Changes in the nutrients, phytochemical profile and antioxidant activity of Rheum officinale Baill. leaf blades during different growth periods.

Rhubarb contains an abundance of compounds and nutrients that promote health through various activities; however, these activities are affected by the harvest season. In this paper, the changes in nutrients, phytochemical profiles and antioxidant activity of Rheum officinale leaf blades (LRO) during different growth periods were investigated. The results showed that LRO is a good source of protein, fiber, and minerals and contains abundant fatty acids; however, as the harvest time increased from March to July, the levels of protein and amino acid decreased, and the levels of other nutrients reached a maximum in May or June. LRO also contains flavonoids, terpenoids, and quinones. As the harvest time increased, the quinone content decreased, possibly due to the unstable chemical properties of quinones at high temperatures. The flavonoid contents reached a maximum in May or June. This study indicated that LRO is a source of nutrients and chemical components and can be used for functional food production. In addition, the nutrients and chemical components related to the antioxidant activity of LRO changed according to the harvest season.

Evaluation of the Available Energy Value and Amino Acid Digestibility of Brown Rice Stored for 6 Years and Its Application in Pig Diets.

Long-term storage may reduce the nutritional quality of brown rice, so the present study aimed to evaluate the nutritional values of long-term-stored nutrition in pig diets. In Exp. 1, 18 Landrace × Yorkshire (L × Y) barrows with an initial body weight (IBW) of 25.48 ± 3.21 kg were randomly assigned to three treatments, including a corn-based diet, one-year-stored brown rice (BR1) diet, and six-year-stored brown rice (BR6) diet, to determine the digestible energy (DE) and metabolizable energy (ME) values of stored brown rice. In Exp. 2, 24 barrows (L × Y; IBW: 22.16 ± 2.42 kg) fixed with ileal T-cannula were randomly allotted to four dietary treatments, including a corn diet, two stored brown rice diets, and a nitrogen-free diet, to evaluate the amino acid (AA) digestibility of the stored brown rice. In Exp. 3 and 4, 108 crossbred weaned piglets (L × Y; IBW: 9.16 ± 0.89 kg) and 90 crossbred growing pigs (L × Y; IBW: 48.28 ± 3.51 kg) were allotted to three treatment diets, including a control diet and two stored brown rice diets, respectively, to investigate the application of stored brown rice in weaned piglets and fully grown pig diets. The results indicated that there was no significant difference in the DE and ME values between corn and stored brown rice (p > 0.05), while the apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of arginine, histidine, asparagine + aspartic acid (Asx), and the standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of arginine and histidine were higher in the stored brown rice diet compared to the corn diet (p < 0.05). Compared to the corn, the stored brown rice showed no significant effects on growth performance, nutrient-apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD), and serum biochemical indices (p > 0.05) but showed decreased activity in the various digestive enzymes in the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum of the weaned piglets (p < 0.05). Also, the stored brown rice diet showed no significant effects on growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, as well as the fatty acid profiles in the longissimus dorsi muscle of fully grown pigs compared with the corn diet (p > 0.05). In conclusion, the brown rice stored for 6 years under good conditions had no obvious changes in the available energy and nutrient values. Although it may reduce digestive enzyme activity in the small intestines of the piglets, the stored brown rice showed no obvious adverse effects on growth performance and meat quality and can be effectively used in pig diets.

Role and functions of micro and macro-minerals in swine nutrition: a short review.

Livestock production depends on the utilization of nutrients, and when this is accomplished, there is accelerated momentum toward growth with a low cost-to-feed ratio. Public concern over the consumption of pork with antibiotic residues in animals fed antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) has paved the way for using other natural additives to antibiotics, such as herbs and their products, probiotics, prebiotics, etc. Numerous feed additives are trending to achieve this goal, and a classic example is vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals represent a relatively small percentage of the diet, but they are critical to animal health, well-being, and performance; both play a well-defined role in metabolism, and their requirements can vary depending on the physiological stage of the animals. At the same time, the absence of these vitamins and minerals in animal feed can impair the growth and development of muscles and bones. Most commercial feeds contain vitamins and trace minerals that meet nutrient requirements recommended by National Research Council and animal feeding standards. However, the potential variability and bioavailability of vitamins and trace elements in animal feeds remain controversial because daily feed intake varies, and vitamins are degraded by transportation, storage, and processing. Accordingly, the requirement for vitamins and minerals may need to be adjusted to reflect increased production levels, yet the information presented on this topic is still limited. Therefore, this review focuses on the role and function of different sources of minerals, the mode of action, the general need for micro and macro minerals in non-ruminant diets, and how they improve animal performance.

The role of viscosity in flavor preference: plasticity and interactions with taste.

The brain combines gustatory, olfactory, and somatosensory information to create our perception of flavor. Within the somatosensory modality, texture attributes such as viscosity appear to play an important role in flavor preference. However, research into the role of texture in flavor perception is relatively sparse, and the contribution of texture cues to hedonic evaluation of flavor remains largely unknown. Here, we used a rat model to investigate whether viscosity preferences can be manipulated through association with nutrient value, and how viscosity interacts with taste to inform preferences for taste + viscosity mixtures. To address these questions, we measured preferences for moderately viscous solutions prepared with xanthan gum using 2-bottle consumption tests. By experimentally exposing animals to viscous solutions with and without nutrient value, we demonstrate that viscosity preferences are susceptible to appetitive conditioning. By independently varying viscosity and taste content of solutions, we further show that taste and viscosity cues both contribute to preferences for taste + viscosity mixtures. How these 2 modalities are combined depended on relative palatability, with mixture preferences falling in between component preferences, suggesting that hedonic aspects of taste and texture inputs are centrally integrated. Together, these findings provide new insight into how texture aspects of flavor inform hedonic perception and impact food choice behavior.

Rice as an alternative feed ingredient in swine diets.

It has become important to explore alternative feed ingredients to reduce feed costs, which are burdensome for livestock production. In addition, it is desirable to find efficient and functional alternative ingredients for traditional feed ingredients in pig diets, considering the stress and sensitivity of disease of pig. Rice is produced around the world like corn that is the typical energy source in pig diets. Although the nutritional quality varies depending on the degree of milling, rice, except whole grains (paddy rice), contains more starch than corn and its structure and granule size are easier to digest than corn. In addition, the fact that rice has fewer non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) and anti-nutritional factors (ANFs) is also effective in improving digestibility and various polyphenols in rice can help modulation of immune responses, which can be beneficial to the gastrointestinal environment and health of pig. Many studies have been conducted on rice focusing on things such as degree of milling, substitution rates of corn, granule size, and processing methods. Most results have shown that rice can be partially or completely used to replace corn in pig diets without negatively affecting pig growth and production. While further research should focus on the precise biological mechanisms at play, it was confirmed that the use of rice could reduce the use of antibiotics and pig removal and protect pigs from gastrointestinal diseases including diarrhea. From this point of view, rice can be evaluated as a valuable feed ingredient for swine diets.

Nutritional value, bioactivity, and application potential of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.) as a neotype feed resource.

The large-scale development of herbivorous animal husbandry in China has increased the demand for forage products. However, due to scarce land resources and poor soil quality, forage is in short supply. In particular, high-quality forage in China heavily relies on imports. The contradiction between supply and demand for forage grass products is increasingly notable. Therefore, the development of indigenous new forage resources with a strong ecological adaptability and a high nutritional value is a key to solving this problem. Jerusalem artichoke (JA, Helianthus tuberosus L.), a perennial herb of the genus Helianthus, has advantageous growth traits such as resistance to salinity, barrenness, drought, cold, and disease. The contents of crude protein, crude fiber, and calcium in the optimal harvest period of forage-type JA straw are comparable to those of alfalfa hay at the full bloom stage and the straw of ryegrass and corn at the mature stage. Inulin in JA tubers is a functional ingredient that has prebiotic effects in the gastrointestinal tract of monogastric animals and young ruminants. In addition, some bioactive substances (e.g. flavonoids, phenolic acids, sesquiterpenes, polysaccharides, and amino acids) in JA leaves and flowers have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant functions as well as toxicities to cancer cells. These functional ingredients may provide effective alternatives to antibiotics used in livestock production. In this review, we summarized the potentials of JA as a feed ingredient from the aspects of nutritional value and fermenting characteristics of the straw, the functions of physiological regulation and disease prevention of inulin in the tubers, and bioactive substances in the leaves and flowers.

Nutritional Composition and Microbial Communities of Two Non-alcoholic Traditional Fermented Beverages from Zambia: A Study of Mabisi and Munkoyo.

Traditional fermented foods and beverages are common in many countries, including Zambia. While the general (nutritional) benefits of fermented foods are widely recognised, the nutritional composition of most traditional fermented foods is unknown. Furthermore, fermentation is known to add nutritional value to raw materials, mainly by adding B-vitamins and removing anti-nutritional factors. In the case of traditional fermentation, the composition of microbial communities responsible for fermentation varies from producer to producer and this may also be true for the nutritional composition. Here, we characterized the nutrient profile and microbial community composition of two traditional fermented foods: milk-based Mabisi and cereal-based Munkoyo. We found that the two products are different with respect to their nutritional parameters and their microbial compositions. Mabisi was found to have higher nutritional values for crude protein, fat, and carbohydrates than Munkoyo. The microbial community composition was also different for the two products, while both communities were dominated by lactic acid bacteria. Our analyses showed that variations in nutritional composition, defined as the amount of consumption that would contribute to the estimated average requirement (EAR), might be explained by variations in microbial community composition. Consumption of Mabisi appeared to contribute more than Munkoyo to the EAR and its inclusion in food-based recommendations is warranted. Our results show the potential of traditional fermented foods such as Mabisi and Munkoyo to add value to current diets and suggests that variations in microbial composition between specific product samples can result in variations in nutritional composition.

[Evaluation of the diet based on the variability of the food composition data].

Nutrient composition is a necessary part in the assessing of nutritional value of diets and new foods. According to the results of comparison of nutrient value of the diet with daily requirements the judgment on compliance of the diet (or product) to norm or deviation from the standard is taken out. In the interpretation of the term "value corresponds to the norm" in modern practice, only average values are used, while the content of nutrients in food is not described by fixed values, but has a statistical nature, which creates difficulties in the conscientious development of diets and their harmonization in sanitary authorities. Specifying a range of normative values (±5-10%) does not provide a valid solution. The aim of the research was to assess the size of the spread of nutrient content for the diet as a whole and to use this estimate in relation to the task of "comparing the actual value and the norm". Material and methods. In this work, we used the method of mathematical modeling of recipes, the calculation of nutrient content based on that of ingredients, and reference publications on the nutrient composition of products and collections of recipes were used as starting materials. Results and discussion. The calculation of nutrient composition according to the recipe is described, taking into account not only average values, but also scatter indicators (error) of nutrient content values, which makes it possible to reasonably make judgments about the compliance of the actual value with the established reference value. The calculation of estimates of the spread of nutrient composition values using the information about the error of the initial data on the nutrient composition of the products, the output of the absolute and relative error in the formulation and the whole diet was described. Examples of calculations of scatter estimates are given: for one recipe/ nutrient (primary); calculation for days and mealtimes; for a day of a cyclic menu and for a 4-week cycle of school meals menus (primary and secondary school age). The mapping of the variables having a statistical nature has been graphically showed, the measure of estimating the proximity of the values of the statistical nature has been proposed discrete and continuous. Comparison of indicators of variability of domestic and foreign reference databases, mapping information about variation in the types of meals, differences in the extent of variation in the nutrients has been given. Conclusions. The conclusions are formulated on the need for statistical presentation of consumption reference values for research for various reasons of variability, on the need to take statistics into account for the system of accumulating data on nutrient composition in databases.

Improved Treatment and Utilization of Rice Straw by Coprinopsis cinerea.

As one of the most abundant renewable resources, rice straw is an attractive lignocellulosic material for animal feeding or for the production of biochemical. An appropriate pre-treatment technique is essential for converting rice straw to rich fodder or biofuel. Based on previous work, Coprinopsis cinerea can grow on rice straw medium and therefore it is useful for the treatment of rice straw. However, little is known regarding its degradation systems and nutrition values. In this study, we firstly found that C. cinerea could grow rapidly on rice straw without any additives by the production of a series of enzymes (laccase, cellulase, and xylanase) and that the microstructure and contents of rice straw changed significantly after being treated by C. cinerea. We propose that a possible underlying mechanism exists in the degradation. Moreover, C. cinerea has a high nutrition value (23.5% crude protein and 22.2% total amino acids). Hence, fermented rice straw with mycelium could be a good animal feedstuff resource instead of expensive forage. The direct usage of C. cinerea treatment is expected to be a practical, cost-effective, and environmental-friendly approach for enhancing the nutritive value and digestibility of rice straw.

Relationship between pulp structure breakdown and nutritional value of papaya (Carica papaya) and strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) nectars using alternative thermal and non-thermal processing techniques.

BACKGROUND: Papaya and strawberry contain a wide array of nutrients that contribute to human health; however, availability of these fruits is limited due to their short shelf lives and seasonal nature. In this study, the effect of alternative techniques including ultra high temperature (UHT, 20-135 °C, 1-3 s) and irradiation (0-10 kGy) on carotenoid concentration, antioxidant capacity and changes to pulp structure using transmission electron microscopy were determined for papaya and strawberry nectars. RESULTS: UHT had moderate effects on antioxidant capacity, but the greatest overall release of carotenoids from the pulp matrix (34.2%, 6.26%, 8.31%; ß-cryptoxanthin, ß-carotene, and lycopene, respectively). Irradiation resulted in the greatest increase in antioxidant capacity [19.22 to 24.32 µmol Trolox equivalents kg(-1) (papaya), 190.51 to 287.68 µmol Trolox equivalents kg(-1) (strawberry)], with moderate effects on carotenoid concentration. CONCLUSION: This research demonstrates that decreases in nutrient value and antioxidant capacity can result from processing, but that regeneration of these losses can be seen corresponding to the apparent breakdown of pulp structure. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Nutrient and mineral composition during shoot growth in seven species of Phyllostachys and Pseudosasa bamboo consumed by giant panda.

During the annual period of bamboo shoot growth in spring, free-ranging giant pandas feed almost exclusively on the shoots while ignoring the leaves and full- height culm. Little is known about the nutritional changes that occur during bamboo shoot growth, if nutritional changes differ among species, or how these changes might influence forage selection. Our objective was to examine the nutrient and mineral composition during three phases of shoot growth (<60, 90-150 and >180 cm) for seven species of bamboo (Phyllostachys (P.) aurea, P. aureosulcata, P. bissetii, P. glauca, P. nuda, P. rubromarginata, Pseudosasa japonica) fed to captive giant pandas at the Memphis Zoo. Total dietary fiber content of bamboo shoots increased (p < 0.0001) from an overall species average of 61% dry matter (DM) at < 60 cm to 75% DM at shoot heights > 180 cm, while crude protein, fat and ash exhibited significant declines (p < 0.05). Phyllostachys nuda had the overall greatest (p = 0.007) crude protein (21% DM) and fat (4% DM) content, and lowest overall total fibre (61% DM) content compared to the other species examined. In contrast, Pseudosasa japonica had the overall lowest crude protein and fat, and relatively higher fibre content (9%, 3% and 74% respectively). Concentrations of Zn and Fe were highest in shoots <60 cm (10-50 µg/g DM) and decreased (p < 0.05) during growth in all species examined. Concentrations of Ca, Cu, Mn, Na and K varied among species and were largely unaffected by growth stage. Due to their higher concentrations of nutrients and lower fibre content in comparison to culm and leaf, bamboo shoots should be a major component of captive giant panda diets when available.

Early anther ablation triggers parthenocarpic fruit development in tomato.

Fruit set and fruit development in tomato is largely affected by changes in environmental conditions, therefore autonomous fruit set independent of fertilization is a highly desirable trait in tomato. Here, we report the production and characterization of male-sterile transgenic plants that produce parthenocarpic fruits in two tomato cultivars (Micro-Tom and Moneymaker). We generated male-sterility using the cytotoxic gene barnase targeted to the anthers with the PsEND1 anther-specific promoter. The ovaries of these plants grew in the absence of fertilization producing seedless, parthenocarpic fruits. Early anther ablation is essential to trigger the developing of the transgenic ovaries into fruits, in the absence of the signals usually generated during pollination and fertilization. Ovaries are fully functional and can be manually pollinated to obtain seeds. The transgenic plants obtained in the commercial cultivar Moneymaker show that the parthenocarpic development of the fruit does not have negative consequences in fruit quality. Throughout metabolomic analyses of the tomato fruits, we have identified two elite lines which showed increased levels of several health promoting metabolites and volatile compounds. Thus, early anther ablation can be considered a useful tool to promote fruit set and to obtain seedless and good quality fruits in tomato plants. These plants are also useful parental lines to be used in hybrid breeding approaches.

Intervalo de corte na produção de massa seca e composição químico-bromatológica da Brachiaria brizantha cv. MG-5 / Effect of cutting periods on Brachiaria brizantha cv. MG-5 dry mass production and bromatologic-chemical composition

O experimento foi conduzido em casa de vegetação, na Embrapa Arroz e Feijão, com o objetivo de avaliar o intervalo de corte na produção de massa seca, altura de planta e composição químico-bromatológica da Brachiaria brizantha cv. MG-5. O delineamento utilizado foi o inteiramente casualizado. Os tratamentos constituíram de quatro intervalos de corte (15, 20, 30 e 60 dias), com cinco repetições, totalizando 20 parcelas. Foram aplicados 100 mg dm-3 de nitrogênio, utilizando como fonte o sulfato de amônio, em todas as parcelas. A adubação nitrogenada foi parcelada, de acordo com os cortes de avaliações. Foram realizados quatro cortes para o intervalo de 15 dias, três cortes para o de 20 dias, dois cortes para o de 30 dias e um corte para o de 60 dias. A forrageira foi cortada a uma altura de 5 cm do solo. O aumento no intervalo de corte na Brachiaria brizantha cv. M-5 determina acréscimos na produção de massa seca e teores de FDN e FDA. Contudo, o inverso pode ser observado no teor de PB e concentrações de P, Cu e Fe.

The experiment was carried out in a green house, at Embrapa Arroz e Feijão. It aimed to evaluate the offect of cutting period on dry mass production and bromatologic- chemical composition of Brachiaria brizantha cv. MG-5. The experimental design was completely randomized, with five replications. The treatments were constituted by four cutting intervals (15, 20, 30 and 60 days). After cuttings at a distant from soil, of ammonium sulfate (100 mg dm-3) was applied to all treatments. Four cuttings were carried out at 15 - day intervals, three at 20 day-intervals, two at 30 - day intervals and one at a 60 day-interval. Increases in cutting intervals caused dry mass production, neutral detergent fiber and acid detergent fiber rase. However, the opposite was observed for bromatologic composition and phosphorus, copper and iron concentrations.