Effect of estrous expression on timing and failure of ovulation of Holstein dairy cows using automated activity monitors

The aim of this study was to determine if estrous expression, as measured by an automated activity monitor (AAM), affects timing and failure of ovulation of lactating Holstein dairy cows. Cows were equipped with 2 AAM, 1 neck-mounted (AAM_C) and 1 leg-mounted (AAM_L), by 10 d postpartum and enrolled into the trial when their activity crossed the alert threshold on the AAM_C. A total of 850 episodes of estrus from 293 different cows were used for this study. When cows were enrolled, their ovaries were scanned by transrectal ultrasonography and gait and body condition scored. Ovaries of cows detected in estrus were scanned twice daily for a maximum of 3 d to determine the disappearance of the preovulatory follicle (ovulation) and the interval from estrus to ovulation was calculated. Physical activity data recorded from the AAM were used to determine estrus behavior using 2 traits: (1) peak activity and (2) duration. Peak activity was only available for the AAM_L. Peak activity was defined as the maximum activity during an estrus episode. Duration of estrus was defined as the time the activity of the cow exceeded threshold values set by the AAM software. The AAM_C correctly identified 87.8% of the estrus alerts, with 12.2% false positives. The average (±standard deviation) intervals from activity alert to ovulation were 25.8 ± 10.2 and 24.7 ± 9.3 h for the AAM_C and AAM_L, respectively. Changes in estrous expression were associated with differences in the interval from alert to ovulation. Cows with short intervals to ovulation were found to have less intense estrous expression than cows with medium and long length intervals to ovulation using the AAM_C, whereas using the AAM_L, cows with short intervals to ovulation exhibited less intense estrous expression than cows with medium but the same as those with long intervals to ovulation. Furthermore, irrespective of the AAM, estrus events with less estrous expression had increased odds of having a short interval to ovulation (below the median of 20 h) when compared with those having greater estrous expression (2.6 and 1.9 increased odds for the AAM_C and AAM_L, respectively). Ovulation failure was affected by estrous expression because estrus events with greater peak activity or longer duration had reduced ovulation failure compared with those with less estrous expression (AAM_C peak activity: 1.9 ± 1.4 vs. 9.5 ± 1.7%; AAM_L peak activity: 2.3 ± 1.4 vs. 6.2 ± 1.5%; AAM_C duration: 2.1 ± 1.4 vs. 8.9 ± 1.7%). In addition, cows with more estrous expression had greater pregnancy per artificial insemination than those with less estrous expression with both the AAM_C (42.3 ± 0.4 vs. 31.7 ± 0.4%) and the AAM_L (43.1 ± 0.4 vs. 36.3 ± 0.4%). Pregnancy per artificial insemination results were consistent even when removing cows that failed to ovulate. In conclusion, expression of estrus was highly associated with ovulation timing, ovulation failure, and fertility when using 2 different AAM. Cows with greater estrous expression have longer intervals from activity alert to ovulation, experience less ovulation failure, and have greater pregnancy per artificial insemination.     

Simple Sequence Repeat Markers in Genetic Divergence and Marker-Assisted Selection of Rice Cultivars: A Review

Sequencing of rice genome has facilitated the understanding of rice evolution and has been utilized extensively for mining of DNA markers to facilitate marker-assisted breeding. Simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers that are tandemly repeated nucleotide sequence motifs flanked by unique sequences are presently the maker of choice in rice improvement due to their abundance, co-dominant inheritance, high levels of allelic diversity, and simple reproducible assay. The current level of genome coverage by SSR markers in rice is sufficient to employ them for genotype identification and marker-assisted selection in breeding for mapping of genes and quantitative trait loci analysis. This review provides comprehensive information on the mapping and applications of SSR markers in investigation of rice cultivars to study their genetic divergence and marker-assisted selection of important agronomic traits.     

The Glycemic Potential of White and Red Rice Affected by Oil Type and Time of Addition

Limited research exists on how different oil types and time of addition affect starch digestibility of rice. This study aimed to assess the starch digestibility of white and red rice prepared with 2 oil types: vegetable oil (unsaturated fat) and ghee (clarified butter, saturated fat) added at 3 different time points during the cooking process (“before”: frying raw rice in oil before boiling, “during”: adding oil during boiling, and “after”: stir‐frying cooked rice in oil). Red rice produced a slower digestion rate than white rice. White rice digestibility was not affected by oil type, but was affected by addition time of oil. Adding oil “after” (stir‐frying) to white or red rice resulted in higher slowly digestible starch. Red rice cooked using ghee showed the lowest amount of glucose release during in vitro digestion. The addition of ghee “during” (that is boiling with ghee) or “before” (that is frying rice raw with ghee then boiling) cooking showed potential for attenuating the postprandial glycemic response and increasing resistant starch content. This is the first report to show healthier ways of preparing rice. White rice with oil added “after” (stir‐fried) may provide a source of sustained glucose and stabilize blood glucose levels. Boiling red rice with ghee or cooking red rice with ghee pilaf‐style may provide beneficial effects on postprandial blood glucose and insulin concentrations, and improve colonic health. The encouraging results of the present study justify extending it to an in vivo investigation to conclusively determine the effect of time of addition of fat when rice is cooked on blood glucose homeostasis.     

Effect of malting and roasting of chickpea on functional and nutritional qualities of its protein fractions

Chickpea is gaining importance as a sustainable plant-based protein source due to its high protein content and protein bioavailability. Malting and roasting, the traditional processing techniques, can be used to improve the protein quality of chickpea. The effect of two processing techniques on the water-soluble albumin fraction, salt-soluble globulin fraction, alcohol-soluble prolamin fraction, and alkali-soluble glutelin fraction was studied. Globulin content decreased from 45.85% to 37.08%, whereas the albumin fraction was found to increase from 4.16% to 7.08%, after 6 days of germination. It was observed that malting and roasting resulted in significant changes in the protein quality parameters and decrease in anti-nutritional factors. Tannin content reduced by 53.18% and 40.44%, and the trypsin inhibitor activity reduced by 14.91% and 34.59% after malting and roasting, respectively. The protein efficiency ratio, biological value, and nutritional index improved due to malting and roasting. The biological value of raw chickpea protein was found to be 74.97%, and it increased to 81.89% and 79.27% on malting and roasting, respectively, and protein digestibility values were also increased. Microstructural and diffraction patterns of chickpea flours were examined. Amino acid scores for infants and adults were calculated, and sulphur-containing amino acids were found to be the limiting amino acids in chickpea.     

Relationship between physicochemical and functional properties of amaranth (Amaranthus hypochondriacus) protein isolates

Protein isolates from six amaranth lines/cultivars (APIs) were evaluated to study their physicochemical (hunter colour, protein content and zeta potential), structural (thermal and conformational) and functional (emulsification, foaming, water and fat absorption) properties. APIs had protein content, whiteness index and gel temperature in range of 79.4–85.4%, 41.17–54.26 and 87.8–91.8 °C, respectively. The Fourier‐transform infrared spectra of APIs revealed α‐helix, β‐sheets and random coil conformations in the secondary structure. APIs with higher relative proportion of β‐sheets had higher Differential Scanning Calorimeter denaturation temperature and gel temperature. Minimum protein solubility (PS) was observed at pH 5.0, indicating isoelectric point (pI) of amaranth proteins. The PS, emulsifying activity index (EAI), emulsifying stability index (ESI), foaming capacity (FC) and foam stability (FS) of APIs at neutral pH were related to their zeta potential (ζ). The emulsifying and foaming properties were also determined at different pHs (between 2.0 and 9.0). The EAI‐pH profile of APIs confirmed close relationship between the emulsifying ability and PS.