Comparison of Black Tea Waste and Legume Roughages: Methane Mitigation and Rumen Fermentation Parameters.

The chemical composition, in vitro total gas and CH4 production and performance of cattle fed on factory black tea waste (Camellia sinensis) (BTW), alfalfa (Medicago Sativa), sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa) and white clover (Trifolium repens) was investigated. The gas production was quantified at the 24th hour of the incubation process. BTW was found to vary from roughages in chemical composition (p < 0.05). In addition, the roughages differed in terms of nutrient composition and gas production (p < 0.05). In legume roughages, acetic acid (AA), propionic acid (PA), butyric acid (BA), and total volatile fatty acids (TVFA) values ranged from 52.36-57.00 mmol/L, 13.46-17.20 mmol/L, 9.79-12.43 mmol/L, and 79.71-89.05 mmol/L, respectively. In comparison with black tea waste, legume roughages had higher values of AA, PA, BA, and TVFA. Black tea waste contained a higher acetic acid ratio than legume roughages when compared as a percentage. There was a similar ratio of propionic acid to the rate calculated for sainfoin (Onobrychis sativa) and clover (Trifolium repens), and a similar ratio of butyric acid to the ratio determined for alfalfa (Medicago Sativa). The current study shows that the 5.7-6.3% tannin content of black tea waste can be used in ruminant rations with high-quality roughages. Due to the fact that BTW reduces methane emissions from ruminants and eliminates energy waste from them, the environment can be improved. To obtain more reliable results, further animal feeding experiments on legume roughages and BTW are required.

Effects of supplementation of dietary humate, probiotic, and their combination on performance, egg quality, and yolk fatty acid composition of laying hens.

This study was carried out to determine the effects of addition of humate, probiotic, and their combination into diets on performance, egg quality, and yolk fatty acid composition of hens during the second laying period. Lohmann LSL white layers (n = 192), 46 weeks of age, were randomly divided into 4 groups and fed with basal diet (control, C), 0.3% humate (H), 0.3% probiotic (P), 0.15% humate + 0.15% probiotic (HP) for 18 weeks. Feed consumption and egg production were determined daily, egg weight was measured biweekly, and body weights were recorded at the beginning and the end of the experiment. Also, 12 egg samples from each group were randomly collected to determine the egg quality every 30 days. Laying performance, yolk color, and fatty acid composition were significantly (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01) affected by addition of humate, probiotic, and their combination into diets of layers. The HP group had higher cracked egg yield and feed conversion ratio values than control and H and P groups. Except for egg yolk color, the other egg quality parameters such as shape index, shell strength, shell thickness, albumen index, yolk index, and Haught unit were not affected by treatment (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01). The egg yolks of treatment groups had less stearic acid than those of control group. In conclusion, supplementation of humate and probiotic into the diets of laying hens increased monounsaturated fatty acids in yolk and improved feed conversion ratio and egg yolk color.

Effects of slaughter age and muscle type on meat quality characteristics of Eastern Anatolian Red bulls.

The effects of slaughter age and muscle type on meat quality properties of Eastern Anatolian Red (EAR) bulls ( n = 46 ) were investigated in the present study. Forty-six EAR bulls were slaughtered at 15, 17, 19, 25 and 27 months. Meat samples were taken from longissimus dorsi (LD) and gluteus medius (GM) muscles obtained from the carcasses at 24 h post-mortem. Meat color parameters were significantly affected by slaughter age. Older animals (19, 25 and 27 months of age) possessed higher  L * , a *  and H  values than those of younger animals (15 and 17 months of age). LD muscle had higher  L * and  a * values than those of GM muscles. The influences of slaughter age and muscle type on the proportions of dry matter, ether extract, crude ash and crude protein were not significant in the present study. The influence of slaughter age on the tenderness, acceptability, juiciness, number of chews and Warner-Bratzler shear (WBS) values were found to be significant. Tenderness, juiciness, flavor intensity and acceptability increased until 19 months of age, and then increase in age resulted in lower tenderness, flavor intensity and acceptability scores. Cooking yield significantly increased depending on the increase of age. WBS and cooking yield values from the LD were higher than that of the GM muscle. Textural characteristics such as hardness, springiness, cohesiveness, gumminess, chewiness and resilience were not affected by slaughter age, but muscles had a significant influence on hardness, gumminess, chewiness and resilience. In conclusion, most eating quality characteristics and color parameters were positively influenced by slaughter age.

A study on possibility of Rosa canina seed use as feed ingredient in diets of Morkaraman male lambs.

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the ground Rosa canina seed at various levels (0%, 5%, and 15%) in barley-soybean-based concentrates offered to Morkaraman male lambs at approximately 8 months of age, on fattening performance, carcass, and meat quality characteristics. The lambs were divided into three treatment groups including R1 (concentrate without R. canina seed; n = 12), R2 (concentrate with 5% R. canina seed; n = 12), and R3 (concentrate with 15% R. canina seed; n = 12) at the beginning of fattening period. The soybean meal was used as main protein source in treatment groups. All of the groups were fed a diet consisting of concentrate offered ad libitum and 300 g of grass hay per lamb per day during 60-day fattening period. The effect of diet on daily weight gain was found statistically significant. The control group had higher daily weight gain than R3 groups with 15% of ground R. canina seed. The hot carcass and cold carcass weights and dressing percentage values were affected by diets, and R3 group fed concentrate with 15% R. canina seed had higher carcass weights and dressing percentages than R1 and R2 groups. Differences among the groups in terms of leg, rib, and hindshank weights were found highly significant. While R1 and R2 groups were not significantly different, R3 group was significantly higher to R1 and R2 groups in leg, rib, and hindshank weights. In addition, meat color parameters and pH values were not affected by diets in present study.

Effects of vitamin E supplementation on performance and meat quality traits of Morkaraman male lambs.

This research was carried out to determine the effects of vitamin E supplementation on meat quality traits of approximate 8 months of age Morkaraman male lambs. The lambs were divided into two groups-control (CG, n=7) and experimental (VG, n=6)-at the beginning of fattening period. The diet given to the CG and VG consisted of concentrate and grass hay. In addition, the VG received a supplement of 45 mg vitamin E per lamb in a day during a 75-day fattening period. At the end of the study, average daily weight gain and feed conversion efficiency values as to feed basis were found to be 208 g and 6.3 for CG and 223 g and 6.0 for VG groups, respectively. Vitamin E supplementation resulted in 8.8% improvement in feed conversion efficiency. In the same way, vitamin E supplementation resulted in 6.7% increase in daily weight gain. Slaughter and carcass characteristics of lambs were also determined, but fattening performance, slaughter and carcass characteristics were not significantly different between groups. The effects of vitamin E on meat characteristics, meat colour (L*, a* and b*), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances content (TBARS), drip loss and pH were determined using m. longissimus dorsi (LD) muscles obtained from CG and VG. Though the effect of vitamin E supplementation on most of the meat quality traits was not statistically significant (P>0.05), L* and a* values in LD muscle from VG were preserved for a period of 12 days of maturation. In addition, a* (redness) tended to increase slightly. TBARS values in samples from CG were found to be higher than those of vitamin E treatment group. In this study, it was also concluded that drip loss was relatively preserved by vitamin E supplementation. In conclusion, vitamin E supplementation of Morkaraman male lambs at an inclusion rate over the amount of nutritional recommendations, significantly reduced lipid oxidation, drip loss and tended to maintain meat redness.

Effects of vitamin E supplementation on fattening performance, non-carcass components and retail cut percentages, and meat quality traits of Awassi lambs.

This experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of vitamin E supplementation on growth, non-carcass components and retail cut percentages, and meat quality traits of Awassi male lambs at approximately 8 months of age. The lambs were divided into two groups as control (CG, n=12) and experimental (VG, n=12) at the beginning of the fattening period. The CG and VG lambs were fed with a concentrate and grass hay close to ad-libitum by biweekly adjustment of the amount offered. In addition, the VG received a supplement of 45 mg vitamin E per lamb per day during a 75-day fattening period. Inital weight, final weight, daily weight gain and feed conversion efficiency were 31.8±1.40 kg, 45.5±1.37 kg, 183±13 g and 7.6 for CG, 32.5±1.45 kg, 46.7±1.42 kg, 189±15 g and 7.0 for VG, respectively. Vitamin E supplementation did not have a statistically significant effect on animal performance traits, non-carcass components and retail cut percentages, but produced an 8.1% improvement in feed conversion efficiency. After slaughter, carcasses were chilled at 4 °C for 24 h. Then, the carcasses were dissected into wholesale cuts, and m. longissimus dorsi (LD) muscles excised. The samples of muscle were subjected to moisture, protein, ether extract and ash analyses. Samples were cooked for shear test and cooking yield measurements. There were no significant differences between CG and VG lamb groups in chemical composition of meat samples from the LD muscles. Though the influence of vitamin E supplementation on color parameters (L*, a*, b*) was not statistically significant, the mean a* (redness) values decreased on days 2 and 4 and increased on days 7 and 12 of the storage period. However, the a* values of muscles from the VG were higher than those grouping CG. L* and a* values in LD muscle from vitamin E-treated lamb groups were also preserved for a period of 12 days of maturation. In this study, drip loss was relatively preserved by vitamin E supplementation to the diet of animals. The results showed that vitamin E supplementation to the diet of Awassi male lambs at an inclusion rate over the amount of nutritional recommendations relatively reduced lipid oxidation, drip loss and tended to maintain meat redness.