Fresh pasta enrichment with protein concentrate of tilapia: nutritional and sensory characteristics.

With the goal of developing and characterizing the nutritional and sensory aspects of fresh pasta supplemented with tilapia protein concentrate, four types of pasta were prepared, with inclusion of 0, 10, 20, or 30% of tilapia protein concentrate. Linear effects were observed (P < 0.01) in crude protein, total lipids, ash, carbohydrate, and caloric values; these parameters increased with increasing amounts of tilapia protein concentrate in the pasta. The concentration of Na, P, Ca, Mg, and Zn increased linearly (P < 0.01) in correlation with the increase in protein concentrate content, while Fe content decreased linearly (P < 0.01). In the sensory analysis, texture, overall impression, and the acceptance index demonstrated a cubic regression (P < 0.05), with the inclusion of 20% protein concentrate yielding the best scores. Including up to 30% of tilapia protein concentrate in pasta yields an increased nutritional value, but based on the sensory results, 20% of tilapia protein concentrate in pasta is the recommended maximum level.

Grazing behavior of lactating Murrah buffalo cows supplemented with cupuassu byproduct.

The goal of this work was to evaluate grazing behavior of lactating Murrah buffalo cows supplemented with cupuassu byproduct containing 16.8, 51.4, 8.3, 83.5 and 3.4% of ether extract (EE), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), crude protein (CP), total digestible nutrients (TDN) and nonfibrous carbohydrate (NFC), respectively. Experimental rations were balanced for reaching levels of 22.0 % of crude protein (CP) and 80.1 % of total digestible nutrient (TDN).

Milk composition of Murrah buffalo cows supplemented with cupuassu byproduct in Western Amazon.

The aim of this study was to evaluate milk composition of Murrah buffalo cows supplemented with rations containing cupuassu byproduct in substitution of ground corn. Isoprotein and isoenergy rations were balanced with 22.0% of crude protein (CP) and 80.1% of total digestible nutrient (TDN).

Composição botânica e qualidade do pasto selecionado por ovelhas em caatinga raleada e enriquecida.

Resumo: O presente estudo foi conduzido com o objetivo de determinar a composição botânica e a qualidade da dieta selecionada por ovelhas, através da técnica de micro-histologia fecal, em caatinga raleada e enriquecida com capim massai (Panicum maximum cv. Massai), recebendo diferentes quantidades de concentrado (0; 200; 350 e 500 g de concentrado por dia), e em diferentes períodos do ano (águas, transição água-seca e seca). Foram estimados também o consumo e digestibilidade dos nutrientes, bem como a degradabilidade de espécies forrageiras ingeridas pelas ovelhas. Os experimentos foram realizados na Fazenda Crioula do Meio, pertencente a Embrapa Caprinos e Ovinos em Sobral, CE no período de março a novembro de 2013. No Experimento 1, para a determinação da composição botânica e qualidade da dieta selecionada, foram utilizadas dezesseis ovelhas Somalis brasileira, gestantes, multíparas e peso médio de 30,58+2,48 kg. O acompanhamento da ingestão do pasto pelas ovelhas foi feito em três períodos (águas, transição água-seca e seca), referentes aos meses de abril, junho e agosto de 2013, respectivamente. Amostras das plantas foram coletadas para o preparo das lâminas de referência, e posterior identificação e caracterização dos descritores epidérmicos. O mesmo foi feito para as fezes coletadas nas ovelhas. Com base na proporção de cada espécie identificada nas lâminas fecais que compuseram a dieta, e na composição química das forrageiras identificadas, foi possível determinar a qualidade da dieta ingerida. De 76 espécies observadas no pasto, 33 foram identificadas na dieta das ovelhas, destacando as espécies sabiá (Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia), centrosema (Centrosema sp.), ervanço (Alternanthera brasiliana), massai (Panicum maximum cv Massai) e paco-paco (Wissadula rostrata) como as mais selecionadas pelos animais ao longo dos períodos, chegando a compor mais de 50% da dieta selecionada. Com a chegada do período seco, espécies indesejáveis como o marmeleiro (Croton sonderianus) e o mofumbo (Combretum lepreosum), também fizeram parte das plantas selecionadas. Quanto ao valor nutritivo da dieta selecionada, os animais selecionaram uma dieta com valor nutritivo superior ao amostrado no pasto. No Experimento 2, na mesma condição do experimento anterior, trinta e duas ovelhas Somalis brasileira foram utilizadas para determinação do consumo e digestibilidade dos nutrientes, realizado em três ensaios (abril - terço final de gestação; junho - lactação e agosto - desmame). Para predição do consumo, o indicador LIPE® foi utilizado. Pesagens quinzenais foram realizadas para avaliação do desempenho das ovelhas e dos cordeiros nascidos. O concentrado oferecido favoreceu a maior ingestão e digestibilidade da MS e PB, com efeito substitutivo em relação ao consumo de pasto (P<0,05). Para o período seco, menores consumos foram observados em relação aos períodos das águas e de transição água-seca (P<0,05). Maiores consumos e digestibilidades dos constituintes fibrosos foram observados para as ovelhas não suplementados (P<0,05). Na avaliação do desempenho, a suplementação oferecida determinou os maiores pesos verificados durante a lactação, ao desmame e para os pesos ao nascer e ao desmame dos cordeiros (P<0,05). No Experimento 3, dois ovinos Morada Nova foram utilizados para determinação da degradabilidade da matéria seca (MS), proteína bruta (PB) e fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) de cinco das forrageiras selecionadas pelas ovelhas no Experimento 1: M. caesalpiniaefolia, A. brasiliana, P. maximum cv. Massai, jurema-preta (Mimosa tenuiflora), C. leprosum, nos tempos 0, 6, 24, 48, 72 e 96 horas de incubação. Para cada forrageira, foram determinadas equações para o desaparecimento da MS, PB e FDN. Também foi feito o fracionamento da proteína em suas porções degradáveis e não degradáveis no rúmen. Foi observado maior desaparecimento da MS, PB e FDN, além dos melhores níveis de proteína efetivamente degradada no rúmen para A. brasiliana, seguido pelo P. maximum cv. Massai e M. caesalpiniaefolia. Com as informações obtidas, conclui-se que a micro-histologia fecal apresenta-se como uma técnica viável para avaliações da composição botânica da dieta selecionada por ovinos na caatinga. Ovelhas na caatinga possuem uma grande habilidade de selecionar a dieta, modificando-a ao longo das fases fenológicas, sempre na tentativa de estabelecer uma dieta com melhor valor nutritivo. Forrageiras como A. brasiliana, M. caesalpiniaefolia e o P. maximum cv. Massai, podem ser consideradas um interessante recurso alimentar, em virtude de seu valor nutricional e aproveitamento por ovelhas criadas na caatinga. Abstract: This study was conducted in order to determine the botanical composition and diet quality selected by sheep through fecal micro-histological technique, in thinned and enriched caatinga with Massai grass (Panicum maximum cv Massai.), receiving different amounts of concentrate (0; 200; 350 and 500 g of concentrate per day) at different periods (wet, transition wet-dry and dry). Were also estimated the intake, digestibility, as well as the degradability of forage species eaten by sheep. The experiments were performed in the "Fazenda Crioula do Meio", owned by Embrapa Goats and Sheep, in Sobral, Ceará State, Brazil, from march to november 2013. In Trial 1, sixteen female, pregnant, multiparous, with average body weight of 30,58+2,48 kg Somalis brasileira breed sheep were used to determine the botanical composition and the quality of the selected diet. The monitoring of pasture intake of sheep were conducted in three phenological periods of the caatinga's pasture (wet season, transition wet-dry and dry season). Plant samples were collected for the preparation of the reference slides, with subsequent identification and characterization of epidermal descriptors. The same was done for the feces collected in sheep. Considering the proportion of each species identified in fecal slides which composed the diet, and the chemical composition of forage identified, it was possible to determine the quality of the selected diet. From 76 species observed in the pasture, 33 species was identified in the sheep selected diet, emphasizing the Sabiá (Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia), centrosema (Centrosema sp.), ervanço (Alternanthera brasiliana), massai (Panicum maximum cv Massai) e paco-paco (Wissadula rostrata) as the most selected species by sheep during the study, composing more than 50% of the selected diet. In the Dry Season, undesirable species like marmeleiro (Croton sonderianus) and mofumbo (Combretum leprosum), were also constituent of the diet. Regarding to the nutritional value of selected diet, the sheep selected a diet with more protein than the sampled in the pasture. In the final late gestation, the sheep without supplementation ate a diet above 16% of CP, higher than the selected diet by treatments 350 and 500 g of concentrate per day (P<0.05). Were also observed to the non supplemented sheep, less fiber content intake (P<0.05). In the Trial 2, in the same condition of the first Trial, thirty two Somalis brasileira female sheep were used to determine the intake and digestibility, conducted in three assays (April - third late pregnancy; June - lactation and August - weaning). To predict the intake, the marker LIPE was used. Sheep and lambs were weighted every two weeks to performance evaluation. The concentrate offered to sheep favored to higher intake and digestibility of DM and CP than non supplemented sheep, with inverse relationship to the pasture intake (P<0.05). For the Dry Season, lower intake were observed than for Wet Season and Transition Wet-Dry (P<0.05). Higher intakes and digestibility of the fiber constituents were verified to non supplemented sheep (P<0.05). To performance evaluation, the offered supplementation determined the higher weights observed during lactation and weaning of sheep, and to birth and weaning weights of lambs (P<0.05). In Trial 3, two male sheep were used to determine the degradability of dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of five forages selected by sheep in Trial 1: M. caesalpiniaefolia, A. brasiliana, P. maximum cv. Massai, jurema-preta (Mimosa tenuiflora) and C. lepreosum, at zero, 6, 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours of incubation. For each forage, were determined equations for the disappearance of DM, CP and NDF. It was also realized the protein fractions in their degradable and non-degradable in the rumen parts. Was detected a higher disappearance of DM, CP and NDF, as also better proportion of the rumen degradable protein to A. brasiliana, followed by P. maximum cv. Massai and M. caesalpiniaefolia. With the information obtained, it is concluded that the fecal micro histological technique presents as a viable technique to evaluate the selected diet by sheep in caatinga's pasture. On this pasture, the sheep are skilled to select the diet, changing during the phenological phases, trying to form a diet of better nutritive value. Forages as A. brasiliana, P. maximum cv. Massai and M. caesalpiniaefolia, can be considered an interesting food source to ewes kept in the caatinga.

Uso da espectroscopia de reflectância do infravermelho próximo (NIRS) para previsão da composição bromatológica de vagens de algaroba e palma forrageira.

Espécies forrageiras adaptadas às condições semiáridas são uma alternativa para reduzir os impactos negativos na cadeia produtiva de ruminantes da região Nordeste brasileira devido à sazonalidade na oferta de forragem, além de reduzir custo com o fornecimento de alimentos concentrados. Dentre as espécies, a vagem de algaroba (Prosopis juliflora SW D.C.) e palma forrageira (Opuntia e Nopalea) ganham destaque por tolerarem o déficit hídrico e produzirem em períodos onde a oferta de forragem está reduzida, além de apresentam bom valor nutricional e serem bem aceitas pelos animais. Porém, devido à variação na sua composição, seu uso na alimentação animal exige o conhecimento profundo da sua composição para a elaboração de dietas balanceadas. No entanto, devido ao custo e tempo para análise, os produtores não fazem uso da prática de análise da composição químico-bromatológica dos alimentos. Por isto, a espectroscopia de reflectância no infravermelho próximo (NIRS) representa uma importante alternativa aos métodos tradicionais. Objetivou-se com este estudo desenvolver e validar modelos de predição da composição bromatológica de vagem de algaroba e palma forrageira baseados em espectroscopia NIRS, escaneadas em dois modelos de equipamentos e com diferentes processamentos da amostra. Foram coletadas amostras de vagem de algaroba nos estados do Ceará, Bahia, Paraíba e Pernambuco, e amostras de palma forrageira nos estados do Ceará, Paraíba e Pernambuco, frescas (in natura) ou pré-secas e moídas. Para obtenção dos espectros utilizaram-se dois equipamentos NIR, Perten DA 7250 e FOSS 5000. Inicialmente os alimentos foram escaneados in natura em aparelho do modelo Perten, e, com o auxílio do software The Unscrambler 10.2 foi selecionado um grupo de amostras para o banco de calibração. As amostras selecionadas foram secas e moídas, e escaneadas novamente em equipamentos Perten e FOSS. Os valores dos parâmetros de referência foram obtidos por meio de metodologias tradicionalmente aplicadas em laboratório de nutrição animal para matéria seca (MS), matéria mineral (MM), matéria orgânica (MO), proteína bruta (PB), estrato etéreo (EE), fibra solúvel em detergente neutro (FDN), fibra solúvel em detergente ácido (FDA), hemicelulose (HEM) e digestibilidade in vitro da matéria seca (DIVMS). O desempenho dos modelos foi avaliado de acordo com os erros médios de calibração (RMSEC) e validação (RMSECV), coeficiente de determinação (R2 ) e da relação de desempenho de desvio dos modelos (RPD). A análise exploratória dos dados, por meio de tratamentos espectrais e análise de componentes principais (PCA), demonstraram que os bancos de dados eram similares entre si, dando segurança de desenvolver os modelos com todas as amostras selecionadas em um único modelo para cada alimento, algaroba e palma. Na avaliação dos resultados de referência, observou-se que a variação dos resultados para cada parâmetro corroboraram com os descritos na literatura. No desempenho dos modelos, aqueles desenvolvidos com pré-processamento da amostra (pré-secagem e moagem) se mostraram mais robustos do que aqueles construídos com amostras in natura. O aparelho NIRS Perten apresentou desempenho semelhante ao equipamento FOSS, apesar desse último cobrir uma faixa espectral maior e com intervalos de leituras menores. A técnica NIR, associada ao método de calibração multivariada de regressão por meio de quadrados mínimos (PLS), mostrou-se confiável para prever a composição químico-bromatológica de vagem de algaroba e da palma forrageira. Abstract: Forage species adapted to semi-arid conditions are an alternative to reduce the negative impacts in the feed supply for ruminants in the Brazilian Northeast region, due to seasonality in forage availability, as well as in the reducing of cost by providing concentrated feedstuffs. Among the species, mesquite pods (Prosopis juliflora SW DC) and spineless cactus (Opuntia and Nopalea) are highlighted for tolerating the drought and producion in periods where the forage is scarce, and have high nutritional value and also are well accepted by the animals. However, its use in animal diets requires a knowledge about its composition to prepare balanced diets. However, farmers usually do not use feed composition analysis, because their high cost and time-consuming. Thus, the Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy in the (NIRS) is an important alternative to traditional methods. The objective of this study to develop and validate predictive models of the chemical composition of mesquite pods and spineless cactus-based NIRS spectroscopy, scanned in two different spectrometers and sample processing. Mesquite pods samples were collected in the states of Ceará, Bahia, Paraiba and Pernambuco, and samples of forage cactus in the states of Ceará, Paraíba and Pernambuco. In order to obtain the spectra, it was used two NIR equipment: Perten DA 7250 and FOSS 5000. sSpectra of samples were initially obtained fresh (as received) using Perten instrument, and with The Unscrambler software 10.2, a group of subsamples was selected to model development, keeping out redundant ones. The selected samples were dried and ground, and scanned again in both Perten and FOSS instruments. The values of the reference analysis were obtained by methods traditionally applied in animal nutrition laboratory to dry matter (DM), mineral matter (MM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), soluble neutral detergent fiber (NDF), soluble acid detergent fiber (ADF), hemicellulose ( HEM) and in vitro digestibility of dry matter (DIVDM). The performance of the models was evaluated according to the Root Mean Square Error of Calibration (RMSEC) and cross-validation (RMSECV), coefficient of determination (R2 ) and the deviation of Ratio of performance Deviation of the models (RPD). Exploratory data analysis through spectral treatments and principal component analysis (PCA), showed that the databases were similar to each other, and may be treated asa single model for each feed - mesquite pods and cactus. Evaluating the reference results, it was observed that the variation were similar to those reported in the literature. Comparing the preprocessing of samples, the performance ofthose developed with preprocessing (dried and ground) of the sample were more robust than those built with fresh samples. The NIRS Perten device performance similar to FOSS equipment, although the latter cover a larger spectral range and with lower readings intervals. NIR technology associate do multivariate techniques is reliable to predict the bromatological composition of mesquite pods and cactus.

Annual crop rotation of tropical pastures with no-till soil as affectedby lime surface application.

Soil acidity and low natural fertility are the main limiting factors for grain production in tropical regionssuch as the Brazilian Cerrado. The application of lime to the surface of no-till soil can improve plant nutrition, dry matter production, crop yields and revenue. The present study, conducted at the Lageado Experimental Farm in Botucatu, State of São Paulo, Brazil, is part of an ongoing research project initi-ated in 2002 to evaluate the long-term effects of the surface application of lime on the soil?s chemical attributes, nutrition and kernel/grain yield of peanut (Arachis hypogaea), white oat (Avena sativa L.) and maize (Zea mays L.) inter cropped with palisade grass (Urochloa brizantha cv. Marandu), as well as the forage dry matter yield of palisade grass in winter/spring, its crude protein concentration, estimated meat production, and revenue in a tropical region with a dry winter during four growing seasons. The experiment was designed in randomized blocks with four replications. The treatments consisted of four rates of lime application (0, 1000, 2000 and 4000 kg ha−1), performed in November 2004. The surface application of limestone to the studied tropical no-till soil was efficient in reducing soil acidity from the surface down to a depth of 0.60 m and resulted in greater availability of P and K at the soil surface. Ca and Mg availability in the soil also increased with the lime application rate, up to a depth of 0.60 m. Nutrient absorption was enhanced with liming, especially regarding the nutrient uptake of K, Ca and Mg by plants.Significant increases in the yield components and kernel/grain yields of peanut, white oat and maize were obtained through the surface application of limestone. The lime rates estimated to achieve the maximum grain yield, especially in white oat and maize, were very close to the rates necessary to increase the base saturation of a soil sample collected at a depth of 0?0.20 m to 70%, indicating that the surface liming of 2000 kg ha−1is effective for the studied tropical no-till soil. This lime rate also increases the forage dry matter yield, crude protein concentration and estimated meat production during winter/spring in the maize-palisade grass inter cropping, provides the highest total and mean net profit during the four growing seasons, and can improve the long-term sustainability of tropical agriculture in the Brazilian Cerrado.

Forage peanut (Arachis spp.) genetic evaluation and selection.

Forage peanut improvement for use in grass?legume mixtures is expected to have a great impact on the sustainability of Brazilian livestock production. Eighteen cloned Arachis spp. ecotypes were evaluated under clipping in a Brazilian Cerrado region and results analysed using a mixed model methodology. The objective was to estimate genetic and phenotypic parameters and to select the best ecotypes based on selection index applied on their predicted genotypic value. The traits of total dry-matter (DM) and leaf DM yield presented moderate (0_30 < h2g < 0_50) to high (>0_50) broad-sense heritability, in contrast to the low genetic variability in nutritional quality-associated traits. Ecotypes of Arachis spp. contained average crude protein concentrations of 224 g kg _1 DM in leaves and 138 g kg _1 DM in stems, supporting the potential role of these species to overcome the low protein content in Cerrado pastures. The correlations between yield traits and traits associated with low nutritional value in leaves were consistently significant and positive. Genetic correlations among all the yield traits evaluated during the rainy or dry seasons were significant and positive. The ecotypes were ranked based on selection index. The next step is to validate long-term selection of grass?Arachis in combination with pastures under competition and adjusted grazing in the Cerrado region.