Protein hydrolysates in animal nutrition：Industrial production, bioactive peptides,and functional significance

Recent years have witnessed growing interest in the role of peptides in animal nutrition. Chemical, enzymatic, or microbial hydrolysis of proteins in animal by-products or plant-source feedstuffs before feeding is an attractive means of generating high-quality small or large peptides that have both nutritional and physiological or regulatory functions in livestock, poultry and fish. These peptides may also be formed from ingested proteins in the gastrointestinal tract, but the types of resultant peptides can vary greatly with the physiological conditions of the animals and the composition of the diets. In the small intestine, large peptides are hydrolyzed to small peptides,which are absorbed into enterocytes faster than free amino acids（AAs） to provide a more balanced pattern of AAs in the blood circulation. Some peptides of plant or animal sources also have antimicrobial, antioxidant,antihypertensive, and immunomodulatory activities. Those peptides which confer biological functions beyond their nutritional value are called bioactive peptides. They are usually 2–20 AA residues in length but may consist of 〉20AA residues. Inclusion of some（e.g. 2–8%） animal-protein hydrolysates（e.g., porcine intestine, porcine mucosa,salmon viscera, or poultry tissue hydrolysates） or soybean protein hydrolysates in practical corn-and soybean mealbased diets can ensure desirable rates of growth performance and feed efficiency in weanling pigs, young calves,post-hatching poultry, and fish. Thus, protein hydrolysates hold promise in optimizing the nutrition of domestic and companion animals, as well as their health（particularly gut health） and well-being.

The Use of Secondary Grape Biomass in Beef Cattle Nutrition on Carcass Characteristics, Quality and Shelf Life of Meat

We determined whether the inclusion of 100 g/kg dry matter of grape pomace silage (GPS) and grape pomace bran (GPB) as substitutes for other traditional fiber sources in the diet of steers (Charolais x Nellore) would improve carcass characteristics, meat quality and composition, and shelf life. Twenty-four animals (248 ± 19.32 kg of initial body weight) were fed a high concentrate diet for 121 days. Carcass characteristics were measured, and the longissimus dorsi muscle was analyzed for fatty acid (FA) profile and composition. The meat was sliced and stored in air-permeable packages for 10 days. On each sampling day (d 1, 3, 7, and 10), oxidative stability, bacterial load, lipid and protein oxidation, and staining were analyzed. The experimental diets influenced the pH of cold carcasses only. The GPS group had a higher pH than the control. The GPS and GPB groups showed improved oxidant status (i.e., lower lipid peroxidation and concentrations of reactive oxygen species were in the meat of both groups than in control). On the first day of storage, the antioxidant enzyme glutathione S-transferase activity was more significant in the meat of the GPS and GPB groups than in the control. The bacterial loads in the meat were attenuated by GPS inclusion;there were lower total coliform counts and a trend toward lower counts for enterobacteria in the control group. The diets altered the FA profile of the meat;i.e., the GPB diet allowed for a more significant amount of the n-6 omegas in the meat, while the GPS diet showed a tendency for a more significant amount of n-6 and 9 omegas. Both diets (GPS and GPB) increased the amounts of long-chain FAs. The GPS diet decreased saturated FA levels. We conclude that the dietary treatments GPS and GPB are a promising alternative to maintain meat quality standards throughout in real-world retail conditions. These treatments gave rise to an improvement in the nutritional value of the meat due to the more significant amounts of FAs that improve human health.

The application of omics technologies for understanding tropical plants-based bioactive compounds in ruminants:a review

Finding out how diet impacts health and metabolism while concentrating on the functional qualities and bioactive components of food is the crucial scientific objective of nutritional research. The complex relationship between metabolism and nutrition could be investigated with cutting-edge "omics" and bioinformatics techniques. This review paper provides an overview of the use of omics technologies in nutritional research, with a particular emphasis on the new applications of transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and genomes in functional and biological activity research on ruminant livestock and products in the tropical regions. A wealth of knowledge has been uncovered regarding the regulation and use of numerous physiological and pathological processes by gene, m RNA, protein, and metabolite expressions under various physiological situations and guidelines. In particular, the components of meat and milk were assessed using omics research utilizing the various methods of transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and genomes. The goal of this review is to use omics technologies—which have been steadily gaining popularity as technological tools—to develop new nutritional, genetic, and leadership strategies to improve animal products and their quality control. We also present an overview of the new applications of omics technologies in cattle production and employ nutriomics and foodomics technologies to investigate the microbes in the rumen ecology. Thus, the application of state-of-the-art omics technology may aid in our understanding of how species and/or breeds adapt, and the sustainability of tropical animal production, in the long run, is becoming increasingly important as a means of mitigating the consequences of climate change.

Selenium Concentrations in Southeastern Missouri Soils and Its Impact on Livestock Nutrition

Selenium is a trace element in animal nutrition provided through forage. Vegetation should accumulate adequate levels to meet this livestock requirement. This study assessed southeastern Missouri soils for their selenium concentrations. Multiple sites across southeastern Missouri were sampled, from which a total of twenty-six soils were collected. Parent materials ranged from coarse to fine-textured alluvium and terrace deposits, colluvium, loess, limestone residuum and rhyolite residuum from poor to well-drained soils. The mean whole soil selenium contents ranged from less than 0.1 mg Se kg-1 for the Kaintuck pedons to 1.0, 2.2, and 2.4 mg Se kg-1 for the Irondale, Killarney, and Frenchmill pedons. For individual soils, Menfro pedons were deep, well-drained soils developed in loess. Paired Menfro pedons having similar soil morphology and having A-E-BE-Bt-C horizon sequences were selected and the greatest selenium concentrations were in the argillic horizons. Soils having fine textures (clayey) had moderate selenium concentrations, whereas soils having coarse textures (sandy) revealed minimal selenium concentrations. A wide soil selenium concentration variation was shown;however, no toxic selenium levels were measured. Therefore, soil selenium toxicity is not a regional issue. Noting that soil selenium concentrations in medium to fine-textured soils are appropriate for providing selenium to livestock, the need to artificially soil incorporate selenium or add selenium into the livestock ration remains critical for coarse-textured soils.

Expression of the Viral Antigen VP60 in Transgenic Potatoes and its Effect on the Nutritional Composition of Tubers

Recombinant plant-derived pharmaceuticals have been investigated for the last two decades and some products will soon be brought to market. Since veterinary pharmaceuticals seem to be the front-runners of plant-derived vaccines, we selected one model subunit vaccine, the structural capsid protein VP60 against rabbit haemorrhagic disease, and ana-lyzed the expression of three different sequences representing the vp60 open reading frame in potato plants. The gen-eration of antigenic VP60 molecules in the leaf and tuber tissue of potato was tremendously enhanced by replacing virus-derived sequences with plant-optimized codons. In order to identify potentially undesirable alterations in the composition of these genetically modified food components, we studied their nutrient composition and nutritional value in comparison to two parental conventional breeding varieties (Albatros and Desiree). The largest differences in nutrient composition were found between the two conventional breeds and between conventional Desiree and its near-isogenic genetically modified potato plant, indicating that genetic modification as well as conventional breeding can influence nutrient composition. Nevertheless, most parameters of nutritional value seemed to be more affected by conventional breeding than by genetic modification.

开展陆生与水产养殖动物营养感知研究的展望

饲料在动物生长和健康中扮演着重要的角色,然而决定饲料表现的内在机一直是一个所谓的“黑箱”。直到近年来,研究证明营养素能够作为信号分子被细胞和机体感知,并在调控基因表达和代谢活动中起着至关重要的作用。多条分别感知不同营养素的信号通路被发现,营养感知信号调节也已在临床医学中被广泛用于药物开发与疾病控制。然而,在陆生和水产养殖动物中,对主要营养素(蛋白质、糖脂等)的营养感知和代谢调控的研究仍处于起步阶段。因此,我们针对未来在动物营养学中开展营养感知研究可能的研究主题和应用场景提出设想和建议。

Comprehensive evaluation of the metabolic effects of insect meal from Tenebrio molitor L.in growing pigs by transcriptomics, metabolomics and lipidomics

Background:The hypothesis was tested that insect meal(IM)as protein source influences intermediary metabolism of growing pigs.To test this,30 male,5-week-old crossbred pigs were randomly assigned to 3 groups of 10 pigs each with similar body weights(BW)and fed isonitrogenous diets either without(CON)or with 5%IM(IM5)or 10%IM(IM10)from Tenebrio molitor L.for 4 weeks and key metabolic tissues(liver,muscle,plasma)were analyzed using omics-techniques.Results:Most performance parameters did not differ across the groups,whereas ileal digestibilities of most amino acids were 6.7 to 15.6%-units lower in IM10 than in CON(P<0.05).Transcriptomics of liver and skeletal muscle revealed a total of 166 and 198,respectively,transcripts differentially expressed between IM10 and CON(P<0.05).Plasma metabolomics revealed higher concentrations of alanine,citrulline,glutamate,proline,serine,tyrosine and valine and a lower concentration of asparagine in IM10 than in CON(P<0.05).Only one out of fourteen quantifiable amino acid metabolites,namely methionine sulfoxide(MetS),in plasma was elevated by 45%and 71%in IM5 and IM10,respectively,compared to CON(P<0.05).Plasma concentrations of both,major carnitine/acylcarnitine species and bile acids were not different across groups.Lipidomics of liver and plasma demonstrated no differences in the concentrations of triacylglycerols,cholesterol and the main phospholipids,lysophospholipids and sphingolipids between groups.The percentages of all individual phosphatidylcholine(PC)and phosphatidylethanolamine(PE)species in the liver showed no differences between groups,except those with 6 double bonds(PC 38:6,PC 40:6,PE 38:6,PE 40:6),which were markedly lower in IM10 than in CON(P<0.05).In line with this,the percentage of C22:6n-3 in hepatic total lipids was lower in IM10 than in the other groups(P<0.05).Conclusions:Comprehensive analyzes of the transcriptome,lipidome and metabolome of key metabolic tissues indicate that partial or complete replacement of a conventional protein source by IM in the diet has only a weak impact on the intermediary metabolism of growing pigs.Thus,it is concluded that IM from Tenebrio molitor L.can be used as a dietary source of protein in pigs without causing adverse effects on metabolism.

Effects of supplementation of green tea extract on the milk performance of peripartal dairy cows and the expression of stress response genes in the liver

Background: We hypothesised that supplementation of green tea extract(GTE) in dairy cows during the transition period can attenuate proinflammatory conditions and prevent endoplasmic reticulum(ER) stress in the liver of these cows. Thirty Holstein cows with an average parity of 3.06(± 1.31, SD) were divided into a control group and a group that received a daily amount of 10 g of GTE from d 7 before the calving day and a daily amount of 20 g of GTE from the day of calving until d 7 of lactation.Results: Cows supplemented with GTE did not show differences in energy intake or milk yield in weeks 2–7 of lactation. However, these cows had a lower milk fat concentration and a lower energy corrected milk yield than the control cows and showed a trend of improved energy balance. The relative m RNA concentrations of proinflammatory genes, genes involved in the acute phase reaction and antioxidant genes in the liver in weeks 1, 4 and 7 of lactation were not different between the two groups of cows. The concentrations of α-tocopherol and the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity in plasma were not different between the two groups. However, the group supplemented with GTE showed significant reductions of some genes of the unfolded protein response(UPR) in week 1 and a trend of lower liver triacylglycerol(TAG) concentrations in the liver compared to the control group.Conclusions: This study shows that supplementation of GTE in dairy cows lowers the fat concentration in the milk but overall has no effect on the expression of inflammatory genes and the antioxidative status in dairy cows during early lactation. The finding of reduced m RNA levels of genes involved in the UPR at week 1, however, supports other results showing that supplementation of polyphenols could prevent the development of ER stress in the liver of cows during early lactation. The finding of a tendency towards a reduced TAG concentration in the liver of cows supplemented with GTE might be due to an improved energy balance in these cows.