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Locusts may cause massive destruction of crops and pastures and adversely affect livelihoods and food security of farmers and pastoralists. Like other insects, locusts and grasshoppers are rich in protein (50–65% in dry matter) and their essential amino acid composition is good. In the diets of poultry, pigs and fish, replacement of up to 25% of the conventional protein-rich feed resources such as soymeal and fishmeal is possible with these insects. The main constraint in their use as animal feed is the presence of insecticides, sprayed for controlling outbreaks. Insecticide-free locusts and grasshoppers must only be used as a feed. Locusts and grasshoppers rearing techniques have not been upscaled and hence their mass rearing for use as animal feed is not possible currently; however, several harvesting approaches are available, which have been discussed. These approaches could be adapted for mass harvesting of locusts and grasshoppers for use as animal feed. The opportunity of using these field-harvested insects has been ignored so far by various agencies. An integrated approach that strategically uses insecticides and employs mass harvesting techniques must be considered to control these pests and to use them as animal feed and human food. The insecticide-sprayed locusts and grasshoppers could be composted for use as a fertilizer. Other industrial uses of locusts and grasshoppers are also presented. The information contained in this paper would enhance knowledge of government and non-government agencies on the use of locusts and grasshoppers (not sprayed with pesticide) as animal feed and safe human food.

Seaweeds are macroalgae, which generally reside in the littoral zone and can be of many different shapes, sizes, colours and composition. They include brown algae (Phaeophyceae), red algae (Rhodophyceae) and green algae (Chlorophyceae). Seaweeds have a long history of use as livestock feed. They have a highly variable composition, depending on the species, time of collection and habitat, and on external conditions such as water temperature, light intensity and nutrient concentration in water. They may contain non-protein nitrogen, resulting in an overestimation of their protein content, and nitrogen-to-protein conversion factors lower than 6.25, normally used for feed ingredients, have been advocated. They contain considerable amount of water. Most essential amino acids are deficient in seaweeds except the sulphur containing amino acids. Seaweeds concentrate minerals from seawater and contain 10–20 times the minerals of land plants. They contain only small amounts of lipids (1–5%), but majority of those lipids are polyunsaturated n-3 and n-6 fatty acids. Brown seaweeds have been more studied and are more exploited than other algae types for their use in animal feeding because of their large size and ease of harvesting. Brown algae are of lesser nutritional value than red and green algae, due to their lower protein content (up to approx. 14%) and higher mineral content; however brown algae contain a number of bioactive compounds. Red seaweeds are rich in crude protein (up to 50%) and green seaweeds also contain good protein content (up to 30%). Seaweeds contain a number of complex carbohydrates and polysaccharides. Brown algae contain alginates, sulphated fucose-containing polymers and laminarin; red algae contain agars, carrageenans, xylans, sulphated galactans and porphyrans; and green algae contain xylans and sulphated galactans. In ruminants, step-wise increase in the levels of seaweeds in the diet may enable rumen microbes to adapt and thus enhance energy availability from these complex carbohydrates. In monogastrics, those polysaccharides may impact the nutritional value but the addition of enzyme cocktails might help. In vivo studies on ruminants, pigs, poultry and rabbits reveal that some seaweeds have the potential to contribute to the protein and energy requirements of livestock, while others contain a number of bioactive compounds, which could be used as prebiotic for enhancing production and health status of both monogastric and ruminant livestock. Seaweeds tend to accumulate heavy metals (arsenic), iodine and other minerals, and feeding such seaweeds could deteriorate animal and human health. Regular monitoring of minerals in seaweeds would prevent toxic and other undesirable situations.

A 60–70% increase in consumption of animal products is expected by 2050. This increase in the consumption will demand enormous resources, the feed being the most challenging because of the limited availability of natural resources, ongoing climatic changes and food–feed–fuel competition. The costs of conventional feed resources such as soymeal and fishmeal are very high and moreover their availability in the future will be limited. Insect rearing could be a part of the solutions. Although some studies have been conducted on evaluation of insects, insect larvae or insect meals as an ingredient in the diets of some animal species, this field is in infancy. Here we collate, synthesize and discuss the available information on five major insect species studied with respect to evaluation of their products as animal feed. The nutritional quality of black soldier fly larvae, the house fly maggots, mealworm, locusts–grasshoppers–crickets, and silkworm meal and their use as a replacement of soymeal and fishmeal in the diets of poultry, pigs, fish species and ruminants are discussed. The crude protein contents of these alternate resources are high: 42–63% and so are the lipid contents (up to 36% oil), which could possibly be extracted and used for various applications including biodiesel production. Unsaturated fatty acid concentrations are high in housefly maggot meal, mealworm and house cricket (60–70%), while their concentrations in black soldier fly larvae are lowest (19–37%). The studies have confirmed that palatability of these alternate feeds to animals is good and they can replace 25–100% of soymeal or fishmeal depending on the animal species. Except silkworm meal other insect meals are deficient in methionine and lysine and their supplementation in the diet can enhance both the performance of the animals and the soymeal and fishmeal replacement rates. Most insect meals are deficient in Ca and its supplementation in the diet is also required, especially for growing animals and laying hens. The levels of Ca and fatty acids in insect meals can be enhanced by manipulation of the substrate on which insects are reared. The paper also presents future areas of research. The information synthesized is expected to open new avenues for a large scale use of insect products as animal feed.

Maize silage

Peanut hulls

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A series of 1-(benzocycloalkyl)-4-(benzamidolkyl)piperazine derivatives was prepared in order to obtain compounds with a high affinity and selectivity for 5-HT1A receptors. The modifications of aromatic substituents, the length of the alkyl chain, and the size of the ring were explored. Most of N-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthyl)-N'-(benzamidoethyl)piperazines (32-37) were bound to 5-HT1A receptors in a nanomolar range and presented a high degree of selectivity. After resolution, levorotatory enantiomers showed affinity and selectivity higher than those of dextrorotory ones for 5-HT1A sites. The agonist type activity of selected derivatives was also confirmed in vitro on the inhibition of the activation of adenylate cyclase induced by forskolin and, in vivo, on the induction of the lower lip retraction in rats.

L’aviculture européenne est dépendante d’approvisionnements en soja essentiellement en provenance du Brésil. Cette matière première riche en protéines est intéressante d’un point de vue nutritionnel pour l’alimentation des volailles mais pose des problèmes importants notamment en termes de prix et de conséquences environnementales. Les matières premières riches en protéines produites en France (oléo-protéagineux et coproduits de l’amidonnerie et de la distillerie) ne remplacent qu’en partie le soja importé du fait d’équilibres nutritionnels moins propices. Les protéagineux sont de plus très peu disponibles sur le marché. L’aviculture européenne, et plus largement l’élevage et l’agriculture, sont ainsi face à des enjeux importants d’ordre économique, social et environnemental. Les contraintes et leviers relatifs à la formulation d’aliments destinés aux volailles sont analysés et différentes voies de progrès sont envisagées à plus ou moins long terme : développer l’alimentation de précision afin d’améliorer l’ajustement des apports aux besoins des animaux en fonction des objectifs fixés, disposer de matières premières adaptées (process, mis en œuvre de filières adaptées, nouvelles matières premières et additifs, sélection variétale) mais aussi d’animaux adaptables. Une plus grande coordination entre acteurs, amont et aval, apparaît indispensable pour relever ces défis.

The demand for livestock products has been growing steadily in emerging and developing countries, and this requires a better knowledge of av ailable animal feeds. However, in these countries, available information is either obsolete or about temperate feedstuffs. The project "Tables of nutritive values for farm animals in tropical and Mediterranean regions" led by INRA, CIRAD and AFZ (and supported by FAO) aims to create an updated and comprehensive set of datasheets for more than 700 fodders and raw materials. The datasheets provide information on physical descriptions, feed availability and environmental impact, as well as feeding recommendations and nutritional values of local feedstuffs for the main farm animal species. The first goal of t he project is to better identify and characterize local feed resources in order to improve the technical and economic performance of farms. Nutrition modelling, collaboration between research teams and identification of gaps in k nowledge are part of the scientific objectives. The datasheets are created by a group of 20 scientists and engineers, who rely on a massive collection of scientific literature and experimental data to write qualitative and quantitative syntheses (via methods such as meta-analysis) and build representative and consistent tables of composition and nutritional values. The publication of the datasheets is due in 2013, first as a website (www.feedipedia.org) and later as a book.

Three polygraphic recordings (PGR) of afternoon sleep (ANS) related to the duration of one sleep cycle, i.e., 90 min, were performed in 14 healthy adult volunteers (7 men and 7 women): two reference PGR, on two consecutive days (before ingestion of alcohol). Only the second being retained: reference PGR=P 1 ; another recording, on day 3, 50 min after the start of single slow oral ingestion of the equivalent of 0.25 g 95% ethyl alcohol (ETOH) per kg body weight. Alcohol was ingested as 40° whiskey, and the volume administered ranged from 34.5 to 66 ml (ETOH polygraphic recording= P 2 ). Analysis of polygraphic traces was carried out according to the criteria of Rechtschaffen and Kales, and results were presented using the parameters adopted by Gross et al. (2). A single low dose of alcohol, leading to a low mean blood alcohol level (below 30 mg/100 ml, range 9 to 29 mg/100 ml), clearly perturbs sleep in the normal nonalcohol-dependent adult. In this context, ETOH does not appear to be a hypnotic since: a) the latencies to onset of sleep and the appearance of stages II, III, and IV of slow-wave sleep (SWS) are not shortened; b) the total duration of sleep, the percentage of delta sleep, and the duration (and percentage) of rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) are decreased; c) the number, duration, and percentages of intrasleep awakenings are increased, as are the number of stage changes. In addition, the study of afternoon sleep has shown itself to be a sensitive and reliable test for the analysis of the effects of a low dose of alcohol on nonalcohol-dependent subjects.

The effects of magnesium pyrrolidone carboxylate (MAG 2) on the amnesias induced by scopolamine, diazepam, and electroconvulsive shock (ECS) were studied in a passive avoidance procedure in the mouse and compared with the effects of a standard dose of piracetam. Amnesia was induced by injecting scopolamine or diazepam (1 mg/kg intraperitoneally [i.p.]) 30 min before or ECS administered immediately after the first session (S1) of the passive avoidance task. MAG 2 was studied in a dose range of 128 to 1,024 mg/kg and compared with piracetam (2,048 mg/kg), both drugs being administered orally (p.o.) 60 min before S1. Retention was measured 24 hr later (S2) in the absence of any treatment. Further experiments investigated the effects of repeated administration of MAG 2 (twice daily for 3 days) on diazepam-induced amnesia. Additional experiments investigated the interactions of the compound with the major behavioral effects of the amnesic treatments, namely scopolamine-induced hyperactivity, diazepam-induced release of punished behavior (four plates test), and ECS-induced convulsions. MAG 2 dose-dependently attenuated the memory deficits induced by the three amnesic treatments after acute treatment and more effectively antagonized diazepam-induced amnesia after repeated than after acute treatment. It did not affect either scopolamine-induced hyperactivity, diazepam-induced release of punished behavior or ECS-induced convulsions. These results point to the specificity of MAG 2′s antiamnesic activity and suggest that it might be a useful agent for the treatment of memory deficits of different origins in man.

After they had been weaned off alcohol in hospital 85 severe alcoholics (above 200 g alcohol/day) were included in a double-blind study of calcium bis acetyl homotaurine (Ca AOTA, 25 mg/kg/day), a new gamma-aminobutyric acid agonist, versus placebo. Patients were treated as outpatients during the 3-month study. The only other treatment that patients received was meprobamate, 800 to 1200 mg/day, in the first month. The criterion for success was abstinence at 3 months (with normal gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase being one of the criteria). Of the 70 patients who completed the study, 33 received Ca AOTA and 37 placebo. 20 patients on Ca AOTA did not relapse, compared with 12 on placebo (p less than 0.02 by X2 test). Side-effects were noted by 7 patients on Ca AOTA and 2 on placebo. The results suggest that Ca AOTA may be useful in helping severe alcoholics who have been weaned off alcohol not to relapse.

Maize green forage

Brewers yeast

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