Effect of a blend of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and Capsicum oleoresin on methane emission and lactation performance of Holstein-Friesian dairy cows.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of administering a standardized blend of cinnamaldehyde, eugenol, and Capsicum oleoresin (CEC) to lactating dairy cattle for 84 d (i.e., 12 wk) on enteric CH4 emission, feed intake, milk yield and composition, and body weight. The experiment involved 56 Holstein-Friesian dairy cows (145 ± 31.1 d in milk at the start of the trial; mean ± standard deviation) in a randomized complete block design. Cows were blocked in pairs according to parity, lactation stage, and current milk yield, and randomly allocated to 1 of the 2 dietary treatments: a diet including 54.5 mg of CEC/kg of DM or a control diet without CEC. Diets were provided as partial mixed rations in feed bins, which automatically recorded individual feed intake. Additional concentrate was fed in the GreenFeed system that was used to measure emissions of CO2, CH4, and H2. Feeding CEC decreased CH4 yield (g/kg DMI) by on average 3.4% over the complete 12-wk period and by on average 3.9% from 6 wk after the start of supplementation onward. Feeding CEC simultaneously increased feed intake and body weight, and tended to increase milk protein content, whereas no negative responses were observed. These results must be further investigated and confirmed in longer-term in vivo experiments.

Effect of dietary magnolia bark extract supplementation in finishing pigs on the oxidative stability of meat.

BACKGROUND: Magnolia bark extract (MBE) is a natural supplement with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities. Its properties suggest that the dietary supplementation in livestock could improve the quality of products. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate, for the first time, the effect of dietary MBE supplementation (0.33 mg/kg) in finishing pigs on the oxidative stability of meat. Oxidative stability is of paramount importance for pork, as it affects storage, retail, and consumer acceptance. For the purpose, the fatty acid profile, cholesterol, fat-soluble vitamins, antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and superoxide dismutase), non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity (TEAC, FRAP, and Folin-Ciocalteu assays), color stability, and lipid stability of pork were assessed. RESULTS: Concerning carcass characteristics, dietary MBE did not affect cold carcass yield, but reduced (P = 0.040) the chilling weight loss. The meat from pigs fed MBE had a lower (P = 0.031) lightness index than the control meat. No effect on intramuscular fat, cholesterol, and fatty acid profile was observed. Dietary MBE did not affect the content of vitamin E (α-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol) in pork, whereas it reduced (P = 0.021) the retinol content. The catalase activity was 18% higher (P = 0.008) in the meat from pigs fed MBE compared with the control group. The MBE supplementation reduced (P = 0.039) by 30% the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) in raw pork over 6 d of aerobic refrigerated storage. Instead, no effect on lipid oxidation was observed in cooked pork. Last, the meat from pigs fed MBE reduced Fe3+-ascorbate catalyzed lipid oxidation in muscle homogenates, with a lower (P = 0.034) TBARS value than the control group after 60 min of incubation. CONCLUSIONS: Dietary MBE supplementation in finishing pigs delayed the lipid oxidation in raw meat. This effect was combined with an increased catalase concentration. These results suggest that dietary MBE could have implications for improving the shelf-life of pork.

Effect of different levels of organic zinc supplementation on pork quality.

This study investigated the effect of two supplementation levels of zinc glycinate (ZnGly) on performance, carcass characteristics, and meat quality of growing-finishing pigs. Thirty pigs (bodyweight: 61 ± 4.0 kg) were assigned to three treatments and fed ad libitum for 56 days a diet supplemented with 0 (control), 45 (Zn45), or 100 mg/kg (Zn100) of ZnGly. The highest ZnGly supplementation lowered the average daily gain (P = 0.031); while, cold carcass weight did not differ between treatments. Both ZnGly levels reduced carcass chill loss (P < 0.001). Micromineral content, color stability, and fatty acid profile of meat were not altered by ZnGly. Superoxide dismutase activity was lowered by Zn45 compared to control (P = 0.007); while, catalase activity was enhanced by Zn100 (P = 0.003). Although ZnGly supplementation did not influence lipid oxidation in raw meat and in meat homogenates incubated with pro-oxidant catalysts, Zn45 limited lipid oxidation in cooked meat (P = 0.037). Our results demonstrated that supplementing pigs with 45 mg/kg of ZnGly could improve the oxidative stability of pork subjected to strong pro-oxidant conditions, but this effect needs to be further elucidated.

Feed Concentrate Palatability in Welsh Ponies: Acceptance and Preference of Flavors.

In horses, it is well established that nutrients and the palatability of feed material (odor and taste) play an important role in diet selection. For example, high-fiber feed taste is not well accepted by horses. Consequently, manufacturers have begun to supplement horse feed with flavors to mask feed bitterness, to overcome feed neophobia and to encourage water drinking. However, only few studies have been performed to evaluate the acceptance and preference of flavors in horses. The aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptance and preference of flavors supplemented on top of concentrate offered to ponies. Thirty-three female Welsh ponies aged between four to 13 years were enrolled in the experiment. Ponies were offered 4 flavored concentrates and one control with no flavor. The flavored concentrates were anise, caramel, raspberry and apple. The inclusion rate of the flavors was 300 g/t on an as-is basis. During the adaptation period (one week), the ponies were gently guided to each bucket containing the flavored concentrate (200 g) during 10 sec/bucket for olfaction only. During the test period, ponies were allowed to freely choose flavored concentrates for 2 minutes. The flavors and the position of the buckets in front of the ponies were randomized. Each period was video-recorded and number of chews were counted during test period. The concentrate intake, eating time, and animal behavior were recorded during the test period. The apple concentrate was consumed the most at 116 g/2-min offering, whereas the raspberry and control concentrates were consumed the least, at 85.31 and 90.80 g/2-min offering, respectively. Apple flavor was preferred over caramel, raspberry and anise as indicated by higher consumption rate (g/sec) (chi-squared=16.68, df=4, P<0.05). There was no effects on chews, smell or headshaking time per sec between treatments. In conclusion, the ponies accepted a wide range of flavors with a preference for apple over raspberry flavored concentrate.

Modulation of rumen pH by sodium bicarbonate and a blend of different sources of magnesium oxide in lactating dairy cows submitted to a concentrate challenge.

With the objective of evaluating the potential effects of sodium bicarbonate or a magnesium-based product on rumen pH and milk performance of dairy cattle exposed to a dietary challenge, 30 lactating Holstein cows (648 ± 67 kg of body weight; 44.4 ± 9.9 kg/d of milk yield; 155 ± 75 d in milk) were blocked by parity (9 primiparous and 21 multiparous) and randomly distributed to 3 treatment groups. One group received a total mixed ration (TMR) that acted as a control (CTR), a second group (SB) received the same TMR but with an additional supplementation of 0.8% of sodium bicarbonate, and a third group (MG) received the same TMR as CTR but an additional supplementation of 0.4% of a magnesium-based product (pHix-Up, Timab, Dinard, France). After 1 wk of exposure to this TMR, all 3 rations were supplemented with 1 kg/d of barley, which was then increased 1 kg/wk until reaching 3 kg/d of barley during wk 4 of the study. Every kilogram of barley replaced 1 kg of forage in the diet. Individual feed intake and behavior were monitored using electronic feed bins. Seven cows per treatment were equipped with an intraruminal bolus that recorded pH every 15 min. As the severity of the barley challenge increased, dry matter intake decreased, but this decrease was more pronounced in SB cows than in MG cows, with an intermediate response for CTR cows. The MG cows produced more milk when challenged with 2 or 3 kg/d of additional barley than when challenged with 1 kg/d, whereas CTR cows produced less milk with the 3 kg/d challenge compared with 1 or 2 kg/d, and the SB cows maintained milk production. Milk fat content decreased with barley challenges, with CTR cows experiencing a more severe decrease than SB cows, which maintained stable butterfat values throughout the study, and MG cows showed a decline in milk fat content only with the 3 kg/d of additional barley. Meal size was also reduced as the severity of barley challenge increased, and this reduction was more modest in MG cows than in SB cows. The number of daily meals consumed by SB and MG cows was more constant than that recorded in CTR cows. Cows on the CTR and SB treatments showed a marked decrease in rumen pH with the 3 kg/d of additional barley, whereas MG cows maintained stable rumen pH during the barley challenges and had greater average rumen pH (5.93 ± 0.04) than CTR cows (5.83 ± 0.04) with the 3 kg/d of additional barley; SB cows showed intermediate values (5.85 ± 0.04). Last, MG cows spent less time (32.3 ± 6.1%) with rumen pH ≤5.8 when exposed to the 3 kg/d of barley challenge than CTR and SB cows (50.7 ± 5.02%). In conclusion, supplementation with MG prevents the decline in dry matter intake and milk production induced by a rumen challenge, whereas supplementation with SB prevents the decay in milk production but does not prevent the decrease in feed intake. These changes were probably due to the ability of the MG treatment to prevent a reduction in rumen pH when challenging cows with 3 kg/d of additional barley in the ration.