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The use of agroindustrial by-products, such as dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) and dried citrus pulp (DCP), has been widely investigated in dairy cows, but information on their effects in dairy goats is limited. The influence of feeding olive cake (a by-product of olive oil production) to dairy goats has been assessed in some studies, but exhausted olive cake (EOC) has been much less investigated. Twelve Murciano-Granadina goats were used in a crossover design trial with 2 periods to assess the effects of including agroindustrial by-products on nutrient digestibility, ruminal fermentation, methane production, urinary excretion of purine derivatives, and milk yield and composition. In each period, 6 goats received daily a control diet comprising 1 kg of alfalfa hay and 1 kg of high-cereal concentrate, and another 6 goats received a diet (BYP) comprising 1 kg of alfalfa hay and 1 kg of a concentrate including corn DDGS, DCP, and EOC in proportions of 180, 180, and 80 g/kg of concentrate (as-fed basis), respectively. Diet had no effect on total dry matter intake, but intake of alfalfa hay, CP, and fat was greater for the BYP group than for the control group. There were no differences between diets in nutrient apparent digestibility, with the exception of fat, which was greater for the BYP diet compared with the control diet. Although fecal N tended to be greater for the BYP diet, there were no differences in N utilization. Compared with the control diet, milk yield tended to be greater and daily production of milk CP, fat, whey protein, and TS as well as milk gross energy were greater for the BYP diet. The concentration of C12:0, C14:0, and C16:0 fatty acids (FA) was or tended to be lower and the concentration of polyunsaturated FA was greater in the milk of BYPfed goats compared with goats fed the control diet. Diet had no effect on ruminal parameters (pH, volatile FA, and NH3-N concentrations) and methane emissions, but urinary excretion of total purine derivatives tended to be lower in BYP-fed goats than in those fed the control diet. A mixture of corn DDGS (180 g), DCP (180 g), and EOC (80 g) could replace 44% of cereal grains and protein feeds in the concentrate for dairy goats without compromising nutrient utilization, ruminal fermentation, or milk yield and led to a more unsaturated FA profile in milk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meat from lambs finished with high-starch diets often contains low concentration of vaccenic (t11-18:1) and rumenic (c9,t11-18:2) acids and high concentration of t10-18:1. We hypothesized that replacing cereals by dehydrated citrus pulp (DCP) and the inclusion of tanniferous feed sources in oil supplemented diets might reduce the accumulation of t10-18:1 and increase the t11-18:1 and c9,t11-18:2 in lamb meat, without affecting the productive performance. In total, 32 lambs were assigned to four diets which combine two factors: basal diet (BD) (cereals v. DCP) and Cistus ladanifer (CL) (0 v. 150 g/kg dry matter). Feed intake, average daily weight gain and carcass traits were not affected by treatments, except for dressing percentage that was reduced with DCP (P=0.046). Both DCP and C. ladanifer reduced tenderness and juiciness of meat, and C. ladanifer also reduced (P<0.001) meat overall acceptability. Intramuscular fat and the concentration of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (FA) were not affected (P>0.05) by diets. However, DCP increased the proportions of odd-chain FA (P=0.005) and several minor biohydrogenation (BH) intermediates in meat lipids. C. ladanifer had few effects on meat FA profile. The proportions of t11-18:1 and c9,t11-18:2 were high in all diets (5.4% and 1.5% of total FA, respectively) and were not influenced by the treatments. Basal diet and CL showed some significant interactions concerning FA composition of intramuscular fat. In diets without C. ladanifer, replacement of cereals by DCP increased the 18:0 (P<0.05) and decreased t10,c12-18:2 (P<0.05), t10-18:1 (P<0.10) and t10-/t11-18:1 ratio (P<0.10) with a large reduction of the individual variation for t10-18:1 and of t10-/t11-18:1 ratio. Combined with cereals, C. ladanifer increased 18:0 and reduced the BH intermediates in meat. Replacement of cereals by DCP seems to promote a more predictable FA profile in lamb meat, reducing the risk of t10-shifted BH pathways in the rumen. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Among the renewable energy sources, the production of biogas from biomass by anaerobic digestion has developed significantly in the last twenty years in Italy, especially in the North. In this field, a new concept proposes the production of biogas in a more sustainable way by a sustainable intensification of crop rotation, use of agro-industrial wastes, and recycling the nutrients of by-products used to produce biogas. Among the by-products used to extract biogas, re-using residual biomass of citrus processing industries, like citrus pulp, has been recently put forward. Given the uncertainty of data relating to biomass quantities, this research aims at filling the gap in the knowledge of the production and yield of citrus pulp for energy uses. Therefore, this study investigates the suitability of using citrus pulp as a possible matrix of the blend needed to feed anaerobic digesters in territorial areas where biogas sector is still developing. This aim is relevant to plan the development of new biogas plants in a sustainable way with regard to environmental protection, and specifically, in terms of reduction of both soil consumption for dedicated energy crop and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions derived from biomasses logistic supply, as well as the re-use of agro-industrial wastes. On this basis, a case study was analysed by using GIS tools and descriptive statistics as well as by investigating the specific regulatory framework. The results of the statistical analyses showed that there is great variability in citrus production for the different citrus fruits because of the species specialisation of some farms and their various production capacities. The results of the GIS analyses highlighted that localisation of the citrus processing areas is highly concentrated in specific geographic areas. Therefore, it would be desirable that the future policies of development of biogas sector, take into account the availability and distribution of agricultural biomasses in the territory. Finally, the regulatory framework was found of crucial importance in supporting or inhibiting the utilisation of the biomass in a specific sector, with regard to the case study considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary whole dried citrus pulp (DCP) on the antioxidant status of lamb tissues. In total, 17 lambs were divided into two groups and fed for 56 days: a barley-based concentrate diet (CON – eight animals), or a concentrate-based diet including 35% DCP to partially replace barley (CIT – nine animals). The CIT diet contained a double concentration of phenolic compounds than the CON diet (7.9 v. 4.0 g/kg dry matter (DM), respectively), but had no effect (P>0.05) on the overall antioxidant capacity of the hydrophilic fraction of blood plasma, liver and muscle. The CIT diet contained clearly more α-tocopherol than the CON diet (45.7 v. 10.3 mg/kg DM), which could explain the higher concentration of α-tocopherol in liver, plasma and muscle (P<0.05). The dietary treatment had no effect on the extent of lipid peroxidation, measured as thiobarbituric acid and reactive substances assay (TBARS values) in the faeces, small intestine, liver, plasma and muscle. Nevertheless, when muscle homogenates were incubated in the presence of Fe3+/ascorbate to induce lipid peroxidation, the muscle from lambs fed DCP displayed lower TBARS values (P<0.01), which negatively correlated with the concentration of α-tocopherol in muscle. These results showed that feeding whole DCP to ruminants increases the antioxidant status of muscle through an increase in the deposition of α-tocopherol. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Diet may affect gut microbial composition and diversity. There were 3 dietary groups: 0% citrus pulp diet (C), 1.5% citrus pulp diet (I), and 2.5% citrus pulp diet (II). A total of 180 healthy AA broilers (21-day old) were divided into 3 groups (C, I, and II), each group was set up with 6 replicates, and each replicate including 10 broilers (half male and female). At 42 d, the cecal contents of 18 broiler chickens were collected after slaughter. The cecal contents were analyzed using 16S rRNA sequencing technology. Compared with group C, the abundance of Firmicutes in groups I and II decreased, while the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Lactobacillus , and Faecalibacterium increased. LEfSe analysis showed that Actinobacteria, Coriobacteriia, Coriobacteriales , and Ruminococcaceae_bacterium_Marseille_P2935 in group I were significantly higher than those in group C. Bacteria, Coriobacteriales, Coriobacteriia, Coriobacteriaceae, Slackia, Bacteroides Marseille_P3132 , and Lactobacillus_pontis in group II were significantly higher than those in group C. The Staphylococcaceae, Bacteroides Marseille_P3132, Macroccus, Lactobacillus_pontis , and Streptococcus_equinus in group II were significantly higher than those in group I. Functional predictions indicated that the cecal microbiota of broilers fed the 2.5% citrus pulp diet was more tend to utilize carbohydrates through glycolytic/gluconeogenesis metabolism. Adding citrus pulp to the diet affects the microbial composition and has important implications for studying gut health and improving economic benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is an anaerobic bioreactor where soluble metabolites liberated by hydrolysis and fermentation of macromolecules are simultaneously available for anode respiring bacteria (ARB). ARB can be influenced by chemical imbalances in the liquid phase of the bioreactor. The objective of the work was to explore the trend of electric signals generated by MFCs, in relation to anaerobic biodegradation of four different solid food-industry residual substrates. Four sets of membraneless single-chamber MFCs were operated in batch mode, with solid waste substrates characterized by a different base component: i) mixed kitchen waste (fibers), ii) whey from dairy industries (sugar), iii) fisheries residues previously processed to recover oils (proteins), iv) pulp waste from citrus juice production (acidic). All the tested MFCs were able to produce an electric output with different trends, depending on the principal component of the solid substrate. MFC potential varied as function of the COD and the feeding cycle, as well as of the substrate. The pH variability during the fermentative process significantly affected the electric output. Citrus (acidic) pulp fed MFCs started to operate only when the pH raised up 6.5. MFCs fed with mix kitchen wastes had a relatively stable electric signal; fish based waste caused spiking in the MFC signal and an averaging in the COD degradation trend. This phenomenon was attributed to a pH instability induced by proteins degradation forming ammonia. The fermentation process was strongly predominant with respect the electrochemical process in MFCs and the coulombic efficiency (CE) was low, ranging between 2 and 10%. This result call for a deeper exploration of harvesting power from solid wastes and pointed also to the possibility of using a MFC to monitor important parameters of fermentation processes in biotech production plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Dehydrated citrus pulp is a fibrous by-product generated by the juice industry. • Increasing levels of dehydrated citrus pulp did not affect growth performance. • Dehydrated citrus pulp reduced loin depth, backfat gain and carcass weight. • Dehydrated citrus pulp increased methane per litre of slurry, but not per animal. • Dehydrated citrus pulp is a potential ingredient for future pig-sustainable diets. Using agricultural by-products such as dehydrated orange pulp (DOP) in animal feeds is of interest to increase pig sector sustainability. With this aim, an assay was carried out to assess the effects of increasing inclusion levels of DOP in pig diets regarding animal performance, carcass quality, and environmental impact. Four experimental diets were designed, a control diet (T1) and three more diets with increasing levels of DOP with 80, 160, and 240 g/kg of DOP for diets T2, T3, and T4, respectively. One hundred and sixty growing pigs were used in the experiment. Growth performance (average daily gain, ADG ; average daily feed intake, ADFI and feed conversion ratio, FCR) and in vivo backfat thickness (BF) and loin depth (LD) gain were recorded during the finishing phase (from 70 to 130 kg BW). Faecal samples were incubated for bacteria enumeration. At slaughter, carcass characteristics and meat quality traits were measured, and subcutaneous fat was sampled to analyse the fatty acid (FA) profile. Additionally, the slurry excreted by the animals was measured, characterised and subjected to a gaseous emission assay during its storage. The final BW and overall ADFI, ADG and FCR were similar among treatments. In vivo final LD and BF gain decreased (P ≤ 0.10) as the inclusion level of DOP increased. No differences were observed in carcass characteristics with the inclusion of DOP, except carcass weight that decreased linearly (P = 0.05) with DOP. Regarding the FA profile of the subcutaneous fat, the ratio of total monounsaturated to saturated FA increased with the inclusion level of DOP. Neither slurry excretion and characterisation nor bacterial counts from faeces showed any significant difference among treatments. The inclusion of DOP led to greater CH 4 emissions in mg per L of slurry and hour, whereas these differences disappeared when expressed in mg per animal and day. In all, it has been demonstrated that the inclusion of DOP up to 240 mg/kg in pig diets had minor effects on growth performance, carcass quality traits or gaseous emissions from slurry, favouring the circular economy strategy and pig sector sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The antioxidant effects of dried citrus pulp on proteins in lamb meat, when used as a replacement of concentrate in the feed, was studied using meat from 26 male Comisana lambs. The lambs of age 90days had been grouped randomly to receive one of the three dietary treatments: (1) commercial concentrate with 60% barley (Control, n=8), (2) concentrate with 35% barley and 24% citrus pulp (Cp24, n=9), or (3) concentrate with 23% barley and 35% citrus pulp (Cp35, n=9). Slices from the longissimus thoracis et lomborum muscle were packed aerobically and stored for up to 6days at 4°C in the dark. The citrus pulp groups, Cp24 and Cp35, significantly decreased protein radicals and carbonyls, and preserved more thiols within six days of storage compared to the Control group. The citrus pulp groups significantly slowed down the rate of protein oxidation, indicating that dietary citrus pulp reduced oxidative changes in meat proteins. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This study investigated the effect of replacing cereal concentrates with high levels of dried citrus pulp in the diet on lamb meat oxidative stability. Over 56 days, lambs were fed a barley-based concentrate (Control) or concentrates in which 24% and 35% dried citrus pulp were included to partially replace barley (Citrus 24% and Citrus 35%, respectively). Meat was aged under vacuum for 4 days and subsequently stored aerobically at 4°C. The Control diet increased the redness, yellowness and saturation of meat after blooming (P< 0.01). Regardless of the level of supplementation, dietary dried citrus pulp strongly reduced meat lipid oxidation over 6 days of aerobic storage (P <0.001), while colour parameters did not change noticeably over storage and their variation rate was not affected by the diet. In conclusion, replacing cereals with dried citrus pulp in concentrate-based diets might represent a feasible strategy to naturally improve meat oxidative stability and to promote the exploitation of this by-product. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A simple and accurate method has been developed to simultaneously separate and determine 10 bioactive compounds in citrus fruits by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with diode array detection and electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD–ESI/MS). This HPLC assay was performed on a reversed-phase C18 column with acetonitrile and 0.1% (v/v) aqueous formic acid as mobile phase. DAD has been performed at 273, 283 and 324nm for quantification of the alkaloids, flavanones and hydroxycinnamic acids. MS was also employed to identify the each analyte. Ten analytes (naringin, hesperidin, neohesperidin, ferulic acid, p-coumaric acid, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, octopamine, synephrine and tyramine) demonstrated good linearity (r ⩾0.9990) in a relatively wide concentration range. The method revealed high average recovery (range, 92.1–97.9%) and good precision with interday and intraday variations with less than 4.71%. The limits of detection (LODs) ranged from 0.02 to 0.11μg/ml, while the limits of quantification (LOQs) were defined in the range of 0.08–0.39μg/ml. The proposed method has been successfully applied to analyse three types of bioactive constituents in eight citrus hybrids pulps and eight citrus hybrids peels, which has been successfully cultivated in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A ration formulated for ruminants is often a mixture of individual feeds, and its energetic value is generally calculated by summing the energy value of the individual feeds in it, on the assumption that the energy value of individual feeds will be the same when they are fed in combination with other feeds. In vitro gas production techniques were used to determine whether associative effects of feeds occur. Two sets of four feeds from California (alfalfa hay, AH; barley grain, BG; corn silage, CS1, soybean meal, SM) and four feeds from The Netherlands (grass silage, GS; corn silage, CS2; citrus pulp, CiP; corn gluten meal, CG) were incubated alone, and in various combinations, in buffered rumen fluid using in vitro gas techniques. Gas production (ml/g DM) at 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 24, 30, 48 and 72h of incubation was measured from all feed combinations. The percent increase in gas production measured on combinations of feeds, versus the gas calculated to have been produced based upon incubation of the individual feeds, was used to determine the extent of the associative effects. One-way associative effects (i.e., substitution of CS1 or CS2 by AH, BG or SM) generally occurred (P<0.05) in the UCD feed set. Although most two-way associative effects of feeds occurred (P<0.05), they dissipated with time of incubation, particularly after 6–8h. Similar to the UCD feed set, one-way associative effects (i.e., substitution of CS1 or CS2 by GS, CiP or CG) generally occurred (P<0.05) in the Dutch ASG feed set. However, there are only a few two-way associative effects (P<0.05), generally at short times of incubations, and they dissipated with time. In order to obtain a practical sense of the importance of these associative effects in rations fed to ruminants (i.e., do they matter), three theoretical diets were formulated from each of the UCD and ASG feed sets. Results demonstrate that associative effects can reach 15–25% at early hours of incubation, and that they dissipate with time of incubation. That associative effects had no impact at 24h gas production is important, as 24h values are commonly used to estimate the ME value of feeds thereby suggesting that ME values of individual feeds calculated from gas data will arithmetically sum to the ME value of the mixed ration fed to the animals. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sixteen West African dwarf goats weighing 5.0–5.6 kg were used in an experiment that lasted 112 days to investigate the utilization of citrus pulp based diets and E. cyclocarpum. A control diet which contained 88.5% dried brewers'' grains (DBG) and other three experimental diets in which DBG was replaced with dried citrus pulp (DCP) at 25, 50 and 75% levels, respectively constituted the four treatments. The goats were divided into four groups of four animals each to balance for variation in live weight before they were assigned to the four different experimental diets. Significant differences (P <0.05) were obtained in growth rate with (22.14–34.02 g/d) the highest and lowest value from 50 and 75% DCP inclusion respectively. The digestibility coefficients of DM, Ash, NFE, NDF, ADL, cellulose and hemicellulose increased with increasing levels of dried citrus pulp in the diets and were highest at 75% level of replacement. However, the CP digestibility of 83.85% was highest in the control diet and was significantly (P <0.05) different from other diets containing citrus pulp. Nitrogen intake (g/d) decreased significantly (P <0.05) with increasing levels of dried citrus pulp in the diets from 45.57–33.28 and was lowest in the control diet. Nitrogen balance also followed the same trend, being highest (42.07 g/d) at 25% DCP and lowest at 75% DCP. The Packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin concentration (Hb), red blood cells (RBC), white blood cells (WBC) and total blood protein (TBP) were significantly (P <0.05) different across the dietary treatments at the start and end of the trial. The values for PCV, RBC, MCH, glucose and total protein decreased slightly in the control diet. Serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase (SGPT) values also increased significantly (P <0.05) with increasing levels of dried citrus pulp in the diets at the end of the experiment and were highest (6.50 IU/L) at 75% level of citrus pulp. Therefore, the efficient utilization of citrus pulp and E. cyclocarpum by WAD goats was attained at the 50% level of inclusion in the diets. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Some feedstuffs containing significant levels of fiber may be a good source of bioactive compounds that may contribute to improving broiler meat quality. However, high fiber level can have a negative impact on broiler performance. A study was undertaken to investigate the impact of incorporating citrus pulp (5 or 10%) or dehydrated pasture (5 or 10%) on the performance, carcass yield, and characteristics of broiler chickens. A diet containing neither citrus pulp nor dehydrated pasture was used as control. The results on growth performances showed that daily weight gain was reduced by 26% in birds of the 10% citrus pulp treatment (P < 0.05). Compared with the control treatment, increases in feed intake occurred in birds consuming diets with 5 or 10% citrus pulp, which resulted in significantly higher feed conversion rates with the 10% level. Under the same in- corporation rate, dehydrated pasture had effects less evident on the performances of broiler chicken. In addition, diets containing citrus pulp, displaying higher percent- ages of soluble nonstarch polysaccharides, increased small intestine relative length, and reduced carcass yield. Inclusion of 10% dehydrated pasture in diets resulted in improved breast skin yellowness (P < 0.05). Finally, the results revealed that incorporation of the nonstarch poly- saccharide-rich feedstuffs had a major impact on the fatty acid profile (affected 16 of 21 fatty acids) of broiler meat. Polyunsaturated fatty acids content in meat was higher in birds consuming the highest levels of both citrus pulp and dehydrated pasture, leading to increased ratios of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids. Together, the results suggest that incorporation of moderate levels of dehydrated pastures in poultry diets has a minor impact on broiler performance and can contribute significantly to improve breast skin yellowness and fatty acid composition of meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The isotope dilution technique was used to evaluate calcium true digestibility and calcium balance in finishing lambs fed different calcium sources. The experiment was carried out at the Animal Nutrition Laboratory of the Centre for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture, University of São Paulo (CENA/USP). Twenty Santa Inês non-castrated male lambs, aged 7–8 months were used. Treatments consisted of a basal diet (corn, soybean meal, hydrolysed sugarcane bagasse, urea, monoammonium phosphate (MAP) and mineral mixture) supplemented with five calcium sources: citrus pulp (diet CTP), Lucerne hay (diet LUC), limestone (diet LIM), oyster shell meal (diet OSM) and dicalcium phosphate (diet DCP). After 21 days for diet adaptation, the lambs were allocated into metabolic cages and each animal was injected intravenously with 7.7MBq of 45Ca, as calcium chloride in aqueous solution. Blood samples were collected at 5min, 1, 2, 4, 6, 24, 48, 72, 96, 120 and 144h after injection. Faeces and urine samples were collected at each 24h after injection for 7 days. The radioactivity of plasma, faeces and urine samples were determined by a liquid scintillation method. Comparison of the means (Duncan test) and regression analysis were carried out, and for statistical analysis the experiment was considered a randomised design with five treatments and four replicates. Animals fed either diet CTP (98%) or diet LUC (100%) had higher calcium faecal output than those fed diet LIM (58%). The percentage of endogenous loss varied from 11 to 20%, and was not influenced by either dry matter or calcium intakes. Calcium absorption and true digestibility was highest for diet LIM. Calcium retention for animals fed diet LIM was higher than those fed either or diets CTP and LUC. Calcium availability and metabolism was affected by dry matter and calcium intake and by the chemical form of calcium in the diet. It is recommended that citrus pulp and Lucerne hay should not be used as the sole calcium source in a diet for finishing lamb. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Twenty-seven Italian Merino male lambs, equally divided into three groups, were used to evaluate the effects of the dietary incorporation of citrus pulp dried by exploiting solar energy (solar-dried citrus pulp, SDCP) on growth and carcass and meat quality. The diet consisted of oat hay and concentrate, with a hay/concentrate ratio of 30/70. The concentrates of the SDCP-0, SDCP-30 and SDCP-45 groups were formulated to incorporate 0, 30 and 45% of SDCP, respectively, as partial replacement of cereal grain. The lambs were slaughtered after 80 days of feeding (at 150 days of age) and carcass and some meat quality parameters were measured. No significant differences were found in final live-weights and average daily gains among the groups. Lambs in the SCP-45 group showed impaired (P <0.001) feed conversion efficiency, lower (P <0.05) carcass weight and lower (P <0.05) dressing percentage compared with the other two groups. The majority of SDCP-45 carcasses (88.9%) fell within the bis-grid EU system (light carcasses weighing ≤13kg), while most SDCP-0 (66.7%) and SDCP-30 (77.8%) carcasses fell within the SEUROP system (heavy carcasses weighing >13kg). The bis-grid EU carcass classification highlighted how all carcasses produced an ideal meat colour and fatness, while the SEUROP grid carcass classification showed good carcass conformation and optimal fatness in the SDCP-0 and SDCP-30 groups. Carcass compactness was found to be significantly higher (P <0.05) in groups SDCP-0 and SDCP-30 compared to group SDCP-45. The histological dissection of the pelvic limb evidenced a higher (P <0.01) adiposity in the SDCP-0 and SDCP-30 groups. Chemical analysis of meat did not differ significantly among the groups. Physical analysis of the meat showed higher (P <0.05) redness value and higher (P <0.05) chroma value in the SDCP-0 and SDCP-30 groups. Based on the results of the present study it may be concluded that SDCP can be incorporated in concentrate mixtures for fattening lambs at levels equal to 30% without adverse effects both in growth and slaughter performances as well as in carcass and meat quality and, at this replacement level, it appears also to be economically convenient. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The objective of this study was to determine if feeding carbohydrate supplements with faster degradation rates than corn to dairy cows grazing ryegrass would improve nitrogen capture, milk production, and components. Treatments were grain supplements based on: 1) corn (CORN), 2) barley and molasses (BM), or 3) citrus pulp and molasses (CM). For BM and CM, the diet composition was the same as that of CORN except that a portion of the corn was replaced with barley and molasses or citrus pulp and molasses, respectively, on a dry matter basis. Cows grazed ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) pasture. Yield of milk, 3.5% fat-corrected milk, energy-corrected milk, and milk fat, as well as milk fat percentage, were not different among treatments. True milk protein percentage was higher for CORN (2.81%) compared with CM (2.70~), but was not different for BM (2.77%). However, true milk protein yield was not different among treatments. Milk urea N was higher for BM (11.43 mg/dL) compared with both CORN and CM (average: 9.95 mg/dL). There were no differences among CORN, BM, and CM treatments for overall BUN (average: 10.60 mg/dL). At 0400 h, however, cows on CORN had higher BUN than cows on CM (11.43 vs. 9.96 mg/dL), but there were no differences between CORN and BM (average: 11.21 mg/dL) or BM and CM (average: 10.48 mg/dL), and there were no differences among treatments at other time points. The CM diet might have shown more advantage if the pasture crude protein content was higher. Partial replacement of corn with citrus pulp for grazing cows should be further studied using pasture with higher crude protein content. Although cows receiving CM and BM did not produce more milk than cows on CORN, if barley or citrus pulp is less expensive than corn, they may be viable replacements for a portion of the corn supplement for grazing cows. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Citrus pulp is an important by-product for sub-tropical and tropical ruminant animal production. In this study, three steers (average body weight=324±16kg) were randomly assigned to three levels of pelleted citrus pulp (PCP) supplementation (0, 1.25, and 2.5kganimal−1 d−1; as-fed) in a 3×3 Latin square design to evaluate its effects on forage intake, digestion, and ruminal pH. The basal diet was stargrass (Cynodon nlemfuensis) harvested and chopped every day and fed fresh. Supplementation with increasing amounts of PCP tended (P≤0.10) to result in a linear increase in digestibility of total diet dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM), but no effects were noticed for digestibility of forage DM or total diet neutral detergent fiber. Forage DM intake decreased linearly (P=0.03) with increasing PCP supplementation, although the decrease tended (quadratic; P=0.08) to be of greater magnitude at the highest level of supplementation. Both a linear increase (P<0.01) and a quadratic trend (greatest increase with first level of supplementation; P=0.09) were also observed for intake of total digestible OM. Average ruminal pH was between 6.6 and 7.2 and was not affected (P=0.29) by supplementation treatment. Although supplementation with PCP depressed forage consumption somewhat, little effect on forage digestion was observed. The provision of digestible OM in the form of supplement was greater than that lost via depressed forage consumption, resulting in an overall increase in energy supply. Our results suggest that high levels of citrus pulp to beef cattle can lower forage intake, but increase total energy intake. High levels of citrus pulp supplementation could be beneficial in combination with forages high in rumen dagradable protein. Systems using grasses with higher ruminally degradable protein content than we used, may benefit from this extra supply of energy which should be tested in a further experiment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The purpose of this trial was to study the effects of citrus pulp inclusion in ostrich diets on meat quality, evaluated on iliofibularis and gastrocnemius muscles. M. iliofibularis had a lower ultimate pH (P<0.05) and was lighter in colour (P<0.05) than M. gastrocnemius. The latter had higher moisture (P<0.05) and lower crude protein contents (P<0.05) as compared to M. iliofibularis. M. gastrocnemius had a lower proportion of C14:0 (P<0.05), C16:0 (P<0.05) and C16:1 (P<0.05) and a higher percentage of C18:0 (P<0.05), C20:2ω6 (P<0.05), C20:4ω6 (P<0.05) and C20:5ω3 (P<0.05) than M. iliofibularis. Citrus pulp diet increased (P<0.05) meat ultimate pH and reduced cooking losses (P<0.05) as compared to the control diet. Meat from animals given citrus pulp had lower crude fat (P<0.05) and ash percentages (P<0.05) in comparison to that from the control group. The proportions of intramuscular saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids were lower (P<0.05) in the citrus pulp group as compared to the control one. Meat from the citrus pulp treatment group had a higher (P<0.05) percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids than meat from the control treatment. In particular, meat from ostriches given citrus pulp diet exhibited higher C18:2ω6 (P<0.05) and C20:4ω6 (P<0.05) contents that accounted for a higher ω6/ω3 ratio (P<0.05) as compared to the control group. Overall, the use of a citrus pulp-included diet in ostrich feeding did not adversely affect meat quality and, therefore, citrus pulp seems to be a possible ingredient to reduce feeding costs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of replacing corn with dehydrated citrus pulp (DCP) on the performance of growing kids and apparent digestibility of their diets. Thirty-two Saanen kids (16 intact males and 16 females) were placed in individual pens and fed grass hay (42%) plus concentrate mixture (58%) with four levels of replacement of corn by DCP (0, 33, 66, 100%) during 60 days. Daily live-weight gain, dry matter intake, and feed conversion were evaluated. After this period, male kids (n=16) were transferred to metabolic cages and apparent digestibility was evaluated. Daily gain, feed intake, feed conversion and the apparent dry matter digestibility coefficient showed a quadratic effect (P<0.05) with the increasing levels of replacement. Crude fiber, NDF, ADF and ether extract digestibility showed a linear increase (P<0.01) and the digestibility of other organic nutrients were not modified (P>0.05). Apparent digestibility of Ca, P differed among diets (P<0.05) fitted in a quadratic model and showed a great decrease at the highest level of replacement. Replacing around 40% of corn by DCP can attain the best performance for growing kids. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Citrus pulp was evaluated as an alternative feedstuff in diets for growing-finishing pigs. Three diets were formulated on an iso-nutrient basis to contain 0 (C), 50 (PM) or 100 (PH) g of ensiled citrus pulp per kg on a dry matter basis (DM). At 56.7±7.1kg of body weight, 72 pigs were allocated into 3 groups according to the citrus pulp level in the diet. Body weight and voluntary feed intake (VFI) were recorded on days 0, 29 and 55. Backfat thickness (BF) and loin depth (LD) were measured at P2 using ultrasounds. Faecal samples were taken directly from the rectum and cultured for Enterobacteriaceae and Lactobacillus counts. At slaughter, carcass weight, BF at gluteus medius and meat colour was recorded. Also fatty acid profile in subcutaneous fat was determined. Pigs fed citrus pulp showed a lower (P <0.05) VFI on a DM basis and, consequently, a lower (P <0.05) weight gain (ADG) compared to C pigs during the first 4weeks of study. Thereafter, no differences were found between groups. At the end of the study, C pigs showed a greater level of BF at P2 than PM and PH. The inclusion of citrus pulp significantly reduced (P <0.05) Enterobacteriaceae in faeces, not affecting Lactobacillus population. The inclusion of citrus pulp lead to no differences in BF at gluteus medius and meat colour but tended (P <0.10) to decrease carcass yield and increase oleic acid percentage in subcutaneous fat. It was concluded that growing pigs can adapt their gastrointestinal tract to citrus pulp as a source of high-fermentable carbohydrates without detrimental effects on growth performance and meat quality, and potential benefits on gut microbiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the quality composition, oxidative stability and sensory attributes of beef (longissimus thoracis, LT) from steers offered grass silage and a concentrate supplement in which barley was replaced by 40% and 80% (as-fed basis) of dried citrus pulp (DCP). Dietary treatment did not influence the antioxidant status (α-tocopherol and total phenolic contents) and activities of LT (radical scavenging activity, ferric reducing antioxidant power and iron chelating activity). Feeding DCP significantly increased the proportion of conjugated linoleic acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids in beef. Lipid and colour stability of fresh beef patties stored in modified atmosphere packs (MAP) were unaffected by dietary treatment but feeding 40% DCP reduced (P <.05) lipid oxidation in aerobically-stored cooked beef patties. Beef patties stored in MAP for up to 7 days were assessed by sensory panellists to be juicier for those fed 40% DCP compared to 0% and 80% DCP. Results indicated that substitution of barley with DCP improved the fatty acid profiles of beef without negatively influencing the eating quality of beef. • Inclusion of dried citrus pulp (DCP) increased the dietary phenolic content. • Feeding DCP had no significant effect on the antioxidant capacity of beef. • DCP increased the proportion of CLA and PUFA in beef. • DCP did not affect the oxidative stability of fresh beef patties stored in MAP. • Dietary DCP had no negative influence on the eating quality of beef patties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A sustainable and cheap process was defined for GA 3 production in bioreactors. • Citric pulp and soybean hulls were studied as new substrates for GA 3 production. • GA 3 clarification carried out for the first-time using membrane technology. • GA 3 liquid and powder stable formulations were obtained. • Alginate and kefiran were used for GA 3 encapsulation for future controlled release. The aim of this work was to develop a new production, recovery and formulation process of gibberellic acid (GA 3). Low-cost byproducts – citrus pulp (CP) and soybean hulls (SH) – were employed as substrate for GA 3 production by Gibberella fujikuroi in semisolid fermentation. A CP/SH mixture (70%/30%) promoted high productivities both in bubble column reactor (1.66 mg L/h), and in stirred tank reactor (2.13 mg L/h). GA 3 production medium cost (US$ 6.70/m3) was reduced by 85% when compared to previously reported synthetic media (US$ 44.96/m3). It was described that GA 3 fermented extract has low stability, and that liquid and powder formulation of the fermented extract maintained the biomolecule activity over 6 months. Alginate and alginate/kefiran beads containing GA 3 showed encapsulation efficiency of 70% and 60%, respectively. This work supports good perspectives for GA 3 production using cheap substrates and simple formulation of clarified extract to favour its use in agricultural countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study compared the growth performance, carcass and meat quality effects of feeding 150 g/kg DM of dried citrus pulp (DCP) or grape pomace (DGP) as alternative dietary fibre sources to 7 months-old Angus steers for 90d. Twenty-four steers were assigned to three dietary treatments (8 steers/treatment) in completely randomised design. Each steer was treated as an experimental unit. Feeding the DGP and DCP diets resulted in greater (P ≤ 0.05) average daily gain and live weight compared to the control diet. Steers fed the DGP diet had higher (P ≤ 0.05) dry matter intake, warm and cold carcass weights than those fed the DCP and control diets. Shear force and income over feed costs were greatest for the DGP diet followed by the DCP and control diets (P ≤ 0.05). Current findings suggest DGP is a better fibre source than DCP resulting in enhanced growth performance, carcass attributes and economic viability of feedlot steers. • Productivity of steers fed dried citrus pulp (DCP) or grape pomace (DGP) were compared. • DMI and carcass weights were greater for DGP diet compared to DCP and control diets. • Steers fed DGP and DCP had greater ADG and live weight compared to the control diet. • Shear force and income over feed costs were greatest for the DGP diet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hemicelluloses are mainly branched heteropolysaccharides composed by xylose, arabinose, mannose, galactose, rhamnose and glucose. The main hemicellulose is xylan, a structure composed by xylose main chain branched with other monosaccharides or glucuronic and galacturonic acids. Among various hydrolytic enzymes acting on the degradation of xylan, α-L-arabinofuranosidases catalyze the hydrolysis of linkages between α-L-arabinofuranosides and the polysaccharide main chain. In this study, Aspergillus hortai strain CRM1919, isolated from soil surrounding saline and alkaline lagoons of the Nhecolândia region in Pantanal Matogrossense was investigated regarding the production of α-L-arabinofuranosidases. A. hortai produced α- l -arabinofuranosidase at high levels when cultivated in medium containing citrus pulp and orange peel at 1% (w/v) under static submerged cultures for 4 days and at pH 2.5 and 30 °C. The optimization steps increased 15-fold the enzymatic activity. The purified α- l -arabinofuranosidase was optimally active at pH of 4.0 and 60 °C, presenting half-lives of 265 and 230 min at 30 and 40 °C, respectively. High enzyme stability was observed after 24 h incubation at pH 5.0 and in presence of high concentration of NaCl in the reaction medium. The purified enzyme was mainly active against ρ-nitrophenyl-α- l -arabinofuranoside presenting the following kinetic parameters K m of 8.73 mmol/L, V max of 7.91 μmol/min.mg of protein and Kcat of 0.59/min. Hydrolysis of oat xylan performed in the presence of the purified α-arabinofuranosidase individually and in association with a purified xylanase made possible to verify the cooperation between these xylanolytic enzymes and the sequential action of each enzyme in the xylan structure hydrolysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]