Meat quality of young Nellore bulls with low and high residual feed intake

Fifty-nine Nellore bulls from low and high residual feed intake (RFI) levels were studied with the objective of evaluating meat quality traits. Animals were slaughtered when ultrasound-measured backfat thickness reached 4. mm, and samples of Longissimus were collected. A mixed model including RFI as fixed effect and herd and diet as random effects was used, and least square means were compared by t-test. More efficient animals consumed 0.730. kg dry matter/day less than less efficient animals, with similar performance. No significant differences in carcass weight, prime meat cuts proportion, chemical composition, pH, sarcomere length, or color were observed between RFI groups. Shear force, myofibrillar fragmentation index and soluble collagen content were influenced by RFI, with a higher shear force and soluble collagen content and a lower fragmentation index in low RFI animals. Feedlot-finished low RFI young Nellore bulls more efficiently convert feed into meat, presenting carcasses within quality standards. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd.

Farelo de algodão como substituto ao farelo de soja, em rações para tilápia do Nilo

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Digestibilidade Aparente de Ingredientes pela Tilápia do Nilo (Oreochromis niloticus)

Avaliou-se a digestibilidade aparente do milho, amido de milho, milho extrusado, germe de milho, sorgo, farelo de trigo, farelo de arroz, glúten 21, glúten 60, farelo de soja, farelo de canola, farelo de algodão, farinha de peixe, farinha de carne, farinha de vísceras de aves, farinha de sangue e farinha de penas. Confeccionaram-se 18 rações, marcadas com 0,10% de óxido de crômio III, uma delas, basal purificada, e as demais, contendo os ingredientes. Os peixes, 100 juvenis com 100±10 g, foram alojados em cinco tanques-rede para facilitar o manejo de alimentação e a coleta de fezes e permaneceram, durante o dia, em cinco aquários (250 L) de alimentação, recebendo refeições à vontade das 8 às 17h30. Após, foram transferidos para cinco aquários (300 L) de coleta de fezes, onde permaneceram até a manhã do dia subseqüente. O coeficiente de digestibilidade aparente dos ingredientes foi calculado com base no teor de óxido crômio da ração e das fezes. Com base nos resultados, concluiu-se que, entre os ingredientes energéticos, o milho apresentou o melhor coeficiente de digestibilidade aparente, seguindo-se o milho extrusado, o farelo de trigo e o farelo de arroz; dos ingredientes protéicos - vegetal, o glúten 60 e o glúten 21, seguidos do farelo de canola, apresentou os melhores coeficientes e dos protéicos - animal, destacou-se a farinha de vísceras de aves, seguida da farinha de peixes, enquanto os piores coeficientes foram proporcionados pela farinha de penas e farinha de sangue.

A new method to quantify macroalgae and a practical sampler for experimentation in lotic habitats

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Messenger ribonucleic acid abundance of intestinal enzymes and transporters in feed-restricted and refed chickens at different ages

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Squamata, Elapidae, Micrurus surinamensis (Cuvier, 1817): new records and distribution map in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil, with notes on diet and activity period.

We report six new records of M. surinamensis and present the map of distribution with known records for this species of semiaquatic coral snake in the state of Mato Grosso, Brazil.

Interaction of hypercaloric diet and physical exercise on lipid profile, oxidative stress and antioxidant defenses

The present study examined the interaction of hypercaloric diet (HD) and physical exercise on lipid profile and oxidative stress in serum and liver of rats. Male Wistar rats (60-days-old) were fed with a control (C) and hypercaloric diet (H). Each of the two dietary groups (C and H) was divided into three subgroups (n = 8), sedentary (CS and HS), exercised 2 days a week (CE2 and HE2) and exercised 5 days a week (CE5 and HE5). The swimming was selected as a model for exercise performance. After 8-weeks exercised rats showed decreased lactate dehydrogenase serum activities, demonstrating the effectiveness of the swimming as an aerobic-training protocol. Exercise 5-days a week reduced the body weight gain. Triacylglycerol (TG) and very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL-C) were increased in HD-fed rats. HE5 and CE5 rats had decreased TG, VLDL-C and cholesterol. HE2 rats had enhanced high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C) in serum. No alterations were observed in lipid hydroperoxide (LH), while total antioxidant substances (TAS) were increased in serum of exercised rats. HD-fed rats had hepatic TG accumulation. Superoxide dismutase activities were increased and catalase was decreased in liver of exercised rats. The interaction of HD and physical exercise reduced TAS and enhanced LH levels in hepatic tissue. In conclusion, this study confirmed the beneficial effect of physical exercise as a dyslipidemic-lowering component. Interaction of HD and physical exercise had discrepant effects on serum and liver oxidative stress. The interaction of HID and physical exercise reduced the oxidative stress in serum. HD and physical exercise interaction had pro-oxidant effect on hepatic tissue, suggesting that more studies should be done before using physical exercise as an adjunct therapy to reduce the adverse effects of HD. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Diet and trophic groups of an aquatic insect community in a tropical stream

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Partitioning the relative fitness effects of diet and trophic morphology in the threespine stickleback

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Diet and habitat use of two sympatric species of Philodryas (Colubridae), in south Brazil

Feeding habits and habitat use of the colubrid snakes Philodryas olfersii and P patagoniensis in southern Brazil are presented here. Philodryas olfersii and P patagoniensis are sympatric in the study area and both dwell in open and forested areas. Specimens preserved in collections and observations of snakes in the field yielded the data. Both species are diet generalists, feeding on small vertebrates, mainly frogs. Philodryas patagoniensis has a broader diet, a less variable frequency of food items, and fed on heavier prey than R olfersii. Seasonal variation in diet occurs in both species. The semi-arboreal Philodryas olfersii is more slender and has a longer tail than the terrestrial R patagoniensis, characters that may reflect differences in microhabitat use. There are a strong relationship between habitat use and frequency of a given food type. Differences in the use of food resources between P. olfersii and P patagoniensis seem to reflect differences in foraging microhabitats used by each species.

Diet and feeding activity of Acestrorhynchus lacustris (Lütken, 1875) (Characiformes, Acestrorhynchidae) in the water reservoir at Ribeirão Claro, SP

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Diet and capture of Hypostomus strigaticeps (Siluriformes, Loricariidae) in a small brazilian stream: relationship with limnological aspects

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Diet and feeding of fish from Grande River, located below the Volta Grande Reservoir, MG-SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)