Xylooligosaccharides from lignocellulosic biomass and their applications as nutraceuticals: a review on their production, purification, and characterization.

Xylooligosaccharides (XOS) are considered a potent source of prebiotics for humans. The global prebiotic market is expanding in size, was valued at USD 6.05 billion in 2021, and is expected to grow at a 14.9% compound annual growth rate between 2022 and 2030, indicating a huge demand. These XOS are non-digestible pentose sugar oligomers comprising mainly xylose. Xylose is naturally present in the lignocellulosic biomass (LCB), fruits and vegetables. Apart from the prebiotic effect, these XOS have been reported to reduce blood cholesterol, possess antioxidant effects, increase calcium absorption, reduce colon cancer risk, and benefit diabetic patients. The primary use of XOS is reported in the feed industry followed by health, medical use, food and drinks. LCB mainly contains glucan, xylan and lignin. After glucan, xylan is the second-highest available sugar on the globe composed of xylose. Therefore, the xylan fraction of LCB has great significance in producing food, feed and energy. Glucan has been exploited for the commercial production of ethanol, xylitol, furfural, hydroxymethyl furfural and glucose. As of now, xylan has limited applications. Therefore, xylan can be exploited to convert to XOS. The production of XOS from LCB fraction not only helps to produce these at a very low price, but also helps in the reduction of greenhouse gases. Its use in food and drinks is increasing as it can be derived from the abundantly and cheaply available LCB. The article provides a review on the production, purification and characterization of XOS in view of their use as nutraceuticals. © 2024 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Ammonia and methane emissions from small herd cattle buildings in a cold climate.

Ammonia (NH3) and methane (CH4) emission measurements that reflect local production conditions are required to track progress in national emission policies and verify emission factors. The findings can also be used to better understand key factors influencing emissions. This is especially important in Norway, which has long cold winters, and small cattle herds in mechanically ventilated buildings. However, until now, NH3 and CH4 emissions from Norwegian cattle buildings have not been reported in literature. Moreover, in other cold climates, NH3 and CH4 emissions are often taken from large dairy herds in naturally ventilated buildings, with less focus on suckler cows. The objectives were to assess indoor climate, report NH3 and CH4 emissions and examine the impact of climatic factors on NH3 and CH4 emissions in three small herd dairy and suckler cow buildings over three seasons. Three of the buildings had mechanical ventilation, while one was naturally ventilated. The suckler building had higher relative humidity (RH > 90 %) and NH3 concentrations (> 25 ppm) due to lower minimum air change rate (ACH = 1.2 h-1). The suckler building also had the highest NH3 emissions (2.04 g Livestock Unit (LU)-1 h-1) followed by the mechanically ventilated dairy building (1.92 g LU-1 h-1) with the highest ACH. These two buildings had the lowest stocking densities and floor areas. In contrast, the suckler building had the lowest CH4 emissions (6.8-10.7 g LU-1 h-1). Methane emissions from the dairy building with the supply-exhaust air mixing system (16.4-19.3 g LU-1 h-1) was higher than the other dairy buildings (11.7-13.8 g LU-1 h-1). Temperature influenced NH3 emissions however, the direction of association between temperature and NH3 emissions differed among buildings. Relationship between RH and NH3 emissions was positive, but the correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.67) was strongest in the building with the highest RH.

Improving the nutritional values of yellow mealworm Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) larvae as an animal feed ingredient: a review.

Yellow mealworm larvae (YML; Tenebrio molitor) are considered as a valuable insect species for animal feed due to their high nutritional values and ability to grow under different substrates and rearing conditions. Advances in the understanding of entomophagy and animal nutrition over the past decades have propelled research areas toward testing multiple aspects of YML to exploit them better as animal feed sources. This review aims to summarize various approaches that could be exploited to maximize the nutritional values of YML as an animal feed ingredient. In addition, YML has the potential to be used as an antimicrobial or bioactive agent to improve animal health and immune function in production animals. The dynamics of the nutritional profile of YML can be influenced by multiple factors and should be taken into account when attempting to optimize the nutrient contents of YML as an animal feed ingredient. Specifically, the use of novel land-based and aquatic feeding resources, probiotics, and the exploitation of larval gut microbiomes as novel strategies can assist to maximize the nutritional potential of YML. Selection of relevant feed supplies, optimization of ambient conditions, the introduction of novel genetic selection procedures, and implementation of effective post-harvest processing may be required in the future to commercialize mealworm production. Furthermore, the use of appropriate agricultural practices and technological improvements within the mealworm production sector should be aimed at achieving both economic and environmental sustainability. The issues highlighted in this review could pave the way for future approaches to improve the nutritional value of YML.

Housing system and herd size interactions in Norwegian dairy herds; associations with performance and disease incidence.

BACKGROUND: According to the Norwegian animal welfare regulations, it has been forbidden to build new tie-stall barns since the end of 2004. Previous studies have shown that cow performance and health differ between housing systems. The interaction between housing system and herd size with respect to performance and disease incidence has not been evaluated. METHODS: Cow performance and health in 620 herds housed in free-stall barns were compared with in 192 herds housed in tie-stall barns based on a mail survey and data from the Norwegian Dairy Herd Recording and Cattle Health Systems. The housing systems herds were comparable with respect to herd size (15-55 cows). Associations between performance/disease incidence and housing system, herd size and year of building the cow barn were tested in general linear models, and values for fixed herd size of 20 and 50 cows were calculated. On the individual cow level mixed models were run to test the effect of among others housing system and herd size on test-day milk yield, and to evaluate lactation curves in different parities. All cows were of the Norwegian Red Breed. RESULTS: Average milk production per cow-year was 134 kg lower in free-stall herd than in tie-stall herds, but in the range 27-45 cows there was no significant difference in yields between the herd categories. In herds with less than 27 cows there were increasingly lower yields in free-stalls, particularly in first parity, whereas the yields were increasingly higher in free-stalls with more than 45 cows.In free-stalls fertility was better, calving interval shorter, and the incidence rate of teat injuries, ketosis, indigestions, anoestrus and cystic ovaries was lower than in tie-stalls. All of these factors were more favourable in estimated 50-cow herds as compared to 20-cow herds. In the larger herd category, bulk milk somatic cell counts were higher, and the incidence rate of mastitis (all cases) and all diseases was lower. CONCLUSION: This study has shown that there is an interaction between housing system and herd size, and that performance and health is not universally better in small free-stalls than in tie-stalls.