{"title":"Effects of Hitoegusa (Monostroma nitidum) Extracts on In Vitro Rumen Fermentation Profiles.","authors":"Naoya Okada, Tomomi Ban-Tokuda, Hiroki Matsui","doi":"10.1111/asj.70117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/asj.70117","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In vitro rumen fermentations were conducted using extracts of the seaweed Hitoegusa (Monostroma nitidum), which contains rhamnan sulfate, as a fermentation substrate. This study examines the metabolic utilization of Hitoegusa extract by rumen microbiota through in vitro fermentation assays. In the first incubation, the addition of Hitoegusa extract led to increased gas production and total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentrations, indicative of enhanced microbial activity and substrate fermentation. Alterations in SCFA profiles suggest a potential modulation of the rumen microbial community. In the second incubation, the incubation period was extended to 96 h, and gas production was measured. In any incubation period, gas production was increased in a dose-dependent manner. Supplementation with Hitoegusa extract to wheat starch did not result in a significant reduction in methanogenesis, possibly due to the limited biodegradability of rhamnan sulfate or an insufficient release of sulfate moieties. Further investigations are required to evaluate the degradability and bioavailability of rhamnan sulfate, isolate rumen bacteria capable of degrading this polysaccharide, and characterize the relevant enzymatic and genetic mechanisms. This study highlights the potential of underutilized marine macroalgae, such as Hitoegusa, as alternative feed resources for ruminant nutrition.</p>","PeriodicalId":7890,"journal":{"name":"Animal Science Journal","volume":"96 1","pages":"e70117"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145237656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Armess Prince Gynth Sossou, Dicky Aldian, Ke Tian, Masato Yayota
{"title":"Nutrient Utilization, Ruminal Fermentation, and Health Responses of Maintenance Goats to Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata var. sesquipedalis) Silage as a Sustainable Alternative to Commercial Feed.","authors":"Armess Prince Gynth Sossou, Dicky Aldian, Ke Tian, Masato Yayota","doi":"10.1111/asj.70094","DOIUrl":"10.1111/asj.70094","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In this study, we evaluated the substitution effect of cowpea silage as a replacement for commercial feed on the nutrition and health of goats being fed for maintenance. First, the nutrient loss and ruminal fermentation characteristics of wilted cowpea forage ensiled (EC) or not ensiled (NEC) were tested in vitro. The dry matter (DM) and organic matter (OM) degradability, ammonia nitrogen concentration, and 48 h total gas production were significantly greater, whereas pH was lower in EC (Experiment 1). Three diets composed of commercial feed and EC at ratios (%) of 100:0 (T1), 50:50 (T2), and 25:75 (T3) were subsequently tested using six Japanese Saanen × Shiba goats in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin square design (Experiment 2). Nutrient intake, same as DM, ether extract (EE) and nonfiber carbohydrate (NFC) digestibility decreased from T1 to T3. However, acid detergent fiber (ADFom) and crude protein (CP) intakes were greater at T2. Nitrogen intake and balance were also greater in T2 goats, whereas blood urea nitrogen (BUN), alanine transaminase (ALT), and creatinine (CRE) were greater at T1. Alternatively, substituting commercial feed with 50% EC in the diets of goats fed for maintenance is feasible for optimizing protein efficiency without hindering animal health.</p>","PeriodicalId":7890,"journal":{"name":"Animal Science Journal","volume":"96 1","pages":"e70094"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12331398/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144798015","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Vitrification of Porcine In Vitro-Produced Embryos at the Pronuclear and Blastocyst Stages Using Ampholytic Polymer Compounds as Cryoprotective Agents.","authors":"Hansol Jin, Kazuaki Matsumura, Suong-Hyu Hyon, Yuki Gen, Masakazu Hayashi, Tadahiro Kawabata, Moe Ijiri, Kazuchika Miyoshi","doi":"10.1111/asj.70113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/asj.70113","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Porcine in vitro-produced embryos at the pronuclear or blastocyst stage were vitrified by the Cryotop method with different concentrations of carboxylated poly-L-lysine (CPLL) or 3,3-dimethylglutaric anhydride poly-L-lysine (DMGA-PLL) to determine the efficacy of these ampholytic polymer compounds as cryoprotective agents (CPAs). The concentration of CPLL or DMGA-PLL in the vitrification solution had a significant effect on the viability of vitrified-warmed blastocysts and expanded blastocysts, with the highest survival rates at 10% (v/v). When blastocysts and expanded blastocysts were vitrified with or without 10% CPLL or DMGA-PLL, there were significant differences in the survival rates after warming among the different supplements, with the highest rates obtained when 10% DMGA-PLL was added. The concentration of CPLL or DMGA-PLL in the vitrification solution did not affect the viability of vitrified-warmed pronuclear stage embryos, but the addition of 10% CPLL or DMGA-PLL improved the cleavage and blastocyst formation rates following in vitro culture. Furthermore, embryos vitrified with 10% DMGA-PLL had similar in vitro developmental potential as nonvitrified embryos. The results showed the usefulness of ampholytic polymer compounds, especially DMGA-PLL, as CPAs in the vitrification of porcine embryos at the pronuclear and blastocyst stages.</p>","PeriodicalId":7890,"journal":{"name":"Animal Science Journal","volume":"96 1","pages":"e70113"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145237642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Prediction of pork loin storage period using a compact impedance device","authors":"Kei Terada, Shuichi Okabe, Makoto Otsuka","doi":"10.1111/asj.70020","DOIUrl":"10.1111/asj.70020","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Management of storage period is essential for meat. The purpose of this study was to develop a technique for predicting storage period in pork loins using a compact impedance-measuring device. Eight measurement positions were placed on pork loin block meat from five fattening pigs, and impedance values at frequencies of 2 and 100 kHz, modified K values (mK values), which are derived from nucleotide-related substances were collected during storage ranging from 0 to 14 days. We developed regression equations using the storage days or mK values as the objective variable and both the impedance ratio (2 kHz/100 kHz) and the 100 kHz impedance value as the explanatory variable for one-position measurements, obtaining the coefficients of determination of 0.80 and 0.79, respectively. These results indicated that the compact impedance-measuring device can be used to predict the storage days of pork loins. In this study, we developed a simple technique for predicting pork loin storage period using a compact impedance-measuring device that can be applied nondestructively in the meat processing industry.</p>","PeriodicalId":7890,"journal":{"name":"Animal Science Journal","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142827215","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Negin Amiri, Mohsen Afsharmanesh, Amir Meimandipour, Mohammadreza Poorghasemi, Sayed Abdollah Hosseini, Mohammad Salarmoini, Mohammad Naeem Asa
{"title":"Effects of free and nanoencapsulated garlic essential oil on growth performance and immune functions in broiler chickens","authors":"Negin Amiri, Mohsen Afsharmanesh, Amir Meimandipour, Mohammadreza Poorghasemi, Sayed Abdollah Hosseini, Mohammad Salarmoini, Mohammad Naeem Asa","doi":"10.1111/asj.70019","DOIUrl":"10.1111/asj.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The aim of this research was to determine the effect of free and nanoencapsulated garlic essential oil (GEO) on performance, serum biochemistry, and immune functions. Broiler chickens (900 males 1-day-old, Ross 308) were randomly assigned to six treatment diets (0, 75, or 150 mg/kg free GEO and 0 [containing chitosan], 75, or 150 mg/kg nanoencapsulated GEO) in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments. The inclusion of nanoencapsulated GEO with a concentration of 75 mg/kg significantly increased the growth performance (<i>p</i> < 0.05) of the birds fed the diet containing free GEO (75 mg/kg). Also, GEO nanocapsules significantly reduced serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) compared to the control diet (<i>p</i> < 0.05) (42 days), sheep red blood cell (SRBC) antibody titer (35 and 42 days), heterophilus (H): lymphocyte (L), and H ratio, 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) (42 days) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, the findings show that the amount of 75 (mg/kg) of the nanoencapsulated GEO, compared to the free GEO, causes more growth performance and strengthens the immune system of broiler chickens.</p>","PeriodicalId":7890,"journal":{"name":"Animal Science Journal","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142799135","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effects of heat stress on predicted energy balance, fat-to-protein ratio, and milk β-hydroxybutyrate in first-lactation Holstein cattle in Hokkaido, Japan","authors":"Satoka Ishida, Akiko Nishiura, Takeshi Yamazaki, Hayato Abe, Satoshi Nakagawa, Yuka Nakahori, Shigeki Yamaguchi, Yutaka Masuda, Yuriko Saito, Ryoki Tatebayashi, Takefumi Osawa, Che-Hsuan Huang, Koichi Hagiya","doi":"10.1111/asj.70013","DOIUrl":"10.1111/asj.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Heat stress (HS) reduces dry-matter intake and causes negative energy balance (EB) in Holstein cattle, with consequent deterioration in milk production and wellness. Therefore, the effects of HS can be detected more directly from imbalances in EB than from the consequent changes in production or health traits. EB can be monitored by metabolism-related traits such as predicted EB (PEB), the fat-to-protein ratio (FPR), or β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in milk. We examined the days on which HS effects on the test-day PEB, FPR, or milk BHB were the greatest in first lactation. We collected weather records and test-day records. We considered the fixed effects of herd-year, test month, calving age, days in milk, temperature–humidity index (THI) from any one of test day to 14 days prior (15 models per trait), and random effects of animal and residuals in the models and compared the deviance information criterion (DIC) between models for each trait. For PEB, FPR, and milk BHB, the model gave the lowest DIC when including the effect of THI 1, 1, and 0 day before the test day. We observed that HS caused a decrease in PEB and an increase in FPR and milk BHB.</p>","PeriodicalId":7890,"journal":{"name":"Animal Science Journal","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11625659/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142794267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the integration of thermal imaging technology with the data mining algorithms for precise prediction of honey and beeswax yield","authors":"Mustafa Kibar, Yasin Altay, İbrahim Aytekin","doi":"10.1111/asj.70015","DOIUrl":"10.1111/asj.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Sustainability in beekeeping depends on identifying the factors affecting honey and beeswax yields (HY and BWY) - key products - and accurately predicting these yields. Therefore, this study aimed to predict HY and BWY using a classification and regression tree (CART), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Random Forest (RF) algorithms, and thermal image processing in <i>Apis mellifera</i>. In this study, 13 colonies of 6 different breeds raised in 10-frame Langstroth hives were used. The effects of independent variables were predicted using data mining algorithms and 15 performance metrics for the effectiveness of the algorithms. Colony power (CP), thermal temperatures (T<sub>min</sub>, T<sub>max</sub>, and T<sub>mean</sub>), breed, a*, b*, red, green, saturation, and brightness impacted HY and BWY in different algorithms, but not birth year of queen, L, hue and blue. As a result, XGBoost, CART, and RF demonstrated high predictive performance, respectively. Due to their higher predictive performance, XGBoost and CART algorithms could predict HY and BWY using CP, thermal temperatures, and image values. These techniques could be useful for producers to monitor production quickly and non-invasively without threatening colony welfare.</p>","PeriodicalId":7890,"journal":{"name":"Animal Science Journal","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142794271","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Giulia Grassi, Paola Di Gregorio, Giambattista Capasso, Andrea Rando, Anna Maria Perna
{"title":"Effect of dietary supplementation with rumen-protected amino acids, lysine and methionine, on the performance of Comisana ewes and on the growth of their lambs","authors":"Giulia Grassi, Paola Di Gregorio, Giambattista Capasso, Andrea Rando, Anna Maria Perna","doi":"10.1111/asj.70018","DOIUrl":"10.1111/asj.70018","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing the diets of Comisana ewes with rumen protected methionine and lysine (RP-ML) for a duration of 60 days on quantitative–qualitative production of milk, antioxidant parameters of milk and blood, biochemical parameters of blood, and lambs' growth performance. Two groups of 15 ewes with equal average body weight were considered for the trial. The control group was administered a standard diet (Control, C) and the experimental group the standard diet supplemented with 1.5% lysine and 1.0% methionine (Treated, T). Results showed that RP-ML supplementation positively influenced milk yield, fat and protein content, and casein (<i>p</i> < 0.01). Furthermore, lambs of the T group, compared with those of the C group, showed a 15% higher growth rate during the suckling period of 42 days. Finally, the total antioxidant capacity of milk, measured by ferric reducing antioxidant power and 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzotiazolin-6-sulfonic acid assay, was significantly lower in T groups (<i>p</i> < 0.05). In conclusion, the results showed that the integration of RP-ML in ewes could be a valid strategy in order to improve their performances but further investigations are necessary to define the right concentration to be administered to the animals.</p>","PeriodicalId":7890,"journal":{"name":"Animal Science Journal","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11625658/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142794254","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Investigation of corticosteroid levels in the hairs of female Holstein calves","authors":"Hiroki Fushuku, Nobuyoshi Matsunaga","doi":"10.1111/asj.70016","DOIUrl":"10.1111/asj.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This study was designed to investigate the degree of long-term effects by measuring cortisol and aldosterone concentrations in the growing hair including lipid which is absorbed from the blood of six female Holstein calves by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The total number of calves used was 18 (three seasons). Three comparative factors were used: region (back and chest), hair color (black and white), and season (summer, winter, and spring). The hair cortisol of the back region (white color) was higher than the other region and color (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The measured value in the spring season (back region) was significantly higher than that in the summer (chest region) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Although there has been no report on the hair aldosterone until now, it was possible to measure the concentration in the present study. The hair aldosterone of the back region was higher than the chest region (<i>p</i> < 0.01), and the white hair color was higher than the black hair color (<i>p</i> < 0.05). The measured value in the spring season was also significantly higher than that in the summer season and the winter season (<i>p</i> < 0.01). This result suggested the changes are affected by the hair region factor, the hair color factor, and the changing meteorological conditions.</p>","PeriodicalId":7890,"journal":{"name":"Animal Science Journal","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11617060/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142779380","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Genetic characteristics of the coronet scores related to Holstein cattle hoof health in Japan","authors":"Yuriko Saito, Akiko Nishiura, Takeshi Yamazaki, Shigeki Yamaguchi, Ryoki Tatebayashi, Osamu Sasaki, Masahiro Satoh","doi":"10.1111/asj.70014","DOIUrl":"10.1111/asj.70014","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Hoof disorders are crucial factors leading to dairy cattle culling. These disorders are difficult to detect, diagnose, and record, causing animal health problems and serious economic losses. The coronet score is a new hoof health indicator developed by the Dairy Herd Improvement Program of Japan. This score is assigned on a 5-point scale and can easily be determined by examining the degree of redness and swelling around the hooves. To determine whether coronet scores can be used to genetically improve hoof health, we investigated non-genetic factors in the score, developed a genetic analysis model, and estimated genetic parameters. Coronet scores were collected from 1280 herds in 28 prefectures once a month from 2014 to 2021. Furthermore, 1,598,878 test-day records of 94,951 cows from the first- to third-parity and pedigree information of 216,416 individuals were used in the analysis. Results revealed that herd size, parity, age, test month, and lactation stage influenced the coronet score. Additionally, the heritability of the coronet score estimated via the herd-test-day model was 0.027, and genetic trends deteriorated in sires and cows. Overall, we demonstrated that coronet score is a heritable trait, suggesting that hoof health could be genetically improved by selection for coronet score.</p>","PeriodicalId":7890,"journal":{"name":"Animal Science Journal","volume":"95 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.7,"publicationDate":"2024-12-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11617061/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142779464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}