. Outflow of iNDF and the ratio of iNDF to pdNDF in digesta entering the omasal canal were larger, and the outflow of pdNDF was smaller for red clover than for grass silage diets. The digestion rate (k_d) of pdNDF was faster for red clover diets than for grass silage diets. Delaying the harvest decreased k_d for grass but increased it for red clover silage diets. Observed differences in fiber characteristics of red clover and grass silages were reflected in ruminal digestion and passage kinetics of these forages. The low intake of early-cut red clover silage could not be explained by silage digestibility, fermentation quality, or rumen fill, but was most likely related to nutritionally suboptimal composition because inclusion of moderate quality grass silage improved silage intake. Increasing the maturity of ensiled red clover does not seem to affect silage dry matter intake as consistently as that of grasses.     

Statistical Optimization of Culture Conditions and Characterization for Ligninolytic Enzymes Produced from Rhizopus Sp. Using Prickly Palm Cactus Husk

Dry prickly palm cactus (Nopalea cochenillifera) husk was investigated as a substrate for Rhizopus sp. cultivation in the solid state, aiming at the production of laccase (Lac), lignin peroxidase (LiP), and manganese peroxidase (MnP). The optimization of fermentation was evaluated by an experimental design and it was obtained, for each enzyme, maximum productivities (U g^?1 h^?1) of: 0.085 ± 0.02 (MnP), 0.066 ± 0.001 (LiP), and 0.023 ± 2.3.10^?4 (Lac), at the conditions of 10 g of substrate, 72 h of fermentation, a_w = 0.865, and 30°C. The enzymes thermal and pH stabilities were evaluated and it was observed better results at temperatures no higher than 60°C and pH of 5.0; in addition, the storage of these enzymes was better at ? 25°C than at 4°C. Since the prickly palm cactus is an agricultural substrate and specially because of its low cost, it is important to propose different applications for it as, for example, an alternative substrate for biotechnological processes.