Thirty-three dairy goats were used to evaluate the effects of partial replacement of soybean meal by urea or starea (urea + extruded corn) on milk production and composition and plasma glucose, urea nitrogen and nonesterified fatty acids concentrations. The animals were distributed in a randomized complete block design, with three experimental diets and eleven replicates. All the experimental diets were isonitrogenous, composed by 40% corn silage and 60% concentrate, with different nitrogenous sources (soybean meal, soybean meal + 2.8% starea […]

The study was carried out to develop and to evaluate new equations to predict dry matter intake (DMI) of Nellore and Zebu-crosses cattle using meta-analysis procedure. The data used to estimate the parameters were collected from independent performance experiments using growing and fattening Nellore and Zebu-crosses cattle, and they were compiled from 561 experimental units. Before proposing an equation to predict DMI, it was observed that the genetic group was a source of statisticaly significant variation. Therefore, equations to predict […]

The objective of this work was to evaluate the levels of sodium monensin on lactating cows and their effects on productive performance and milk protein fraction composition. It was used 12 Holstein cows, distributed in four balanced 3 × 3 Latin squares, and fed three diets: one control without monensin, and two diets with monensin at the levels of 24 or 48 mg/kg DM added to the concentrate. Milk production was daily measured throughout the entire experimental period. The samples […]

The objective in this study was to evaluate meat quality of longissimus thoracisi muscle during ageing. Samples from 22 Nelore bovines and 22 Red Norte males at 24 months of age were collected at 24 hours post mortem, kept at 2ºC and analyzed on days 1, 7, 14 and 21. The animals were finished in confinement (112 days) with corn silage (50%) and concentrate (50%) ad libitum. Values of final pH, cooking loss, moisture, protein, fat and ash were similar […]

It was aimed to evaluate in this work the effects of physical characteristics (density, solubility, average particle size and water holding capacity) on in situ effective degraded fraction of the dry matter of soybean meal, canola meal, peanut meal, and cottonseed meal. It was also evaluated the passage rate of solids using four Santa Ines castrated wethers cannulated in the rumen. Samples with 100 g of each protein meal marked with sodium dichromate were put in the rumen and kept […]

This study was developed to evaluate the ingestive behavior of beef cattle finished in feedlots with different concentrate levels in the diet. Sixteen bulls fed 22, 40, 59, or 79% of concentrate in the diet were assigned to a complete randomized design, with four replicates each. The supplied diets were isoproteic and the roughage used was corn silage. Data collection was carried out during the finishing period, with a total of six days. The time given to food intake, rumination, […]

Twenty 11/16 Texel x 5/16 Ile de France crossbred lambs were slaughtered at different body weights to evaluate the growth of their non-carcass components. Animals were weaned at 42 days of age (15.9 ± 2.1 kg of body weight), housed in individual stalls, and fed ad libitum. After ten days of an experimental adaptation period, 5 lambs were slaughtered. The remaining lambs were randomly assigned to one of three following slaughter weights: 25, 30 or 35 kg of body weight […]

It was aimed to evaluate the effect of inclusion and times of sugar cane exposition to whitewash on intake and total and partial digestibility of nutrients and ruminal parameters and to compare titanium dioxide and chromium oxide as markers to estimate fecal dry matter excretion and dry matter abomasal flow. It was used six rumen and abomasum cannulated Nellore females, with average body weight of 250 ± 19 kg, distributed in an incomplete 6 x 6 latin square design. The […]

Because cultivation-based approaches to assess rumen microbiology assess only the minority of microbial groups and can miss opportunities to assess important functions, molecular-based approaches have flourished in microbial ecology and have been adapted to the rumen. Current approaches are described herein, specifically for a robust adaptation to nutrition studies or future opportunities. These included automated profiling techniques, density gradient gel electrophoresis, and future adaption of microarray or high-throughput sequencing technologies. Based on current knowledge, a more holistic approach is needed […]

Extensive research in recent years has shown that consumption of milk and dairy products, promotes cardiovascular health, reduces symptoms of the metabolic syndrome in obese individuals, promotes weight loss while maintaining body muscle mass and reduces incidence of some cancers. Detailed analysis of prospective studies in large Western populations over long periods of time demonstrates that higher consumption of dairy products provides an overall survival advantage.