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The inclusion of rapeseed meal in fattening pig diets, as a partial replacer of soybean meal, alters nutrient digestion, faecal composition and biochemical methane potential from faeces
No full textThe effects of including rapeseed meal (RSM) as an alternative source of vegetable protein in pig diets on animal performance, nutrient digestibility and methane production from faeces was investigated. A total of 96 pigs of 42.4 (+/- 14.04) kg of body weight (BW) were allocated into two dietary treatments (48 animals/treatment). One group was fed a conventional diet (C) and the other with a diet containing RSM (R). The level of RSM in the R diet was 120 g/kg during the growing phase (40-70 kg BW; days 1-34 of study) and 200 g/kg during the finishing phase (70-114 kg BW; days 35-76 of study). Average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were measured throughout the study. During the finishing phase, faeces were collected and analysed for dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP), crude fat, fibre fractions, pH, volatile fatty acids and biochemical methane potential (B-0). Additionally, the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of nutrients was measured using the acid-insoluble ash method. At slaughter (114 +/- 12.2 kg BW), the main carcass and meat quality characteristics were registered and the fatty acid (FA) profile of the subcutaneous fat and muscle was analysed. During the growing phase, R animals showed lower ADG compared with C animals (818 vs. 890 g/d; P<0.05). These differences disappeared during the finishing phase. Faeces from treatment R showed a lower B-0 compared to those from treatment C (308 vs. 351 mL methane/g OM). Animals from R group showed a lower DM, OM and CP CTTAD than C animals (0.790, 0.826 and 0.729 vs. 0.832, 0.865 and 0.818, respectively; P<0.05) and tended to show lower fibre digestion rates. Consequently, animals from R group showed a higher amount of these components in faeces. However, fat digestion was not affected. No differences were found between treatments on most carcass characteristics. Overall, the inclusion of high levels of RSM in pig diets decreased final BW and nutrient digestibility (except fat) in the finishing phase. However, faeces from animals fed RSM were less degradable, producing less methane per gram of OM. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved
Computer Vision System Applied to Classification of "Manila" Mangoes During Ripening Process
Get PDFMango is an important crop that is marketed on a large scale around the world. The degree of ripeness of mangoes is an important quality attribute that has traditionally been evaluated manually through their physicochemical properties and color parameters, but recent non-destructive technologies such as computer vision systems (CVS) are emerging to replace these destructive, slow, and costly methods by others that are faster and more reliable. In the present work, physicochemical properties and color parameters obtained using a CVS at laboratory level were linked to establish the ripening stages of mango cv. "Manila." Classification process involving multivariate analysis was applied with the aim of using only color parameters to estimate levels of ripeness. A set of 117 mangoes was used to estimate the ripening index (RPI) from the physicochemical properties, and another set of 39 mangoes was used to validate the classification process in mangoes harvest in a different season. The RPI was useful for establishing three phases of maturation, namely: pre-climacteric, climacteric, and senescence. These showed correspondences with the color changes evaluated in two color spaces (CIELAB and HSB). Principal component analysis was efficient in selecting the most significant variables and separating the mangoes into the three ripening stages. Multivariate discriminant analysis made it possible to obtain classification rates of 90 % by using only a*, b*, H and S color coordinates, the CIELAB system being, in general, more efficient at classification than HSB. The results obtained showed that CVS developed for the study can be used as a useful non-invasive, efficient method for the evaluation of the ripeness of mangoes
Egg Yolk and Glycerol Requirements for Freezing Boar Spermatozoa Treated with Methyl beta-Cyclodextrin or Cholesterol-loaded Cyclodextrin
No full textEgg yolk (BY) and glycerol are common constituents of extenders used for sperm cryopreservation. It has been demonstrated that using cholesterol-loaded cyclodextrins (CLC) improves sperm cryosurvival in several species. However, standard freezing extenders might not be the most appropriate for CLC-treated sperm. This study evaluated the EY and glycerol requirements for freezing. CLC-treated boar spermatozoa. Semen samples from 34 ejaculates coming from 4 boars were used. Each ejaculate was split into three aliquots: one was used untreated (control), and the other two were treated with 1 mg of CLC or methyl-beta-cyclodextrin/120 x 10(6) sperm for 15 min at 22 C prior to cryopreservation. Our results indicated that reducing the concentration of EY was detrimental for sperm viability after thawing (31.57 +/- 2 vs. 19.89% +/- 2 for 20 and 10% EY, respectively; P < 0.05), even in semen treated with CLC. On the other hand, it was observed that the traditional concentration of Glycerol (3%) was not the appropriate for freezing CLC-treated sperm (61.10 +/- 3 vs. 47.87% +/- 3 viable sperm for control and CLC-treated sperm, respectively; P <0.05). Thus, CLC-treated sperm showed a higher tolerance to high glycerol concentrations (5%) in terms of sperm viability (59.19% +/- 3) than non-treated sperm (45.58% +/- 3; P<0.05). Therefore, it could be necessary to modify the freeling extenders for CLC-treated sperm. Nevertheless, additional studies will be needed to evaluate alternative cryoprotectants and to determine the effect of high glycerol concentrations on sperm functionality
Beneficial Effect of Two Culture Systems with Small Groups of Embryos on the Development and Quality of In Vitro-Produced Bovine Embryos
No full textCurrently, in vitro-produced embryos derived by ovum pick up (OPU) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) technologies represent approximately one-third of the embryos worldwide in cattle. Nevertheless, the culture of small groups of embryos from an individual egg donor is an issue that OPU-IVF laboratories have to face. In this work, we tested whether the development and quality of the preimplantation embryos in vitro cultured in low numbers (five embryos) could be improved by the addition of epidermal growth factor, insulin, transferrin and selenium (EGF-ITS) or by the WOW system. With this aim, immature oocytes recovered from slaughtered heifers were in vitro matured and in vitro fertilized. Presumptive zygotes were then randomly cultured in four culture conditions: one large group (LG) (50 embryos/500l medium) and three smaller groups [five embryos/50l medium without (control) or with EGF-ITS (EGF-ITS) and five embryos per microwell in the WOW system (WOW)]. Embryos cultured in LG showed a greater ability to develop to blastocyst stage than embryos cultured in smaller groups, while the blastocyst rate of WOW group was significantly higher than in control. The number of cells/blastocyst in LG was higher than control or WOW, whereas the apoptosis rate per blastocyst was lower. On the other hand, the addition of EGF-ITS significantly improved both parameters compared to the control and resulted in similar embryo quality to LG. In conclusion, the WOW system improved embryo development, while the addition of EGF-ITS improved the embryo quality when smaller groups of embryos were cultured
Different metabolic and genetic responses in citrus may explain relative susceptibility to Tetranychus urticae
No full textBackground: Life history parameters of the phytophagous spider mite Tetranychus urticae in citrus depend on the rootstock where the cultivar is grafted. To unveil the mechanisms responsible for this effect, the authors have carried out comparative experiments of T. urticae performance on two citrus rootstocks, the highly T. urticae-sensitive Cleopatra mandarin and the more tolerant sour orange. Results: Sour orange showed reduced leaf damage symptoms, supported lower mite populations and reduced oviposition rates compared with Cleopatra mandarin. Hormonal, metabolomic and gene expression analyses of the main defence pathways suggest a relevant role of the oxylipin and the flavonoid pathways in the response against T. urticae. Sour orange showed an increased activity of the JA pathway, which was hardly active in the most susceptible rootstock. Moreover, treatments with the LOX inhibitor Phenidone abolished the enhanced tolerance of sour orange. Therefore, oxylipin-dependent defence seems to be rootstock dependent. The metabolomic analysis showed the importance of the flavonoid pathway, which is implicated in the interaction between plants and their environment. Conclusion: The findings suggest that sour-orange enhanced tolerance to spider mites can be sustained by a combination of pre-existing and induced responses depending on high levels of flavonoids and a fast and effective activation of the oxylipin pathway
Development of a Hyperspectral Computer Vision System Based on Two Liquid Crystal Tuneable Filters for Fruit Inspection. Application to Detect Citrus Fruits Decay
Get PDFHyperspectral systems are characterised by offering the possibility of acquiring a large number of images at different consecutive wavebands. To ensure reliable and repeatable results using this kind of optical sensors, the intensity shown by the objects in the different spectral images must be independent from the differences in sensitivity of the system for the different wavelengths. The spectral efficiency of the acquisition devices and the spectral emission of the lighting system vary across the spectrum and the images, and therefore the results can reproduce these variations if the system is not properly calibrated and corrected. This is particularly complex, when several LCTF devices are used to obtain large spectral ranges. This work presents the development of a hyperspectral system based on two liquid crystal tuneable filters for the acquisition of images of spherical fruits. It also proposes a methodology for acquiring and segmenting images of citrus fruits aimed at detecting decay in citrus fruits that has been capable of correctly classifying 98 % of pixels as rotten or non-rotten and 95 % of fruit
Evaluating food additives as antifungal agents against Monilinia fructicola in vitro and in hydroxypropyl methylcellulose-lipid composite edible coatings for plums
Get PDFCommon food preservative agents were evaluated in in vitro tests for their antifungal activity against Monilinia fructicola, the most economically important pathogen causing postharvest disease of stone fruits. Radial mycelial growth was measured in Petri dishes of PDA amended with three different concentrations of the agents (0.01-0.2%, v/v) after 7 days of incubation at 25 degrees C. Thirteen out of fifteen agents tested completely inhibited the radial growth of the fungus at various concentrations. Among them, ammonium carbonate, ammonium bicarbonate and sodium bicarbonate were the most effective while sodium acetate and sodium formate were the least effective. The effective agents and concentrations were tested as ingredients of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC)-lipid edible coatings against brown rot disease on plums previously inoculated with M. fructicola (curative activity). 'Friar' and 'Larry Ann' plums were inoculated with the pathogen, coated with stable edible coatings about 24 h later, and incubated at 20 degrees C and 90% RH. Disease incidence (%) and severity (lesion diameter) were determined after 4, 6, and 8 days of incubation and the 'area under the disease progress stairs' (AUDPS) was calculated. Coatings containing bicarbonates and parabens significantly reduced brown rot incidence in plums, but potassium sorbate, used at 1.0% in the coating formulation, was the most effective agent with a reduction rate of 28.6%. All the tested coatings reduced disease severity to some extent, but coatings containing 0.1% sodium methylparaben or sodium ethylparaben or 0.2% ammonium carbonate or ammonium bicarbonate were superior to the rest, with reduction rates of 45-50%. Overall, the results showed that most of the agents tested in this study had significant antimicrobial activity against M. fructicola and the application of selected antifungal edible coatings is a promising alternative for the control of postharvest brown rot in plums
Changes in pectin methylesterase, polygalacturonase, catalase and peroxidase activities associated with alleviation of chilling injury in persimmon by hot water and 1-MCP treatments
No full text'Rojo Brillante' persimmon is an astringent cultivar whose fruits are chilling injury-sensitive. A pretreatment of 1-MCP or Hot Water before cold storage is known to alleviate flesh softening, the main chilling injury symptom to occur when fruit is transferred from low to moderate temperatures. In order to better understand the chilling injury alleviation mechanism in persimmon through these two treatments, the changes of antioxidant system enzymes (catalase and peroxidase) and cell wall degrading enzymes (pectin methylesterase and polygalacturonase) were evaluated. Persimmon fruits subjected to the 1-MCP treatment (500 nL L-1) or to hot water treatments (45 degrees C for 30 min) (HWT-45 degrees C) and 50 degrees C for 20 min (HWT-50 degrees C) were stored at 1 degrees C for 30 days. Then they were submitted to a deastringency treatment (98% CO2 at 20 degrees C for 24h) before being transferred to shelf-life conditions for 5 days at 20 degrees C. The HWT applied at 50 degrees C and 1-MCP were observed to be the most effective treatments to reduce firmness loss after cold storage. During the shelf-life period, the activities of pectin methylesterase and polygalacturonase were lower in fruit treated with both treatments than in control fruit, which may result in higher cell wall integrity and, therefore, in fruit softening alleviation. The 1-MCP and HW-treated fruits exhibited higher catalase and lower peroxidase activities if compared to untreated fruit. While peroxidase activity was especially inhibited by 1-MCP, HWT exerted a more marked effect on the catalase enzyme. The changes in cell wall degrading and antioxidant system enzymes induced by 1-MCP and HWT-50 degrees C during the symptom development period reveal that these enzymes are involved in the chilling-tolerance of persimmon. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved