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During seminal freezing, sperm undergo oxidative stress, reducing their motility, viability, and acrosomal integrity. To prevent these damages, antioxidants have been added at the time of seminal freezing. The objective was to assess the antioxidant effect of the combination of α-tocopherol with quercetin, added to the diluent for the freezing of boar semen. The semen of boars of the Pietrain and York/Pietrain breeds was frozen in 0.5 ml straws, before freezing α-tocopherol in a concentration of 4 mg/ml (T1), quercetin in concentrations of 25, 50 and 100 µM (T2, T3 and T4), α-tocopherol + Quercetin in concentrations of 4 mg/ml + 25 µM, 4 mg/ml+50 µM and 4 mg/ml + 100 µM (T5, T6 and T7) and the control group (T8) without antioxidant. The straws were frozen in liquid nitrogen for 7 days and thawed at 42 °C for 12 seconds. 5 repetitions were performed analyzing motility, viability, and NAR. the results were analyzed using a completely randomized design in factorial arrangement comparing the means with a Tukey test. The best percentage of motility was for T5, T4 and T1 with 39.44, 38.06 and 37.33%, respectively, there was a significant difference with T8; the best percentage of viability were T5 with 51.41%, there was a significant difference with T3 and T8; and the best NAR percentages were for T8 with 94.90%, with a significant difference for T1. In conclusion, the addition of α-tocopherol and quercetin separately or in combination protects the motility, viability, and NAR of spermatozoa from frozen-thawed boar semen.

El macho porcino requiere una serie de nutrimentos esenciales para satisfacer sus necesidades de mantenimiento, crecimiento y reproducción; dentro de esos nutrimentos destaca el zinc (Zn), el cual es un micro mineral presente en la mayoría de las células, en el organismo desempeña funciones estructurales, catalíticas y reguladoras. Es sabido que este micro mineral contribuye en la producción y secreción de diversas hormonas, debido a su efecto a nivel del eje hipotálamo-hipófisis-gónadas. De igual manera favorece la producción y viabilidad espermática, además de prevenir su degradación. Se ha observado que dependiendo de la fuente de Zn (orgánica o inorgánica), el comportamiento de este mineral es biológicamente diferente, y produce efectos distintos en el organismo. Es por lo anterior, que el objetivo de esta revisión es identificar la importancia reproductiva del mineral Zinc, enfatizando en las distintas fuentes y dosis utilizadas desde etapas tempranas de crecimiento hasta el desarrollo de la vida reproductiva del cerdo macho.

BACKGROUND In situ estimates of ruminally undegraded protein (RUP) and intestinally digested protein (IDP) of ten concentrates, uncorrected or corrected for the ruminal microbial colonization, were used to examine the effects of this correction on the relationship between IDP and RUP values. Both variables were established for three rumen and duodenum cannulated wethers using 15N labeling-techniques and considering measured rates of ruminal particle comminution (kc) and outflow (kp). RESULTS A covariance analysis showed that the close relationship found between both variables (IDP = −0.0132 (±0.00679) + 0.776 (±0.0002) RUP; n = 60; P < 0.001; R2 = 0.960) is not affected by correcting for microbial colonization (P = 0.682). CONCLUSION The IDP content in concentrates and industrial by-products can be predicted from RUP values, thus avoiding the laborious and complex procedure of determining intestinal digestibility; however a larger sample of feeds is necessary to attain more accurate predictions. The lack of influence of the correction for microbial contamination on the prediction observed in our study increases the data available for this prediction. However, only using corrected values may provide an accurate evaluation.

Es importante disenar tecnicas eficientes, practicas y faciles de realizar para valorar la integridad acrosomal de los espermatozoides. El objetivo fue evaluar la tecnica modificada de tincion Giemsa para valoracion del borde apical normal (NAR) en espermatozoides de mamiferos. Se evaluaron 140 laminillas de espermatozoides de 4 diferentes mamiferos (bovinos, ovinos, porcinos y humanos), se dividieron en dos grupos (70 laminillas por grupo). El primer grupo, se evaluo NAR con la tecnica clasica de tincion Giemsa y el segundo, con la tecnica modificada de Giemsa. Se compararon los porcentajes de acrosomas NAR y los tiempos de cada una de las tecnicas. No hubo diferencia entre las medias de acrosomas NAR en ambas tecnicas (p

In situ estimates of ruminal undegraded fraction (RU) and effective intestinal digestibility (EID, corrected for microbial colonisation) of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and total analysed amino acids (TAA) of rye, wheat and corn grains, wheat bran, wheat and barley distillers' dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and corn gluten feed were measured on three rumen and duodenum cannulated wethers using (15)N labelling techniques and considering ruminal rates of particle comminution (kc) and outflow. Results indicate that not considering kc and microbial colonisation led to considerable overestimations of RU which increased with feed ruminal degradation. Microbial colonisation may be also associated with overestimations of EID, whose estimates for DM, CP and TAA were predicted from parameters related with the ruminal escape of intestinally indigestible materials. The RU estimates were higher for TAA than for CP in grains, but the opposite was observed in by-products, whereas EID estimates were higher for TAA in all feeds. To obtain accurate protein values in these feedstuffs, it is required to consider both kc and ruminal microbial colonisation. The CP-based results underestimate the intestinally digested protein in grains and the opposite is evidenced in cereal by-products. Microbial protein synthesised in the rumen is largely the major fraction of the feedstuff protein value with the exception of DDGS.

SUMMARYSodium sulphite is used in an optional way to remove insoluble proteins from neutral detergent fibre (NDF) residue. To determine whether the recovery of both NDF and insoluble nitrogen (N) in NDF solution (NDIN) are altered by its use, both parameters were measured in a set of 12 feeds, including cereal grains: maize (MG), rye (RG) and wheat (WG); cereal co-products: maize gluten feed (MGF), distilled dried grains from barley (DDGB) and wheat (DDGW) and wheat bran (WB); protein concentrates: rapeseed meal (RSM) and expeller palm kernel (EPK); dehydrated sugar beet pulp (DBP) and oat (OH) and ryegrass (RGH) hays. Associated effects on thein situeffective degradability (ED) of both NDF and NDIN were also studied in DDGW, WB, RSM, EPK, DBP, OH and RGH. Also, ED of acid detergent fibre (ADF) and its N (ADIN) were studied in hays. Errors due to microbial contamination in the rumen on the ED of NDF, ADF, NDIN and ADIN were also established in these last seven samples using15N infusion methods. Three rumen and duodenum cannulated wethers were used in the study. The sulphite use in NDF solution led to reductions (DDGB, DDGW, RSM and OH) and increases (RG, WG, WB and DBP) of the NDIN proportion, as well as the contribution of crude protein to NDF. These variations were associated with irregular effects on NDF residues and on ED of both NDIN and NDF. As a consequence, sulphite use does not assure the reduction of the insoluble protein contamination and it may even increase it. This methodology may also alter the degradability estimates of NDIN or NDF. Mean ruminal microbial contamination in NDF was 7·0, 10·8, 13·3, 5·4, 12·0, 35·3 and 20·0 g/kg in WB, DDGW, RSM, EPK, DBP, OH and RGH, respectively. The associated contents of microbial N in NDIN were: 59·3, 29·9, 26·2, 19·8, 37·3, 441 and 150 g/kg, respectively. Microbial contamination in ADF and ADIN (g/kg) was 3·6 and 94·5 in OH and 1·7 and 41·2 in RGH. Not correcting this contamination led to consistent undervaluations of ED of NDIN and NDF in all tested feeds, although errors only reached significance for NDIN in hays and DBP. Microbial-corrected ED of NDIN was 0·685, 0·826, 0·481, 0·389, 0·166, 0·718 and 0·425 in WB, DDGW, RSM, EPK, DBP, OH and RGH, respectively, whereas values for ADIN were 0·504 (OH) and 0·469 (RGH).

BACKGROUND Microbial corrected in situ estimates of the ruminal undegraded fraction (RU) and intestinal effective digestibility (IED) of amino acids (AA), except tryptophan, of rye, wheat and corn grains, wheat bran, wheat and barley distilled dried grains and corn gluten feed were measured on three rumen- and duodenum-cannulated wethers using 15N-labelling techniques and considering ruminal rates of particle comminution and outflow. RESULTS The lack of microbial correction led to overestimations of the intestinal digested fraction that rose with the increase in ruminal degradability. Thus these overestimations varied widely among feeds (from 4.3 to 32.1% for total analysed AA) and among AA. Digestion led to large changes in the AA supply that were greater in the rumen than in the intestine. The impact of these changes on the protein value is conditioned by the magnitude of the undegraded protein fraction. CONCLUSION Microbial contamination taking place in the rumen and changes in the AA supply with digestion should be considered to attain accurate estimates of AA digestion. Globally, digestion improved the AA supply in rye, wheat and wheat distilled dried grain and decreased it in corn and corn gluten feed by reducing the supply of valine and basic AA, especially lysine. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry

BACKGROUND Microbial corrected effective in situ estimates of ruminal undegraded fraction (RU) and intestinal effective digestibility (IED) of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) of expeller palm kernel (EPK) and rapeseed meal (RSM) were measured on three rumen- and duodenum-cannulated wethers using 15N labelling techniques and considering ruminal rates of comminution (kc) and outflow (kp) of particles. RESULTS The lack of kc and microbial correction overestimated the RU of DM by 4.91% (EPK) and 9.88% (RSM). The lack of this correction also overestimated in both feeds the RU of CP, individual and total (TAA) AA as well as the IED of DM, CP, TAA and most AA. RU estimates were higher for CP than for TAA, but the opposite was observed for IED. The intestinal digested fraction was higher for CP than for TAA: 17.4% (EPK) and 13.8% (RSM). Digestion led to large changes in the essential AA profile in both feeds. CONCLUSION The lack of kc and microbial correction as well as CP-based results leads to considerable overestimations in the protein use of both feeds. Digestion aggravates the lysine deficiency of EPK but has global positive effects in the absorbed profile of RSM. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry

[EN] Effects of the correction of microbial contamination (using N-15 techniques) and of considering the comminution rate (k (c)) of particles in the rumen on effective estimates of the ruminally undegraded (RU) fraction and its intestinal effective digestibility (IED) were examined in a sample of dehydrated sugar beet pulp (DBP) generating composite samples (from rumen-incubated residues) representative of the chemical composition of RU. Tested fractions were dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM, tested only for RU), crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA). The study was performed on three rumen and duodenum cannulated wethers fed with a 2:1 (fresh weight basis) chopped oat hay-to-concentrate diet supplied at 40g DM/kg BW0 center dot 75 in six equal meals per day. The DBP showed sigmoid degradation kinetics: the fractional degradation rate increased by 5 center dot 8 times as time (h) increased from 0 to infinity. The k (c) rate (measured in the diet concentrate) represented 5 center dot 74% of the total rumen retention time of particles. As a result, the RU of DM was over-evaluated by 6 center dot 53% when k (c) was not considered. Microbial contamination of RU was high as in DM as in CP. Therefore, the overestimation of RU of DM was increased to 12 center dot 2% when this contamination was not corrected. The lack of this correction also led to large over-evaluations of RU and IED of CP and AA. As a result, the overestimation of the intestinal digested fraction was 40 center dot 9% for CP and 45 center dot 0% for total analysed AA. This overestimation varied largely among AA (from 18 center dot 9 to 88 center dot 7%). Corrected proportions of RU and IED were also variable among AA. Hypotheses on the causes of this variability are given. Resultant changes in the AA profile of the intestinal digested protein had some negative impact on the supply of essential AA and cysteine without affecting lysine. This problem is limited because the microbial protein synthesized from DBP fermentation in the rumen is largely predominant in the AA supply to the host., This work was supported by the CICYT-funded Project AGL 2006-08300. Analyses of 15N isotope ratios were performed at the Servicio Interdepartamental de Investigacion, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. Spain.

In situ estimates of ruminally undegraded protein (RUP) and intestinally digested protein (IDP) of ten concentrates, uncorrected or corrected for the ruminal microbial colonization, were used to examine the effects of this correction on the relationship between IDP and RUP values. Both variables were established for three rumen and duodenum cannulated wethers usingA covariance analysis showed that the close relationship found between both variables (IDP = -0.0132 ± 0.00679 + 0.776 ± 0.0002 RUP; n = 60; P 0.001; r = 0.960) is not affected by correcting for microbial colonization (P = 0.682).The IDP content in concentrates and industrial by-products can be predicted from RUP values, thus avoiding the laborious and complex procedure of determining intestinal digestibility; however, a larger sample of feeds is necessary to achieve more accurate predictions. The lack of influence of the correction for microbial contamination on the prediction observed in the present study increases the data available for this prediction. However, only the use of corrected values may provide an accurate evaluation. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Previous studies have indicated that 15N enrichment of solid-associated bacteria (SAB) may be predicted from the same value in liquid-associated bacteria (LAB). The aims of this study were to confirm this and to measure the error in the nutrient supply from SAB, when LAB are used as the reference sample. For this purpose, the chemical and amino acid (AA) compositions of both the bacterial populations were studied in four experiments carried out on different groups of three rumen cannulated wethers. Diets (one in Experiments 1 and 4 and three in Experiments 2 and 3) had forage-to-concentrate ratios (dry matter (DM) basis) between 2 : 1 and 40 : 60, and were consumed at intake levels between 40 and 75 g DM/kg (BW) 0.75. The bacteria samples were isolated after continuous infusion of ( 15NH 4) 2SO 4 (40, 18, 30 and 25 mg 15N/day, in Experiments 1 to 4, respectively) for at least 14 days. In all experiments, SAB had consistently higher concentrations of organic matter (826 v. 716 g/kg DM, as average) and total lipids (192 v. 95 g/kg DM, as average) than LAB. Similar CP concentrations of both populations were observed, except a higher concentration in SAB than in LAB in Experiment 3. A consistent (in Experiment 4 only as tendency) higher AA-N/total N ratio (on average 17.5%) was observed in SAB than in LAB. The 15N enrichment in SAB was systematically lower than in LAB. On the basis of the results of all studies a close relationship was found between the 15N enrichment in SAB and LAB, which was shown irrespective of experiments. This relationship was established from Experiments 1 and 2 and the above cited previous results (n = 20; P < 0.001; R 2 = 0.996), and then confirmed from the results of Experiments 3 and 4. These relationships between SAB and LAB demonstrate that CP supply from SAB is underevaluated by, on average, 21.2% when LAB are used as the reference. This underevaluation was higher for true protein and even higher for the lipid supply (32.5% and 59.6%, respectively, as an average of the four experiments). Large differences in AA profile were observed between SAB and LAB. The prediction equation obtained using 15N as the marker may be used to correct the errors associated with the traditional use of LAB as the reference sample, and therefore to obtain more accurate estimates of the microbial nutrient supply to the ruminants. © Copyright The Animal Consortium 2011., Financial support was provided by the CICYT funded Projects AGL 2001-3662, AGL 2005-01712 and AGL 2006-08300. Analyses of 15N isotope ratios were performed at the Servicio Interdepartamental de Investigacio´ n, Universidad Auto´ noma de Madrid, Spain.

Effects of considering the particle comminution rate (k(c)) in addition to particle rumen outflow (k(p)) and the ruminal microbial contamination on estimates of by-pass and intestinal digestibility of DM, organic matter and crude protein were examined in perennial ryegrass and oat hays. By-pass k(c)-k(p)-based values of amino acids were also determined. This study was performed using particle transit, in situ and N-15 techniques on three rumen and duodenum-cannulated wethers. The above estimates were determined using composite samples from rumen-incubated residues representative of feed by-pass. Considering the comminution rate, k(c), modified the contribution of the incubated residues to these samples in both hays and revealed a higher microbial contamination, consistently in oat hay and only as a tendency for crude protein in ryegrass hay. Not considering k(c) or rumen microbial contamination overvalued by-pass and intestinal digestibility in both hays. Therefore, non-microbial-corrected k(p)-based values of intestinal digested crude protein were overestimated as compared with corrected and k(c)-k(p)-based values in ryegrass hay (17.4 vs 4.40%) and in oat hay (5.73 vs 0.19%). Both factors should be considered to obtain accurate in situ estimates in grasses, as the protein value of grasses is very conditioned by the microbial synthesis derived from their ruminal fermentation. Consistent overvaluations of amino acid by-pass due to not correcting microbial contamination were detected in both hays, with large variable errors among amino acids. A similar degradation pattern of amino acids was recorded in both hays. Cysteine, methionine, leucine and valine were the most degradation-resistant amino acids., This work has been supported by the CICYT-funded Project AGL 2006-08300. Analyses of 15N isotope ratios were performed at the Servicio Interdepartamental de Investigacion, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain.