Essential Fatty Acids and the Cat

Abstract— The physiology of essential fatty acid metabolism in the cat is reviewed. Emphasis is placed on those aspects of the n:6 and n:3 fatty acids, their metabolites and interactions, which relate primarily to the skin. The functional roles, if known, of the fatty acids are discussed. Recent clinical research into the use of essential fatty acid supplements in the management of feline dermatoses is presented. Current indications for the therapeutic supplementation with essential fatty acids are summarised.     

美仁牦牛肉不同部位常规营养成分及氨基酸和脂肪酸测定分析

摘 要：选取放牧条件下体况良好、体重相近的甘南成年美仁公牦牛 6 头、母牦牛 4头进行屠宰,采取美仁牦牛肉的肩甲、背最长肌、股二头肌三个部位的分割肉。测定不同部位营养成分、氨基酸和脂肪酸。 结果显示：不同部位美仁牦牛肉的蛋白质含量为22.97%～23.07%,其中股二头肌蛋白质含量最低,背最长肌最高;脂肪含量为1.27%～2.49%,股二头肌脂肪脂肪含量较低,不足1.27%。氨基酸含量丰富,脂肪酸总量依次为肩甲、背最长肌、股二头肌上脑肉。通过对比分析不同部位美仁牦牛肉中营养成分、氨基酸和脂肪酸等含量存在差异。     

不同规格野生黄鳍金枪鱼肌肉营养分析与评价

探究不同规格黄鳍金枪鱼(Thunnus albacares)肌肉营养成分及品质差异,实验以野捕的 3种规格黄鳍金枪鱼J1 (4.2±1.2) kg、J2 (22.5±2.5) kg和J3 (50.8±3.9) kg为研究对象,通过常规生化分析方法对金枪鱼肌肉的常规营养成分、氨基酸、脂肪酸及矿物质元素进行比较分析。结果显示,(1) J1组水分含量显著高于J2、J3组;J2、J3组粗蛋白含量显著高于J1组(P<0.05);J3组粗脂肪含量显著高于J1、J2组(P<0.05)。(2)检出19种常见氨基酸,氨基酸含量最高的为谷氨酸(3.04~ 3.25 g/100 g),必需氨基酸中含量最高的为赖氨酸(2.02~2.15 g/100 g),最低的为色氨酸(0.31~ 0.45 g/100 g)。非必需氨基酸含量J3>J2>J1 (P<0.05);必需氨基酸、呈味氨基酸含量J1组显著低于J3组(P<0.05)。依据氨基酸评分(AAS),缬氨酸为第一限制性氨基酸;以化学评分(CS)为评分标准,J1、J2组第一限制性氨基酸为色氨酸,J3组为苯丙氨酸+酪氨酸。(3)各组共检出25种脂肪酸,以多不饱和脂肪酸(PUFA)为主,含量最高的为二十二碳六烯酸(DHA),占总脂肪酸含量的37.46%~39.18%。DHA含量J3组显著高于J1、J2组;二十碳五烯酸(EPA)含量J2、J3组显著高于J1组;DHA∶EPA比值J1组显著高于J2、J3组(P<0.05)。单不饱和脂肪酸(MUFA)含量J3>J2>J1;PUFA含量J3组显著高于J1、J2组(P<0.05)。PUFA/饱和脂肪酸(SFA)、n-3系多不饱和脂肪酸/n-6系多不饱和脂肪酸(n-3/n-6)比值J2、J3组显著高于J1组(P<0.05)。h/H比值J3组显著高于J1、J2组(P<0.05)。(4) J2、J3组Na、Ca含量显著高于J1组,J1组K含量最高且显著高于J2、J3组(P<0.05)。4种重金属元素均低于食品中建议的最大允许限量,其中Fe含量最大的为J3组,且J3>J2>J1 (P<0.05);Cu含量最大的为J3组,且显著高于J1组(P<0.05)。综合分析,大规格黄鳍金枪鱼具有更好的营养质量,本研究为居民膳食的选择及黄鳍金枪鱼人工配合饲料的配制提供了科学依据。     

Effects of dietary vitamin E and fat supplementation in growing-finishing swine fed to a heavy slaughter weight of 150 kg: II. Tissue fatty acid profile,vitamin E concentrations,and antioxidant capacity of plasma and tissue

The study aimed to assess the effects of vitamin E (VE) supplementation and fat source on fatty acid (FA) composition, VE concentrations, and antioxidant capacity in plasma and tissues of pigs fed to a heavy slaughter weight (150 kg). A total of 64 pigs (32 barrows, 32 gilts; 28.41 ± 0.83 kg) were blocked by sex and weight, and randomly assigned to one of eight dietary treatments (n = 8 per treatment) in a 4 × 2 factorial arrangement. Fat sources included corn starch (CS), 5% tallow (TW), 5% distiller’s corn oil (DCO), and 5% coconut oil (CN); VE supplementation levels were 11 and 200 ppm. Five-phase diets were formulated to meet requirement estimates of NRC (2012) and fed to pigs for each period of 25 kg from 25 to 150 kg. Increasing VE supplementation level increased C16:1 (P < 0.05) content but decreased C20:0 (P < 0.05) content in backfat and belly fat, while in liver, it increased C17:0 (P < 0.05) but decreased C18:0 (P < 0.05). Compared to the pigs fed the CS diet, the pigs fed the CN diet had greater (P < 0.05) content of total saturated FA, the pigs fed the DCO diet had greater (P < 0.05) content of total polyunsaturated FA content and iodine value, and the pigs fed the TW diet had greater (P < 0.05) content of total monounsaturated FA in backfat, belly fat, and liver. Plasma VE concentrations increased linearly (P < 0.05) with increasing length of feeding but faster (P < 0.05) in the pigs fed the CN and TW diets compared with the CS and DCO diets within the 200 ppm VE level; the pigs fed the DCO diet had the highest plasma VE concentrations (P < 0.05) from Phase 2 to Phase 5 within the 11 ppm VE level. The VE concentrations in liver and loin muscle (P < 0.05) increased with increasing dietary VE level from 11 to 200 ppm, but it was not affected by dietary fat source. There was no effect of VE supplementation and fat source on antioxidant capacity in plasma and liver except that pigs fed the DCO diet had greater liver SOD activity (P < 0.05) than the pigs fed the CN diet. In conclusion, dietary VE supplementation did not affect FA profile in backfat, belly fat, and liver consistently, while dietary FA composition with different fat sources affected much of the FA profile in backfat, belly fat, and liver. The higher level of VE supplementation increased liver and muscle VE concentrations and dietary fat sources affected plasma VE concentrations differently (P < 0.05), wherein the TW and CN diets increased the VE absorption greater than the DCO diet.     

Regulation of urease production in soil by microbial assimilation of nitrogen

Summary Studies of the effects of different forms of N on urease production in soils amended with organic C showed that although microbial activity, as measured by CO₂ production, was stimulated by the addition of NH₄ ⁺ or NO₃ ^- to C-amended soils (200 mol glucose-C g^–1 soil), urease production was repressed by these forms of N. The addition of L-methionine sulfoximine, an inhibitor of inorganic N assimilation by microorganisms, relieved the NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^- repression of urease production in C-amended soil. The addition of sodium chlorate, an inhibitor of NO₃ ^- reduction to NH₄ ⁺ by microorganisms, relieved the NO₃ ^- repression of urease production, but did not eliminate the repression associated with NH₄ ⁺. These observations indicate that microbial production of urease in C-amended soils is not directly repressed by NH₄ ⁺ or NO₃ ^-, but by products formed by microbial assimilation of these forms of N. This conclusion is supported by our finding that the biologically active L-isomers of alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartate, and glutamine, repressed urease production in C-amended soil, whereas the D-isomers of these amino acids had little or no influence on urease production. This work suggests that urease synthesis by soil microorganisms is controlled by the global N regulon.     

Food sources,digestive efficiency and resource allocation in the sea cucumber Holothuria forskali (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea): Insights from pigments and fatty acids

Various research projects in Europe and North Africa have recently intended to breed temperate holothurians to alleviate fishing pressure on natural populations. However, to date little is known about the nutritional requirements of East Atlantic and Mediterranean species. In this study, we propose a “natural population”‐oriented approach to characterize food sources, digestive efficiency and resources allocation based on the composition of pigments and fatty acids (FA) in gut contents and tissues (muscles, gonads and digestive tract walls) of wild individuals of the species Holothuria (Panningothuria) forskali (Delle Chiaje, 1823) sampled in Brittany (France). Our study reveals that neither green nor red algae enter the diet of H. forskali in spring and that the only fresh vegetal material found in gut contents is brown algae (very likely diatoms). The high nutritional quality of gut contents however contrasts with the detrital nature of the ingested food sources, suggesting that a trophic upgrading of organic matter occurs before digestion. In addition, unusual FA (i.e. only present in a few groups of living species) such as long‐chain monounsaturated FA (especially the FA 23:1ω9) were found in large proportions in muscles and gonad and their effect on sea cucumber fitness needs further investigation.     

Influence of dietary palm oil on growth, tissue fatty acid compositions, and fatty acid metabolism in liver and intestine in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary crude palm oil (CPO) on fatty acid metabolism in liver and intestine of rainbow trout. Triplicate groups of rainbow trout for 10 weeks at 13 °C were fed on diets in which CPO replaced fish oil (FO) in a graded manner (0–100%). At the end of the trial, fatty acid compositions of flesh, liver and pyloric caeca were determined and highly unsaturated fatty acid (HUFA) synthesis and fatty acid oxidation were estimated in isolated hepatocytes and caecal enterocytes using [1‐¹⁴C]18:3n‐3 as substrate. Growth performance and feed efficiency were unaffected by dietary CPO. Fatty acid compositions of selected tissues reflected the dietary fatty acid composition with increasing CPO resulting in increased proportions of 18:1n‐9 and 18:2n‐6 and decreased proportions of n‐3HUFA, 20:5n‐3 and 22:6n‐3. Palmitic acid, 16:0, was also increased in flesh and pyloric caeca, but not in liver. The capacity of HUFA synthesis from 18:3n‐3 increased by up to threefold in both hepatocytes and enterocytes in response to graded increases in dietary CPO. In contrast, oxidation of 18:3n‐3 was unaffected by dietary CPO in hepatocytes and reduced by high levels of dietary CPO in enterocytes. The results of this study suggest that CPO can be used at least to partially replace FO in diets for rainbow trout in terms of permitting similar growth and feed conversion, and having no major detrimental effects on lipid and fatty acid metabolism, although flesh fatty acid compositions are significantly affected at an inclusion level above 50%, with n‐3HUFA reduced by up to 40%.     

Replacing fish oil and astaxanthin by microalgal sources produced different metabolic responses in juvenile rainbow trout fed 2 types of practical diets

Dietary fish oil supplementation provides n-3 long-chained polyunsaturated fatty acids for supporting fish growth and metabolism and enriching fillet with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA; c22:6n-3). Two experiments were performed as a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of dietary treatments for 16 wk to determine effects and mechanisms of replacing 0%, 50%, and 100% fish oil with DHA-rich microalgae in combination with synthetic vs. microalgal source of astaxanthin in plant protein meal (PM)- or fishmeal (FM)- based diets for juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish (22 ± 0.26 g) were stocked at 17/tank and 3 tanks/diet. The 100% fish oil replacement impaired (P < 0.0001) growth performance, dietary protein and energy utilization, body indices, and tissue accumulation of DHA and EPA in both diet series. The impairments were associated (P < 0.05) with upregulation of hepatic gene expression related to growth (ghr1and igf1) and biosynthesis of DHA and EPA (fads6 and evol5) that was more dramatic in the FM than PM diet-fed fish, and more pronounced on tissue EPA than DHA concentrations. The source of astaxanthin exerted interaction effects with the fish oil replacement on several measures including muscle total cholesterol concentrations. In conclusion, replacing fish oil by the DHA-rich microalgae produced more negative metabolic responses than the substitution of synthetic astaxanthin by the microalgal source in juvenile rainbow trout fed 2 types of practical diets.     

Effects of feeding fermented fish on egg cholesterol content in hens

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding fermented fish (FF) to layers on laying performance, and polyunsaturated fatty acid and cholesterol levels in eggs and plasma. A total of 96, 13-week-old Babcock B380 pullets were used in this study. They were randomly assigned to four numerically equal groups with eight replicates per treatment, three birds per replicate. All the birds were housed in individual cages. The dietary treatments were: Control diet, without FF; FF3 diet containing 3% (w/w) FF, FF6 diet containing 6% (w/w) FF and FF9 diet containing 9% (w/w) FF. The study was carried out for 16 weeks inclusive of two weeks of adjustment. Weekly feed intake and egg production were recorded. Blood plasma cholesterol and fatty acid profiles were assayed at the end of the experiment. FF did not enhance ( P  > 0.05) egg mass but ( P  < 0.05) decreased egg weight slightly. However, egg yolk cholesterol and plasma cholesterol concentrations were reduced ( P  < 0.05) by FF. The n-6:n-3 fatty acids ratio in the egg yolk (Control = 7.9, FF9 = 6.2) and plasma (Control = 10.6, FF9 = 6.2) were decreased by feeding FF. Moreover, FF was able to increase ( P  < 0.05) the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentrations in egg yolk and plasma. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that FF increased DHA and reduced egg yolk cholesterol in poultry eggs.