IntroductionEnteric methane production represents an inefficiency in ruminant systems and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions.MethodsTo mitigate ruminal methanogenesis, this study performed a systematic comparative valuation of the dose-dependent effects of two distinct additive categories: methanogenesis inhibitors (MI) such as 3-nitroxipropanol (3NOP), bromoform (BRO) and iodoform (IOD), as well as alternative dihydrogen sinks (dHS) including fumaric acid (FA), encapsulated slow-release fumaric acid (EFA) and phloroglucinol (PHG). The experimental arrangement followed a dose-response design where each additive was incubated at three concentrations (low, medium, and high) for 24 hours with buffered rumen fluid and a total mixed ration as substrate. Control (CON) and blank (BLK) samples were included. IOD and BRO were dissolved in ethanol as they are not soluble in water. To take into account the ethanol effect on fermentation parameters, ethanol-amended CON and BLK were added to correct for BRO and IOD values. Total gas production (TGP) was calculated from pressure readings using the ideal gas law. The volatile fatty acid (VFA) profile and the methane (CH4) and hydrogen (H2) concentrations in the headspace were evaluated using gas chromatography. Statistical analysis included dosage as a fixed effect and run as a random effect.ResultsThe addition of 3-NOP caused a quadratic decrease in CH4 production and a corresponding linear increase in H2. However, increasing doses of 3-NOP reduced both TGP and total VFA (TVFA) while shifting fermentation toward propionate production. Among the MI, only IOD maintained TVFA production, linearly reducing methanogenesis and TGP, while increasing H2 availability. BRO strongly inhibited CH4 at all doses and increased H2 production, while significantly reducing TGP and TVFA. Regarding dHS, no treatment affected H2 accumulation. Both FA and EFA linearly decreased acetate and increased propionate proportions without influencing TVFA. Notably, EFA, unlike FA, linearly increased TGP and reduced CH4 proportion. In contrast, PHG increased both TGP and TVFA, favoring acetate formation.ConclusionThe study identified specific dose-response behavior of MI and dHS, highlighting the modulation of different fermentative products.

IntroductionCondensed tannins (CT) influence ruminal microbiota, feed digestibility, and methane emissions, yet their effects in goats are poorly understood.MethodsThis study evaluated the impact of dietary quebracho CT extract at 0%, 2%, 4%, or 6% of dry matter on the composition of the dairy goat ruminal microbiota with a two-times repeated 4 × 4 Latin square design. Bacterial, archaeal, fungal, and protozoan communities were analyzed at the end of each feeding period for relative abundance changes, and their relationship to methane production, nutrient digestibility and feed efficiency were also assessed.ResultsIncreasing CT levels reduced alpha- and beta-diversity, with the 6% CT diet showing the most pronounced decline. CT inclusion induced phylum-level shifts in fiber-degrading microbes, including inversion of the Firmicutes to Bacteroidota ratio. Prevotellaceae and Succiniclasticum, tolerant to CT, increased significantly (P < 0.05), in line with higher propionate and lower methane production. The proteolytic bacteria Anaerolineaceae and Synergistaceae decreased (P < 0.05), consistently with the reduced isobutyrate and isovalerate ruminal concentration and with the reduced urinary nitrogen excretion. Methanobrevibacter, a key methane producer, was reduced by dietary CT (P < 0.05). The overall fungal biodiversity was also significantly changed (P < 0.05); the fiber-degrading Liebetanzomyces decreased, while the tannin-degrading Aspergillus increased (P < 0.05). Concerning protozoa, Diplodinium was reduced (P < 0.05) and Polyplastron and Isotrichia were increased (P < 0.05) by dietary CT.DiscussionThese and other microbial abundance changes correlated with reduced methane emission, altered fiber and protein digestibility, and modified volatile fatty acid (VFA) profiles. This study shows that decreased nutrient degradability in the rumen due to higher dietary CT alters the goat rumen microbiota and clarifies microbial taxa changes in relation to the zootechnical outcomes, including reduced methane production.

Journal of Animal Science and Technology (JAST) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal publishing original research, review articles and notes in all fields of animal science. Topics covered by the journal include: genetics and breeding, physiology, nutrition of monogastric animals, nutrition of ruminants, animal products (milk, meat, eggs and their by-products) and their processing, grasslands and roughages, livestock environment, animal biotechnology, animal behavior and welfare.

Air quality in livestock housings impacts animal welfare; however, information on air quality in dairy goat barns is still limited. The air quality and environmental conditions of two farms in northern Italy were monitored for seven days after litter renewal in both summer and winter. The farms had different barn designs and litter replacement frequencies. Internet of Things (IoT) sensors were used to measure CO2, NH3, PM2.5, temperature and humidity. Results suggest that building structure, particularly the management of openings, along with litter replacement frequency, and season, significantly affect gas concentrations, while PM2.5 seems to be more related to the external conditions. The recommended thresholds for goat health and welfare were all met (537 vs. 778 ppm for CO2, 1.78 vs. 3.29 ppm for NH3 and 3.4 vs. 12.7 µg m−3 for PM2.5 in Farms A and B, respectively). The low average temperature humidity index values recorded in winter at Farm A (45.9) suggest potential cold stress, which could be mitigated through improved barn opening management. Our research introduces a novel use of IoT sensors in the frame of precision livestock farming to monitor air quality in goat barns, allowing data-driven interventions to improve animal welfare.

This study evaluated the effects of different SID lysine levels on growth performance, feed costs, and nitrogen excretion of growing pigs raised for dry-cured ham production. Ninety-six Goland-C21 x Camborough-43 pigs (initial body weight, BW: 44.5 +/- 3.8 kg) were allocated to four dietary treatments (2 pens/treatment, 12 pigs/pen) with low (L: 6.9, 6.0, 4.2 g/kg), medium-low (ML: 7.8, 6.9, 5.2 g/kg), medium-high (MH: 8.3, 7.8, 6.0 g/kg), or high (H: 9.3, 8.3, 6.9 g/kg) SID lysine across the growing (90-118 days), early finishing (119-132 days), and late finishing (133-233, days) phases. Automated feeding stations recorded individual feed intake. Backfat (BF) thickness and BW were measured at five time points. Nitrogen excretion was estimated from intake, retention, and atmospheric losses. Data were analysed using the PROC MIXED procedure in SAS; the model included dietary treatment, sex, and their interaction as fixed effects and pen nested within treatment as a random effect. Compared with L pigs, ML pigs showed similar feed intake and final BF depth but achieved higher (p < .05) final BW, greater average daily gain, and improved gain-to-feed ratio, while reducing feed costs (1.63 vs 1.77 per kg BW gain) without increasing nitrogen excretion. Growth performance of ML pigs was comparable to that of MH and H pigs; however, ML diets resulted in the lowest feed costs and nitrogen excretion. These findings suggest that a medium-low SID lysine diet is sufficient for this pig population, effectively supporting growth performance while reducing feeding costs and environmental impact.

There is a need for rigorous and scientifically-based testing standards for existing and new enteric methane mitigation technologies, including antimethanogenic feed additives (AMFA). The current review provides guidelines for conducting and analyzing data from experiments with ruminants intended to test the antimethanogenic and production effects of feed additives. Recommendations include study design and statistical analysis of the data, dietary effects, associative effect of AMFA with other mitigation strategies, appropriate methods for measuring methane emissions, production and physiological responses to AMFA, and their effects on animal health and product quality. Animal experiments should be planned based on clear hypotheses, and experimental designs must be chosen to best answer the scientific questions asked, with pre-experimental power analysis and robust post-experimental statistical analyses being important requisites. Long-term studies for evaluating AMFA are currently lacking and are highly needed. Experimental conditions should be representative of the production system of interest, so results and conclusions are applicable and practical. Methane-mitigating effects of AMFA may be combined with other mitigation strategies to explore additivity and synergism, as well as trade-offs, including relevant manure emissions, and these need to be studied in appropriately designed experiments. Methane emissions can be successfully measured, and efficacy of AMFA determined, using respiration chambers, the sulfur hexafluoride method, and the GreenFeed system. Other techniques, such as hood and face masks, can also be used in short-term studies, ensuring they do not significantly affect feed intake, feeding behavior, and animal production. For the success of an AMFA, it is critically important that representative animal production data are collected, analyzed, and reported. In addition, evaluating the effects of AMFA on nutrient digestibility, animal physiology, animal health and reproduction, product quality, and how AMFA interact with nutrient composition of the diet is necessary and should be conducted at various stages of the evaluation process. The authors emphasize that enteric methane mitigation claims should not be made until the efficacy of AMFA is confirmed in animal studies designed and conducted considering the guidelines provided herein.

This study investigated the partitioning of metabolisable energy (ME) and standardised ileal digestible (SID) lysine in 96 Goland-C21 × Camborough-43 pigs, raised from 32 to 196 kg of body weight (BW) and fed voluntarily diets containing low (L), medium-low (ML), medium-high (MH), and high (H) SID lysine levels. Diets were formulated to provide decreasing SID lysine concentrations with increasing ages: early (90–118 d), late growing (119–146 d), and finishing (147–251 d). Individual feed intake was recorded using automated feeders, while BW and P2 backfat thickness were measured at the start and end of each interval to estimate protein (Pd) and lipid (Ld) deposition. Maintenance ME (MEm) was calculated by subtracting the energy required for Pd and Ld from total ME intake and scaled to BW0.60. Marginal SID lysine intake was determined as the difference between intake and maintenance requirements, based on the InraPorc model. The efficiency of SID lysine utilisation was calculated as the ratio of lysine deposited in Pd to marginal SID lysine intake. The L treatment provided insufficient SID lysine, resulting in lower final BW (p = 0.004), Pd (p = 0.003), and Ld (p = 0.023) compared to ML. However, ML, MH, and H treatments showed no significant differences. MEm averaged 0.961 MJ/kg0.60 BW, and lysine utilisation efficiency peaked at 0.68 in L pigs, aligning with InraPorc predictions. These findings support the applicability of the InraPorc model to pigs above 140 kg and offer updated SID lysine requirements across growth intervals.

Condensed tannins (CT) are plant polyphenols that can affect feed digestibility and are potentially able to reduce enteric methane emissions in ruminants. In this in vivo trial with 8 lactating goats, we investigated the effects of 4 levels of inclusion of a commercial CT extract from quebracho (0, 2, 4, 6% on DM basis; C, Q2, Q4, Q6, respectively). The experimental design was a repeated 4 × 4 Latin square with 28-d periods (24 d of diet adaptation and 4 d of sample collection) using metabolic cages and 4 open circuit respiration chambers. The inclusion of CT in the diets did not affect the dry matter intake (DMI) but caused a linear decrease in diet digestibility, with reductions up to −11% for dry matter (DM), −21% for crude protein (CP), −23% for neutral detergent fiber (aNDFom), and −13% for gross energy, when comparing the Q6 and C diets. However, ruminal total volatile fatty acids (VFA) concentration was not affected by CT, although there were changes in VFA proportions. Milk yield (g/d) was highest for Q4 (3371) and lowest for Q6 (3066). In terms of milk composition, CT induced a linear reduction of fat and CP concentrations. The reduction in CP digestibility resulted in a linear reduction in the milk urea level, up to −37% with Q6. Positively, CT linearly reduced the somatic cells count expressed as linear score. The feed efficiency was linearly decreased by CT inclusion. Furthermore, a shift from urinary to fecal nitrogen excretion was observed with CT. The retained nitrogen was always negative (on average −1.93 g/d). The methane yield (on average 19.2 g CH4/kg DMI) was linearly reduced by CT inclusion, up to −18% with Q6. Regarding the CH4 intensity, CT induced a linear reduction when expressed per kg of milk, but not per kg of fat and protein corrected milk. Moreover, the CH4 production per kg of digestible aNDFom was linearly increased by CT. The metabolizable energy intake (MEI) was not affected by the treatments, but the metabolizability (q = MEI/gross energy intake) was reduced as CT inclusion increased. From the results of the present study, it turned out that CT have a negative impact on feed digestibility and feed use efficiency. Condensed tannins can lower CH4 emissions from ruminants; however, the main mechanism of action is likely the decrease in feed digestibility. Furthermore, CT did not improve the N use efficiency. According to these findings, the positive environmental impacts of CT are only related to the shift from urinary to fecal N excretion.

Gastrointestinal nematodes (GINs) is a limiting health factor for dairy goats, and the integration of the diet with fodder containing condensed tannins (CT) is becoming increasingly important to control GINs. To preliminary evaluate their potential role as part of GIN control in goat breeding, the in vitro anthelmintic efficacy of the CTs of Silvafeed BYPRO (SBP), Silvafeed Q powder (SQ), and sainfoin hay (SH) was evaluated, and the untargeted metabolomics profiling of the selected formulations was performed. CTs were extracted in water and in ethanol, their concentration was determined, and their chemical characterization was conducted using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) coupled to High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (HRMS) platform. The in vitro anthelmintic activity of the extracts was evaluated using the Eggs Hatch Test (EHT) and the Larval Migration Inhibition Test (LMIT) using different extract concentrations (150, 300, 600, and 1200 μg/mL). The metabolomic profile of the ethanol extract showed a high number of flavonoids, while the water extract showed higher levels of hydrolysable tannins. The ethanol extracts were effective on both eggs hatching and larvae migration at low concentrations (150 μg/mL) for the three analyzed samples, while the water extracts showed more varied results: SH showed the greatest ovicidal efficacy (concentration 150 μg/mL, %IH = 40.9), while SBP and SQ were more effective against the larvae migration (concentration 600 μg/mL, %LMI = 69.7% and 88%), respectively. The integration of CT-rich fodder into the diet may be considered for the control of GIN infection in goats.

The study aimed to evaluate Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 2 (2006 and 2019) to predict enteric CH4 emissions from lactating cows fed Mediterranean diets. The effects of the CH4 conversion factor (Ym; CH4 energy loss as a percentage of gross energy intake) and digestible energy (DE) of the diet were evaluated as model predictors. A data set was created using individual observations derived from 3 in vivo studies on lactating dairy cows housed in respiration chambers and fed diets typical of the Mediterranean region based on silages and hays. Five models using different Ym and DE were evaluated following a Tier 2 approach: (1) average values of Ym (6.5%) and DE (70%) from IPCC (2006); (2) average value of Ym (5.7%) and DE (70.0%) from IPCC (2019; 1YM); (3) Ym = 5.7% and DE measured in vivo (1YMIV); (4) Ym = 5.7 or 6.0%, depending on dietary NDF, and DE = 70% (2YM); and (5) Ym = 5.7 or 6.0%, depending on dietary NDF, and DE measured in vivo (2YMIV). Finally, a Tier 2 model for Mediterranean diets (MED) was derived from the Italian data set (Ym = 5.58%; DE = 69.9% for silage-based diets and 64.8% for hay-based diets) and validated on an independent data set of cows fed Mediterranean diets. The most accurate models tested were 2YMIV, 2YM, and 1YMIV with predictions of 384, 377, and 377 (g of CH4/d), respectively, versus the in vivo value of 381. The most precise model was 1YM (slope bias = 1.88%; r = 0.63). Overall, 1YM showed the highest concordance correlation coefficient value (0.579), followed by 1YMIV (0.569). Cross-validation on an independent data set of cows fed Mediterranean diets (corn silage and alfalfa hay) resulted in concordance correlation coefficient of 0.492 and 0.485 for 1YM and MED, respectively. The prediction of MED (397) was more accurate than 1YM (405) in comparison with the corresponding in vivo value of 396 g of CH4/d. The results of this study showed that the average values proposed by IPCC (2019) can adequately predict CH4 emissions from cows fed typical Mediterranean diets. However, the use of specific factors for the Mediterranean area, such as DE, improved the accuracy of the models.

Abstract Condensed tannins may reduce enteric methane emissions in dairy goats by acting on feed digestibility and promoting microbial community composition shifts. We assessed the impact on the ruminal and fecal microbiota of a dietary integration with condensed quebracho tannins (CT) at three different levels (2%, Q2; 4%, Q4; 6% on dry matter, Q6) compared with a control diet (C), in a repeated 4 × 4 Latin square feeding scheme with four goats per square. The ruminal and fecal bacterial, archaeal, fungal, and protozoan microbiota were assessed at the end of each feeding period. The results were then evaluated in relation to CH4 and short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, nitrogen excretion, and feed efficiency. In the rumen, a reduction in prokaryotic alpha-diversity was observed. Beta-diversity was also significant, with the strongest impact for the Q6 diet. Increasing CT concentrations induced more significant community shifts. The phylum Bacteroidota were enriched by all three CT levels, leading to inversion of the Bacteroidota/Firmicutes ratio. Methanobrevibacter with the corresponding phylum (Euryarcheota) and family (Methanobacteriaceae) were reduced by Q6. Ruminococcaceae, Synergistaceae and Flexilinea and Fretibacterium decreased, while Prevotellaceae, Acidaminococcaceae, Succiniclasticum and Fibrobacter increased. The diet did change the overall fungal biodiversity of the rumen, dominated by Neocallimastix, Feramyces, and Caecomyces. In the protozoal microbiota, dominated by Entodinium, only Diplodinium decreased, while Polyplastron and Isotrichia increased. In the feces, alpha and beta-diversity did not change significantly. In feces, the genus Methanobrevibacter and the corresponding phylum and family (Euryarcheota and Methanobacteriaceae, respectively) were increased by CT. The Q6 diet reduced fecal Arcanobacterium, Anaerococcus, and Megasphaera, while it enriched Alistipes and Corynebacterium. Malassezia dominated the fecal fungal microbiota with an average relative abundance of over 95%. Significant changes were observed in the feces for different fungal genera. In conclusion, increasing levels of CT in the diet induced increasingly relevant changes in the rumen microbiota of goats, including a reduction in the abundance of microbial taxa responsible for methane production. On the other hand, CT affected feed conversion efficiency, and this should be taken into account as a contributing factor in the total reduction of methane emissions.

Both condensed and hydrolysable tannins (CTs and HTs, respectively) have the ability to reduce enteric CH4 production in ruminants. However, the precise mechanism of action is not fully understood. Among the proposed hypotheses are the reduction of ruminal digestibility, direct control action on protozoa, reduction of archaea, and a hydrogen sink mechanism. In this in vitro study, which simulated rumen fermentation, two additives, one containing CTs (70% based on DM) from quebracho and one with HTs (75% based on DM) from chestnut, at four levels of inclusion (2, 4, 6, 8% on an as-fed basis) were added to the fermentation substrate and tested against a negative control. Both types of tannins significantly reduced total gas (GP) and CH4 (ml/g DM) production during the 48 h of incubation. The lower GP and CH4 production levels were linked to the reduction in dry matter digestibility caused by CTs and HTs. Conversely, no significant differences were observed for the protozoan and archaeal populations, suggesting a low direct effect of tannins on these rumen microorganisms in vitro. However, both types of tannins had negative correlations for the families Bacteroidales_BS11 and F082 and positive correlations for the genera Prevotella and Succinivibrio. Regarding the fermentation parameters, no differences were observed for pH and total volatile fatty acid production, while both CTs and HTs linearly reduced the NH3 content. CTs from quebracho were more effective in reducing CH4 production than HTs from chestnut. However, for both types of tannins, the reduction in CH4 production was always associated with a lower digestibility without any changes in archaea or protozoa. Due to the high variability of tannins, further studies investigating the chemical structure of the compounds and their mechanisms of action are needed to understand the different results reported in the literature.

Soybean meal, the main protein source for livestock in Italy, is associated with high environmental impact in terms of land use change. Thus alternative protein sources are advisable. The study aimed to evaluate through a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) approach the environmental impact of milk production systems characterised by different diets of lactating cows including different sources of soybean. Four scenarios were identified: (1) conventional soybean meal (CON), (2) conventional soybean meal and soybean silage (SBS), 3) responsible soybean meal defined by the FEFAC guidelines (CON + RSM), (4) soybean silage and responsible soybean meal (SBS + RSM). Inventory data were derived from a previous in vivo trial on lactating cows and farmer interviews. Secondary data were obtained from the ECOINVENT® and the Agri-footprint databases. The LCA was performed using the SimaPro V 8.3. Soybean silage showed higher global warming potential (GWP), marine eutrophication and human toxicity compared with lucerne hay, the most utilised self-produced protein feed, due to the high contribution of mechanical operations in the field. The GWP of milk (kg CO2eq/kg FPCM) decreased from 1.38 of the CON scenario to 1.17 of SBS and 1.13 of CON + RSM; the best result was obtained by combining soybean silage with responsible soybean meal: 1.01. Furthermore, the scenarios using RSM reduced agricultural land occupation and natural land transformation. The inclusion of SBS and RSM is an interesting option to reduce environmental impact of milk production, maximising yields of DM and CP per hectare and representing an alternative protein source.HIGHLIGHTSThe ration of dairy cows represents one of the main causes of the environmental impact of the livestock sector due to the impact for feed production (forage and concentrate)Feeding soybean meal as protein source has high environmental impact since it is linked with deforestation in South AmericaAlternative protein sources like soybean silage and soybean meal produced sustainably could reduce the environmental impact of the sector

In dairy ruminants, a diet supplemented with feed rich in unsaturated fatty acids can be an effective medium to increase the health-promoting properties of milk, although their effect on the pathways/genes involved in these processes has not been properly and completely defined to date. To improve our knowledge of the cell’s activity in specific conditions, next-generation RNA-sequencing technology was used to allow whole transcriptome characterization under given conditions. In addition to this, microRNAs (miRNAs) have recently been known as post-transcriptional regulators in fatty acid and cholesterol metabolism by targeting lipid metabolism genes. In this study, to analyze the transcriptome and miRNAs in goat milk after a supplemental diet enriched with linoleic acid (hemp seeds), next-generation RNA-sequencing was used in order to point out the general biological mechanisms underlying the effects related to milk fat metabolism. Ten pluriparous Alpine goats were fed with the same pretreatment diet for 40 days; then, they were arranged to two dietary treatments consisting of control (C) and hemp seed (H)-supplemented diets. Milk samples were collected at 40 (time point = T0) and 140 days of lactation (time point = T1). Milk fatty acid (FA) profiles revealed a significant effect of hemp seeds that determined a strong increment in the preformed FA, causing a reduction in the concentration of de-novo FA. Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated n−3 FAs were increased by hemp treatment, determining a reduction in the n−6/n−3 ratio. After removing milk fats and proteins, RNA was extracted from the milk cells and transcriptomic analysis was conducted using Illumina RNA-sequencing. A total of 3,835 genes were highly differentially expressed (p-value < 0.05, fold change > 1.5, and FDR < 0.05) in the H group. Functional analyses evidenced changes in metabolism, immune, and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, modifications in feeding strategies affected also key transcription factors regulating the expression of several genes involved in milk fat metabolism, such as peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs). Moreover, 38 (15 known and 23 novel) differentially expressed miRNAs were uncovered in the H group and their potential functions were also predicted. This study gives the possibility to improve our knowledge of the molecular changes occurring after a hemp seed supplementation in the goat diet and increase our understanding of the relationship between nutrient variation and phenotypic effects.

The high reliance of the European livestock sector on imported soybean meal (SBM), especially from South America, poses environmental problems, like greenhouse gas emissions for transportation and land-use change with the loss of carbon stock and biodiversity. Aim of the present study was to evaluate the partial substitution of SBM with whole-plant soybean silage in the diet of dairy cows. Thirty-six lactating Holstein cows were arranged according to a change-over design, with 2 weeks of adaptation and 5 days of sampling per period. A control diet (CON) was based on maize silage and SBM, representing 10.7% of total dry matter (DM). In a soybean silage diet (SBS) 35% (on DM basis) of SBM was replaced by soybean silage. The dietary treatment did not affect DM intake, milk production, and dairy efficiency while cows fed SBS resulted in lower milk crude protein (3.43 vs. 3.55%, p < .001) and higher milk urea (30.5 vs. 28.7 mg/dL, p = .002), in comparison with CON. Nutrients digestibility was lower for SBS than CON; particularly fibre digestibility was 31.5 vs. 38.8% (p < .001). The efficiency of nitrogen utilisation was higher for CON than SBS (32.7 vs. 31.3%, p = .003). Soybean silage did not penalise feed intake and milk production. However, to fully exploit this forage, digestibility, and nitrogen utilisation efficiency should be improved.Highlights Soybean silage can substitute one-third of soybean meal in dairy cow diet Soybean silage inclusion in the diet did not affect milk yield and DMI Soybean silage inclusion in the diet reduced N use efficiency

The current nutrient recommendations focus on pigs fed ad libitum up to 140 kg in body weight (BW). It remains unclear whether this applies to pigs weighing above 140 kg in BW under different rearing conditions. This study aimed to estimate protein (Pd) and lipid (Ld) depositions and the metabolizable energy (ME), standardized ileal digestible lysine (SID lysine) requirement and partitioning in 224 C21 Goland pigs (90–200 kg in BW). The control pigs (C) received diets limiting ME up to 170 kg in slaughter weight (SW) at 9 months of age (SA); older (OA) pigs had restricted diets limiting ME and SID lysine up to 170 kg in SW at >9 months SA; younger (YA) pigs were fed nonlimited amounts of ME and SID lysine up to 170 kg in SW at <9 months SA; and greater weight (GW) pigs were fed as the YA group, with 9 months SA at >170 kg in SW. The estimated MEm averaged 1.03 MJ/kg0.60. An 11% increase in MEm was observed in OA pigs compared to the controls. Energy restriction had negligible effects on the estimated MEm. The marginal efficiency of SID lysine utilization for Pd averaged 0.725, corresponding to a SID lysine requirement of 9.8 g/100 g Pd.

The weaning period is a stressful period for the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) of piglets. This work aims to evaluate the effects of the commercial polyphenol-based product GreenFIS® on: (1) GIT health and performance of 60 weaned piglets; (2) digestibility in 18 growing pigs. Three diets were tested: a control diet (C), C plus 2.5 g of GreenFIS®/kg C (T1), and C plus 5 g of GreenFIS®/kg C (T2). After the post-weaning trial three piglets per treatment were sacrificed for the GIT histological analysis. No differences between diets were recorded in terms of growing performance or clinical and biochemical blood parameters. The GIT histological analysis did not show any indicators of inflammation for any of the groups. The feces of the two extreme treatments (C and T2) were analyzed for microbiota, revealing a greater presence of the Ruminococcus bromii group, positively associated with starch degradation, in T2. In the second experiment six pigs per treatment were randomly chosen for the digestibility study. The inclusion of GreenFIS® at both levels led to a higher fecal digestibility of gross energy (86.2%, 89.1%, and 89.5%, for C, T1, and T2, respectively) and crude protein (87.0%, 90.2%, and 90.0%). In conclusion, the additive did not improve, in the excellent experimental hygienic conditions, the gut health, but it did increase nutrient digestibility.

The effect of whole linseeds or hemp seeds on milk production, energy and nitrogen balance, and methane emission was studied in 12 Alpine goats using respiration chambers. Diets tested were a control diet (C) and two diets supplemented with whole linseeds (L) or hemp seeds (H) at 9.3% on a dry matter (DM) basis. DM intake was similar among treatments, whereas DM and organic matter digestibility were lower for L compared to C. Milk yield (2.30 kg/d on average) and rumen fermentation profile were not affected by treatments. Treatment also did not affect the milk composition, with the exception of fat, which was higher in H and L compared to C (4.21, 3.94, and 3.20%, respectively). Oilseed supplementation caused a reduction in the concentration of de novo fatty acids (FA) (41.1, 48.8, and 64.1% of FA, for L, H, and C, respectively). Moreover, L and H diets reduced the sum of saturated FA, and increased monounsaturated FA, whereas only the L diet increased the concentration of polyunsaturated FA. Regarding methane production, and nitrogen and energy balances, no differences were registered among the diets. Our research indicates that including whole linseeds and hemp seeds in the dairy goat diet is an effective strategy for increasing milk fat content and positively modifying the milk FA composition, without a change in nitrogen and energy balances, but also without a reduction in enteric methane emission.

Undigested neutral detergent fibre (uNDF) is commonly used as an internal marker for the estimation of diet digestibility in ruminants. This work aimed to verify (i) whether the in vivo method with uNDF could be used to evaluate diet digestibility in growing pigs, and (ii) whether pre-treating the samples with neutral detergent solution (NDS) and α-amylase improves the accuracy of the estimates. Samples from a previously published work of two diets with known in vivo digestibility values estimated by the total faecal collection method and 16 individual samples of faeces were used. For each sample, four Ankom F57 bags were weighed. Before the incubation, two F57 bags were pre-treated with NDS and α-amylase. All the samples were incubated for 240 h in the Ankom DaisyII incubator and then analysed for their uNDF contents. Dry matter, organic matter, and neutral detergent fibre digestibilities were estimated using the uNDF contents, and the results were compared with those of the former study. The digestibility values obtained using the uNDF method with pre-treatment were not statistically different from those determined with the total faecal collection. On the contrary, the uNDF method without the pre-treatment could not satisfactorily predict the digestibilities of pig diets.