• Authors:
    • Torrallardona, D.
    • Geraert, P.
    • Devillard, E.
    • Badiola, I.
    • Willamil, J.
  • Source: Journal of Animal Science
  • Volume: 90
  • Issue: 3
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Thirty-six pigs (22 kg of BW) were used to evaluate a carbohydrase preparation, with xylanase and beta-glucanase as main activities, added to either wheat-barley-rye- (WBR) or corn-based diets on performance, intestinal environment, and nutrient digestibility. Pigs were offered 1 of 4 different dietary treatments for 27 d according to a factorial arrangement of treatments (a 2*2) with 2 cereal types (WBR or corn) and 2 levels of supplemental carbohydrase (0 or 0.01%). Pig growth and feed intake were individually measured every week until the end of the experiment when pigs were slaughtered to obtain samples of digesta and tissues. Cereal type affected performance only during wk 1, in which WBR improved ADG (590 vs. 440 g/d; P=0.008) and G:F (0.61 vs. 0.43; P=0.045) compared with corn. The WBR also increased the viscosity of the digestive contents in stomach (1.95 vs. 1.23 mPa.s; P=0.001) and ileum (6.53 vs. 2.80 mPa.s; P=0.001) and resulted in greater cecal starch digestibility (95.7 vs. 93.9%; P=0.012). However, trends for a reduction in digestibility were observed for glucose in the nonstarch polysaccharide (NSP) fraction in the ileum (64.4 vs. 75.8%; P=0.074) and galactose in the NSP fraction in the cecum (1.4 vs. 1.8%; P=0.055). The use of the enzyme preparation increased ADFI during wk 2 (1,328 vs. 1,215 g/d; P=0.028), and increased villus height (423 vs. 390 m; P=0.045) and tended to reduce relative pancreas weight (0.16 vs. 0.17% BW; P=0.079) at d 27. The enzyme also improved cecal starch digestibility (95.5 vs. 94.1%; P=0.043) and tended to improve ileal energy digestibility (61.3 vs. 53.7%; P=0.090) and cecal glucose digestibility in the NSP fraction (76.0 vs. 54.5%; P=0.055). However, it reduced the cecal digestibility of mannose in the NSP fraction (27.0 vs. 50.5%; P=0.016). Interactions ( P
  • Authors:
    • Dramicanin, T.
    • Lenhardt, L.
    • Zekovic, I.
    • Dramicanin, M.
  • Source: Food Analytical Methods
  • Volume: 5
  • Issue: 5
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy, a technique that measures both the absorption and the emission properties of a sample in a single measurement, was used for the analysis and classification of intact cereal flours (wheat, corn, rye, buckwheat, rice, and barley). Total synchronous fluorescence spectra recorded in constant wavelength mode show clear differences in the emission spectra of different flours due to variances in intrinsic fluorophore concentrations and their microenvironments. Principal component analysis, cluster analysis, and partial least squares discriminant analysis are used to assess the ability of synchronous fluorescence measurements to differentiate and classify intact samples of different flour types. The flour specimens were obtained directly from a market in Belgrade and had different expiration dates to provide a more representative set of samples. The results of the current analysis suggest that chemometric methods applied on synchronous fluorescence data can discriminate and classify flour types and that the best results are achieved using a combination of synchronous fluorescence measurements at synchronous intervals of 7 and 20 nm. The quality of results, the high speed of measurements, and the avoidance of extensive sample preparation make synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy a promising technique for cereal research.
  • Authors:
    • Chen, C.
    • Xu, Z.
    • Koetz, E.
    • Wu, H.
    • Zhou, X.
  • Source: Applied Soil Ecology
  • Volume: 53
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: The conservation farming systems coupled with stubble retention are now widely adopted in southern Australia to improve soil fertility. However, little information is available about the effects of winter crops on soil labile organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) pools, especially in an arid agricultural ecosystem. In this study, eight winter cover crop treatments were used to investigate their effects on soil labile organic C and N pools and microbial metabolic profiles and diversity in temperate Australia. These treatments included two legume crops (capello woolly pod vetch and field pea), four non-legume crops (rye, wheat, Saia oat and Indian mustard), and a mixture of rye and capello woolly pod vetch as well as a nil-crop control. At the crop flowering stage, soil and crop samples were collected from the field and we examined aboveground crop biomass, soil NH 4+-N, NO 3--N, extractable organic C (EOC) and N (EON) concentrations using methods of 2 M KCl and hot water, microbial biomass, biologically active organic C (C Bio), and substrate-induced respiration (SIR) using the MicroResp method. Results showed that the crop treatments had lower soil moisture content, NO 3--N and the ratios of EOC to EON, but higher pH, NH 4+-N, EOC, EON, C Bio, microbial metabolic diversity index ( H) and evenness index compared with the control. There were no significant differences in microbial biomass C and N among the treatments. Although no pronounced differences in EOC and EON concentrations were found between the legumes and non-legumes, the legume treatments had lower SIR and higher H than the non-legume treatments. Principal component analysis showed that soil microbial metabolic profiles under the crops were different from those of the control, and the crop treatments had a clear separation along principal component 2. In addition, redundancy analysis showed that soil pH and moisture content were the most important influencing factors, along with EON and crop biomass, determining the patterns of microbial metabolic profiles under the crops.
  • Authors:
    • Necula, D.
    • Necula, R.
  • Source: Lucrări Ştiinţifice
  • Volume: 14
  • Issue: 1
  • Year: 2012
  • Summary: Bucharest Ilfov Region Agriculture still occupies an important place, having large reserves of development, determined by soil quality, climate factors, technical equipment and materials and labor (or work within major research institutes in the field). However, productivity is lower productivity sector registered in EU countries due to insufficient technical equipment, small scale agricultural enterprises, which represent obstacles to effective development. Also, irrigation systems are underdeveloped.