Search

This review summarises the properties, nutritional requirements, and production of a natural fibre called mohairs produced by Angora goats. One of the most valuable natural fibres is mohair, produced by Angora goats. Angora goats, also known as Ankara, have their origin in Asia Minor, but today, South Africa is home to over 23% of the global population of Angora goats, where it produces over 60% of the world's mohair, generating about 4 million kilograms annually. Eastern parts of South Africa account for over 72% of the total Angora goats in the country, hence producing the highest number of mohair. The physical properties of Angora mohair, such as lustre, non-inflammable, breathable, durability, elasticity, and resistance to soiling, make it unique and different from other natural fibres of other animal sources. These properties are affected by age, nutrition, and management. The role of nutrition is particularly crucial, as Angora goats require 3-4% of their body weight DM, whilst meat goats and lactating dairy goats require 3-5% and 4-6% of their body weight DM. When Angora goats were fed diets with 18% crude protein, mohair growth increased by about 33% annually compared to diets containing 12-15% CP, while feed intakes were the same. Also, copper, sulphur, molybdenum, and water intake affect the quality of mohairs. In conclusion, inadequate nutrition significantly impedes productivity and sustains financial losses. Hence, promoting sustainable farming practices is vital, investing in research to develop resilient grazing systems and drought-tolerant feed crops, and building capacity for small-scale farmers to improve mohar production and quality in South Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The abundance of fruit waste from the food industry and wineries, particularly peels, seeds, and other fruit pomace throughout the year, could lead to health and environmental hazards if not channelled into productive areas. Improving or transforming these waste products for better use in other vital sectors could be achieved via solid-state fermentation (SSF) since most waste products are solid. One such productive and important area is the feeding of livestock, which will guarantee millennium food security goals for many nations of the world. The nutritional and antioxidant composition of abundantly available fruit pomace and agro-industrial byproducts could be improved via solid-state fermentation for overall livestock productivity. They contain substantial dietary fibre, protein, and phenolic compounds; hence, improving them via fermentation could serve the livestock industry in dual capacities, including nutraceutical and conventional feedstuff. This review seeks to provide reinforcing evidence on the applicability and impact of fruit pomaces on livestock nutrition. The significant nutrient improvements, beneficial outcomes in feeding trials, and inconsistencies or areas of research gap were also explored. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efforts to mitigate production losses in small stock due to nematode infestation have birthed the emergence of several control methods as alternatives to chemical-based anthelmintics or to complement them. This results from the recent development of multiple resistance by many parasitic nematodes to anthelmintic drugs. Many of these complementary alternatives, such as breeding resistance, grazing land management, use of predators, and vaccines, have shown the potential to alleviate this menace. Still, some are expensive or require a lot of technicalities. Controlling nematode infestation using natural feed additives has demonstrated effectiveness on the disease under natural conditions. Natural feed additives are environmentally friendly and often do not have health implications for animals and humans. They are readily available, especially to poor-resource farmers; some could be relatively cheap. Therefore, this article reviews the use of naturally available alternative anthelmintics such as plant extracts, clay, microbes, herbs, spices, and organic acids in mitigating the impacts of nematode infestations in small ruminant production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study determined the dietary effects of pomegranate peel powder meal (PPPM) supplementation on growth performance, digestibility, carcase and organ weights, serum, and some meat antioxidant enzyme indices of Cobb 500 birds. Birds (n = 432) were randomly assigned to six experimental groups of four replicates each and were fed either diets supplemented with 2, 4, 6 and 8 g/kg of PPPM (PPPM2, PPPM4, PPPM6 and PPPM8), 0% additives (Negative control; NEGCON), or with α-Tocopherol acetate at 200 g/tonne (Positive control; POSCON). The diet × week interaction effect on feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) showed that the POSCON diet promoted a better FI and FCR at week 3. However, the FCR of the POSCON birds was comparable to that of the NEGCON, PPPM4 and PPPM6 birds. The average final body weight and average daily weight gain was highest in the PPPM2 and PPPM4 birds, whereas, PPPM2 birds had improved FCR and protein efficiency ratio compared with the POSCON birds. Thigh weight was highest in the PPPM4 group, whereas PPPM8 birds had the highest breast weight compared with the POSCON. Birds fed the PPPM4 diet also had improved nutrient digestibility compared with the POSCON birds. Spleen and gizzard weights were highest in PPPM4 birds compared with the NEGCON group. The concentration of serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) was decreased in PPPM4 birds, whereas meat from PPPM8 group had the highest catalase enzyme activity. It can be concluded that birds fed 4 g/kg PPPM outperformed the birds that were fed α-tocopherol supplemented (POSCON) diets in terms of performance, digestibility, carcase and organ indices. The effect of pomegranate peel powder meal supplementation was also pronounced in decreasing the concentration of AST at 4 g/kg and increasing the activity of catalase enzyme at 8 g/kg compared with the POSCON and NEGCON diets. Dietary pomegranate peel powder can improve performance in broilers. Dietary pomegranate peel powder can enhance the enzyme activity of broiler meat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]