Ileal digestibility of amino acids in pigs fed barleys differing in protein content

The apparent digestibility of nitrogen and amino acids was measured by the ileal and faecal methods in pigs fed nine barleys differing in nitrogen content (from 1.73 to 2.16 per cent/DM). A positive (r = 0.87) and significant relationship was found between the apparent nitrogen digestibility at the end of the ileum and the crude protein content of barley. Generally, the higher the protein of the grain, the higher the ileal digestibilities of the amino acids. For most amino acids the faecal values were greater than the ileal ones. This being specially so for threonine, tryptophan, histidine and cystine belonging to the nutritionally important amino acid group. When the relationship between the amino acid and nitrogen digestibilities at the level of ileum is considered, the values were found to be similar to that of nitrogen in the case of tryptophan, higher for isoleucine, valine (both 2-3 units), cystine, histidine, leucine, methionine (all 5-6 units) and phenylalanine (10 units) and lower only for lysine and threonine (7-8 dig. units).     

Bacterial growth in whey from mastitic and nonmastitic quarters

Growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus was analyzed by turbidometry in 456 selected whey samples. The samples had been graded mastitic or nonmastitic as determined by antitrypsin assay and bacteriologic examination. Whey samples from inflamed quarters (antitrypsin increased) and infected quarters significantly promoted bacterial growth as compared with whey samples from control quarters. The growth-stimulatory effect was limited to the diseased quarters, since control quarters from the same animals did not support enhanced bacterial growth. The observations indicate that in chronic mastitis, the inflammatory process leads to changes in the whey that promote bacterial growth in vitro.