Genetic analyses of ancient tea trees provide insights into the breeding history and dissemination of Chinese Assam tea(Camellia sinensis var.assamica)

Chinese Assam tea(Camellia sinensis var.assamica)is an important tea crop with a long history of cultivation in Yunnan,China.Despite its potential value as a genetic resource,its genetic diversity and domestication/breeding history remain unclear.To address this issue,we genotyped 469 ancient tea plant trees representing 26 C.sinensis var.assamica populations,plus two of its wild relatives(six and three populations of C.taliensis and C.crassicolumna,respectively)using 16 nuclear microsatellite loci.Results showed that Chinese Assam tea has a relatively high,but comparatively lower gene diversity(H_(S)=0.638)than the wild relative C.crassicolumna(H_S=0.658).Clustering in STRUCTURE indicated that Chinese Assam tea and its two wild relatives formed distinct genetic groups,with considerable interspecific introgression.The Chinese Assam tea accessions clustered into three gene pools,corresponding well with their geographic distribution.However,New Hybrids analysis indicated that 68.48%of ancient Chinese Assam tea plants from Xishuangbanna were genetic intermediates between the Puer and Lincang gene pools.In addition,10%of the ancient Chinese Assam tea individuals were found to be hybrids between Chinese Assam tea and C.taliensis.Our results suggest that Chinese Assam tea was domesticated separately in three gene pools(Puer,Lincang and Xishuangbanna)in the Mekong River valley and that the hybrids were subsequently selected during the domestication process.Although the domestication history of Chinese Assam tea in southwestern Yunnan remains complex,our results will help to identify valuable genetic resources that may be useful in future tea breeding programs.

Alleviatory effect of isoquercetin on benign prostatic hyperplasia via IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway

We evaluated the effect of isoquercetin(quercetin-O-3-glucoside-quercetin,IQ)as a functional component of Abeliophyllum disistichum Nakai ethanol extract(ADLE)on prostate cell proliferation and apoptosis and its effects on the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in benign prostatic hyperplasia(BPH).Metabolites in ADLE were analyzed using UHPLC-qTOF-MS and HPLC.IQ was orally administered(1 or 10 mg/kg)to a testosterone propionate-induced BPH rat model,and its effects on the prostate weight were evaluated.The effect of IQ on androgen receptor(AR)signaling was analyzed in LNCaP cells.Whether IGF-1 and IQ affect the IGF-1/PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway in BPH-1 cells was also examined.The metabolites in ADLE were identified and quantified,which confirmed that ADLE contained abundant IQ(20.88 mg/g).IQ significantly reduced the prostate size in a concentration-dependent manner in a BPH rat model,and significantly decreased the expression of AR signaling factors in the rat prostate tissue and LNCaP cells in a concentration-dependent manner.IQ also inhibited the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway activated by IGF-1 treatment in BPH-1 cells.In BPH-1 cells,IQ led to G0/G1 arrest and suppressed the expression of proliferation factors while inducing apoptosis.Thus,IQ shows potential for use as a pharmaceutical and nutraceutical for BPH.

Growth Efficiency of Local Chickens Using Sweet Potato Vine with Concentration Feed as a Basal Diet

The experiment was conducted at the animal experimental station of the Faculty of Animal Sciences,Royal University of Agriculture,commenced from 10 January to 14 March,2022.The CRD(Completely Randomized Design)was used with 5 treatments and 4 replications.The 500 chicks at one-day-old,local bread,were purchased from farmers who run their small scale hatchery farm.The chicks were kept together till 21 days old,and then were allocated randomly into in five diets(treatments),25 chicks per replication.The feed formulas for this study were designed and calculated to maintain a protein content of approximately 17%,dividing into 5 feed formulas(Treatments),such as concentrated feed only(control treatment:T0),plus 10%of fresh sweet potato vine(T1),plus 20%of fresh sweet potato vine(T2),plus 30%of fresh sweet potato vine(T3)and plus 20%of sweet potato vine meal(T4).The results showed that the treatment T1,had a similar final weight with the treatment T4,but was slightly lower than the treatment T0 which used concentrated feed alone.Feed intake and FCR(Feed Conversion Ratio)were not significantly different among those treatments.In conclusion,the average daily weight gain of chickens seemed to decrease with increasing the level of fresh sweet potato vine.Thus,the optimum level of fresh sweet potato vine was 10%,which may have little effect on the growth performance of local chickens.In addition,it was not far different from the positive control treatment and the treatment using sweet potato vine meal.However,the producers can increase the amount of sweet potato vine in feed formula by processing it into meal and mixing with concentrated feed or using as feed ingredients.

Evaluation of Terpenes’Degradation Rates by Rumen Fluid of Adapted and Non-adapted Animals

The aim of the present study was to evaluate terpenes degradation rate in the rumen fluid from adapted and non-adapted animals.Four castrated healthy animals,two rams and two bucks,were used.Animals were daily orally dosed for 2 weeks with 1 g of each of the following terpenes,α-pinene,limonene andβ-caryophyllene.At the end of each week,rumen fluid(RF)samples were assayed in vitro for their potential to degrade terpenes over time.For each animal,a 10 mL reaction medium(RM)at a ratio 1:9(v/v)was prepared and a terpenes solution at a concentration of 100μg/ml each,was added in each RM tube.Tubes were incubated at 39℃ under anaerobic conditions and their contents sampled at 0,2,4,8,21 and 24 h.RF could degrade terpenes as it was shown by the significantly(P<0.05)higher overall degradation rates.Individual terpene degradation rates,were significantly(P<0.05)higher in week 5 for limonene and marginally(P=0.083)higher also in week 5 forα-pinene.In conclusion,the findings of the present preliminary study suggest that terpenes can be degraded in the rumen fluid.

Cricket Farming for Animal Protein as Profitable Business for Small Farmers in Indonesia

Cricket is widely recognized in Indonesia especially in Java island, and commonly kept by village farmers for food and feed. In general, crickets has very short life cycle （60-70 d）, with three weeks of laying period and egg production within the range of 200-1,500 eggs/female. The female has capability for multiple mating with several males and therefore produces more fertile eggs. Serial studies including experiments on laboratory and field observation of local crickets had been conducted to evaluate the farming practices and reproductive performance of three local species （Gryllus spp., Gryllus mitratus and Gryllus testaceus） which were given local feeds--Manihot esculenta and Carica papaya leaves. The experiment was conducted in randomized block design with feed as the treatments and species as the block. Cliring crickets （G. mitratus） fed with M. esculenta leaves revealed the highest total egg production （1,478.22 eggs）, with daily egg production of 32.85 eggs/d, the longest laying period （45 d）, the lowest feed intake （0.28 g/head） and feed conversion （0.93 mg/egg）, compared to Cendawang crickets （G. testaceus） and Gryllus spp.. The revenue and cost （R/C） ratio was 1.4, indicating that small scale cricket enterprise could offer significant profit and could be chosen as an alternative activities for earning regular income.

The alarming surge of HIV/AIDS in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,Pakistan demands urgent attention

The escalating human immunodeficiency virus(HIV)outbreaks in Pakistan are a matter of concern for both general population and health care settings[1].The first case of HIV was reported in 1987.Since then,0.2 million people are living with HIV,63202 know their positive status,and 40652 patients are acquiring health assistance from 78 anti-retroviral therapy centers[2,3].According to reports,the cases of HIV/AIDS escalated to 75%within a decade since 2013,with merely 4500 in Pakistan[1,2].

Phenolic compounds of green tea: Health benefits and technological application in food

Green tea has been an important beverage for humans since ancient times, widely consumed and considered to have health benefits by traditional medicine in Asian countries. Green tea phenolic compounds are predominately composed of catechin derivatives, although other compounds such as flavonols and phenolic acids are also present in lower proportion. The bioactivity exerted by these compounds has been associated with reduced risk of severe illnesses such as cancer, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases. Particularly, epigallocatechin gallate has been implicated in alteration mechanisms with protective effect in these diseases as indicated by several studies about the effect of green tea consumption and mechanistic explanation through in vitro and in vivo experiments. The biological activity of green tea phenolic compounds also promotes a protective effect by antioxidant mechanisms in biological and food systems, preventing the oxidative damage by acting over either precursors or reactive species. Extraction of phenolic compounds influences the antioxidant activity and promotes adequate separation from green tea leaves to enhance the yield and/or antioxidant activity. Application of green tea phenolic compounds is of great interest because the antioxidant status of the products is enhanced and provides the product with additional antioxidant activity or reduces the undesirable changes of oxidative reactions while processing or storing food.In this scenario, meat and meat products are greatly influenced by oxidative deterioration and microbial spoilage, leading to reduced shelf life. Green tea extracts rich in phenolic compounds have been applied to increase shelf life with comparable effect to synthetic compounds, commonly used by food industry. Green tea has great importance in general health in technological application, however more studies are necessary to elucidate the impact in pathways related to other diseases and food applications.

Feeding of yeast(Candida spp.) improves in vitro ruminal fermentation of fibrous substrates

In vitro gas production technique（IVGPT） was used with the objective of determining the inclusion effect of live cells of two strains of Candida yeast on in vitro ruminal fermentation of two fibrous substrates. In order to achieve this, two experiments were performed： A） using oat straw（Avena sativa） as substrate; B） using alfalfa hay（Medicabo sativa） as substrate, comparing the effect of two different strains of Candida genre, both isolated from the rumen, on the mentioned substrates. Levica 25（Candida tropicalis） yeast belongs to the culture collection of the Institute of Animal Science, Cuba, and Levazoot 15（Candida norvegensis） yeast is part of the collection of the Faculty of Zootechnology and Ecology of the Autonomous University of Chihuahua, Mexico. Both strains demonstrated their potential in activating the ruminal fermentation. They stimulated（P〈0.0001） the ruminal fermentation of the substrates under study. However, the Levazoot strain stimulated the dry matter（DM） fermentation of alfalfa in 21.43%, more than Levica 25. It is concluded that there is an influence of yeast strain and diet on the rumen environment and, therefore, it is important to select the appropriate strain in every production condition.

Cloning and Sequence of Glycoprotein H Gene of Duck Plague Virus

The glycoprotein H （gH） gene homologue of duck plague virus （DPV） was cloned by degenerate polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and sequenced. It was located immediately downstream from the thymidine kinase gene （TK）. In addition, the 3＇-end of the gene homologue to herpesvirus UL21 was located downstream from the gH gene. DPV gH gene open reading frame （ORF） was 2 505 bp in length and its primary translation product was a polypeptide of 834 amino acids long. It possessed several characteristics of membrane glycoproteins, including an N-terminal hydrophobic signal sequence, an external domain containing eight putative N-linked glycosylation sites, a C-terminal transmembrane domain, and a charged cytoplasmic tail. Comparison with other herpesvirus revealed identities of 20.2, 25.1, 23.0, 23.0, 26.5 and 26.0% with the gH counterparts of the human herpesvirus virus 1 （HSV1）, equine herpesvirus 4 （EHV4）, bovine herpesvirus 1 （BHV1）, pseudorabies virus （PRV）, gallid herpesvirus 2 （GHV2） and gallid herpesvirus 3 （GHV3）, respectively.

Effect of sex and rearing system on the quality and mineral content of fiber from raeini cashmere goats

The aim of this study was to compare the quality characteristics and mineral content of the fiber from male and female cashmere goats raised under different management systems. Male and female Raeini cashmere goats （〈1.5 years of age, n=48） were selected from flocks raised at a government breeding station or raised commercially under either rural or nomadic conditions. The staple length, cashmere fiber diameter, coefficient of variation for fiber diameter, percentage of cashmere in a fleece, percentage of guard hair in a fleece and cashmere tenacity averaged 4.6 ±0.1 cm, 18.0 ±0.1 um, 20.9±0.4%, 66.1 ± 1.5%, 33.8± 1.5% and 1.8±0.2 gf/tex, respectively. The sulfur, copper and zinc content of the cashmere averaged 2.8 ± 0.1%, 0.00065 ± 0.00002% and 0.01276 ± 0.00025%, respectively. Rearing method significantly affected staple length, coefficient of variation of fiber diameter, cashmere tenacity and copper content. Males had a higher coefficient of variation of fiber diameter and cashmere tenacity than females （P 〈 0.05）.

Induced pluripotent stem cells throughout the animal kingdom:Availability and applications

Up until the mid 2000s, the capacity to generate every cell of an organism was exclusive to embryonic stem cells. In 2006, researchers Takahashi and Yamanaka developed an alternative method of generating embryonic-like stem cells from adult cells, which they coined induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Such iPSCs possess most of the advantages of embryonic stem cells without the ethical stigma associated with derivation of the latter. The possibility of generating “custom-made” pluripotent cells, ideal for patient-specific disease models, alongside their possible applications in regenerative medicine and reproduction, has drawn a lot of attention to the field with numbers of iPSC studies published growing exponentially. IPSCs have now been generated for a wide variety of species, including but not limited to, mouse, human, primate, wild felines, bovines, equines, birds and rodents, some of which still lack well-established embryonic stem cell lines. The paucity of robust characterization of some of these iPSC lines as well as the residual expression of transgenes involved in the reprogramming process still hampers the use of such cells in species preservation or medical research, underscoring the requirement for further investigations. Here, we provide an extensive overview of iPSC generated from a broad range of animal species including their potential applications and limitations.

Effects of salinity on egg and fecal pellet production, development and survival, adult sex ratio and total life span in the calanoid copepod, A cartia tonsa:a laboratory study

The ef fects of salinity on the copepod, A cartia tonsa in terms of daily egg production rate(EPR), hatching success, fecal pellet production rate(FPR), naupliar development time and survival, sex ratio, and total life span were determined in laboratory conditions through three experiments. In experiment 1, EPR, hatching success, and FPR of individual females were monitored at salinities of 13, 20, 35 and 45 during short-periods(seven consecutive days). Results show EPR was aff ected by salinity with the highest outputs recorded at 20 and 35, respectively, which were considerably higher than those at 13 and 45. Mean FPR was also higher in 35 and 20. In experiment 2, the same parameters were evaluated over total life span of females(long-term study). The best EPR and FPR were observed in 35, which was statistically higher than at 13 and 20. In experiment 3, survival rates of early nauplii until adult stage were lowest at a salinity of 13. The development time increased with increasing of salinity. Female percentage clearly decreased with increasing salinity. Higher female percentages(56.7% and 52.2%, respectively) were signifi cantly observed at two salinities of 13 and 20 compared to that at 35(25%). Total longevity of females was not af fected by salinity increment. Based on our results, for mass culture we recommend that a salinity of 35 be adopted due to higher reproductive performances, better feeding, and faster development of A. tonsa.

Plasma metabolomic profiles and immune responses of piglets after weaning and challenge with E.coli

Background： The processes of weaning and exposure to pathogenic bacteria induce stress responses, which may alter the metabolism. In this study, we investigated the changes in plasma metabolites and immune responses in piglets in response to the stress induced by weaning and Escherichia coli challenge. Results： Fecal dry matter decreased （P = 0.003） and nearly half （44.4%） the piglets developed diarrhea on day 2 and 3 postweaning. The concentration of plasma immunoglobulin A was higher （P 〈 0.001） on day 11 postweaning than on day 0 or 4 postweaning. The levels of white blood cells increased continuously （P〈 0.001） from day 0 to day 11 postweaning. Differences in the percentages of neutrophils （P = 0.029） and lymphocytes （P = 0.022） were seen, but the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio did not differ in the period after weaning. A clear separation of the metabolomic profile data for day 0 and day 4 postweaning was observed with a principal components analysis （PCA） scores plot, and the data for day 11 were located between those for day 0 and day 4 postweaning. The plasma levels of proline, taurine, and carnitine were higher, whereas those of betaine, creatine, L-arginine and acetylcarnitine were lower on day 4 postweaning than on day 0. Levels of lysophosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylcholine were either higher or lower after weaning, depending on the chain lengths or characters of these metabolites. Conclusions： Our results show a clear separation in the plasma metabolomic profiles of piglets that corresponded to the fecal responses to stress on the piglets induced by weaning or exposure to a pathogen （E. coli）. These plasma metabolite profiles suggest that the challenges induced proinflammatory responses in the piglets, resulting in postweaning diarrhea, which was associated with higher concentrations of IgA in the plasma.

Influence of peanut skin extract on shelf-life of sheep patties

Objective: To evaluate the phenolic profile and antioxidant activity in vitro of peanut skin extract(PSE) and effect of PSE on characteristics of sheep patties during storage.Methods: PSE phenolic profile was evaluated in LC–MS analysis and by total phenolic content, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging capacity and ferric reducing/antioxidant power. Patties elaborated with sheep meat were packaged in modified atmosphere and storage at(2 ± 1)C. The analyses were performed every 5 days for 20 days on microbial counts, physico-chemical properties, lipid oxidation, protein stability and sensory characteristics.Results: The major group of phenolic compounds in PSE was the proanthocyanidins followed by other flavonoids, which are related to potential phenolic content and antioxidant activity. The addition of PSE and butyl hydroxytoluene(BHT) reduced the microbial counts during the storage time, caused reduction on the loss of redness and sensory properties over time. The lipid and protein oxidation in sheep patties was effectively inhibited by PSE and BHT.Conclusions: The present results showed the potential application of PSE as a natural alternative to replace synthetic antioxidants(BHT) for increasing the quality and extending the shelf-life of sheep patties.

The ultra-sonication of minerals in swine feed

A sample preparation method based on ultrasound assisted-extraction （UAE） of Ca, Mg and P from swine feed has been described. The experiment was performed to cover the variables influencing the sonication process and, the method validation using standard reference material. Final solutions obtained upon sonication were analyzed by flame atomic absorption spectrometry （for Ca and Mg） and by UV-vis spectrophotometry （for P）. The best conditions for metal extraction were as follows： sample mass： 100 mg in 20 mL 0.10 mol/L HCI, a particle size： 〈60 lam, sonication time： 5 cycles of 10 s and ultrasound power： 102 W. The UAE method was applied in digestibility assays in different piglet feeds and their results showed that it is highly comparable （P 〉 0.05） to the other methods used for such purposes, as block digestion, and offered a Ca, Mg and P method of quantification limit of 10.6, 12.4 and 14 mg/kg, respectively. The major advantages of the UAE method compared to other methods are the high treatment rate, low reagent usage in the extracts and, it does not generate toxic residues that might negatively affect human health and the environment, accompanied by good precision and accuracy.

Fermented Goat Milk and Cow Milk Produced by Different Starters of Lactic Acid Bacteria： Quality Studies

Lactic acid bacteria （LAB） is widely used as culture starters in dairy fermentation. The aim of this study was to investigate the quality of fermented goat milk and cow milk, as well as the viability of LAB in the same products. Fermentations were performed with pasteurized goat milk or cow milk added with skim milk （18% of solids） using three separately different starters; yoghurt starter （a combination of Streptococcus thermophilus FNCC-0040 and Lactobacillus bulgaricus FNCC-0041）, single starter of Lactobacillus acidophilus FNCC-0029 and Lactobacillus casei FNCC-0051. The parameters observed were pH, acidity, nutritional quality including protein, fat and lactose content and product＇s viscosity. Acidity, pH and viability of LAB were also monitored during storage at refrigerated temperature （4 ℃） for 28 days. Results show that the different LAB starters did not affect the pH, acidity, lactose and protein content. Differences on LAB starters affected fat content and viscosity. The highest score of viscosity （30.00 Pa.s ± 7.02 Pa.s） was observed on products fermented by yoghurt starters, followed by products obtained using starter of L. acidophilus （17.7 ±11.4） and L. casei （8.62 ±0.35）. Protein content, acidity, pH and viscosity were not significantly different between products obtained from goat milk and cow milk. Fat content in fermented goat milk was higher （5.03% ±0.62%） than in fermented cow milk （3.52% ±0.37%）, however, lactose content was higher in fermented cow milk （5.16% ±0.40%） than in fermented goat milk （4.53% ±0.35%）. Total LAB concentration in fermented cow milk during storage was 8.03± 0.52 logt0 cfu/mL, while in fermented goat milk was 7.81 loglo cfu/mL ± 0.67 loglo cfu/mL. There was a 10.83% decrease in LAB viability in fermented cow milk and 11.40% in fermented goat milk after 28 days of storage. In conclusion, quality of fermented milk is affected by the starters applied, raw milk source and storage period.

Association between the Phenotypes and Genotypes of Antimicrobial Resistance in Haemophilus parasuis Isolates from Swine in Quang Binh and Thua Thien Hue Provinces, Vietnam

Haemophilus parasuis (H. parasuis) is one of the bacterial pathogens of great concern as it causes huge economic losses to the swine industry worldwide. One of the reasons why the control of H. parasuis has failed is the increase in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The country of Vietnam has the second-largest pig production in Asia. However, there is still a lack of data about the AMR prevalence of H. parasuis in Vietnam.The purpose of this study is to investigate the prevalence of AMR and analyze the association between AMR and AMR genes (ARGs). The H. parasuis strains used in this research were isolated from swine in the Quang Binh and Thua Thien Hue Provinces, Central Vietnam, as reported in our previous study. All of the strains were tested for AMR against 25 antibacterial agents using the broth microdilution method and for the presence of ARGs using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. The tested strains were shown to have a high frequency of resistance to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (94.6%), followed by resistance to colistin, chloramphenicol, gentamicin, penicillin, lincomycin, and amoxicillin. The most prevalent ARGs in these strains were blaTEM-1 (94.6%), int (76.8%), gyrA (58.9%), and rmtD (50.0%). Cefuroxime, chloramphenicol, and tobramycin resistances were strongly correlated with the presence of the ARGs blaROB-1 (odds ratio (OR) = 26.3, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.7–255.7, p = 0.002), catl (OR = 25.1, 95% CI 2.4–258.9, p = 0.004), and strB (OR = 23.5, 95% CI 2.6–212.6, p = 0.001), respectively.This study reveals for the first time the current situation of H. parasuis AMR in Central Vietnam, which is helpful for the clinical control of this disease, as well as for the development of policies and clinical practice guidelines to reduce AMR in swine production in Central Vietnam.

Study on Hatching Rate of Artemia fanciscana Cysts in Different Sources of Saline

A comparison of Arternia cysts hatching （Artemia franciscana） were conducted on bleaching and non-bleaching with sodium hypochloride on five dilution of salt solution by using sea water, sea salt solution, artificial sea salt solutions, iodine added cooking salt solution, and rock salt solutions. All solutions were adjusted at 30 ppt of salinity in 1 litter cylinder. The experiment was carried out with Factorial Experiment in CRD. After 24 hours, a randomized count of living Artemia was taken a photograph of Artemia size by stereo microscope. A statistic analysis showed that all data of bleaching and non-bleaching were no significant difference （P 〉 0.05）. The hatching ability of Artemia cysts in solutions was examined and the results showed that sea salt solution was 327.33 × 103.4. 28,536.5263 Nauplii/liter, sea water 316 ×10^3± 20,420.5779 Nauplii/liter, artificial sea salt solutions 314.33× 10^3 ± 34,268.5473 Nauplii/liter, iodine added cooking salt solution 309.66 ± 10^3 .4- 22,898.3260 Nauplii/liter, and rock salt solutions 305.33 ± 10^3 ± 25,579.9401 Nauplii/liter, respectively. The body length of Artemia was compared and the data showed that there was no significant difference （P 〉 0.05）. The highest body length was found in sea salt solution 527.32 ± 4.70μm, sea water 521.65±8.51 μm, artificial sea salt solutions 522.08 ± 10.04 μm, iodine added cooking salt solution 522.67 ±7.87 μm, and rock salt solutions 516.33 ±11.15μm, respectively.

Current Status of Reproductive Management in Buffalo in West Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

The aim of this study was to know the application of reproductive management of buffalos in West Sulawesi Province. This study was conducted during a period from July to August 2012 in three different sub-districts;Mehalaan, Messawa, and Nosu. Purposive sampling was used to choose the location where the study was taking place with consideration that those sub-districts have different population of buffalos ranging from highest to smallest. Data collection both primary and secondary data was done through observation and interview to obtain both quantitative and qualitative data. The results of this study showed that mating system of buffalos in this area were two different methods;natural mating without any help and natural mating with the help of the farmers, while artificial insemination (AI) method for mating the buffalos did not apply yet. A total of 85% farmers/respondent did mating system for the buffalos with the help of the farmers, while the remaining 15% of the farmers did mating system without any help. This study also showed that most of the farmers had good knowledge about estrus (98.3%) and the remaining 1.7% farmers had poor knowledge about estrus. Most of them were capable to identify buffalos in estrus by observing their behavior.

Impact of Particle Size, Thermal Processing, Fat Inclusion and Moisture Addition on Pellet Quality and Protein Solubility of Broiler Feeds

The present study evaluated the effect of feed particle size, thermal processing, several levels of fat inclusion and moisture addition on pellet quality and protein solubility in potassium hydroxide （KOH） in a corn, soybean meal and animal by products based broiler diets. The different processing factors were combined in a 2 x 4 x 4 x 2 factorial arrangement in an eight randomized block consisting of eight production series： two particle sizes （coarse： 1,041 microns and medium： 743 microns）, four fat inclusion levels at the mixer （15, 25, 35 and 45 g/kg of feed）, four moisture addition levels in the conditioner （0, 7, 14 and 21 g/kg of feed） and two thermal processing treatments （conditioner-pellet press treatment or conditioner-expander-pellet treatment） which resulted in 64 different processed feeds. For the determination of the pellet durability index （PDI）, the amount of intact pellets and protein solubility determinations, eight feed samples （replicates） were collected for each treatment. The data were transformed using a variation of Box-Cox transformation in order to fit a normal distribution （p 〉 0.05）. Adding moisture up to 21 g/kg of feed in the conditioner improved pellet quality of the diets （p 〈 0.05）. Expansion of diets before pelleting improved （P 〈 0.05） PDI and amount of intact pellets by 26% and 31%, respectively, as compared to a simple conditioning-pelleting feed processing. Expander treatment （at 110 ℃） decreased （p 〈 0.05） protein solubility in KOH from 686 g/kg to 643 g/kg total protein as compared to pelleting process （at 80-82 ℃）. The amount of intact pellets reduced from 773 g/kg to 746 g/kg of feed （/7 〈 0.05） as particle size increased from medium to coarse grinding. Pellet quality was significantly reduced with fat inclusion levels higher than 35 g/kg of diet.