Effect of the combination of crude extracts of Penicillium griseofulvum and Fusarium graminearum containing patulin and zearalenone on rumen microbial fermentation and on their metabolism in continuous culture fermenters.

Six single-flow continuous cultures were used to study the effects of the mycotoxins patulin (PAT) and zearalenone (ZEN) alone or in combination on rumen microbial fermentation. In each of the four 7-d periods, the fermenters were supplemented in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with two levels of PAT (0 and 20 mg/l) and three levels of ZEN (0, 5 and 10 mg/l). The treatments did not affect the apparent and true digestibility of organic matter. PAT alone decreased the digestibility of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) (p < 0.01), but in the presence of 5 or 10 mg/l of ZEN, there were no effects of PAT. In contrast, the digestibility of NDF and ADF was decreased at 10 mg/l of ZEN in the absence of PAT (p < 0.05). The pH of the fermenters increased after 2 and 3 d of PAT treatment (p < 0.01). PAT decreased the concentration of total volatile acids (VFA), the molar proportion of acetate and the acetate:proportionate ratio (p < 0.01). The molar concentrations of other VFA were unchanged. Ammonia N (NH3-N) flow increased (p < 0.05) and there was a tendency to a higher NH3-N concentration (p < 0.1) in fermenters with PAT. Total N, non-ammonia N and bacterial N as well as efficiency of microbial protein synthesis and efficiency of N utilisation were not affected by treatments. PAT was nearly completely degraded during incubation. The mean recovery of ZEN, α-zearalenol and ß-zearalenol expressed as a proportion of administered ZEN was less than 50% in effluents from fermenters receiving only ZEN and ZEN plus PAT, respectively. With exception of fibre digestion, the co-administration of PAT and ZEN did not elicit interaction effects on most measured parameters of rumen metabolism.

The effect of zeranol on live weight gain, feed intake and carcass composition of steers during compensatory growth.

To evaluate the effect of zeranol implants in steers on compensatory ++growth, 80 steer calves (9 mo of age; 200 kg) were fed at two feeding levels (RO = 9.2 MJ ME/kg DM; R1 = 6.9 MJ ME/kg DM) for 119 d (Period 1). During Period 2, steers were full-fed to 400 kg BW with (Z1) or without (ZO) zeranol implants. Ten steers were slaughtered at the end of Period 1 to estimate carcass composition. Differences of 100 kg in BW were achieved by restriction in Period 1. Subsequent to restriction, cumulative ADG remained greater (P less than .05) up to the 24th wk of recuperation and implants increased (P less than .001) BW gain by 31% and 24% for RO and R1, respectively. The average daily energy intake (ME/W(.75) in Period 2 was similar for all treatments. Feed conversion was improved by 21.5% (P less than .05) by implants. At the end of Period 2 the R1ZO had 8.6 kg less muscle (P less than .001), 2.9 kg less bone (P less than .001) and 5.9 kg more fat (P less than .05) than the ROZO. In comparison, the carcasses of the implanted animals did not show significant differences (P greater than .05) due to restriction. Carcass daily gains were increased by previous restriction (P less than .01) and implants (P less than .05). Zeranol increased daily live weight gain and feed conversion in animals in continuous growth as well as in those observed in compensatory growth an tended to eliminate a tendency for higher content of fat in carcasses of nonimplanted animals making compensatory growth.