Rapeseed meal processing and dietary enzymes modulate excreta inositol phosphate profile, nutrient availability, and production performance of broiler chickens.

This study aimed to assess the effect of rapeseed meal (RSM) processing method, where solvent extraction occurred under standard industry conditions (ST) or cold-pressed hexane extraction was employed (MT), and exogenous enzyme supplementation (phytase [PHY] and xylanase [XYL]) alone or in combination on key nutritional factors of broiler chickens. A randomized control experiment was performed using 144 male Ross 308 broilers in a 2 × 2 × 3 factorial arrangement. Three diets including a nutritionally complete wheat-based basal diet (BD), a diet containing 200 g/kg of RSM extracted under ST and another diet containing 200 g/kg of RSM extracted under MT were produced. Each diet was then split into 4 parts and was fed as is, or supplemented with PHY at 1,500 FTU/kg or XYL at 16,000 BXU/kg, alone or in combination, resulting in 12 diets in total. Response criteria: feed intake (FI), weight gain (WG), and feed conversion ratio (FCR), from 7 to 21 d age, AMEn, retention coefficients for dry matter (DMR), nitrogen (NR), fat (FR), and the profile of inositol phosphate esters (IP2-6) and myo-inositol (MI) in excreta. Diets containing MT had higher AMEn compared to ST diets (P < 0.05). There was RSM by PHY interaction for FI, as only birds fed MT diet responded to PHY supplementation with reduced FI and FCR (P < 0.001). Feeding XYL reduced overall FI and FCR (P < 0.05). Feeding PHY reduced IP6 and increased MI in excreta (P < 0.001). Feeding XYL and PHY in combination reduced MI in excreta compared to PHY only (P = 0.05). Compared to BD, birds fed RSM diets had an increased IP6 (P < 0.05) and MI concentration in excreta (P < 0.01). This may be due to IP ester differences in RSM and BD.

A comparative study of neonatal skeletal development in Cebus and other primates.

Comparisons of hand/wrist radiographs of neonatal Cebus albifrons (n = 14) and Cebus apella (n = 4) with those of Saimiri sciureus boliviensis (n = 9) and Macaca mulatta (n = 63) reveal that the cebid monkeys show much less skeletal ossification at birth than macaques. Differences in gestation time alone cannot account for the differences in skeletal maturity at birth in the two groups of monkeys. The skeletal precocity of the newborn macaques indicates that their ossification either begins earlier in gestation or proceeds at a more rapid rate, or both. This, in turn, raises questions about the timing of organogenesis and gestational comparability in cebid and cercopithecid monkeys. The advanced state of ossification seen in macaques at birth is not typical of other groups of anthropoid primates, including Cebus, Saimiri, Pan and Homo, and may represent an ontogenetic specialization.

Some guidelines for collection and reporting of nonhuman primate growth data.

Some basic guidelines were offered to aid researches in planning and implementing the collection and reporting of data on growth and development of nonhuman primates. Weight and linear dimensions are the most frequently used measures of growth, and asseous and dental development are the most useful indicators of general bodily maturity. Estimates of sexual development can be made from general bodily maturity but more accurate assessments are based on the appearance of certain secondary sex characters. The most useful growth data are obtained from repeated, regularly scheduled examinations of the same individual. Standard procedures for measuring the external body utilize certain specific measuring points and measurements. Serial radiographs are also extremely valuable. When reporting data, age of subjects should be given in years and decimals. Means and other measures of central tendency and variability should be reported separately for each species, subspecies, and sex.