Substitution of ramie (Boehmeria nivea) for alfalfa in improving the carcass and meat quality of Liuyang Black goats

Ramie(Boehmeria nivea)is noted for the production of a large biomass that has a high protein content and is rich in antioxidants.It may thus serve as a high-quality forage material to replace alfalfa and improve the meat quality of farmed animals.In this study,we evaluated the carcass characteristics and meat quality of goats when 0,35%,75%,and 100%of dietary alfalfa was replaced with ramie.Crude protein content(linear,P<0.0001)and key muscle color values at 24 h after slaughter decreased with increasing ramie levels.The content of most individual amino acids,non-essential amino acids(NEAA),total amino acids(TAA),branched chain amino acids(BCAA),functional amino acids(FAA),and flavor amino acids(DAA)decreased(P<0.05)with increasing dietary ramie.The diet in which 35%of alfalfa was replaced with ramie yielded meat with the highest amino acid content,whereas the fatty acid profile was unaffected by the inclusion of ramie.These results indicate that ramie could be used as a potential dietary forage resource for goats,and that substituting 35%of alfalfa with ramie,which is equivalent to 126 g/kg DM content,would be optimal in terms of goat meat quality.

Replacing ZnSO_(4)with Zn-glycine in the diet of goat promotes the pancreatic function of the offspring

Zinc supplementation in the diet of goats affects pancreas development in offspring.However,the impact of maternal inorganic and organic zinc supplementation in offspring is poorly defined.In this study,14 late-pregnant goats were assigned at random to the zinc sulfate group(ZnSO_(4),n=7)and the zinc-glycine chelate group(Zn-Gly,n=7),respectively.Serum samples and pancreas tissue were collected from kids whose mothers were fed ZnSO_(4)and Zn-Gly at the late pregnancy,respectively.Histologic examination showed no morphologic differences between the 2 groups.Pancreatic zinc content in kids tended to be increased when replacing ZnSO_(4)with Zn-Gly.The serum insulin concentration was greater and glucagon less in the Zn-Gly group when compared to the ZnSO_(4)group.The activities of lipase and chymotrypsin were enhanced when replacing ZnSO_(4)with Zn-Gly.Proteomics results showed that 234 proteins were differentially expressed between the 2 groups,some of which were associated with the secretion of insulin,enzyme activity and signal transduction.The results suggested that supply of dietary Zn-Gly to goats during late pregnancy promoted pancreatic function in offspring compared with dietary ZnSO_(4)supplementation.This provides new information about pancreatic function when supplementing different zinc sources in the diets of late pregnant goats.