Olive oil by-product as a natural antioxidant in gilthead sea bream (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Sparus aurata</Emphasis>) nutrition

The aim of the study reported here was to evaluate the efficiency of a natural antioxidant substance in gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata) feeds. An olive oil by-product, olive mill vegetation water (VW), contains polyphenols, which have a strong antioxidant activity. A 147-day growth trial was conducted (monofactorial balanced, 4 × 3) with diet as the experimental factor. Two diets [isonitrogenous (crude protein 40%) and isoenergetic (gross energy = 18MJ kg⁻¹ on a dry weight basis] were formulated with 1 and 5% of VW (VW1, VW5); the control diet did not contain VW. A total of 600 juvenile gilthead sea breams (mean body weight 114.1 ± 5.7 g) were utilised. Production parameters and somatic indexes were calculated at the end of the growth trial. Antioxidant activity in fish fillets was investigated using TBARS and DPPH assays. A number of haematological parameters and digestive enzyme patterns were measured in fish in the middle and at the end of the experiment. The TBARS values showed slight delays in the development of oxidation in the fillet of fish fed with VW. There was no statistical difference between fish fed with the experimental diet and the control group, except for maltase activity, which increased with increasing VW in the feed. We found that the use of VW in a gilthead sea bream diet did not have any detrimental effects on gilthead sea bream production and physiological parameters and slightly improved the conservation of the fish fillets.     

Impact of low hydration of barley grain on β-glucan degradation and lipid transfer protein (LTP1) modifications during the malting process

One of the objectives of the malting industry is to reduce the energy cost during kilning without major effect on malt quality. In this study, the impact of a low hydration steeping process on lipid transfer protein (LTP1) modifications and β-glucan breakdown was evaluated in low (LH) and high (HH) hydrated malts. LTP1 modifications analyzed by MS/MS revealed acylation, glycation, and disulfide bond breakage in both LH and HH malts. LTP1 free amine content measurement and fluorescence of Maillard protein adducts revealed no significant difference between LH and HH malts. Immunolabeling of LTP1 during malting highlighted the diffusion of the protein from the aleurone layer to the endosperm at the end of steeping in both LH and HH malts. By contrast, a significant higher amount of β-glucans was measured in LH malts after five days of germination, whereas no significant difference between LH and HH malts was revealed through immunostaining of β-glucans or evaluation of the endosperm integrity after seven days of germination. The possibility to reduce the effects of a low hydration steeping process on β-glucan hydrolysis by increasing germination time was discussed.     

Evaluation of foot pad health of laying hens in small group housing systems and furnished cages

Foot pad health was examined in a total of 648 Lohmann Selected Leghorn (LSL) in two trials and in 216 Lohmann Brown (LB) laying hens in one trial kept in small group housing systems and furnished cages. The effects of housing system, strain, month of laying period, rearing method, group size and body weight were tested for significance by using analysis of variance. The assessment of foot pads was performed each three months during the laying period. The alterations of foot pads were classified in severity on a scale from 1 (no hyperkeratosis, no epithelial lesions, no swelling of foot pads) to 5 (severe hyperkeratosis and/or deep and large epithelial lesions and/or moderate or high-grade swelling of foot pads). In addition to the macroscopic findings, foot pads were histologically examined. Pathological alterations of foot pads were found in 86.1% of the laying hens, whereas 57.4% of the examined animals showed mild hyperkeratosis (degree 2). Modest hyperkeratosis and/or superficial lesions of the epithelium (degree 3) were detected in 21.0% of the laying hens examined. Severe hyperkeratosis and/or deep epithelial lesions and/or mild swelling of the foot pads (degree 4) as well as very severe hyperkeratosis and/or deep and large epithelial lesions and/or moderate or high-grade swelling of foot pads (degree 5) occurred with frequencies of 5.9% and 1.9% respectively. LB laying hens' food pads were more frequently affected by hyperkeratosis, whereas epithelial lesions were more frequently found in LSL laying hens. The prevalence of pathological alterations in foot pads was significantly influenced by housing system and month of laying period. The results of this study showed that laying hens kept in small group housing systems and furnished cages develop proliferative hyperkeratosis in foot pads due to increased mechanical compression load, caused by the use of perches and staying on wire floor.     

Diversity and zoonotic potential of rotaviruses in swine and cattle across Europe

Group A rotaviruses can infect both humans and animals. Individual rotavirus strains can occasionally cross species barriers and might hereby contribute to the emergence of new genotypes in heterologous hosts. The incidence and impact of zoonotic rotavirus are not well defined, and one reason for this is a lack of data about strains circulating in suspected reservoir animal hosts. In this study we report the incidence, genetic diversity, and molecular epidemiology of rotaviruses detected in domestic cattle and swine in 6 European countries. From 2003 to 2007, 1101 and more than 2000 faecal specimens were collected from swine and cattle, both healthy and diarrhoeic, and tested for rotaviruses. Viruses from positive stools were genotyped and a subset of strains was characterized by nucleotide sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of the VP7 (G) and VP4 (P) genes. Rotaviruses were detected in 43% of bovine samples and in 14% of porcine samples. In cattle, 10 different combinations of G and P types were identified and the most common strains were G6P[11] and G6P[5]. In swine, the number of identified G-P combinations was higher (n=21), however, no single combination was predominant across Europe. Newly described genotype specificities, P[27] and P[32], were identified in swine. When compared at the nucleotide sequence level, the identified porcine rotavirus strains and contemporary human strains grouped together phylogenetically, whereas bovine rotavirus strains formed separate clades. These data demonstrate large genetic diversity of porcine and bovine rotavirus strains across Europe, and suggest that livestock herds may serve as potential reservoirs for human infections.     

Potassium release on drying of soil samples from a variety of weathering regimes and c clay mineralogy in China

Thirty two soil samples from China were analyzed for exchangeable K before and after drying. Most soil samples were higher in exchangeable K after air-drying and ovendrying (60°C) than when wet. Soil clay minerals, especially clay-size mica, affected K released in air-dry and oven-dry samples. According to composition of clay minerals of air-dried samples, five classes were recognized. Soil samples with high mica and montmorillonite have the highest exchangeable K. Samples that contained higher kaolinite than mica had lower exchangeable K. Samples with higher kaolinite than quartz and mica had still lower exchangeable K. Samples of sandy soils contained very low exchangeable K. When quartz was the main mineral, the samples that had kaolinite and gibbsite as the main clay minerals had very low exchangeable K. The degree of weathering (weathering mean) bore an inverse relationship to the amount of K released on drying in air or at 60°C. Udults and Udalfs (Red Earths) of southeastern China, because of their high K release on being dried, are inferred to have received fine mica from the Western Desert dust rainout, reported to Liu et al. (1981).     

Innovative methods in soil phosphorus research: A review

Phosphorus (P) is an indispensable element for all life on Earth and, during the past decade, concerns about the future of its global supply have stimulated much research on soil P and method development. This review provides an overview of advanced state‐of‐the‐art methods currently used in soil P research. These involve bulk and spatially resolved spectroscopic and spectrometric P speciation methods (1 and 2D NMR, IR, Raman, Q‐TOF MS/MS, high resolution‐MS, NanoSIMS, XRF, XPS, (µ)XAS) as well as methods for assessing soil P reactions (sorption isotherms, quantum‐chemical modeling, microbial biomass P, enzymes activity, DGT, ³³P isotopic exchange, ¹⁸O isotope ratios). Required experimental set‐ups and the potentials and limitations of individual methods present a guide for the selection of most suitable methods or combinations.     

Elevated CO2 concentration, fertilization and their interaction: growth stimulation in a short-rotation poplar coppice (EUROFACE)

We investigated the individual and combined effects of elevated CO2 concentration and fertilization on aboveground growth of three poplar species (Populus alba L. Clone 2AS-11, P. nigra L. Clone Jean Pourtet and P. x euramericana Clone I-214) growing in a short-rotation coppice culture for two growing seasons after coppicing. Free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) stimulated the number of shoots per stool, leaf area index measured with a fish-eye-type plant canopy analyzer (LAIoptical), and annual leaf production, but did not affect dominant shoot height or canopy productivity index. Comparison of LAIoptical with LAI estimates from litter collections and from allometric relationships showed considerable differences. The increase in biomass in response to FACE was caused by an initial stimulation of absolute and relative growth rates, which disappeared after the first growing season following coppicing. An ontogenetic decline in growth in the FACE treatment, together with strong competition inside the dense plantation, may have caused this decrease. Fertilization did not influence aboveground growth, although some FACE responses were more pronounced in fertilized trees. A species effect was observed for most parameters.     

Profiling and quantification of isoflavonoids in kudzu dietary supplements by high-performance liquid chromatography and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry

The kudzu vine (Pueraria sp.) is a rich source of isoflavones. Dietary supplements based on kudzu have become commercially available. In the present study, liquid chromatography coupled with negative and positive electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and diode array detection (DAD) has been used for the detection and characterization of isoflavonoids in kudzu dietary supplements (KDS). The MS/MS spectrum of the protonated ion of puerarin showed characteristic product ions of the C-glycoside unit itself, whereas daidzin generated an abundant Y(0)(+) aglycon ion in its product ion spectrum. A base peak due to the loss of 120 Da [M + H - 120](+) is the diagnostic ion for C-glycosides. Neutral loss scans allowed for the detection of other C- and O-glycosides in the methanolic extract of KDS, and their structures have been proposed. The concentration of isoflavonoids in the methanolic extract of commercially available KDS was quantified by using DAD-HPLC. Puerarin, rather than daidzin, was the most abundant component (8.44-30.60 mg/capsule) in commercially available KDS.     

Bird assemblages as bio-indicators of water regime management and hunting disturbance in natural wet grasslands

Responses of the waterbird community to the management regime of a wet grassland system (primarily small changes in the water regime but also hunting disturbance) in a large floodplain lake, Grand-Lieu, were studied during three consecutive years (winter and spring in 1998-2000). These temporarily flooding grasslands (1100 ha) constituted a very important feeding area by supporting large flocks of waterbird species (52 regular spp., totalling up to 14?250-22?850 birds). A global similar seasonal pattern in the presence of waterbird species was recorded whatever the year. The March-May period was a key phase with the maximum species richness (42-48 spp.) and the maximum abundance (30-40% of the total according to year, essentially Anseriformes). Late in spring Ciconiiformes and to a lesser extent some waders exploit this feeding area. Nevertheless some changes in bird assemblages were exhibited according to the management regime (a decreasing spring water level from 1998 to 2000, and an exceptional hunting ban in January 2000, instead of an usual stop in late February). The hunting disturbance clearly limited diurnal accessibility of ducks to wet grasslands in January and February 1998 and 1999. Also, the duck population in flooding grasslands increased by 55-65% in January 2000 when hunting was prohibited and in the same time the richness species grew from 14-19 spp. up to 23 spp. in 2000. The overall impact of a high spring water level on waterbirds as in 1998 and to a lesser extent in 1999 (with respectively 54 and 35 cm of mean water level against 25 cm in 2000) was an increase in diving fish-eating birds and larger flocks of resting gulls. Conversely these conditions, notably a reduced period with a spring water level under 25 cm in spring (20 days in 1998-1999 instead of 40 days in 2000) were adverse to numerous ground-feeding waterbirds (Ciconiiformes and waders) that require shallow waters. This study showed that limitation of human disturbance and moderate flooding of wet grasslands can increase their attractiveness for numerous species of high conservation status.