Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: P. Dolešová Author-Workplace-Name: Animal Production Research Centre, Institute of Nutrition, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: S. Nitrayová Author-Workplace-Name: Animal Production Research Centre, Institute of Nutrition, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: P. Patráš Author-Workplace-Name: Animal Production Research Centre, Institute of Nutrition, Nitra, Slovak Republic Author-Name: J. Heger Author-Workplace-Name: Animal Production Research Centre, Institute of Nutrition, Nitra, Slovak Republic Title: Effect of essential and non-essential amino acid addition to a nitrogen-free diet on endogenous ileal amino acid flow in growing pigs Abstract: Pigs fitted with ileal T-cannula in the terminal ileum were used to study the effect of synthetic amino acids (AA) added to a nitrogen-free diet on endogenous losses. We compared the obtained data with data from other research centres in the world that are focusing on these problems. In the present experiment, we used three synthetic diets - a nitrogen-free (NF) diet, a diet with added essential AA (E), a diet with the same amounts of essential AA and a mixture of non-essential AA (E+N) added. The diets, apart from the amount of AA, had the same composition. Chromium oxide was used as an indigestible marker. The supplementation of the NF diet with sulphur AA, threonine and tryptophan resulted in a reduction of the endogenous flow of all AA except for cysteine. However, the difference between the NF and E diet was significant only in the case of proline. The effect of the non-essential AA addition to diet E was negligible, even though the endogenous flow of most AA tended to decrease. In comparison with NF diet, the endogenous flow of total N in diets E and E+N was reduced by about 30%. This reduction was mainly due to the decreased endogenous flow of proline, which accounted for 59% in diet E and 55% in diet E+N. Proline was the most abundant AA in all diets, followed by glycine and glutamic acid. The sum of proline and glycine in diets NF, E and E+N amounted to 59, 44, and 46% of total AA flow, respectively. In contrast, the proportion of the sum of essential AA of total AA flow in diets NF, E and E+N was 21, 28 and 27%, respectively. Our data on the endogenous AA and N flow are in the range of previously published values. Keywords: pigs, ileal digestibility, amino acids, endogenous losses Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 475-480 Volume: 54 Issue: 11 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/63/2009-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/63/2009-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-200911-0001.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:54:y:2009:i:11:id:63-2009-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: X.D. Zhang Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China Author-Name: W.J. Chen Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China Author-Name: C.Y. Li Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China Author-Name: J.X. Liu Author-Workplace-Name: College of Animal Sciences, Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Molecular Animal Nutrition, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China Title: Effects of protein-free energy supplementation on blood metabolites, insulin and hepatic PEPCK gene expression in growing lambs offered rice straw-based diet Abstract: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of increasing levels of protein-free energy supplementation on blood glucose, urea nitrogen, insulin and gene expression of hepatic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) in growing lambs offered rice straw-based diet. Thirty-six male Hu lambs (3.5 months old) were divided into four equal groups according to body weight. All animals were fed rice straw ad libitum and supplemented with cornstarch at levels of 0 (control), 60, 120, and 180 g/day, respectively, along with 160 g/day of rapeseed meal. The trial lasted for 60 days with the first 15 days for adaptation. Body weight change and feed intake were recorded. Blood samples were taken at different time points after feeding at the end of the trial, and analyzed for blood glucose, total protein, urea nitrogen and insulin. Liver samples were collected and analysed for the mRNA abundance of hepatic PEPCK. Increasing cornstarch showed a low effect on rice straw intake, but increased average daily gain of lambs significantly (P < 0.05). Blood glucose tended to increase with starch supplementation, but altered within a narrow range. Blood urea nitrogen was decreased significantly (P < 0.05) with increment in supplemental starch. Supplementation of starch at 120 or 180 g/day significantly increased the insulin concentration (P < 0.05) compared with the control. The abundance of cytosolic PEPCK (PEPCK-C) mRNA increased 2.47 times and 3.98 times with 60 and 120 g per day of starch supplementation compared with the control, respectively, while the supplementation of 180 g per day of starch showed a low effect on PEPCK-C gene expression (P > 0.05). Amounts of mitochondrial PEPCK (PEPCK-M) mRNA were not affected by the supplementation of starch at any level (P > 0.05). These results indicate that proper energy supplementation increases the expression of PEPCK-C, and consequently gluconeogenesis and blood glucose increase, while excessive energy may have an inhibitory effect on gluconeogenesis through insulin-involved mechanisms. Keywords: cornstarch, glucose, insulin, PEPCK gene, lambs Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 481-489 Volume: 54 Issue: 11 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/1763-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/1763-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-200911-0002.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:54:y:2009:i:11:id:1763-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: M. Lichovníková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Breeding, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: J. Jandásek Author-Workplace-Name: Development Department TRUMF International s.r.o., Dolní Újezd, Czech Republic Author-Name: M. Jůzl Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Food Technology, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: E. Dračková Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Animal Breeding, Mendel University of Agriculture and Forestry in Brno, Brno, Czech Republic Title: The meat quality of layer males from free range in comparison with fast growing chickens Abstract: : In chick hatcheries, males of laying hybrids are considered to be "waste" and the majority of these males are killed just after hatching. On the other hand, the interest of consumers in products from alternative systems (organic, free-range) is increasing. The idea was to evaluate the meat quality of these males when they have access to free range because there is not such a study available. The aim of this study was to compare the physical and sensory quality of the meat of layer males with fast-growing broilers at the same age when they had both access to free range and when they were fed to 49 and 90 days of age. Slow-growing ISABROWN (IB) layer males and fast-growing Ross 308 (RS) chickens were kept in free-range conditions to evaluate carcass and meat quality at 49 days and 90 days of age. Live weight, carcass yield, breast meat yield and the proportion of abdominal fat were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in RS at both ages. The proportions of fat in the breast meat were significantly lower (P < 0.01) in IB at both ages. The value of pH 24 h was significantly higher in IB and the meat was darker (P < 0.001) in these chickens. The overall acceptability was significantly better (P < 0.01) in IB at 90 days of age. The laying males are acceptable for an alternative system of poultry meat production from the aspect of meat quality. The quality was comparable or even higher in comparison with fast-growing chickens. Keywords: breast meat colour, fat, overall acceptability Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 490-497 Volume: 54 Issue: 11 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/3/2009-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/3/2009-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-200911-0003.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:54:y:2009:i:11:id:3-2009-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: J. Sales Author-Workplace-Name: University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodňany, Czech Republic Title: The error associated with the prediction of digestible protein contents of fish diets from tabulated values Abstract: Numerous species available for culture, and lengthy, tedious and demanding digestibility experiments necessitate the use of tabulated values to calculate the apparent digestible nutrient contents of compound fish diets. The error associated with the above practice was evaluated in the present study with the use of apparent protein digestibility coefficients (APDCs) and dietary crude protein (CP) contents obtained in independent studies on fish nutrition. Prediction of APDCs of 21 compound diets evaluated in 18 studies with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), by using APDCs of 27 individual feed ingredients determined for this fish species, presented a mean prediction error (MPE) of 0.0489 between observed and predicted values. However, the above APDCs resulted in an overestimation of 7.86% (MPE = 0.0899) for APDCs of compound diets (n = 15) tested with 7 species other than rainbow trout. The CP contents of the above compound diets were overestimated with MPE's of 0.3029 and 0.3200 for rainbow trout and other species, respectively, when using CP contents of individual feed ingredients as predictors. This eliminates the use of tabulated values to calculate apparent digestible protein contents of compound fish diets, except if databases are regularly updated with CP values for feed ingredients used. Keywords: fish diets, protein, digestibility coefficients, prediction Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 498-509 Volume: 54 Issue: 11 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/65/2009-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/65/2009-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-200911-0004.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:54:y:2009:i:11:id:65-2009-CJAS Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: R. Dobšíková Author-Workplace-Name: University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: Z. Svobodová Author-Workplace-Name: University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Workplace-Name: University of South Bohemia, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodňany, Czech Republic Author-Name: J. Bláhová Author-Workplace-Name: University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: H. Modrá Author-Workplace-Name: University of Veterinary and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Brno, Czech Republic Author-Name: J. Velíšek Author-Workplace-Name: University of South Bohemia, Research Institute of Fish Culture and Hydrobiology, Vodňany, Czech Republic Title: The effect of transport on biochemical and haematological indices of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) Abstract: The effect of 12 h transport on the biochemical and haematological profiles of three-years-old common carp was investigated. There was a significant increase (P < 0.01) in ammonia, chloride, phosphorus, lactate dehydrogenase, aspartate aminotransferase and creatine kinase, and a significant decrease (P < 0.05) in total proteins. The levels of glucose (P < 0.01), lactate (P < 0.05), alanine aminotransferase (P < 0.01) and calcium (P < 0.01) were also significantly changed, but no time-dependent relationships were found. Significant increases in haematocrit (P < 0.01) and metamyelocyte count (P < 0.05) were found. Mean corpuscular volume (P < 0.05) and counts of monocytes (P < 0.01), band neutrophils (P < 0.01) and segmented neutrophils (P < 0.05) were significantly changed independently of the transport duration. Since pre-transport manipulation and transport per se were found to be important stressors for three-years-old common carp, peri-transport disturbances should be minimized to ensure optimal fish welfare. Keywords: erythrocyte profile, common carp, Cyprinus carpio, leukocyte profile, plasma biochemical indices, stress response Journal: Czech Journal of Animal Science Pages: 510-518 Volume: 54 Issue: 11 Year: 2009 DOI: 10.17221/52/2009-CJAS File-URL: http://cjas.agriculturejournals.cz/doi/10.17221/52/2009-CJAS.html File-Format: text/html X-File-Ref: http://agriculturejournals.cz/RePEc/caa/references/cjs-200911-0005.txt Handle: RePEc:caa:jnlcjs:v:54:y:2009:i:11:id:52-2009-CJAS