Fermented liquid feed and fermented grain to piglets- effect on gastrointestinal ecology and growth performance

A study was carried out to determine the microbial and nutritional characteristics of dry feed, liquid feed containing fermented liquid cereal grain, and fermented liquid compound feed, and their effect on gastrointestinal ecology and growth performance of piglets. Three dietary treatments were designed: dry feed (DRY); fermented liquid cereal grain feed (FLG); and fermented liquid feed (FLF). The FLF was prepared by removing three times daily 50% of the mixture (feed and water) stored in a tank at 20 °C and replacing it with an equal amount of fresh feed and water. The FLG was similarly prepared but fermenting only the cereals (barley and wheat) and adding the remaining ingredients immediately before feeding. One hundred and twenty weaners were fed the diets during 6 weeks from weaning. The dietary content of lysine (g/100 g protein) was 6.01 in the DRY diet, 6.21 in the FLG diet, and 5.46 in the FLF diet. Feeding piglets with the FLG diet resulted in a higher density of yeasts, a higher concentration of ethanol in the GIT, and a change of the bacterial population of the stomach compared to feeding FLF. The FLG group had a numerically higher daily feed intake and daily body weight gain compared to the FLF group, but the values were not significant. Feeding liquid feed containing fermented liquid cereal grains as a means of avoiding microbial degradation of free amino acids in the feed and increasing feed intake by improving palatability seems promising.     

Effect of cereal type and exogenous enzyme supplementation in pig diets on odour and ammonia emissions

A 2 × 2 factorial experiment was conducted to investigate the interaction between cereal type (wheat vs. barley) and exogenous enzyme supplementation (with or without) on odour concentration and ammonia emissions in grower–finisher pigs. The enzyme supplement used contained Endo-1, 3 (4)-β-glucanase (EC 3.2.1.6) and Endo-1, 4-β-xylanase (E.C 3.2.1.8). The diets were formulated to contain similar levels of digestible energy and lysine. The experimental treatments were as follows: (1) wheat-based diet, (2) wheat-based diet containing a β-glucanase and β-xylanase mixed enzyme supplement, (3) barley-based diet and (4) barley-based diet containing a β-glucanase and β-xylanase mixed enzyme supplement. The diets were offered to the pigs for 4 weeks and this was repeated 4 times (n = 4). Odour and ammonia emissions were measured on days 9, 11, 14, 16, 21 and 23 of each experimental period. Odour samples were collected in 20-litre Nalophan bags and analysed for odour concentration using an ECOMA Yes/No Olfactometer. Ammonia concentrations were measured using Dräger tubes. There was a cereal × enzyme interaction in odour emission rates (P < 0.05) and in ammonia emissions (P < 0.01). The addition of an enzyme supplement increased odour emissions and had no effect on ammonia emissions in the barley-based diet. The enzyme supplementation had no effect on odour but decreased ammonia emissions in the wheat based diet.     

Improving cereal grain carbohydrates for diet and health

Starch and cell wall polysaccharides (dietary fibre) of cereal grains contribute to the health benefits associated with the consumption of whole grain cereal products, including reduced risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer. The physiological bases for these effects are reviewed in relation to the structures and physical properties of the polysaccharides and their behaviour (including digestion and fermentation) in the gastro-intestinal tract. Strategies for modifying the content and composition of grain polysaccharides to increase their health benefits are discussed, including exploiting natural variation and using mutagenesis and transgenesis to generate further variation. These studies will facilitate the development of new types of cereals and cereal products to face the major health challenges of the 21st century.     

重视粮食转化发展绿色肉牛产销供应链

1995年-1998年中国连续4年粮食丰收，1999-2001年中国粮食连续3年减产，但粮食库存仍然较多。并不能够扭转转收带来的供大于求的局面，预计2002年粮食增产1.1%，在短期内粮食供给大于需求的买方市场态势不会改变，因此，应充分利用当前时机，调整产业结构，发展肉牛生产，促进农业结构调整是提高农民收入的重要途径。文中还分析了欧盟，日本，韩国等国疫情风波及其原因，提出了中国发展绿色肉牛产销供应链的若干对策。     

Nitrogen efficiency components of winter cereals

A model to describe the importance of different physiological processes to explain grain yield differences (ΔG_w) between cropping systems (Huggins and Pan, 1993) was modified to evaluate the nitrogen use efficiency of different cereals. The method uses measurements of grain yield (G_w), grain N (N_g), above-ground plant biomass (B), above-ground plant N (N_t), applied fertilizer N (N_f), and post-harvest inorganic soil N in control plots without fertilizer (N_h). The components are N supply (N_s), N uptake efficiency (N_t/N_s), assimilation efficiency (B/N_t), harvest index (G_w/B) and N harvest index (N_g/N_t). For a first verification of the model different winter cereal species, i.e., one genotype of winter wheat, one of winter rye and one of spelt wheat, were compared in a 2-year field experiments at two sites with different soil fertility and climate. The modified nitrogen efficiency component analysis provided a good understanding of yield differences at different levels of applied N and soil fertility. The method could be useful for selection of genotypes with a high N use efficiency in breeding programmes.     

The impact of sowing density of small grains on rill and ephemeral gully erosion in concentrated flow zones

Despite the fact that soil erosion by water causes considerable on-site and off-site problems, farmers in Europe are reluctant to adopt prevention and control measures when such measures require additional labour and material inputs. This paper documents the impact of multiple sowing of small grains on concentrated flow erosion rates and grain production for a winter triticale field (X Triticosecale Wittmack ex. A. Camus) in the Belgian loess belt. Multiple sowing refers to drilling more than once in zones of concentrated flow erosion in order to increase the total root mass in this zone. Multiple sowing strongly altered the morphology of erosion channels and reduced soil loss significantly. Statistical analysis confirmed that differences in channel dimensions could be explained by the seedling density. Doubling the root mass in the topsoil by multiple sowing, resulted on average in a reduction of soil loss by 42% for the whole growing season. For the winter period, soil loss reduction, mainly attributed to the triticale roots, amounted even to 53%, showing the tremendous impact of seedling roots on soil erosion by concentrated overland flow in the early stages of vegetation growth. Furthermore, total grain yield in the multiple drilled zones was not significantly smaller compared to the conventionally drilled parts of the field. Grain size of cereals was slightly smaller. The results of this case study indicate that double sowing in concentrated overland flow zones may be a viable soil erosion control technique.     

The heterogeneous distribution of α-amylase and endoxylanase activity over a population of preharvest sprouted wheat kernels and their localization in individual kernels

To develop targeted approaches to improve the quality of preharvest sprouted (PHS) wheat as a raw material for food manufacturing, knowledge on the nature and distribution of hydrolytic enzymes in PHS wheat is crucial. Results of the present study indicate that α-amylase and endoxylanase activities are heterogeneously distributed among a population of PHS kernel. Within individual severely sprouted kernels, the enzyme activities are heterogeneously distributed throughout the different tissues. α-Amylase activity, almost exclusively of endogenous nature, is mainly detected in the germ region and to a lesser extent in the aleurone layer. Endoxylanase activity is predominantly of microbial origin and located on the kernel surface. In spite of this, light and epifluorescence microscopy show decreased kernel integrity and cell wall breakdown in the crushed cells layer, the endosperm, and the aleurone layer in a selection of kernels upon preharvest sprouting. This knowledge offers opportunities for the development of treatments to reduce the enzyme load in PHS wheat at postharvest level to improve its flour quality.     

优质杂粮‘苏裸麦2号’的选育及其产业化应用

本研究介绍了优质杂粮?苏裸麦2号?的选育背景、过程和栽培技术,该品种有效穗适中,穗型较大,每穗实粒数较多,千粒重中等,丰产性较好,抗逆性中等,品质较好,可作优质杂粮开发利用;研发了以?裸大麦2号?等裸大麦品种青籽粒为原料制作的?冷蒸?食物、裸大麦干籽为原料制作的裸大麦面条、速食裸大麦粉和裸大麦面疙瘩等系列产品;构建了?科企融合、农旅对接?的产业技术推广与开发模式;阐述了裸大麦产业化的发展前景。     

Insights from in vitro exploration of factors influencing iron,zinc and provitamin A carotenoid bioaccessibility and intestinal absorption from cereals

Developments in genetics, agronomics and processing has positioned staple cereals as important sources of iron, zinc and provitamin A (pVA) carotenoids for nutritionally vulnerable populations. Significant effort has been placed on understanding the bioavailability of these micronutrients from cereal foods, including the exploration of underlying mechanisms by which their bioavailability can be modified. While micronutrient bioavailability is preferably assessed in clinical trials, relevant in vitro digestion and intestinal cell culture models have been applied to study effects of genetic, agronomic, post-harvest and food processing on micronutrient bioavailability. This review (1) critically assesses the application of in vitro models in the exploration of mechanisms associated with iron, zinc and provitamin A carotenoid bioaccessibility and intestinal absorption from cereal foods, and (2) identifies remaining gaps in order to frame future strategies to improve the nutritional impact of cereal foods.     

Nutritional components and antioxidant properties of seven kinds of cereals fermented by the basidiomycete Agaricus blazei

The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of solid-state fermentation (SSF) by basidiomycete Agaricus blazei Murrill (ABM) on the nutritional components and antioxidant properties of wheat, rice, oat, corn, millet, broomcorn millet and sorghum.The results showed that the contents of nutritional components in the fermented cereals varied with the fermentation time. After SSF of ABM, the enhancement rates of millet in total phenols, amino acid nitrogen and water-soluble protein content were the highest, which were respectively 4.03, 12.04 and 10.37 times higher than that of the control; the enhancement rates of wheat in total protein and reducing sugar content were the highest, which were 0.32 and 100.77 times higher than that of control. According to 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity, reducing power, ferrous ion chelating ability and superoxide anion radical scavenging ability of ethanolic extracts from the fermented cereals, it was shown that the antioxidant properties of the cereals were significantly stronger than that of control after fermented by ABM. The improvement degrees of sorghum in DPPH radical scavenging capacity and superoxide anion radical scavenging ability were the highest, the improvement degrees of wheat in reducing power and ferrous ion chelating ability were the highest.