Nutritive value of unconventional fibrous ingredients fed to Guinea pigs in the Democratic Republic of Congo

The energy and protein value for Guinea pigs (GP) of 9 forages (7 dicots and 2 grasses) and 5 hay-based diets was determined. The apparent faecal digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude protein and energy was measured on GP housed in metabolic cages. The forages and the diets were digested in vitro using pepsin and pancreatin hydrolysis and gas fermentation test to simulate stomach, small intestine and large intestine, respectively. Most of the dicots had high digestible crude protein content (152–201 g/kg DM) and the 2 grasses showed lower values (80–85 g/kg DM). Digestible energy content of the forages ranged between 5.79 to 13.08 MJ/kg DM. None of the forage species or hay-based diets provided sufficient energy to supply the 11.7 MJ/kg metabolic energy requirements. The influence of intestinal fermentation on energy and protein values was highlighted by correlations (P<0.05) between in vivo and in vitro data, including gas fermentation. It is the first time that such relationships are reported in single-stomach animals.     

Influence of source and concentrations of dietary fiber on in vivo nitrogen excretion pathways in pigs as reflected by in vitro fermentation and nitrogen incorporation by fecal bacteria

The inclusion of dietary fiber (DF) in diets has been suggested as a way to reduce NH(3) emission in pig barns because it contributes to a shift in N excretion from urine to feces owing to enhanced bacterial growth in the intestines. This study compared an in vitro method to measure bacterial protein synthesis during fermentation with an in vivo N excretion shift induced by diets differing in DF concentrations and solubility. The first experiment measured the effect of graded concentrations of sugar beet pulp (SBP; 0, 10, 20, and 30%) in corn- and soybean meal-based diets on in vivo N excretion partitioning between the urine and feces. A second experiment investigated the replacement of SBP, rich in soluble DF, with oat hulls (OH), rich in insoluble DF (20:0, 10.5:10.5, and 0:22%, respectively). In parallel, the fermentation characteristics of the dietary carbohydrates not digested in the small intestine were evaluated in an in vitro gas test, based on their incubation with colonic microbiota, using a mineral buffer solution enriched with (15)N. The N originating from the buffer solution incorporated into the bacterial proteins (BNI) was measured when half the final gas volume was produced (8.5 to 14.5 h of fermentation) and after 72 h of fermentation. Short-chain fatty acids were determined in the liquid phase. In the first experiment, the inclusion of SBP linearly decreased urinary N excretion from 0.285 to 0.215 g of N excreted in the urine per gram of N ingested and decreased the urinary-N:fecal-N excretion ratio from 2.171 to 1.177 (P < 0.01). In the second experiment, substituting SBP with OH linearly increased the urinary-N:fecal-N excretion ratio (P = 0.009). Unlike short-chain fatty acid production, BNI was greater at half-time to asymptotic gas production than at 72 h of fermentation. Sugar beet pulp enhanced BNI linearly (P < 0.001), 2.01, 2.06, and 2.35 mg g(-1) of diet with 10, 20, and 30% SBP, respectively, as compared with 1.51 mg for the control diet. The substitution of SBP with OH decreased BNI (P < 0.01). With the exception of final gas production, all in vitro kinetic characteristics and BNI were correlated with in vivo N excretion parameters, and regression equations for the prediction of N excretion pathways from in vitro data were identified. Even if the presence of resistant starch in the diet might alter the composition of the fibrous residue that is fermented, the in vitro method is a possible useful tool for the formulation of diets, reducing the effects of pig production on the environment.     

Ripening influences banana and plantain peels composition and energy content

Musa sp. peels are widely used by smallholders as complementary feeds for cattle in the tropics. A study of the influence of the variety and the maturation stage of the fruit on fermentability and metabolisable energy (ME) content of the peels was performed using banana (Yangambi Km5) and plantain (Big Ebanga) peels at three stages of maturation in an in vitro model of the rumen. Peel samples were analysed for starch, free sugars and fibre composition. Samples were incubated in the presence of rumen fluid. Kinetics of gas production were modelled, ME content was calculated using prediction equation and short-chain fatty acids production and molar ratio were measured after 72 h of fermentation. Final gas production was higher in plantain (269–339 ml g⁻¹) compared to banana (237–328 ml g⁻¹) and plantain exhibited higher ME contents (8.9–9.7 MJ/kg of dry matter, DM) compared to banana (7.7–8.8 MJ/kg of DM). Butyrate molar ratio decreased with maturity of the peels. The main influence of the variety and the stage of maturation on all fermentation parameters as well as ME contents of the peels was correlated to changes in the carbohydrate fraction of the peels, including starch and fibre.     

Influence of purified dietary fibre on bacterial protein synthesis in the large intestine of pigs, as measured by the gas production technique

Microbial fermentation of non-digestible carbohydrates in the pig's large intestine induces a shift of N excretion from urea in urine to bacterial protein in faeces. Experiments were carried out to measure the mineral N incorporation by the pig intestinal microflora using 5 purified carbohydrates in a gas-test: starch (S), cellulose (C), inulin (I), pectin (P) and xylan (X). Fermentation kinetics was modelled. N source in the buffer solution was replaced by ¹⁵N labelled NH₄Cl. The bacterial N fixation was determined at mid-fermentation, measuring ¹⁵N incorporation into the solid phase of the buffer. The bacterial N fixation was higher (P < 0.001) with I and S (19.9 and 18.1 mg N/g incubated DM), compared to P, C and X (8.7, 5.9 and 5.5 respectively). Inulin and S were fermented also more rapidly, even if I (0.081 h^− 1) and C (0.074 h^− 1) showed lower half time fractional rate of degradation than S (0.153 h^− 1), P (0.133 h^− 1) and X (0.104 h^− 1). The insoluble dietary fibre content of the substrates was negatively correlated to bacterial N fixation (r = − 0.957, P = 0.011). The high crude protein content of P (32.5 mg g^− 1DM) might explain the lower impact of this substrate on bacterial N fixation, despite its rapid fermentation. Beside the proportion of insoluble fibre, the N content and the rate of fermentation seem to be the major factors influencing bacterial protein synthesis. Further studies including ingredients with variable content of indigestible protein and mean retention time in the pig's intestines are necessary.     

Influence of environmental factors upon the leaching of cations from undisturbed microcosms of beech and spruce litters

The leaching of nutrient cations (Na⁺, K⁺, Mg²⁺ and Ca²⁺) from undisturbed beech and spruce litters was followed in relation to the following environmental factors: nature of the organic layers, temperature, rainfall, quality of rain and stage of humus development. Among them, temperature, quality of rain and type of humus were predominant in modifying leaching rates of the nutrients. But, when the time of sampling was considered, the effects of physical, chemical and biological transformations of the humus on the leaching of cations had to be accounted for. The complexity of the interactions occurring during leaching is also exemplified.     

Voluntary intake,chemical composition and <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis> digestibility of fresh forages fed to Guinea pigs in periurban rearing systems of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Bindelle, J., Ilunga, Y., Delacollette, M., Muland Kayij, M., Umba di M’Balu, J., Kindele, E. and Buldgen, A. Voluntary intake, chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of fresh forages fed to Guinea pigs in periurban rearing systems of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo). Tropical Animal Health and Production. The daily voluntary intake (DVI) of Guinea pigs (GP) fed 15 fresh forages used in periurban rearing systems of Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) was investigated. In order to determine the best forages combination for GP diet, DVI was compared to their nutritional value measured in vitro using 1) a pepsin-pancreatin hydrolysis, 2) an gas fermentation test on the hydrolysed residues with an inoculum prepared from GP faeces, and 3) the chemical composition of the offered feeds and the hydrolysis residues. The forages ranking based on the DVI was correlated to the NDF content, but not to their nutritional values determined in vitro. According to their high DVI (from 4.23 to 7.75 g/kg liveweigth), and their valuable in vitro nutritional values (crude protein ranging from 261 to 279 g crude protein kg⁻¹DM, pepsin-pancreatin digestibilities of the dry matter from 0.55 to 0.59 and final gas production from 170 to 196 l kg⁻¹DM), Desmodium intortum, Euphorbia heterophylla or Amaranthus hybridus, can be suggested to the farmers to complement the usual diet distributed to the GP based on Panicum maximum.     

Effects of oral supplementation with bovine colostrum on the immune system of weaned piglets

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of bovine colostrum supplementation on the immune system of weaned piglets in a context of a full ban of in-feed antibiotics. After weaning at 21 days, 24 outbred piglets were fed with a diet supplemented daily for three weeks with 0, 1 or 5 g of colostrum. Feed intake, growth performance, haematological parameters, and serum and local anti-colostrum immunoglobulin levels were examined. Lymphocytes from the blood, spleen, and gut-associated lymphoid were analysed for phenotype as well as for their ability to produce cytokines. The stimulation index (SI) of mononuclear cells from different organs was obtained after colostral or mitogenic stimulation. Feed intake, growth, and haematological parameters were not significantly affected by colostrum. Total serum IgA levels were increased after colostrum supplementation, with a transient decrease in total IgG. Local anti-colostrum immunization was observed in colostrum-fed piglets. The CD21+/CD3+ cells populations of the ileal Peyer's patch (iPP) were markedly affected. The SI of lymphocyte populations changed significantly whereas, naive blood lymphocytes were not stimulated in vitro in the presence of bovine colostrum, suggesting local anti-colostrum immunization and an absence of direct mitogenic effects of the colostrum. Both Th1 and Th2 cytokine production was present in the different organs of colostrum-fed piglets. Bovine colostrum especially stimulated iPP cells.     

Principal component analysis applied to nutrient balances in organic layers of beech and spruce forests

Yearly nutrient balances were established between August 1979 and October 1981 for the organic layers of beech and spruce forests. Principal component analysis has been applied to the monthly nutrient balances in order to understand the important differences which appear between both types of organic layers. Three main processes affect the redistribution of elements from the organic layers: exchange and solubilization, organic matter mineralization and nitrate immobilization and release. The relative importance of these three processes within the beech and the spruce layers is different. Moreover, it is shown that variations in the rainfall regime is an important factor which govern nitrogen redistribution and that rainfall acidity promotes phosphate leachings from the organic layers of both forests.     

A Survey of Pig Production Systems in the Rain Forest of the Pacific Coast of Colombia

A questionnaire-based survey was conducted in small-scale pig farms in the rain forest of the Colombian Pacific coast in order to study aspects of reproduction, nutrition and productivity. A total of 124 farmers was interviewed. They owned, on average, 13.6 pigs, including 2.3 sows, mainly of the Zungo breed. Pigs are reared in extensive systems and are allowed to wander freely in search of food. The sows produce, on average, 9.6 piglets/litter but, owing to poor sanitary conditions, 1.5 are born dead and only 6.3 are weaned alive. Two-thirds of the sows have five litters or more and the boars are also kept for a long time. This leads to high consanguinity rates within the herd and low productivity. Diets are based on maize, banana, tubers (taro, cassava) and fruits (peach palm, among others), and are rich in energy but poor in protein and minerals. The lack of protein and mineral sources appears to be the main limiting factor of these extensive production systems. Tree forages could partially solve the problem but are used by only 2% of the farmers. It is concluded that decreasing inbreeding, better piglet management and provision of balanced diets are areas that require immediate improvement.     

Effect of bovine colostrum supplementation on cytokine mRNA expression in weaned piglets

The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of bovine colostrum supplementation on the immune Th1/Th2 response in weaned piglets. After weaning at 21 d, 3 groups of 7 piglets were fed ad libitum with a starter diet and received daily 0, 1 or 5 g of spray-dried bovine colostrum. Spleen and gut-associated lymphoid tissues (GALT): ileal Peyer's patch (iPP), jejunum wall (JW) and mesenteric lymph node (MLN)) biopsies were collected on each piglet after 3 wk of treatment and analysed for their cytokine mRNA expression (IL-2, IL-4, IL-10, IL-12 and IFNγ) by RT-PCR. The supplementation with bovine colostrum induced an increase (P < 0.05) in IL-12 in the JW, in IL-2, IL-10 and IL-12 in the MLN and in IL-4, IL-10 and IL-12 in the iPP. In the latter, bovine colostrum also decreased IFN-γ production (P < 0.01). Finally, no effect of the treatments was recorded in the spleen. These results suggest an immunomodulatory effect of bovine colostrum on the GALT, which responded by producing at different levels both Th1 pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-2, IFN-γ and IL-12) and Th2 anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-4 and IL-10). This Th1/Th2 bipolar response protects the weaned piglets from both allergic (food) and infectious (pathogens) diseases.