Flaxseed added to the diet of Alpine goats affects the nutrients intake and blood parameters.

The flaxseed is a nutraceutical food used as a source of α-linolenic acid, which can bring benefits to the health of mammals. This study was carried out to examine the effect of flaxseed inclusion in the diets on the intake of nutrients, body weight, and blood parameters of Alpine goats. Twenty-one adult females with an initial average weight of 41.06 ± 1.84 kg were used in a completely randomized design, with four experimental treatments (0, 5, 10, and 15% of flaxseed in the total diet) and five replications per treatment. The intake of the dry matter presented a decreasing linear effect (P < 0.001), with a reduction of 53.5% between the control diet (0% of flaxseed) and 15% of flaxseed, but no effect was observed on weight gain (P > 0.05). Inclusion of flaxseed from 0 to 15% linearly decreased the intakes of organic matter, crude protein, non-fibrous carbohydrates, and neutral detergent fiber, but increased the ether extract intake (P < 0.001). Regarding plasma concentration traits, increasing the flaxseed levels from 0 to 15% had linear positive effect on LDL, VLDL, and triglycerides (P < 0.05), but no effect on cholesterol, HDL, glucose, creatinine, and urea (P > 0.05). The inclusion of flaxseed in the diet for 80 days changes the nutrients intake and blood parameters but shows no impact on body weight. However, further studies are required to determine the impact of flaxseed on the goat's health in the long term since there has been an increase in the concentration of triglycerides, LDL, and VLDL.

Effects of alkaloid extracts of mesquite pod on the products of in vitro rumen fermentation.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of alkaloid extracts of Prosopis juliflora (Sw.) D.C. pods obtained by two extraction methods as compared with sodium monensin on the gas production kinetic, mitigation of methane, and rumen fermentation products using wheat bran or Tifton 85 hay as substrates, by the semi-automatic in vitro gas production technique. A completely randomized design was adopted, and two natural additives were tested made from mesquite pod (alkaloid extract I and alkaloid extract II) at three levels (3.9, 7.9, and 12 µg), sodium monensin 5 µM (positive control), and no inclusion of additives (negative control). The volume of gases produced by the degradation of the fibrous fraction of wheat bran was influenced by the concentration of the extract I added to the medium, and the amounts of 7.9 and 12 µg were equal to monensin at the lowest value. The degradation rate of the fibrous carbohydrates with additive extract I at 12 µg was lower in relation to monensin. When Tifton 85 hay was utilized, alkaloid extract I provided a shorter colonization time as compared with monensin at the added amounts of 7.9 and 12 µg and higher production of gases from the fibrous fraction but without interfering with the total volume of gases produced during 96 h of fermentation of carbohydrates. In the periods of 12 and 24 h of incubation, utilizing alkaloid extract I, the mean values of methane production with wheat bran and Tifton 85 hay were lower than monensin (p < 0.05) when the respective amounts of 7.9 and 12 µg were added. Alkaloid extract I has similar potential to sodium in reducing production of total gases, methane, and the acetate/propionate ratio.

Nitrogen metabolism in lambs fed diets containing peach palm meal.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the nitrogen metabolism of lambs fed diets containing peach palm meal substituting maize (0, 10, 40, 60, and 85 % DM). Thirty Santa Inês uncastrated lambs with an average initial body weight of 21.6 ± 0.87 kg were distributed in a completely randomized design with five diets and six replicates. The nitrogen (N) intake (g/day, %BW) and the fecal N decreased linearly as the peach palm meal was added to the concentrate. The urinary N, however, responded quadratically, with maxima at the level of 29.97 and 40.44 % of substitution of maize for peach palm meal when expressed in g/day and %BW, respectively. The substitution of maize for peach palm meal reduced the retention of nitrogen and the microbial protein synthesis in the lambs.

Intake, digestibility and performance of lambs fed diets containing peach palm meal.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the intake and apparent digestibility of nutrients, performance, and plasma glucose concentration of ram lambs fed diets containing peach palm meal substituting maize (0, 10, 40, 60, and 85 % dry matter (DM)). Thirty Santa Inês rams with an average initial body weight of 21.6 ± 0.87 kg were distributed in a completely randomized design with five diets and six replicates. The substitution of the maize for the peach palm meal affected (P < 0.05) the intakes of DM, organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber corrected for ash and protein (NDFap), total carbohydrates (TC), total digestible nutrients (TDN), and metabolizable energy (ME), which decreased linearly (P < 0.05); the intake of ether extract (EE), however, fit an increasing linear equation (P < 0.05). The apparent digestibility coefficients of DM, OM, NDFap, and TC decreased linearly (P < 0.05) as the level of peach palm meal in the concentrate was increased. The total weight gain and the average daily gain decreased by 0.09 and 0.001 kg with each level of substitution of the maize for peach palm meal, respectively. It is recommended to substitute 40 % of the maize for peach palm meal.