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Incorporating Curcumin into animal diets holds significant promise for enhancing both animal health and productivity, with demonstrated positive impacts on antioxidant activity, anti-microbial responses. Therefore, this study aimed to determine whether adding Curcumin to the diet of dairy calves would influence ruminal fermentation, hematologic, immunological, oxidative, and metabolism variables. Fourteen Jersey calves were divided into a control group (GCON) and a treatment group (GTRA). The animals in the GTRA received a diet containing 65.1 mg/kg of dry matter (DM) Curcumin (74% purity) for an experimental period of 90 days. Blood samples were collected on days 0, 15, 45, and 90. Serum levels of total protein and globulins were higher in the GTRA group (P < 0.05) than the GCON group. In the GTRA group, there was a reduction in pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1ß and IL-6) (P < 0.05) and an increase in IL-10 (which acts on anti-inflammatory responses) (P < 0.05) when compared to the GCON. There was a significantly higher (P < 0.05) concentration of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the serum of the GTRA than the GCON. A Treatment × Day interaction was observed for haptoglobin levels, which were higher on day 90 in animals that consumed Curcumin than the GCON (P < 0.05). The catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were significantly higher (P < 0.05) in GTRA, reducing lipid peroxidation when compared to the GCONT. Hematologic variables did not differ significantly between groups. Among the metabolic variables, only urea was higher in the GTRA group when compared to the GCON. Body weight and feed efficiency did not differ between groups (meaning the percentage of apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and acid detergent fiber (ADF) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF). There was a tendency (P = 0.09) for treatment effect and a treatment x day interaction (P = 0.05) for levels of short-chain fatty acids in rumen fluid, being lower in animals that consumed curcumin. There was a treatment vs. day interaction (P < 0.05) for the concentration of acetate in the rumen fluid (i.e., on day 45, had a reduction in acetate; on day 90, values were higher in the GTRA group when compared to the GCON). We conclude that there was no evidence in the results from this preliminary trial that Curcumin in the diet of dairy calves interfered with feed digestibility. Curcumin may have potential antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune effects that may be desirable for the production system of dairy calves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The accumulation of industrial by-products increases the use of sweet potato waste for ruminants, but ruminal pH characteristics are still not well known. The objective was to assess the fluctuation of ruminal pH in sheep supplemented with different levels of sweet potato flour inclusion in their diet. Four rumen-fistulated sheep were used; they were fed a diet based on ryegrass haylage (Lolium multiflorum) and sweet potato flour (Ipomoea batatas), provided according to the level of inclusion in the total diet (0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%). Approximately 80 ml of ruminal fluid was collected for reading on a bench pH meter. Statistical data analysis was run on Statistical Analysis System (SAS Institute INC. Cary, NC, USA), and statistical difference was considered for p < 0.05. The animals that received 1.5% of sweet potato flour in their diet presented acid rumen pH; the 1.0% group presented rumen pH acidification in the first 6 hours after feeding, and the 0.5% level of inclusion did not change the rumen environment. It is concluded that the inclusion of 0.5% sweet potato flour in sheep diet proved to be an efficient energy supplementation strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The addition of adsorbents in foods has been the strategy used by nutritionists to reduce the toxic effects of mycotoxins in animals. Mycotoxins are found in a range of foods and commonly they present variations in the chemical structure therefore, it has been appropriate to include adsorbents from different sources in the diet of ruminants. However, few researches were conducted in order to better understand the interaction of adsorbents on ruminal fermentation. Our objective in this study was to investigate the possible effects of two adsorbent products on bovine ruminal fermentation. One consists of 65% of β-glucan (β-glu), originating cell wall of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and used at a concentration of 1% and natural sodium montmorillonite (MMT) at a concentration of 5%. Materials, Methods & Results: The effects of β-glu adsorbents (1%) and MMC (5%) in culture medium that simulated ruminal fermentation were evaluated. Bottles, with a capacity of 120 mL, were used to be filled with substrate such as maize and ryegrass hay ground, nutrient solution (medium of Menke), liquid extracted rumen fistulated bovine and the two adsorbents evaluated, totaling 50 mL. The experiment was conducted with three treatments, named after: control (Cont), β-glu and MMT. In the control treatment adsorbents were not added. Six replicates were used for each treatment and two trials were conducted. One of the tests aimed to determine the fermentation kinetics by means of the gas production after 72 h' incubation and quantifying the production of methane (CH4) at 48h. While another test aimed to quantify the production of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) - acetic, propionic and butyric acid - and the production of ammonia (NH3) in 24 h incubation. All assays were measured by gas chromatography. The highest total SCFA concentration was observed in β-glu treatment (67.71 mM) significantly superior to CONT (57.7 mM) treatment and MMT (53.28 mM), which was significantly lower than the β-glu treatment, but similar to CONT. The average representation (%) of acetic acid for the treatment MMT (62.9%) was significantly higher than the β-glu treatment (61.0%). The average proportions of propionic acid were similar between treatments, while the average representation (%) of butyric acid production was significantly higher for the β-glu treatment (13.1%) compared to CONT treatments (11.3%) and MMT (11.4%). The amount of NH3 was significantly reduced in MMT (9.6 mM) treatment compared to β-glu treatments (12.2 mM) and CONT (11.3 mM). In another test, the greater volume of gas (mL) was produced by β-glu treatment (103.4 mL), which was significantly greater than the treatments CONT (89.0 mL) and MMT (91.6 mL). The lag time, i.e. the time taken by the bacteria inoculum to develop lead-through in the substrate, in the MMT treatment took 6.2 h, slowing significantly compared to CONT treatments (4.8 h) and β Glu (4.33 h). The concentration of CH4 was significantly lower in MMT treatment (33.0%) compared to the CONT treatments (36.3%) and β-glu (35.68%). Discussion: The glucans which constitute the main cell wall S. cerevisae are the β-glucans with β-1-3 and β-1,6 glycosidic bonds. The largest and most significant concentration of SCFA and gas volume in the β-glu treatment can be explained by the degradation of β-glucans by rumen bacteria. The possible reason of reduced concentration of methane (CH4) in samples collected during 48 h of incubation in MMT treatment stands on the reduction in symbiotic activity of methanogenic bacteria and protozoa. Also, the possible reason of reduction in the concentration of ammonia (NH3) in MMT treatment could be associated to damage on protozoa with proteolytic activity. Our results showed that the amount of montmorillonite in rumen fluid influenced negatively the fermentative activity, therefore, delaying the colonization of bacteria in rumen substrate composed of maize and ryegrass hay. Moreover, the use of β-glu (1%) significantly increased the amount of short chain fatty acids such as, acetic acid and butyric acid, with the exception of propionic acid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the inclusion of peanut ( Arachis pintoi cv. Amarillo) hay in diets based on dwarf elephant grass (DEG, Pennisetum purpureum Schum cv. Kurumi) hay of different regrowth ages on forage intake and digestibility in wether lambs. The experimental treatments consisted of DEG hay with an interval of regrowth of 30 or 45 days offered as the only feed or in mixture with peanut hay (300 g/kg of total dry matter (DM)), which were tested in eight Texel × Suffolk crossbred wethers in a replicated 4 × 4 Latin square experiment. Both organic matter (OM) and digestible OM intakes were higher ( P < 0.05) in animals receiving the legume forage. Total apparent OM digestibility was higher ( P < 0.05) at an increased grass regrowth age. Ruminal OM digestibility increased ( P < 0.05) with legume inclusion and at a higher grass regrowth age. The nitrogen (N) intake was higher ( P < 0.05) in legume treatments and lower ( P < 0.05) as the grass regrowth age increased, but retention of N was not affected by treatments. Duodenal flow of both, non-ammonia N and microbial N, were not affected by legume inclusion and were lower ( P < 0.05) as grass regrowth age increased. The efficiency of rumen microbial protein synthesis (ERMPS) was negatively affected ( P < 0.05) by legume inclusion and was lower ( P < 0.05) as the grass regrowth age increased. Supplementation of dwarf elephant grass hay cut at the vegetative stage with peanut legume hay improves nutritional supply to wethers due to an increase in the forage intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]