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In this 180-day study, commercial Protex 51FP enzyme effects as a starter culture on anchovy fish sauce fermentation were investigated. Three fish source fermentation groups, including a control group (the anchovy with 25% of salt addition), E group (the anchovy with 25% of salt and 1% of Protex 51FP addition), and E (-s) group (the anchovy with 1% of Protex 51FP and after 6 hours with 25% of salt), were compared. The fish sauce fermentation groups were sampled, packed into glass jars (10 liters), and covered by a lid at ambient temperature (22 - 30°C) for 180 days. Three commercial fish sauces were also included as nutritional references. The results showed that the addition of Protex 51FP achieved positive results of total nitrogen content and amino acids compared to the control samples (p<0.05). These values were competitive with commercial product figures. Total amino acids in 8000mg/100ml fish sauce were significantly higher than those in the control. There were rich in essential amino acids (41-43%) and small peptides (13% peptides with a molecular weight below 200 Da, 32-39% peptides with a molecular weight below 130 - 200 Da, and 25-28% of peptides with a molecular weight below 200 – 360 Da). Compared with traditional methods, the addition of Protex 51FP (p<0.05) could improve the quality of fish sauce and obtain greater nutritional values. In all experiments, the color of adding-enzyme samples was darker than that of the traditional products, and the smell of these samples (including traditional methods) was not as quite strong as commercial products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2-yr grazing experiment was conducted to evaluate efficacy of nitrogen (N) fertilization, interseeded legumes, and protein supplementation for N delivery to stocker cattle grazing annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum). Each year, 90 steers (initial BW, 241 ± 13 kg) were assigned to the following N-delivery methods, with or without monensin fed in a free-choice mineral supplement as a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments: ryegrass fertilized with 112 kg N/ha (NFERT); ryegrass interseeded with crimson clover (CC, Trifolium incarnatum); ryegrass interseeded with arrowleaf clover (AC, Trifolium vesiculosum); ryegrass plus distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) supplemented at 0.65% BW daily; and ryegrass plus whole cottonseed (WCS) supplemented at 0.65% BW daily. Pastures within the interseeded-clover and protein-supplementation treatments were fertilized with 56 kg N/ha at time of establishment. Steers were weighed every 28 d, and forage mass (FM, kg DM/ha) was measured concurrently using the destructive harvest/disk meter double-sampling method. Each of 30 0.81-ha paddocks was stocked initially with 3 "tester" steers, and stocking density (steers/ha) was adjusted using "put-and-take steers" based on changes in FM and steer BW in order to maintain a uniform forage allowance (FA) of 1 kg DM/kg steer BW. Grazing was discontinued on May 11, 2016 in Yr 1 and May 10, 2017 in Yr 2 following 140 and 84 d of grazing, respectively. Data were analyzed as a completely randomized design with repeated measures for which pasture (n = 3) was the experimental unit. Ionophore inclusion did not affect (P > 0.10) any variable measured. Mean FM differed (P < 0.0001) between years and among N-delivery methods (P < 0.10), and mean FA differed (P = 0.005) among N-delivery methods. Steer ADG differed among N-delivery methods (P = 0.02) and between years (P < 0.001), whereas total gain/ha differed (P < 0.0008) among N-delivery methods, but not between years (P = 0.78). Stocking density differed among N-delivery methods (P = 0.02) and between years (P < 0.0001), and grazing-days/ha differed between years (P < 0.0001) and among N-delivery methods (P = 0.001). Results indicate that supplementation with a high-protein by-product feed for cattle grazing annual ryegrass maintained ADG, total gain/ha and grazing-days/ha compared with N-fertilized annual ryegrass, and increased ADG, total gain/ha, and grazing-days over interseeded legumes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein content in foods and feeds is measured indirectly by nitrogen determination, requiring a nitrogen‐to‐protein conversion factor (NPCF). Historically, 6.25 was applied to all proteins based on two assumptions: (1) all proteins had a nitrogen content of 16% (100/16 = 6.25) and (2) all nitrogen was derived from protein. Amino acid analyses revealed that a conversion factor of 6.25 overestimated the protein content of most foods due to variations in amino acid profiles and nonprotein nitrogen. The lack of standardization of methods to determine food‐specific NPCF has resulted in continued use of 6.25 and inconsistent development of new factors. This review summarizes efforts made to derive NPCF for various foods. Soy protein has been the subject of considerable debate since publication of the "Jones factors" in 1931, which based the soy conversion factor of 5.71 on the nitrogen content of glycinin. Nonetheless, 6.25 is still used by the soy industry, analytic associations, and government regulatory bodies. Given the impact to the valuation of soy protein products and food relabeling costs, changes to soy alone appear discriminatory in the absence of standardized methods for developing NPCF for all proteins. Proposed solutions include (1) developing a consensus method to determine NPCF applicable to all foods, (2) applying standardized NPCF to measure protein in all foods and assessing the economic, nutritional, and regulatory consequences equitably, and (3) developing standardized direct methods to measure protein, such as amino acid analyses, in foods intended as single sources in vulnerable populations where more accurate measurement and reducing any risk of adulteration with nonprotein nitrogen are essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study was an attempt to investigate the effect of levels of fungal (Lentinus sajor-caju) treated oil palm fronds (FTOPF) on digestibility, rumen fermentation, and nitrogen balance in goats. Methods: Four 16 month old male crossbred (Thai Native×Anglo Nubian) goats with initial body weights of 33.5±1.7 kg were randomly assigned according to a 4×4 Latin square design. Four levels of FTOPF were assigned for feed intake. The experimental treatments consisted of 0%, 33%, 67%, and 100% of oil palm fronds (OPF) being replaced by FTOPF. Results: The results revealed that total dry matter intake and nutrient intake were not influenced (p>0.05) by the inclusion of FTOPF. However, the efficiency values of the digestibility of the dry matter, organic matter, crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and acid detergent lignin on FTOPF were higher (p<0.05) in treatments with 33%, 67%, and 100% of FTOPF compared with 0% of FTOPF. FTOPF feeding did not change the rumen pH, temperature, and NH3-N. However, the FTOPF levels did affect the total volatile fatty acid (VFA), molar proportion of acetate, propionate, butyrate, ratio of acetic (propionic acid and acetic) plus butyric (propionic acid), and production of CH4. The totals of VFA and propionate was lower in goat fed with 0% of FTOPF than in those of the other groups (p<0.05). The amount of nitrogen retention based on g/d/animal or the percentage of nitrogen retained was the lowest the goat fed with 0% of FTOPF (p<0.05), whereas nitrogen intake, excretion, and absorption were not changed among treatments. Conclusion: Based on this study, FTOPF could be effectively used as an alternative roughage source in total mixed ration diets, constituting at least up to 100% of OPF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Chlorella, among microalgae, has possibly been the most used for feeding, as well as the most researched in heterotrophic growing lately due to the highest lipid yield. The objective of this work was to study the effect of carbon and nitrogen concentration for lipid productivity and biomass production of microalga Chlorella minutissima, cultivated in absence of light. The complete factorial design used was type 22 with three repetitions at the central point, having as glucose concentration factor (1, 5 e 9 g.L-1) and as sodium nitrate (NaNO3) (0.2; 0.75 and 1.3 g.L-1), and total lipid and biomass concentration as responses, with a total number of 7 experiments. The cultivation carried out with 9 g.L-1 of glucose and 0.2 g.L-1 of NaNO3 was the one that presented better lipid concentration (29.38% w/w), better cell growth (0.89 g.L-1) and a lipid profile comprising saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in 26.6% w/w, 62.4% w/w and 11% w/w concentrations, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the C/N ratio on the water state changes during the composting of kitchen waste (KW) and vegetable waste (VW) mixtures. The C/N ratios in KW and VW were 50.70 and 27.07, respectively, and the VW was added to the KW to amend the C/N ratio. Five composting treatments were used, R1 with 0% KW, R2 with 25% KW, R3 with 50% KW, R4 with 75% KW, and R5 with 100% KW, and the initial C/N ratios increased in the order R1 < R2 < R3 < R4 < R5. As the composting process progressed, the capillary water (CW) and multi-molecular-layer water (MMLW) were changed into entrapped water (EW), and a high C/N ratio could delay the changes in the water state. The percentage of EW and CW significantly positively correlated with the C/N ratio during the composting of KW. The composting process performed better in treatments R2 and R3 than in the other treatments, and it was found that treatments R2 and R3 each had a lag phase of around 4 d until the water states started to change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a new methodology for estimating the nitrogen footprint of food, which has recently been identified as an indicator of human interference in the environment, specifically due to our global production and consumption of food. N-calculator is the common method of nitrogen footprint estimation, which evaluates nitrogen outputs into the environment at each step from crop production to food consumption based on Virtual Nitrogen Factor (VNF). For heavy food importers like Japan, however, it is difficult to get suitable VNFs of exporting countries. Our method is a top-down approach for estimating new external nitrogen inputs from chemical fertilizers and biological nitrogen fixation (BNF) used within the country (i.e., direct inputs), as well as in food-exporting countries (i.e., indirect inputs) that export to Japan; our approach is based primarily on open access statistical data, not on VNFs. In this present study, we measured nitrogen inputs for 110 combinations of food items and exporting countries; from our evaluations, the estimated nitrogen footprint of Japan was 16.5–18.1 kg N capita −1 , of which direct inputs constituted approximately 5.5 kg N, leaving more than two-thirds as indirect inputs from food imports. The nitrogen footprint of Japan was smaller than those of the USA and some European countries, but we calculated the nitrogen footprint to be 27.8 kg N capita −1 , i.e., larger than all other countries, when all consumed food was assumed to be produced in Japan, and the significant increase in nitrogen input was caused primarily by less efficient crop production in Japan than by exporting countries. Overall, our results were much smaller than previous estimations of footprint of Japan based on the common method in which all imported food is assumed to come from the USA because of the difficulty in using VNFs for many exporting countries. Although our results have uncertainties, based on our results, we consider our method to be suitable for estimating the nitrogen footprint of countries that significantly rely on imported food, much like Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to assess the effect of the inclusion of Leucaena leucocephala on dry matter (DM) intake and digestibility, nitrogen (N) balance and energy utilization in cattle fed a basal ration of Pennisetum purpureum and housed in metabolic crates. Five crossbred ( Bos taurus × Bos indicus ) heifers (BW: 295 ± 6 kg) were fed chopped P. purpureum grass and five increasing levels of L. leucocephala (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80% of DM) in a 5 × 5 Latin square design. The intake of DM was similar (P > 0.05) among treatments, with an average of 7.03 kg of DM/day. While the crude protein intake (CPI) linearly increased (P < 0.001) with the inclusion of L. leucocephala , the DM digestibility (average 492.3 g/kg DM) and OM digestibility (average 501.6 g/kg OM) were not affected (P > 0.05) by the incorporation of L. leucocephala into the ration. The N intake and excretion in the urine increased linearly (P = 0.0001, 0.0001) as the level of L. leucocephala in the ration increased. In addition, methane energy loss as a percentage of that in the control ration, was of only 61% (P = 0.0005) with 80% incorporation of L. leucocephala in the ration. We concluded that the inclusion of L. leucocephala has the capacity to reduce energy losses in the form of methane emissions. Nevertheless, the energy losses in the urine increased with the addition of L. leucocephala to the ration, with the optimal levels of incorporation in the ration fluctuating between 20 and 40% of the ration DM, which had no effects on the dry matter intake (DMI), organic matter intake (OMI) or the digestibility of dry matter (DMD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 3 × 2 × 2 experiment using 3 levels (0, 30 and 60 g/kg) of poultry by-product meal (PBM), two levels (180 and 190 g/kg) of crude protein (CP) and two levels of exogenous protease (with and without) was undertaken using factorial arrangement under completely randomized design. The birds (n = 1920) were randomly divided into 48 replicates with four replicates under each treatment (40 birds/replicate). Six isocaloric diets (ME 11.93 MJ/kg) were formulated with 2 CP (180 and 190 g/kg) levels. Each diet was supplemented with or without exogenous enzyme and fed to experimental birds from day 1–35. The dietary supplementation of exogenous protease increased feed intake ( P < 0.001) and body weight gain ( P < 0.001). The feed: gain was also improved by supplementation of protease during day 1–21 and day 1–35. However, feed intake and body weight gain ( P < 0.001) decreased with decreasing level of CP during day 1–21 and day 1–35. Similarly increasing the level of PBM from 30 to 60 g/kg decreased feed intake and body weight gain ( P < 0.001) during day 1–21. The feed: gain was also poor ( P < 0.05) during this period. No effect of reducing CP level on AME, apparent digestibility co-efficient for nitrogen, and AME n was noted. However, nitrogen retention (N ret ) was decreased ( P < 0.001) when CP level was decreased. Inclusion of PBM also had no effect on nutrient digestibility. A significant interaction ( P < 0.05) of PBM and CP was noted on AME, N ret and AME n . However, addition of enzyme improved all these parameters. In conclusion, CP level can be reduced to 190 g/kg with 30 g/kg PBM inclusion by supplementing exogenous protease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Livanjski cheese belongs to the group of hard cheeses which is traditionally produced in Livno (Bosnia and Herzegovina). Proteolytic changes during the ripening of Livanjski cheese have not been investigated extensively. The aim of this paper was to determine its proteolytic changes during the different stages of ripening. Five Livanjski cheeses (from raw cow's or a mixture of sheep's and cow's milk) were observed during the ripening to evaluate its typical proteolytic profile. An electophoretic profile of Livanjski cheese was determined by Urea-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (urea-PAGE) and a densitometric evaluation of the urea-PAGE gels was performed using a densitometer. The water-soluble nitrogen fraction in the total nitrogen (WSN %TN) and the 12%-TCA-soluble nitrogen fraction in the total nitrogen (TCA-SN %TN) of the cheese were determined using the Kjeldahl method. Degradation of αs1-casein by chymosin caused a significant decrease (P < 0.05) of relative content of this protein in Livanjski cheese at the sixth week point of ripening. Due to the activity of chymosin on αs1-casein, αs1-I-casein and αs1-II-casein developed, which caused a significant increase (P < 0.05) of Index alpha. The relative ratio of β-casein significantly decreased (P < 0.05) during ripening leading to a significant accumulation (P < 0.05) of degraded product (sum γ,1-casein, γ,2-casein and γ3-casein). These proteolytic changes caused a significant increase (P < 0.05) of Index betta. Accumulation of medium, small peptides and amino acids caused a significant (P < 0.05) increase of the relative content of WSN %TN and TCA-SN %TN. In general, proteolysis of Livanjski cheese during ripening was moderate probably due to the low moisture content and low water activity, although it was produced from raw milk. Taking into account that the ratio β-casein : αs1-casein at the end of ripening was 1.46, it could be concluded that degradation of αs1-casein could be the indicator of the maturity of Livanjski cheese. Due to that Livanjski cheese could be classified as "α-type of ripening" cheese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is growing evidence regarding the potential properties of nitrate-rich foods in development of chronic diseases. In this study, we investigated the association of nitrate-containing vegetables (NCVs) and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD).Methods: We evaluated 1546 eligible adult participants of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study (TLGS), at baseline (2006–2008) and again after 3 years (2009–2011). Dietary intake was collected using the validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. Nitrate-containing vegetables and its categories including high-, medium-, and low-nitrate vegetables were defined. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and CKD were defined. Association between NCVs and CKD in the cross-sectional phase and the predictability of NCVs consumption in CKD occurrence were assessed using multivariable logistic regression models with adjustment for potential confounders.Results: Mean dietary intake of energy-adjusted NCVs was 298.0 ± 177.3 g/day. Highest compared to the lowest tertile of NCVs was accompanied with a significantly lower mean eGFR (76.6 vs. 83.3, mL/min/1.73 m2,p < 0.001) and a higher prevalence of CKD (21.7 vs. 9.9%,p < 0.001). At baseline, higher intake of high-NCVs was associated with a 48% higher chance of having CKD (OR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.05–2.13). After 3 years of follow-up, there was no significant association between consumption of total NCVs and its categories with the occurrence of CKD.Conclusion: Considering the lack of association between high-NCVs intakes and the risk of CKD in prospective analysis, additional research is recommended to clarify possible effect of nitrate intakes from vegetables on kidney function. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The unsustainable use of nutrients such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) has resulted in the straining of the environment to excess. To improve this situation, a better knowledge of the nutrient flows is necessary. Even though nutrient balances and emissions have been calculated, an illustrative calculation method for the efficient use of nutrients use is still lacking. This article presents a novel methodology for a nutrient footprint, which takes into account 1) the amount of nutrients taken into use as virgin or recycled nutrients and 2) the efficiency of these nutrients utilized in that particular production chain. At the same time, nutrient losses at each life cycle phase are identified. Hence, the nutrient footprint is an indicator which combines the amount of captured nutrients [kg of N and P] for use in the production chain and the share of nutrients utilized [%] either in the product itself or in the entire production chain, accounting also for side-products. The nutrient footprint method is tested using oat flakes and porridge as a case product. The case calculation results reveal a relatively efficient use of the nutrients, as the nutrient use efficiency (NUE) of the production chain for N is 71% and for P 99%. When examining only the NUE of the oat flakes and porridge and excluding the side-products, the nutrient use efficiency is 55% for both N and P. The case calculation also reveals the hotspots for nutrient losses, which were located in the wastewater and food waste treatment. The nutrient footprint methodology seems to have potential in assessing the nutrient balances of food chains as well as other bio-based production chains. It offers information about the nutrient usage and utilization efficiency in a simple and comparable form. This information can not only be used in improving the production chains but also in communicating the importance of the sustainable use of nutrients to decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A nutrient balance approach is often used to quantify losses of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, that contribute to environmental problems such as eutrophication. A nutrient balance generally is computed at farm level, implying that nutrient losses related to pre-farm processes, such as production of purchased feed, are neglected. Using a nutrient balance at farm level to benchmark livestock systems or individual farms that differ in, for example, amount of purchased concentrates, however, may lead to biased conclusions. To determine whether a nutrient balance that accounts for losses during production of purchased feed (i.e. a chain balance from cradle-to-farm-gate) are more suited to benchmark nutrient losses of milk production systems or individual farms than a nutrient balance at farm level, we analysed 19 Irish grass-based dairy farms and 13 Dutch concentrate-based dairy farms. For each farm, we computed nitrogen and phosphorus losses at farm and chain level (i.e. from cradle-to-farm-gate, including losses from purchased feed production), and expressed these losses per ton fat-and-protein-corrected milk. An independent T-test and Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney test were used to examine the difference in mean losses at farm and chain level between Irish and Dutch systems. Regression analysis was used to determine if the ranking of the farms changes using a nutrient balance at farm or chain level. Results show that on average, Irish farms had higher nitrogen losses per ton milk than Dutch farms, both at farm (Irish = 20; Dutch = 8 in kg N/ton milk) and chain level (Irish = 22; Dutch = 11 in kg N/ton milk). Phosphorus losses per ton milk, on the other hand, did not differ between Irish and Dutch farms at farm (Irish = 0.3; Dutch = 0.1 in kg P/ton milk) or chain level (Irish = 0.8; Dutch = 1.0 in kg P/ton milk). Regression analysis revealed that the nutrient balance at chain level could be accurately predicted from the nutrient balance at farm level (R 2 = 0.992 for N; R 2 = 0.910 for P); whereas in case of phosphorus, the slope tended to differ between Irish and Dutch farms (p < 0.10). Ranking 32 farms based on the nitrogen balance at farm or chain level, therefore, showed a similar pattern, whereas the ranking pattern based on the phosphorus farm balance differed from the pattern based on the chain balance. We concluded, therefore, that to benchmark nutrient losses of dairy systems, a nutrient balance at farm level can be used if differences in on-farm losses between systems are large, and pre-farm losses related to, e.g. production of purchased concentrates, are relatively unimportant. To benchmark individual farms, a nutrient balance at farm level can be used only if changes in pre-farm losses per unit change in on-farm losses are similar across farms. A chain level balance of a sample set, however, is required to verify these conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to evaluate the digestibility and nitrogen balance (NB) of lambs fed sugarcane hydrolyzed under different conditions. Fifteen Ile de France lambs at, on average, 23.5kg of body weight were evaluated. Treatments were: in natura sugarcane (IN), sugarcane hydrolyzed using 0.6% calcium oxide (CaO) under aerobic condition (AER), and sugarcane hydrolyzed using 0.6% CaO under anaerobic condition (ANA). Therefore, a completely randomized design was constituted with five replicates per treatment. Treatments were supplied to animals along with concentrate. Both hydrolysis conditions aimed to alter the sugarcane fermentation pattern, therefore improving fiber digestibility. Lambs were housed in individual pens and fed with diet allowing 10% of refusals. Refusals, feces and urine were sampled daily during five days. They were collected to determine the digestibility and NB. A higher digestibility of neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (57.05%), organic matter (85.39%), hemicellulose (72.09%), NB (29.46g day-1 and 2.78g kg-0.75 day-1) and rate of nitrogen absorbed (3.00g kg-0.75 day-1) were observed for lambs fed with ANA than for those fed IN (41.17%, 73.76%, 53.80%, 21.39g day-1, 2.00g kg-0.75 day-1 and 2.22g kg-0.75 day-1, respectively). As roughage, ANA in the lamb diet, optimizes the nitrogen balance and is more efficient to improve the digestibility of some nutrients compared to IN. Whereas AER was as efficient as ANA and IN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To diagnose environmental nitrogen (N) load from food consumption and to suggest preventive measures, this study identified relationships between nitrogen load from food consumption and driving factors by examining six representative countries and regions for the period 1970-2009 as an example. The logarithmic mean Divisia index technique was used to disassemble nitrogen load growth into four driving factors: population, economic activity, food intensity of the economy, and nitrogen content of food. In all study areas, increased economic activity was the main factor driving nitrogen load increase. The positive effect of population growth was relatively small but not negligible and changes in food intensity had a decreasing effect on nitrogen load. Changes in nitrogen content of food varied between areas. Broad strategies to reduce and mitigate nitrogen loading and decouple nitrogen load from economic growth in both developed and developing countries are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid growth of metropolitan areas is associated with increased flows of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in the food production–consumption system. However, quantitative analyses of these flows during urban expansion and information about their controlling factors are scarce. Here, we report on N and P flows in the food system of Beijing, which experienced a remarkable growth in population number between especially 1978–2008, using a combination of statistical data bases, surveys and the NUFER model (nutrient flow in the food system, environment and resource). The N (or P) cost of food is defined as the amount of ‘new’ N (or P) used in food production for the delivery of 1 kg N (or P) in the food entering household. ‘New’ N (P) includes fertilizer N (P), biological N fixation, atmospheric N deposition, and imports of N (P) via feed and food. Recycled N (P) includes N (P) in crop residues, manures and wastes. We found that the rapid increase in temporary migrants greatly increased food imports to Beijing metropolitan areas and thereby led to an apparent decrease of the N and P cost of food. The input of ‘new’ N to the food system of Beijing metropolitan areas increased from 180 to 281 Gg, and for P from 33.5 to 50.4 Gg during 1978–2008, as a result of increases in population and changes in food consumption patterns per capita. The food and feed imports in per cent of total ‘new’ N and P inputs increased from 31 to 63% for N and from 18 to 46% for P during 1978–2008. The N and P cost of the food was relatively low compared to the mean of China, and decreased over time. About 52% of the new N input and 85% of the new P input was not recycled in 2008, it accumulated as wastes (in crop residues, animal excreta, and human excreta and household wastes). The N and P use efficiencies in crop and animal production were low, i.e., only 17% for N and 11% for P in 2008. Total losses of ammonia (NH 3 ) and nitrous oxide (N 2 O) to air and of N to groundwater and surface waters increased by a factor of about 3, and losses of P to groundwater and surface waters increased by a factor of 37 in the period 1978–2008. Key measures for decreasing N and P accumulation and losses are (1) developing satellite towns, (2) expelling animal production to rural areas, and (3) effective collection of the wastes and animal manure, and the utilization of these in rural areas outside Beijing. These findings may also portend changes in other metropolitan areas in China and elsewhere in the rapidly developing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effects of consumption of MRPs from the glucose-lysine model system heated 15°C-90 min on protein digestibility and its utilisation in young (3-week) and adult (12-week) rats. Nitrogen faecal excretion significantly increased after MRP consumption, especially during the third week. Protein digestibility was lower in both age groups studied, but the utilisation was unaffected. Parallelly, the nitrogen retention and its net utilisation for the entire experimental period did not vary. In young rats the faecal nitrogen exceeded the amount of ingested nitrogen coming from MRPs, suggesting that digestibility of undamaged nitrogen was affected. The same action is suspected in adult animals, but the results were not quantitatively conclusive, and therefore the effect should be moderate in this period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To provide a new way to increase water storage and retention of dryland wheat, a field study was conducted at Wenxi experimental site of Shanxi Agricultural University. The effect of subsoiling in fallow period on soil water storage, accumulation of proline, and formation of grain protein after anthesis were determined. Our results showed that subsoiling in fallow period could increase water storage in the 0–300 cm soil at pre-sowing stage and at anthesis stage with low or medium N application, especially for the 60–160 cm soil. However, the proline content, glutamine synthetase (GS) activity, glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity in flag leaves and grains were all decreased by subsoiling in fallow period. In addition, the content of albumin, gliadin, and total protein in grains were also decreased while globulin content, Glu/Gli, protein yield, and glutelin content were increased. With N application increasing, water storage of soil layers from 20 to 200 cm was decreased at anthesis stage. High N application resulted in the increment of proline content and GS activity in grains. Besides, correlation analysis showed that soil storage in 40–160 cm soil was negatively correlated with proline content in grains; proline content in grains was positively correlated with GS and GDH activity in flag leaves. Contents of albumin, globulin and total protein in grains were positively correlated with proline content in grains and GDH activity in flag leaves. In conclusion, subsoiling in fallow period, together with N application at 150 kg·hm−2, was beneficial to increase the protein yield and Glu/Gli in grains which improve the quality of wheat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrogen (N) is a limiting nutrient for many herbivores, especially when plant availability and N content are low during the period of maternal investment, which is common for arctic ungulates. We used natural abundance of N isotopes to quantify allocation of maternal nitrogen to neonatal calves and milk in wild migratory caribou (Rangifer tarandus). We contrasted female-calf pairs from two herds in northern Quebec/Labrador, Canada: Rivière-George herd (RG; low population size with heavy calves) and the Rivière-aux-Feuilles herd (RAF; high population size and small calves). We assessed whether females of both herds relied on body protein or dietary N to produce the neonatal calf and milk at calving and weaning. Female caribou of both herds relied mostly on body N for fetal development. RAF females allocated less body N to calves than did RG females (92% vs. 95% of calf N), which was consistent with the production of calves that were 8% smaller in RAF than in RG. Allocation of body N to milk was also high for both herds, similar at calving for RAF and RG females (88% vs. 91% of milk N, respectively), but lower in RAF than RG females (95% vs. 99% of milk N) at weaning, which was consistent with a small but significantly greater reliance on dietary N supplies to support milk production at weaning. Female caribou used body protein stores to ensure a constant supply of N for fetal growth and milk production that minimized the effects of trophic mismatches on reproduction. The combination of migration and capital investment may therefore allow females to produce calves and attenuate the effects of both temporal and spatial mismatches between vegetation green-up and calf growth, which ultimately would reduce trophic feedbacks on population growth. Our data suggest that small changes in maternal allocation of proteins over the long period of gestation produce significant changes in calf mass as females respond to changes in resources that accompany changes in the size and distribution of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effects of varied dietary energy densities on immune response and performance of Muzzafarnagari lambs were ascertained in a 180-d study. Animals (n = 24), in three groups, were fed diets providing 100% (100E), 80% (80E) or 70% (70E) of their metabolizable energy requirement. Mean nutrient digestibilities varied significantly among treatments. Nitrogen intake was lower (p< 0.01) in the 70E. Nitrogen retention, was reduced (p<0.001) in 80E and 70E vs 100E. The average daily gain (p<0.001) was 47.01± 4.23, 13.54±1.72 and -16.67±8.24 g for 100E, 80E and 70E, respectively. Hemoglobin concentration, haematocrit, total and differential leukocyte counts were lower (p<0.001) for 80E and 70E than for 100E with a similar trend (p<0.05) for serum glucose and total protein. Serum cortisol was reduced (p<0.001) with decreased energy availability. Antibody titre to Brucella abortus S19 showed an initial reduction in 80E and 70E vs 100E. Delayed-type hypersensitivity response was lower (p<0.001) in 80E and 70E vs 100E, accompanying a lower (p<0.001) nitric oxide production by the peripheral lymphocytes. It is concluded that the reduced dietary energy density significantly affects the growth performance and immune response of lambs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An experiment was conducted to deter-mine response in digestibility of DM and the AA com-position of ileal endogenous flow of 26-d-old broilers to nitrogen-free diets (NFD) formulated with different ratios of corn starch to dextrose. A total of four hun-dred eighty 3-wk-old broiler chickens were used in a 4-d trial to estimate ileal endogenous flow (IEF) of amino acid (AA). The ratios of dextrose to corn starch inves-tigated were 0:849, 283:566, 566:283, or 849:0 for diet numbers 1, 2, 3, or 4, respectively. All diets contained a calculated dietary electrolyte balance of 115 mEq/kg and chromic oxide (5 g/kg) as an indigestible marker. The birds received a standard starter diet from d 1 to 22 posthatch. On d 22 posthatch, all the birds were weighed and allocated to 4 treatments in a randomized complete block design. On d 26 posthatch, birds were asphyxiated with CO2 and ileal digesta was collected. Ileal DM digestibility was lowest in diet 1 (77.9%) and increased as the proportion of corn starch in the diet decreased. The IEF for all the indispensable AA were different (P < 0.01) among diets with the exception of Thr, which was not (P -- 0.07). The respective IEF of AA (mg/kg of DMI) in birds fed diets 1, 2, 3, or 4 were 630, 664, 646, or 1,235 for Lys, 173, 172, 177, or 361 for Met, and 68, 74, 70, or 166 for Trp. For the dispensable A A and total AA, IEF of most AA except for Cys and Pro was highest (P < 0.01) in diet 4. Ileal endogenous flow of Pro was not different among diets. Diet 4 had the lowest (P < 0.01) IEF of Cys, whereas there was no difference among other diets. In conclusion, the data from the current study show that the variation in pro-portion of corn starch and dextrose in a nitrogen-free diet may affect estimates of ileal endogenous flows of N and AA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Milking animals produce milk commensurate with their genetic potential only when they are fed a nutritionally balanced ration in an amount that provides nutrients to express their genetic potential. As animals kept by smallholder farmers are rarely fed a balanced ration, a programme to feed balanced rations to animals of such farmers was launched in India. Based on their milk yield, the animals were categorized as: low (<8kg/d), medium (8–12kg/d) and high (>12kg/d) yielders. Milk yield, milk fat and net daily income to milk producers were recorded before and after feeding a balanced ration. Nutritional status of animals showed that, for 71% of animals’, crude protein (CP) and metabolizable energy intakes were higher and, for 65% of animals’, calcium and phosphorus intakes were lower than requirements. Ration balancing improved milk yield by 2–14% and its milk fat proportion by 0.2–15%. Feed conversion efficiency, as kg of fat corrected milk (FCM)/kg of dry matter intake of buffaloes (n =1131) before and after feeding balanced rations was 0.6 and 0.7, respectively, and in cows (n =540) the values were 0.6 and 0.8. Dietary N secreted into milk increased from 0.16 to 0.25 and 0.16 to 0.19 in low and medium yielding cows and buffaloes, respectively. Rumen microbial CP synthesis also increased (P<0.05) by 36 and 38% in cows and buffaloes, respectively. On feeding balanced rations, levels (mg/ml) of plasma immunoglobulins IgG, IgM and IgA increased from 14.48 to 22.11, 2.69 to 3.29 and 0.48 to 0.67, and the parasitic load was reduced from 168 to 81eggs/g of faeces. Enteric CH4 emissions (g/kg milk yield) was reduced by 15–20% (P<0.05) in these lactating animals. Results demonstrate that feeding nutritionally balanced rations increased milk production and reduced enteric CH4 emissions and N excretion from lactating cows and buffaloes. While implementation of a ration balancing programme under small holding systems is challenging, large scale use of this programme in tropical countries can help improve productivity of milking animals with available feed resources in an environmentally sustainable manner. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present study was aimed at investigating the potential of using synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy (SFS) coupled with multivariate statistical analyses for the determination of some chemical parameters (pH, fat, dry matter, protein and soluble nitrogen) of French blue-veined cheeses belonging to four brands (FA- Fourme d'Ambert, FM- Fourme de Montbrison, BA- Bleu d'Auvergne and BC- Bleu des Causses). Three partial least square regression models with leave-one-out cross-validation technique were considered in the present study. The first one including the 'Fourme cheeses' (FA and FM), the second one including the 'Blue cheeses' (BA and BC) and the last one including the 4 Blue-veined cheeses (FA, FM, BA and BC). The models qualities were investigated principally by the R (coefficient of determination) and the RPD (ratio of standard deviation to root-mean-square error of cross-validation) factors. The results showed that SFS succeeded to predict ash and protein in Blue (ash: R = 0.90, RPD = 3.17; protein R = 0.80, RPD = 2.24) or Fourme cheeses (ash: R = 0.81, RPD = 2.29; protein R = 0.81, RPD = 2.26) when considered individually, while SFS failed to predict all the physicochemical parameters when the two groups were analyzed jointly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of two experiments was to evaluate non-protein N supplementation with protected urea sources in terms of rumen fermentation products, nutrient digestibility, and N balance in ruminally fistulated beef steers (initial bodyweight 239±18kg) fed switchgrass hay. Experiment 1 compared urea with Optigen II®, and Experiment 2 compared urea with RumaPro®. In both experiments, supplements (400g/kg of daily dietary dry matter) were fed once daily or every 2h in a balanced design. Supplements contained soybean hulls, corn grain, vitamins, and minerals as well as non-protein N sources. Non-protein N provided 0.18g/g of dietary N. Switchgrass hay was fed once daily, at the same time as the supplement in the once-daily treatments. Dry matter intake (4.1kg/d in Experiment 1, 4.5kg/d in Experiment 2), dry matter digestibility (P<0.25, 0.58±0.014g/g in Experiment 1, 0.58±0.010g/g in Experiment 2), N balance (P<0.83, 11.3±1.9g/d in Experiment 1, 11.8±3.6g/d in Experiment 2), ruminal ammonia concentrations (P<0.29, 15.2±1.4mM in Experiment 1, 11.8±0.6mM in Experiment 2), and ruminal short-chain fatty acid concentrations (P<0.13, 77.7±3.0mM in Experiment 1, 75.4±3.0mM in Experiment 2) were not affected by feeding protected urea sources. Providing a steady supply of ruminally degradable N by feeding supplement every 2h vs once daily decreased ruminal ammonia concentrations by approximately one-half by 4h after feeding hay (P<0.01 in both experiments) and increased (P<0.02 in Experiment 1, P<0.08) in Experiment 2) apparent digestibility of dry matter (0.58–0.62 in Experiment 1, 0.56–0.61 in Experiment 2) and dietary fiber components. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A bottom-up approach is constructed to determine N losses from livestock farming systems and to relate these losses to the supply of fresh milk, pig and beef to Paris. First, the three products are expressed in terms of their nitrogen content; then, their fodder equivalent is determined by modelling feed formulas for swine, beef and dairy cows to meet their energy and protein requirements. Fodder deficits in livestock farms are determined by comparing the nutrient requirements of the livestock with the fodder production on the livestock farms. This allowed determining the geography of the livestock systems according to the imports of fodder to the livestock farms from external crop farms. Then we assessed the "farm-gate" N budgets in all crop and livestock farms of the entire livestock systems using data on total N fertilization, atmospheric deposition and manure management practices to finally derive N losses in relation to fodder cultivation and to manure management. Measured in N, the supply of milk, beef and pig to Paris sum 1.85 kg N/cap and the corresponding N losses from the farming systems total 8.9 kg N/cap. N losses per unit of product differ among the three livestock systems according to where and how the fodder is grown and to what densities the livestock is reared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Seine watershed has long been the food-supplying hinterland of Paris, providing most of the animal and vegetal protein consumed in the city. Nowadays, the shift from manure-based to synthetic nitrogen fertilisation, has made possible a strong land specialisation of agriculture in the Seine watershed: it still provides most of the cereal consumed by the Paris agglomeration, but exports 80% of its huge cereal production. On the other hand the meat and milk supply originates mainly from regions in the North and West of France, specialised in animal farming and importing about 30% of their feed from South America. As it works today, this system is responsible for a severe nitrate contamination of surface and groundwater resources. Herein two scenarios of re-localising Paris's food supply are explored, based on organic farming and local provision of animal feed. We show that for the Seine watershed it is technically possible to design an agricultural system able to provide all the plant- and animal-based food required by the population, to deliver sub-root water meeting the drinking water standards and still to export a significant proportion of its production to areas less suitable for cereal cultivation. Decreasing the share of animal products in the human diet has a strong impact on the nitrogen imprint of urban food supply. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The data of meat freshness classification based on the TVB-N content, total bacterial count, pH value and sensory scores of meat samples in decompression storeroom were reported in this paper. The experiments showed that any single physicochemical and sensory properties could not reflect the freshness of meat sample exactly. Therefore SVM was introduced to train the experimental data and built the model to predict the meat freshness. The results indicated that the obtained model could achieve high classification accuracy after the parameters were optimized by coarse and fine search. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Meat (salmon, trout, chorizo, sausage) and dairy (cheese) products were treated in 3 ways: thermal cooking, fermentation, and raw. The following was evaluated: total nitrogen content TN), soluble protein content (SP) and in vitro protein digestibility (PD). Thermal cooking significantly improved the product's PD. There was no difference in TN between thermal cooking and raw; however, TN was lower in fermentation than raw. For SP there was no difference between fermentation and raw; however in 2 of the 4 foods tested SP was higher for thermal cooking than raw. Fermentation did not improve the protein quality of foods; although there was an increase m DR there were also losses in TN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]