Effects of the Ratio of n-6:n-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids in the Maternal Diet on Immunoglobulins, Fatty Acid Composition, and Performance of Lactating Sows and Suckling Piglets under Conditions of Low Maternal Energy Intake

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different ratios of n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in sow diets on the performance of lactating sows and their piglets at low digestible energy intakes.Twenty-one pregnant Landrace sows were assigned to one of three diets from day 108 of gestation until weaning (26 to 29 d),containing n-6∶n-3 PUFA ratios of 3∶1,8∶1 and 11∶1.The effects on sow and litter production traits and on sow body condition were examined.There were no differences among treatments in daily feed intakes or in changes in sow weight and back-fat levels during lactation.Litter size,litter weight at birth and weaning and litter average daily weight gain were also unaffected by treatment.As expected,large differences were observed in n-6 and n-3 fatty acids in the colostrum and plasma of sows and piglets (P ＜ 0.01 ).The ratio of n-6∶n-3 PUFA the diet was positively correlated with those in colostrum,sow plasma and piglet plasma ( R2 =0.55,0.80 and 0.80,respectively).Sow plasma insulin and IGF-I levels at weaning were unaffected by the treatments.Plasma leptin ( P ＜ 0.05) concentrations were increased in sows fed the diet with a n-6∶ n-3 ratio of 8∶1.Immunoglobulin concentrations in colostrum were not altered by dietary treatment.Plasma IgG concentrations at d 14 were highest in piglets from sows fed the 8∶1 ratio of n-6∶n-3.Furthermore,this group had the highest IgA concentrations at day 21 of lactation compared with the other two groups ( P ＜ 0.05 ).In summary,our study demonstrated that at low digestible energy levels,altering the ratio of n-6∶n-3 PUFA in the diets for lactating sows affected immune components and the fatty acid composition of lactating sows and their piglets.Further studies are needed to examine whether higher levels of fat supplementation than those used in the present study ( 1.5％ ) can successfully enhance performance.     

A genetic analysis of meat compositions in Japanese Black cattle: Genetic parameters and sex influence

Meat composition in beef is related to eating quality and food functionality. Genetic parameters for several meat compositions including free amino acid, peptide and sugar, however, remain poorly described. In this study, we estimated genetic parameters for 51 meat components, including free amino acids, peptides, sugars and fatty acid compositions, and two carcase traits in 1,354 heifers and 1,797 steers of Japanese Black cattle. Heritability estimates were generally equivalent to or moderately greater than those in previous studies of this breed. Genetic correlations between free amino acids, peptides and sugars and carcase traits were often negative, suggesting a trade‐off between traits. Using two‐trait animal models that treat records from the two sexes as different traits, we estimated sex‐specific heritabilities and cross‐sex genetic correlations which indicate the sex differences in genetic architecture. In these analyses, 12 traits showed significant heritability differences between sexes and cross‐sex genetic correlations occasionally deviated from unity. These results could be used to inform future breeding schemes and investigations of the genetic architecture of meat compositions in beef.     

2007～2008年国际反刍动物营养研究进展 Ⅴ.脂肪(酸)营养

反刍动物产品如牛奶,牛、羊肉等,是人类重要的膳食组成,其脂肪品质及脂肪酸组成与人体健康密切相关,如何合理调控反刍动物脂肪代谢过程,优化饲养模式,改善产品脂肪品质是反刍动物脂类营养研究的关键问题。作者对2007～2008年反刍动物脂类营养研究进展作一简要综述。国内的研究热点主要集中于脂肪酸代谢通路的研究、补充脂肪（脂肪酸）对反刍动物生产性能及产品脂肪酸组成的影响和瘤胃惰性脂肪的应用研究。而国外反刍动物营养脂类研究中除了上述3点外还对乳腺脂肪酸代谢调控和瘤胃后脂肪酸消化、吸收方面有较深入的研究。     

脂肪酸调控奶牛乳腺microRNAs研究进展

脂类是一种可以为动物体储存和提供能量的物质,大量研究证实,日粮中脂类的改变可以改变microRNAs（miRNAs）的表达从而影响机体生命活动。本综述主要概括了脂肪酸对奶牛乳腺miRNAs的调控作用,从奶牛乳腺miRNAs表达特征、调控乳脂合成的miRNAs及外源添加脂肪酸对乳腺miRNAs的调控三个方面进行概述,旨在从转录后调控角度,建立营养物质与乳腺功能的联系,为未来相关研究提供参考。     

Fermentation characteristics of resistant starch,arabinoxylan, and β-glucan and their effects on the gut microbial ecology of pigs: A review

Dietary fibers (DF) contain an abundant amount of energy, although the mammalian genome does not encode most of the enzymes required to degrade them. However, a mutual dependence is developed between the host and symbiotic microbes, which has the potential to extract the energy present in these DF. Dietary fibers escape digestion in the foregut and are fermented in the hindgut, producing short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) that alter the microbial ecology in the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of pigs. Most of the carbohydrates are fermented in the proximal part, allowing protein fermentation in the distal part, resulting in colonic diseases. The structures of resistant starch (RS), arabinoxylan (AX), and β-glucan (βG) are complex; hence, makes their way into the hindgut where these are fermented and provide energy substrates for the colonic epithelial cells. Different microbes have different preferences of binding to different substrates. The RS, AX and βG act as a unique substrate for the microbes and modify the relative composition of the gut microbial community. The granule dimension and surface area of each substrate are different, which influences the penetration capacity of microbes. Arabinose and xylan are 2 different hemicelluloses, but arabinose is substituted on the xylan backbone and occurs in the form of AX. Fermentation of xylan produces butyrate primarily in the small intestine, whereas arabinose produces butyrate in the large intestine. Types of RS and forms of βG also exert beneficial effects by producing different metabolites and modulating the intestinal microbiota. Therefore, it is important to have information of different types of RS, AX and βG and their roles in microbial modulation to get the optimum benefits of fiber fermentation in the gut. This review provides relevant information on the similarities and differences that exist in the way RS, AX, and βG are fermented, and their positive and negative effects on SCFA production and gut microbial ecology of pigs. These insights will help nutritionists to develop dietary strategies that can modulate specific SCFA production and promote beneficial microbiota in the GIT of swine.     

Ileal digestibility of protein and amino acids from canola meal in weaned piglets and growing pigs

Two experiments were conducted to measure the apparent ileal digestibility coefficients (AID) of protein and amino acids from canola meal (CM) and a pelleted canola meal (PCM) and their effect on specific activity (SA) of pancreatic proteases in weaned piglets and growing pigs. In experiment one, 24 piglets weaned at 17 days and weighing 5.5 kg were used. Treatments were a reference diet with 200 g of crude protein (CP) kg^− 1 elaborated with casein (C) as the sole protein source, a diet containing C–CM and a diet containing C–PCM. These diets were obtained using the reference diet plus 100 g kg^− 1 of CM or PCM that substituted an isoproteic mixture of casein and maize starch from reference diet, so that the AID coefficients for their protein and amino acids could be calculated by difference. In experiment two, nine castrated pigs weighing 39.5 kg were used. Treatments were a reference diet with 160 g of CP kg^− 1 elaborated with casein (C) as the sole protein source, diet C–CM and diet C–PCM. These diets were obtained using the reference diet plus 300 g kg^− 1 of CM or PCM that substituted an isoproteic mixture of casein and maize starch from reference diet. In piglets, the AID coefficients for casein were highest (P < 0.05), those of PCM were intermediate, and those of CM were the lowest. In older pigs, the AID coefficients for casein were highest, and those of CM and PCM were similar (P > 0.05). The SAs of chymotrypsin, trypsin and carboxypeptidases A and B were lower in piglets than in heavier pigs. Moreover, the SAs of trypsin, chymotrypsin, and carboxypeptidase B were lower (P > 0.05) in animals fed casein. The results showed in piglets that whereas CM was less digestible, pelleted canola meal improved protein and amino acid ileal digestibility, resulting in similar AID coefficients to those of growing pigs.     

瘤胃中乳酸的代谢及其调控机制

有关瘤胃酸中毒发生机制研究表明,瘤胃乳酸的累积可能对酸中毒诱导起重要作用,而高精料日粮下瘤胃乳酸累积主要取决于瘤胃乳酸产生菌和乳酸利用菌间的平衡程度。本文综述了瘤胃微生物对乳酸的代谢机制,包括主要乳酸产生菌[溶纤维丁酸弧菌(Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens)、牛链球菌(Streptococcus bovis)、乳酸杆菌(Lactobacillus)]和主要乳酸利用菌[反刍兽新月单胞菌(Selenomonus ruminantium)、埃氏巨型球菌(Megasphaera elsdenii)],并简要概述了酸中毒的调控方法,旨在为反刍动物瘤胃酸中毒的乳酸中毒机制深入解析提供参考。     

杜泊绵羊与小尾寒羊杂交后代肌肉风味的研究

本研究旨在通过对肌肉氨基酸和脂肪酸的检测,探讨杜泊羊与小尾寒羊杂交对肌肉风味的影响,为选育优质肉羊品种提供理论依据。结果表明：从氨基酸总量来看,杜寒F1较小尾寒羊和杜泊羊分别提高30．06％和0．57％,杜寒F2较小尾寒羊和杜泊羊分别提高29：49％和0．13％;从主要脂肪酸含量来看,杜寒F1较小尾寒羊和杜泊羊分别降低0．29％和10．05％,杜寒F2较小尾寒羊和杜泊羊分别降低13．54％和22．01％;从挥发性脂肪酸来看,杜寒F1较小尾寒羊和杜泊羊分别降低2．93％和6．44％,杜寒F2较小尾寒羊和杜泊羊分别降低21．24％和24．09％。杂交后代杜寒F1和杜寒F2氨基酸含量有所提高,同时能够降低羊肉膻味。     

Fat and cholesterol content and fatty acid composition of mares' colostrums and milk during five lactation months

In this study, the effect of the lactation stage on changes in the fat and cholesterol content and fatty acid composition of colostrum and milk of Wielkopolska mares' was investigated. Colostrum and milk samples from 10 lactating mares were collected at the beginning of lactation, on the 1st and 2nd day after foaling and then, starting from the first month of lactation, at 4 weeks' intervals up to the fifth month of lactation. Statistically significant differences were found between mares' colostrum and milk in the fat and cholesterol content as well as in the percentage rate of total fatty acids which occurred in significant quantities. Together with the lengthening of the lactation time, the content of fat and cholesterol in the mares' milk was observed to decrease. The authors also found a significant impact of the lactation period on changes in the ratio of polyenoic fatty acids from the n-6 to n-3 family. Bearing in mind the fat and cholesterol content and a more favourable (from the nutritional point of view) ratio of fatty acids from the family of n-6 to n-3, it is recommended to collect milk from mares in the 4th and 5th month of lactation.     

不同生境芦苇的营养成分分析

本文分析了分布在不同生境条件下的芦苇的营养成分，结果表明，（１）单位面积地上部生物量以沼泽芦苇为最高，沙丘芦苇次之，过渡带芦苇较低，盐化草甸芦苇最低；碳水化合物总量沙丘芦苇＞沼泽芦苇＞过渡带芦苇＞盐化草甸芦苇；粗蛋白含量由高到低顺序为：盐化草甸芦苇、沙丘芦苇、沼泽芦苇、过渡带芦苇。（２）４种生境芦苇的总氨基酸和游离氨基酸中均含有１８种天然氢基酸，其中１０种必需氨基酸含量因生境条件不同而备有差异。但总氨基酸及结构氨基酸中必需氨基酸含量均在１０％以上。由此得出，４种生境芦苇利用价值由高到低的顺序依次为：沙丘芦苇、沼泽芦苇、过渡带芦苇、盐化草甸芦苇。