Ruminal modulator additive effect of Stryphnodendron rotundifolium bark in feedlot lambs.

The study aimed to evaluate the inclusion effects of Stryphnodendron rotundifolium (barbatimão) extracts in substitution of the lasalocid sodium on the ingestive behaviour, intake, ruminal parameters, and digestibility of feedlot lambs. Twenty-four pantaneiro lambs were used, with an average age of 150 ± 4.59 days and an initial body weight of 21.2 ± 3.63 kg. The lambs were distributed in three treatments in an experimental design with randomized blocks. The treatments correspond to the additive supplements: LAS (0.019 g of lasalocid sodium/lamb/d); DGB (1.50 g of barbatimão dried ground bark/lamb/d); DHE (0.30 g of barbatimão dry hydroalcoholic extract/lamb/d). The DHE increased 59.74 min in the time spent for ingestion per day, resulting in an efficiency reduction of dry matter (DM) ingestion (127 g of DM/h of feed). There was a reduction of 1.8 mg/dL in the ammoniacal nitrogen concentration with extract supplementation compared to LAS. The DGB reduced total volatile fatty acids by 48.9% compared to the control treatment. The inclusion of barbatimão extracts (DGB and DHE) reduced 12.05% of ruminal butyrate content. The supplementation of barbatimão extracts replacing lasalocid sodium in the diet of feedlot lambs did not affect intake and caused small changes on ingestive behaviour.

Synthesis and characterization of a novel fish scale-immobilized chitosan adsorbent--preliminary features of dichlorophenol sorption by solution calorimetry.

Brazilian Corvina fish scales were cross linked with polyglutaraldehyde and chemically modified with chitosan gel. Characterization has pointed that chitosan has good and stable adhesion on the fish scales. The sorption of dichlorophenol-2,6-indophenol (DPI) on the novel material was studied by isothermal solution calorimetry. The non-symmetric shapes of the calorimetric plots indicate that the DPI sorption sites of the adsorbent are not energetically uniform. The enthalpies of the DPI sorption processes were highly exothermic (from -536.7 to -50.9 kJ mol(-1)). The analysis of both the characterization of the materials and the calorimetric results has suggested that the interactions at the fish scales/DPI interface are due to surface reactions. The present work underlines the excellent features of the new fish scale-based adsorbent for use in phenol sorption applications at solid/solution interfaces.