Amino acid digestibility in low-fat distillers dried grains with solubles fed to growing pigs

The objective of this experiment was to determine the standardized ileal digestibility（SID） of amino acids（AA） in 3sources of distillers dried grains with solubles（DDGS） with different concentrations of fat.Twelve growing barrows（initial body weight：76.1 ± 6.2 kg） were randomly allotted to a replicated 6×4 Youden square design with 6 diets and 4 periods.The fat content of the 3 sources of DDGS were 11.5,7.5,and 6.9%respectively.Diets contained 60%DDGS and fat concentration of the diets were 7.5,52,and 5.2%,respectively.Two additional diets containing the 2sources of DDGS with 75 and 6.9%fat were also formulated,and corn oil was added to these diets to increase the concentration of fat in the diets to levels that were calculated to be similar to the diet containing conventional DDGS with 11.5%fat.A N-free diet was also formulated to calculate endogenous losses of crude protein（CP） and AA from the pigs.Pigs were fed experimental diets during four 7-d periods.The first 5 d of each period were an adaptation period and ileal digesta were collected on d 6 and 7 of each period.The apparent ileal digestibililty（AID） and SID of CP and all indispensable AA,except AID Pro and SID of Trp,were greater（P 〈 0.01） in conventional DDGS than in the 2 sources of DDGS with reduced fat.Adding oil to the diets containing the 2 sources of DDGS with reduced fat did not consistently increase SID of AA.In conclusion,conventional DDGS has greater SID values for most AA compared with DDGS that contains less fat and inclusion of additional oil to diets containing low-fat DDGS does not increase AID or SID of AA.The lower AA digestibility in low-fat DDGS could not be overcome by the inclusion of additional fat to the diets.

Effects of graded fiber level and caecectomy on metabolizable energy value and amino acid digestibility in geese

This study was carried out to evaluate the effects of graded levels of fiber from rice hull and the caecectomy on metabolizable energy（ME） and amino acid digestibility（AAD） in 42 Wuzong geese（21 intact and 21 caecectomized）. The experiment was a 3×2 factorial randomized design with 3 fiber levels and 2 treatments of geese（caecectomized and intact）. Each of the 3 diets was tube-fed（60 g） to 7 caecectomized and 7 intact adult Wuzong geese that had been fasted for 24 h. Excreta were collected for the next 48 h. The same geese were also fasted for estimation of endogenous losses of amino acids（AA） and energy after short period recovery. AA content and metabolizable energy value were determined in the excreta. In general, significant effects were found for fiber levels on apparent digestibility of Thr, Leu, Pro, Glu,Val, Ala and total AA（P〈0.05）. Apparent metabolizable energy（AME） and true metabolizable energy（TME） were both significantly influenced by increased fiber levels（P〈0.01）. Compared with caecectomized geese, markedly increases of AME and TME were found in intact geese（P〈0.01 for AME and P 〈0.05 for TME）, but no difference in the AAD were found between intact and caecectomized geese（P〉0.05）, except for Lys and Try（P〈0.05）. These observations suggested that dietary fiber level played an important role in digestibility of AAD and ME. Intact geese should be chosen for the nutrient evaluation of feedstuffs in practice, resulting from the significant difference between caecectomized and intact geese.

Chemical composition,energy and amino acid digestibility in double-low rapeseed meal fed to growing pigs

Background： The nutritional value of rapeseed meal may be variable due to the variation of its chemical composition. And a precise understandin9 of the nutritional value of an ingredient is beneficial for the accurate diet formulation and reduction of feed costs. This study was conducted to determine the chemical composition, dicjestible energy （DE） and metabolizable enercjy （ME） content, and apparent ileal digestibility （AID） and standardized ileal dicjestibility （SID） of amino acids （AA） for growincj pigs. Thirteen solvent-extracted double-low rapeseed meal （DLIRSM） samples were obtained from the main double-low rapeseed producing areas in China. Methods： The DE and ME contents of the 13 DLRSM samples were measured in cjrowin9 pigs （six pigs per DLRSM sample, average initial body weicjht （BW） =48.3 kg）. The AID and SID of AA of 10 DLRSM samples were determined in 12 crossbred barrows （average initial BW = 35.3 kcj） by using two 6 x 6 Latin square designs. Each Latin square comprised one N-flee diet and 5 DLRSM test diets. Results： The chemical composition of DLRSM varied among samples, and the coefficient of variation was greater than ]0 % for ether extract （EE）, neutral detergent fiber （NDF）, acid detergent fiber （ADF）, calcium （Ca）, and total 91ucosinolates. The AA content of DLRSM varied among samples especially for lysine （Lys） and methionine （Met）. On a dry matter （DM） basis, the apparent total tract digestibility （ATFD） of gross energy （GE）, the DE and ME and the ME：DE ratio of DLRSM averaged 62.39 %, 2862 kcal/k9 and 2723 kcal/kcj, and 94.95 %, respectively. The mean value of S1D of Lys was 70.52 % which varied from 66.54-76.54 %. The SID of crude protein （CP）, Met, and threonine （Thr） averaged 72.81%, 82.41%, and 69.76 %, respectively. Conclusions： There was great variability in chemical composition especially in the concentration of EE, NDF and ADF, but no significant differences in energy content of the DLIRSM samples were observed. In addition, the AID and SID of all AA were relatively similar amoncj DLRSM samples except for that of Lys.

Comparative ileal amino acid digestibility of distillers' grains for growing pigs

The objective of the experiment reported here was to investigate and compare the amino acid(AA)digestibility of distillers' dried grains(DDG), distillers' dried grains with solubles(DDGS), high protein distillers' dried grains(HP-DDG), and high protein distillers' dried grains with solubles(HP-DDGS) in growing pigs. Five semi-purified diets consisting of DDG, DDGS, HP-DDG, HP-DDGS, and nitrogen-free diet(NFD) were fed to pigs fitted with simple T-cannula for 5 observations per diet. Endogenous losses of AA at the terminal ileum of pigs that received the NFD were used to calculate standardized ileal digestibility(SID) of AA from apparent ileal digestibility(AID) of AA. The AID of Lys in DDGS was lower(P < 0.05) than that in DDG, which was also lower(P < 0.05) than that in HP-DDG. There were no differences in AID of Met among DDG, DDGS and HP-DDGS, but was greater(P < 0.05) in HP-DDG than in DDG or DDGS. The AID of Thr in HP-DDG was greater(P < 0.05) than that in DDGS but not different from that in DDG or HP-DDGS. The branched-chain AA Ile and Leu had greater(P < 0.05) AID in HP-DDG than in DDG, DDGS or HP-DDGS, and there was no difference among DDG, DDGS, and HP-DDGS. The AID of Trp in DDG and DDGS or HP-DDG and HP-DDGS were not different, but the AID of Trp in HP-DDGS was greater(P < 0.05) than that of DDGS. The greatest SID of the indispensable AA was in HP-DDG. Except for Arg and Lys in which DDG had greater(P < 0.05) digestibility, there was no difference between DDG and DDGS in the SID of the indispensable AA. The SID of Lys in DDG was greater(P < 0.05) than that of DDGS but there was no difference between that of DDG and HP-DDGS. Only His, Ile, and Met had lower(P < 0.05) SID in HP-DDGS than HP-DDG within the indispensable AA. The SID of Ala, Asp, Cys, GIu, Gly,Ser and Tyr were lower(P < 0.05) in DDGS than in HP-DDG. There SID of dispensable AA in DDG was not different from that of HP-DDGS. The current study provided apparent and standardized ileal amino acids digestibility values for traditional and high-protein corn distillers' dried grains coproducts for use in formulating swine diets. Amino acid digestibility was generally higher in HP-DDG than in other tested co-products of the dry grind processing of corn for ethanol.

Effect of graded levels of fiber from alfalfa meal on apparent and standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids of growing pigs

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of fiber level from alfalfa meal and sampling time on the apparent ileal digestibility（AID） and standardized ileal digestibility（SID） of amino acids（AA） in growing pigs. A total of 24 ileal-cannulated pigs（Duroc×（Large White×Landrace） with body weight（21.4±1.5） kg） were randomly allotted to 4 treatments. The pigs were provided a corn-soybean meal diet or a diet containing 5, 10 or 20% of alfalfa meal during two 10-d experimental periods. The AID of AA was measured. Six ileal-cannulated pigs were fed a protein-free diet in order to estimate the endogenous protein losses and SID of AA. Ileal AA digestibility was not affected by inclusion of 5 or 10% alfalfa meal in the diet（P〉0.05）. The AID of His, Lys, Met, Phe, Thr, Val, Ala, Asp, Cys, Gly, Pro, Ser and Tyr reduced by 2.0–6.8% with the addition level of alfalfa meal（linear, P〈0.05）. The SID of His, Lys, Ser, Thr and Tyr decreased by 2.2–4.3% as the level of alfalfa meal in the diet increased（linear, P〈0.05）. The AID and SID of AA were not affected by the sampling time（P〉0.05）. A multiple linear regression analysis, taking into account both the soluble and insoluble fiber content in the diets, explained more than 36% of variation in SID of Ser and Thr（P〈0.05）. In conclusion, the corn-soybean meal diet containing 10% of alfalfa meal did not affect ileal AA digestion. The AID and SID of AA were similar between two sampling times. Increasing the concentration of total dietary fiber from 12.3 to 21.4% by adding graded levels of alfalfa meal（0–20%） to a corn-soybean meal control diet induced a linear reduction in AID and SID of most AA. Soluble and insoluble fibers from alfalfa meal have differential roles in the AA digestion, which may help explain the variation observed in the SID of partial AA. These findings would provide important information for dietary fiber level and composition related to AA digestion.

The ontogeny of acidic digestive tract in larval turbot Scophthalmus maximus based on H+/K+-ATPase and pepsinogen

Acidic digestion is an important digestive process of marine fish.In fish stomach,two enzymes are involved in the secretion of hydrochloric acid(HCl)and proteomic digestion:H^(+)/K^(+)-ATPase and pepsinogen.However,the starting of digestive function in fish is still unclear.To reveal the details of acidic digestion of turbot Scophthalmus maximus in early development,a 40 day of turbot larvae culture was conducted.The H^(+)/K^(+)-ATPase gene from the turbot S.maximus(smH^(+)/K^(+)-ATPase)was identified and characterized.Based on our previous discription on pepsinogen of turbot S.maximus,we combined pepsinogen and H^(+)/K^(+)-ATPase and analyzed the mechanism of acidic digestion in turbot.Results show that the spatial and temporal expression profiles of H^(+)/K^(+)-ATPase agreed with pepsinogen A and C in turbot,indicating a synergetic action between H^(+)/K^(+)-ATPase and pepsinogen during the acidic digestion process.In addition,the turbot juveniles showed a faster growth after the expressions of H^(+)/K^(+)-ATPase gene and pepsinogen gene,demonstrating that pepsin had a higher digestive efficiency,for which a compound diet should be provided to the fish from Day 22 onward.This study provided a reference for biology research and aquaculture of turbot and other marine fishes.

A Comparative Study of the Difference Method and the Enzyme-Hydrolyzed Casein Method for Determining True Amino Acid Digestibilities and Endogenous Amino Acid Losses in Duck Feed

In this study, we examined the varia- tions between the difference method and the enzyme- hydrolyzed casein method for determining endogenous amino acid loss and the true amino acid digestibility in ducks fed normal protein-containing diets. These methods were compared to the nitrogen-free （N-free） diet method. The difference method was based on soy- bean meal as the only protein source, with the experi- mental diets containing crude protein levels at 15% and 20%. The enzyme-hydrolyzed casein method was based on enzyme-hydrolyzed casein meal as the pro- tein source, with the experimental diet containing a crude protein level of 17.5%. The N-free diet was prepared with starches and paper fibers. In each meth- od,64 Tianfu meat drakes （7-weeks-old） with an av- erage body weight of 2.77±0.16 kg were used and divided into four groups, and fed four different diets. Each group contained four replicates of four drakes and they were force fed trial diets according to the Sirbald method for detecting their apparent amino aciddigestibility, endogenous amino acid loss and true a- mino acid digestibility. The results demonstrated that using the difference, enzyme-hydrolyzed casein and N-free diet methods, endogenous amino acid losses were 0. 9946,1. 2243 and 0. 9297 mg/g dry matter in- take （ DMI）, respectively. The true amino acid digest- ibility measured by the difference method was 88.93 %±4.43 %. Using the enzyme-hydrolyzed ca- sein method with two dietary crude protein levels of 15% and 20%, the digestibility was 91.15%±4.33% and 91.97%±4. 16%, respectively, and by the N-free diet methods with two dietary crude protein levels of 15% and 20% ,it was 88.55%±4.29% and 88.82 %±4.61%, respectively. The results suggested that when the dietary protein level was 15% to 20 %, the true amino acid digestibility and endogenous ami- no acid loss as determined by the difference method was more accurate than the values determined by the enzyme-hydrolyzed casein method.

Optimization of an innovative approach involving mechanical activation and acid digestion for the extraction of lithium from lepidolite

The recovery of lithium from hard rock minerals has received increased attention given the high demand for this element. There- fore, this study optimized an innovative process, which does not require a high-temperature calcination step, for lithium extraction from le- pidolite. Mechanical activation and acid digestion were suggested as crucial process parameters, and experimental design and re- sponse-surface methodology were applied to model and optimize the proposed lithium extraction process. The promoting effect of amorphi- zation and the formation of lithium sulfate hydrate on lithium extraction yield were assessed. Several factor combinations led to extraction yields that exceeded 90%, indicating that the proposed process is an effective approach for lithium recovery.

Determination of Hf–Sr–Nd isotopic ratios by MC-ICP-MS using rapid acid digestion after flux-free fusion in geological materials

In this study, we established a rapid acid digestion for determining Hf-Sr-Nd isotopic ratios of geological samples by using MC-ICP-MS. Conditions of 1600 ℃ for 1 min and 1400 ℃ for 1 min were adopted for fusing intrusive rocks and extrusive rocks, respectively. The rapid acid digestion technique is superior in digestion time compared with high-pressure PTFE bomb method. The procedural blanks of the method were also lower than that flux fusion. Replicate analyses of international certified reference materials （CRMs） indicate that isotopic ratios of ^176Hf/^177Hf, ^87Sr/^86Sr and 143Nd/144Nd agree well with previously published data. The external reproducibility （2SD, n = 5） of ten CRMs are ±0.000030 for ^87Sr/^86Sr, ± 0.000030 for ^143Nd/^144Nd, and ±0.000018 for ^176Hf/^177Hf.

Progress in ileal endogenous amino acid flow research in poultry

The progress in our understanding of the endogenous protein concept over the past century is reviewed.Nondietary proteins found in the digesta at the terminal ileum of poultry,known as endogenous protein loss,are comprised of digestive secretions,mucus and sloughed gut epithelial cells.The measurement of this loss is of fundamental importance because it is an indicator of gut metabolism and is essential to adjust apparent estimates of ileal amino acid digestibility.The ileal endogenous amino acid losses comprise of two components,namely basal and specific losses.The basal losses are fixed and associated with feed dry matter intake,whereas the specific losses are variable and induced by the presence of dietary components such as fibre and anti-nutrients.Currently there is no methodology available to directly measure the specific endogenous losses and these losses are calculated by determining the basal and total(basal plus specific)losses and,then subtracting the basal losses from total losses.The seminal features,specific applications and shortcomings of available methodologies are briefly outlined as well as the practical challenges faced in using the published endogenous amino acid loss values for true digestibility corrections.The relevance of taurine as a component of endogenous protein flow in poultry is identified for the first time.

Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum and fibrolytic enzyme on the fermentation quality and in vitro digestibility of total mixed rations silage including rape straw

The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of a lactic acid bacteria inoculant（Lactobacillus plantarum, LP）, fibrolytic enzyme（EN）, combination of LP and EN（LP＋EN） on fermentation quality, nutritive characteristics and in vitro digestibility of total mixed ration（TMR） silages containing 0, 7.5 and 15.0%（on dry matter basis） of rape（Brassica campestris L.） straw（RS）（denoted as CTMR, LTMR and MTMR, respectively）. After ensiling for 60 days, TMR silages without additives were well preserved, but MTMR had higher p H than CTMR and LTMR. There were no differences in other parameters of fermentation quality, microbial composition, nutrition and in vitro digestibility between CTMR and LTMR except for yeast and mold number and crude protein（CP） content. CTMR and LTMR silage had higher CP content, in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility（IVNDFD） and in vitro acid detergent fiber digestibility（IVADFD）, lower acid detergent fiber（ADF） content than MTMR silage. LP and EN decreased p H and increased dry matter（DM） recovery of TMR silages. LP＋EN improved the fermentation quality, nutritive characteristics and in vitro digestibility of TMR silages, showed by lower p H, ADF content, higher lactic acid content, in vitro dry matter digestibility（IVDMD） and IVNDFD. Therefore, It was suggested that TMR silage contained 7.5% RS on a DM basis and treated with LP＋EN can be as a useful feed for ruminant.

Effects of Microencapsulated Compound Acidifier on Acidity and Development of Gastrointestinal Tract in Weaning Piglets

The effects of different types of compound acidifiers （encapsulated and non-encapsulated） in maize-soybean basic diets on acidity and development of the gastrointestinal tract in weaning piglets were investigated in this study. 64 28-day-old weaned Landrace x Yorkshire hybrid piglets with average weight of （7.00 ±0.10） kg were selected and grouped into four treatments with four pigs （ half boars and half sows） in each repeat of four repeats in each treatment based on single-factor test design principles, and the pre-test period was 3 days but the test period was 35 days. The results showed that compared with acid-free diet group, encapsulated compound acidifier could reduce pH of stomach and intestinal in weaning piglets significantly （P 〈 0.01 ）, while Test group 1 could also increase the relative weight of stomach and intestinal in piglets significantly （P 〈 0.05 ）. Compared with non-encapsulated acidifier, encapsulated compound acidifier could greatly decrease pH in jejunum and ileum of weaning piglets （ P 〈 0.05） or relative weight of stomach in piglets （ P〈0.05）, while Test group 1 could also enhance the relative weight of intestinal in piglets significantly （ P 〈0.01 ）. In addition, encapsulated compound acidifiers significantly increased the ratio between the villus height and crypt depth of jejunum （ P 〈0.01 ）. Accordingly, the microencapsulated compound acidifier in diets of weaning piglets can promote the development of gastrointestinal tracts for piglets by reducing pH of gastrointestinal tracts.

Effects of benzoic acid(Vevo Vitall) on the performance and jejunal digestive physiology in young pigs

Background： As a organic acid, benzoic acid has become one of the most important alternatives for antibiotics,and its beneficial effect on performance in animals has been proven for a decade. However, knowledge of the effects of benzoic acid on jejunal digestive physiology, especially the antioxidant capacity and mucosal glucagon-like peptide2（GLP-2） concentrations is lacking.Methods： A total of 20 barrows [Duroc ×（Yorkshire × Landrace）] with an average body weight（BW） of 18.75 ± 0.2 kg were used in a 14-d trial to determine the potential mechanisms of benzoic acid supplementation on the performance,nutrient digestibility and jejunal digestive physiology in young pigs. All pigs were randomly allotted to 1 of 2 diets supplemented with 0 or 5000 mg/kg benzoic acid.Results： Relative to the control, benzoic acid supplementation increased the average daily feed intake（ADFI）, and average daily gain（ADG） in young pigs（P 〈 0.05）, improved the apparent total tract digestibility of dry matter（DM）,crude protein（CP）, ether extract（EE）, gross energy（GE） and crude ash（P 〈 0.05）, and enhanced the activities of trypsin,lipase and amylase in the jejunum（P 〈 0.05）. Similarly, relative to the control, supplementing benzoic acid in the diet resulted in a trend to reduce the p H values of the digesta（P = 0.06）, decreased crypt depth and increased the villus height to crypt depth ratio（P 〈 0.05） in the jejunum of pigs. Finally, benzoic acid supplementation increased the mR NA expression and concentration of glucagon-like peptide 2 and the activities of glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase in the jejunal mucosa of young pigs（P 〈 0.05）.Conclusions： In conclusion, supplementation with 5000 mg/kg benzoic acid improved the performance of young pigs through promoting nutrient digestion, improving jejunal antioxidant capacity, and maintaining the jejunal morphology in young pigs.

Effect of Dietary Nitrogen Corrected-True Metabolism Energy and Digestible Amino Acids on Broiler Breeder Reproductive Performance

A study was conducted to determine the effects of dietary digestible amino acids of feedstuffs and true metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen on broiler breeder performance in 50 weeks to 64 weeks of age. 140 females and 20 males broiler breeders in 4 treatments with 5 replicates （7 females with a male） were used in the form of a completely randomized trial design 2 ~ 2 factorial. Four experimental diets were formulation based on two factors, first factor was included, two types of Apparent and True Metabolizable Energy corrected for Nitrogen （AMEn and TMEn） and the second factor was included, two types of Total Amino Acids （TAA） and Digestible （DAA） of feedstuffs. The result showed that egg weight, egg production （%） and egg mass （g/hen/day） was significantly different which was affected by diets formulation based on energy and interaction between energy and amino acids （P 〈 0.01）. Treatment 2 （AMEn ＋ DAA） was at the highest level significantly different （P 〈 0.01） in egg weight 68.97 g, egg production 62.45%, and egg mass 43. i g/hen/day. Hatching eggs were significantly different which was affected by diet formulation based on amino acids. Fertility, hatchability and number of chicks per hen were significant different, that were affected by diet formulation based on energy （P 〈 0.05）. Interaction between two factors, were significantly different in two reproductive traits fertility and hatchability （P 〈 0.05）. This experiment showed that diet formulation based on AMEn and DAA for broiler breeder was better and significant on performance.

Effect of High Digestible Essential Amino Acids on Weight Gains and Carcass Compositions of Laying Hens

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of high digestible essential amino acids （DEAA） on weight gains and carcass compositions of laying hens. Three hundred and sixty lsa Brown hens in five replications per treatment （12 birds/replicate） were used. Six experimental diets which contained of treatment 1 （negative control） as the conventional layer diet are recommended by NRC （1994） while another dietary treatments; treatments 2 （positive control）, 3, 4, 5 and 6 were formulated to meet 100%, 110%, 120%, 130% and 140% of Standard Ileal Digestible Lysine Levels （SIDLL） without crude protein minimum, while methionine （Met）, threonine （Thre） and tryptophan （Tryp） as related by Ideal Protein Concept （IPC） which suggested by NRC （1994） and INRA （2004）. However, metabolizable energy （ME）, calcium and available phosphorus （Avai P） levels of all experimental diets were meet requirement as recommended by NRC （1994）. The experiment was assigned in CRD and laying hens fed dietary treatments from 28 to 44 weeks of age and cage was the experimental unit （3 hens/cage）. The result shown that percentages of thigh （TP）, feet （FP）, drumstick （DP）, heart （HP）, liver （LP） and gizzard （GP） were not affected by dietary treatment. However, weight gains （WG） and percentage of dressed weight （DWP）, eviscerate weight （EWP） and breast （BP） were increased （P 〈 0.05） and abdominal fat was reduced （P 〈 0.05） when birds fad diets containing 130% of SIDLL as compared with control group and another dietary treatments, when increasing the DEAA levels upper to 130% of SIDLL. The result indicated that diets formulated without crude protein minimum and increased DEAA resulted in increasing the efficiency of converting metabolizable energy （ME） to net energy （NE） for increasing weight gain and improved meat products while fat deposition in carcass composition was reduced.

Determination of the available energy,standardized ileal digestibility of amino acids of fermented corn germ meal replacing soybean meal in growing pig diets

Three experiments were conducted to compare the digestible(DE),metabolizable energy(ME),and standardized ileal digestibility(SID)of amino acids(AA)in fermented corn germ meal(FCGM)and soybean meal(SBM),and evaluate the effects of FCGM replacing SBM in growing pig diets.In Exp.1,18 barrows with initial body weight(BW)of 60.2±3.40 kg were randomly allotted to 3 treatments with 6 replicates per treatment.The control diet used corn as the only energy ingredient,and 2 test diets were made by replacing 25.8%of corn with FCGM or SBM.The DE and ME of FCGM were less(P<0.01)than those of SBM.In Exp.2,18 barrows(59.3±2.52 kg BW)with ileal T-cannulas were randomly allotted to 3 treatments with 6 replicates per treatment.The SID of arginine,tryptophan and proline were greater(P<0.05)and the tyrosine was less(P=0.01)in SBM compared with FCGM.In Exp.3,144 growing pigs(56.1±5.22 kg BW)were randomly allotted to 4 treatments with 6 pens per treatment(3 barrows and 3 gilts per pen).Four diets(FCGM0,FCGM10,FCGM20 and FCGM30)were formulated using FCGM to replace 0%,10%,20%and 30%of SBM,respectively.The ME and SID values of AA of SBM and FCGM were determined by Exp.1 and 2.Results showed that increasing FCGM inclusion quadratically(P<0.05)increased the average daily gain(ADG),average daily feed intake,and the levels of serum immunoglobulin G(IgG)and urea nitrogen,and linearly(P<0.05)increased the serum IgM,the propanoic acid,butyric acid,total volatile fatty acid(VFA)and the Shannon index of microbiota in feces.Besides,the relative abundance of genus Streptococcus in FCGM0,Lactobacillus in FCGM10 and Lachnospiraceae in FCGM30 were increased(P<0.05)compared with other treatments.In conclusion,we recommend replacing 11.80%of SBM with FCGM to obtain the optimal ADG of growing pigs.Moreover,as the ratio of FCGM replacing SBM increased in diet,the immunity,intestinal microbiota and total VFA composition of growing pigs were improved.

Comparison of two pretreatment methods for mercury stable isotope analysis in Antarctic moss

Mercury （Hg） stable isotope analysis can provide new insight for understanding the biogeochemistry and sources of Hg in the polar regions. To completely extract the low contents of Hg in polar samples and to avoid isotopic fractionation during the sample preparation stage, an effective and reliable pretreatment method is needed. In this work, two different pretreatment methods were compared for measuring Hg stable isotopes in Antarctic moss samples. One method was acid digestion （HNO3 ： H2O2=5 ： 3, v/v） and the second was a combustion-trapping treatment with a trapping solution （HNO3：HCl=2：1, v/v）. There were no significant differences in the analytical results obtained with the two methods. The overall mean values and uncertainties of total Hg （THg） and the isotopic compositions of Hg in the referenced materials were all in good agreement with the certified and reported values, indicating that both methods were accurate and applicable. Acid digestion is highly efficient, while the combustion-trapping method can be used to treat samples with low Hg content. The proposed methods were successfully used to determine the Hg isotopic compositions in moss samples collected from the Antarctic.

Investigation of Subsurface Contamination due to Chromium from Tannery Effluent in Kasur District of Pakistan

The present study is conducted in the scenario of the tannery waste hazards in Kasur district of Pakistan where the tannery industry is considered as major cause of groundwater quality deterioration, Area focused in this research constitutes the surroundings of the effluent carrying drains near tannery units. This study includes soil explorations, groundwater monitoring and wastewater analysis in the research area so as to find out the contamination extent of chromium in subsurface. Initial groundwater monitoring exhibited chromium concentrations as high as 90 mg/L in the tannery area. Even groundwater sampling from monitoring wells installed in the adjacent areas of effluent carrying drains, showed concentrations up to 10.4 mg/L. Wastewater analysis of all the drains in the research area has evidenced potential risk of contaminant seepage into soil and groundwater as level of chromium in wastewater samples has reported to be immensely high and varies from 68 mg/L to 2,152 mg/L. However the 30 soil samples collected from two soil bores did not show any significant results as the maximum values obtained for hexavalent chromium for leaching and retained in soil are 0.02 mg/L and 8.1 mg/kg, respectively. These low concentrations of soil samples suggest that the soil contamination may not be a main environmental issue in the areas adjacent to the effluent carrying drains, The research concludes as possibility of direct interference of the tannery wastewater with groundwater through damaged structures and sewers.

Optimization of acid digestion conditions on the extraction of fatty acids from stalagmites

Lipids in stalagmites have been shown the potential for the paleoclimate reconstruction. However, the low lipid content leads to the difficulty in gaining high resolution lipid record in stalagmites because large mass of samples are required. Previous studies have validated that the acid digestion can improve the yield of lipids, especially fatty acids （FAs） and 3-hydroxy fatty acids （3- OH-FAs）. In order to obtain more content of FAs and 3- OH-FAs with limited stalagmite sample weight, we investigate here how the acid digestion conditions （HC1 concentration, heating temperature and time duration） could affect the yields of FAs and 3-OH-FAs. Under different concentration of HC1, from 2.0 to 6.0 mol/L, the FAs keep the same step in content variation with 3-OH- FAs, and the highest yields of both two appeared under the 3 mol/L HCl. The content of 3-OH-FAs increases posi- tively with the heating temperature from 80℃ to 150℃, while FAs showed the highest content at 130℃. Both of FAs and 3-OH-FAs firstly increased to a high content and then decreased as the heating time duration varies from 1.0 to 4.0 h, with the highest yields of both two being at 3.0 h. Consequently, we suggest the optimized acid digestion condition is under 3 mol/L HC1, heating at 130℃ for 3 h and 5 g of each stalagmite sample are sufficient for the lipid analysis.

Editor profile:Guest editor of special issue “Bile Acids and Nuclear Receptors in Digestive System and Therapy”

Associate Prof.Grace Liejun Guo is a tenured faculty in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the School of Pharmacy at the Rutgers University in New Jersey,USA.Dr.Guo graduated from the West China University of Medical Sciences in 1993.In 1997,Dr.Guo obtained a MS degree