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This study investigates the proximate composition, aflatoxin contamination, and their implications on the health and wellbeing of broilers and layers, as well as the comparison from two poultry feed manufacturing feed companies (C1 and C2) located in Jos and Kaduna, Nigeria. A total of 168 samples were collected from four feed types (starters, finishers, chicks, growers) from these companies. Samples were ground, sieved, and analyzed for moisture, protein, fat, ash, fiber, carbohydrate, energy, and aflatoxin content using standard methods. Proximate analysis results revealed significant differences in nutritional components between the two locations. In C1, the moisture content ranged from 8 to 18%, while in C2, where moisture levels ranged from 8 to 17%. The protein content in C1 and C2 ranged from 14.5% to 24% ~ 25%. Fat content was similar in both companies (5%–8%) as was the ash content (5%–8%). Carbohydrate content ranged from 46 to 62% in C1 and from 46% to 60.8% in C2. Aflatoxin levels exceeded the recommended threshold of 20 μg/kg, particularly in starter feeds from C1 (S1, S3, S7) and in the finisher feeds from C2 (S1, S4). Statistical analyses revealed that moisture content and aflatoxin levels were the dominant factors influencing feed quality. Moisture content contributed to fungal growth and subsequent contamination, with a positive correlation between moisture and aflatoxin levels (r = 0.92) and a negative correlation between moisture and protein (r = − 0.68). Higher moisture levels may reduce protein concentration and increase the risk of aflatoxin contamination. The study indicates that moisture content and aflatoxin contamination significantly affect poultry health across both plants. Broilers exposed to high aflatoxin levels experienced reduced growth rates, immunosuppression, and increased mortality. Layers showed decreased egg production and quality with prolonged exposure. The recommendations include improved moisture control, regular aflatoxin testing, and the use of detoxifying agents to mitigate contamination, ensuring both poultry health and consumer safety.

This study evaluated how varying proportions of licorice residue and sweet sorghum affect pellet quality, growth performance, intestinal morphology, and cecal microflora in 120 healthy 30-day-old Ira rabbits, which were randomly assigned to five groups (six replicates of four rabbits each). Five experimental diets were formulated, each containing 30% licorice residue and sweet sorghum (with licorice residue at 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% w/w) and 70% other components. We found that licorice residue level significantly affected pellet hardness, powder content, and volumetric weight (p < 0.05). The L25 group had significantly higher final body weight (FBW) and average daily gain (ADG) than other groups (p < 0.05). In the duodenum, villus height (VH) was improved in L25 (p < 0.05). Ileal VH increased significantly in L0, L25 and L50 (p < 0.05). At the phylum level, Firmicutes were most enriched. At the genus level, Faecousia and SFMI01 abundance increased with higher licorice residue. LEfSe analysis confirmed that varying licorice residue levels influenced cecal microbial composition from phylum to genus. The addition of 25% licorice residue to the diet can improve the growth performance of meat rabbits and improved both intestinal tissue morphology and the cecal microbiota of meat rabbits.

The forage demand in Nepal, particularly in the winter season, could be partially addressed by using agrestal and ruderal herbages considering their easy availability and digestibility. Agrestal and the ruderal herbages in the winter have been traditionally used by livestock keepers as a potential source of forage. The present study was carried out to compare the chemical composition and nutrient quality of wild vetch and other mixed herbages in the fallow and cultivated land for two consecutive years. Six line transects each measuring 100 m were randomly placed 20 m apart at both land use types. Four quadrats of 1 m × 1 m were randomly placed along the transects, and above ground, the herbage was harvested, and then, it was categorized into wild vetch ( L.) and other mixed herbages in each type of land-use, and they were packed in paper bags and subjected to oven drying. The proximate analysis and calculation of some nutritional values were carried out in the laboratory following standard protocols. The findings revealed that wild vetch had higher CP (about 24%) but had lower dry matter productivity (about 90–300 t/ha) than mixed herbage (550–1,400 t/ha). The total digestive nutrients and dry matter digestibility were similar ( = 0.05) in both categories, while the relative feed value (RFV:113–121%) and the relative feed quality (RFQ:120–130%) were found to be higher ( < 0.05) in the mixed herbages. The research results indicated that the utilization of the crop weeds along with the wild vetch would be an applicable practice to overcome the feed deficit in winter as both the wild vetch and mixed herbages showed a considerable relative feed value. The present study further necessitates an examination of the ecological functions of agrestal and ruderals in the abandoned lands in the long run to understand the vegetation shifts and its impact on herbage productivity and quality for livestock. Source: Authors assumptions, 2024.

The valorization of agricultural residues as alternative feed resources is increasingly critical for enhancing livestock sustainability. This study investigates the potential of sequential fermentation to improve the nutritional quality of citronella (Cymbopogon nardus L.) residues and evaluates the use of near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) combined with machine learning (ML) models for rapid feed quality assessment. Citronella residues were subjected to sequential fungal and lactic acid bacterial fermentation, and their feed quality attributes, including moisture, crude protein, crude fiber, ether extract, and ash content, were measured using standard laboratory methods. NIR spectra were acquired from 1000 to 2500 nm and analyzed using partial least squares regression (PLSR), ridge regression, adaptive boosting (AdaBoost), and support vector machine regression (SVMR). Principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a high degree of spectral homogeneity with sufficient underlying variability to enable robust modeling. Among the models evaluated, AdaBoost and SVMR consistently outperformed linear models, achieving high coefficients of determination (R² ≥ 0.99) and low root mean square errors (RMSE). Particularly, SVMR and AdaBoost achieved high predictive accuracy for moisture, crude protein, and ether extract content, with residual predictive deviation (RPD) values far exceeding standard thresholds. The integration of sequential fermentation, NIRS, and advanced ML algorithms presents a rapid, non-destructive, and sustainable approach to upgrading and monitoring alternative fibrous feed sources, supporting broader initiatives in circular bioeconomy and sustainable animal production.

The enteric methane conversion factor (Ym) is an important country‐specific value for the provision of precise enteric methane emissions inventory reports. The objectives of this meta‐analysis were to develop and evaluate the empirical Ym models for the national level and the farm level for tropical developing countries according to the IPCC's categorization. We used datasets derived from 18 in vivo feeding experiments from 1999 to 2015 of Zebu beef cattle breeds fed low‐quality crop residues and by‐products. We found that the observed Ym value was 8.2% gross energy (GE) intake (~120 g methane emission head−1 day−1) and ranged from 4.8% to 13.7% GE intake. The IPCC default model (tier 2, Ym = 6.5% ± 1.0% GE intake) underestimated the Ym values by up to 26.1% compared with its refinement of 8.4% ± 0.4% GE intake for the national‐level estimate. Both the IPCC default model and the refined model performed worse in predicting Ym trends at the farm level (root mean square prediction error [MSPE] = 15.1%–23.1%, concordance correlation coefficient [CCC] = 0.16–0.18, R2 = .32). Seven of the extant Ym models based on a linear regression approach also showed inaccurately estimated Ym values (root MSPE = 16.2%–36.0%, CCC = 0.02–0.27, R2 < .37). However, one of the developed models, which related to the complexity of the energy use efficiencies of the diet consumed to Ym, showed adequate accuracy at the farm level (root MSPE = 9.1%, CCC = 0.75, R2 = .67). Our results thus suggest a new Ym model and future challenges for estimating Zebu beef cattle production in tropical developing countries. IPCC's default model (methane conversion factor = 6.5% ± 1% of GEI) underestimated the methane conversion factor value by 1.9% of GEI. Seven extant methane conversion factor models also showed inaccuracies. We suggest a new methane conversion factor model for estimating Zebu beef cattle production in tropical regions.

Spinach extract contains moulting hormone (phytoecdysteroid) which functions as a skin moulting hormone and regulates physiological functions, such as: growth, metamorphosis and reproduction in arthropods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of formulated feed for Panulirus homarus enriched with spinach extract based on organoleptic, physical and chemical tests. Five treatments with different doses of spinach extract (0; 0.4; 0.5; 0.6 and 0.7 mg) were used in this study. The parameters observed were organoleptic, physical and chemical. Data analysis used the Kruskal Wallis test for organoleptic parameters, the ANOVA test for physical parameters and the descriptive test for chemical parameters. Kruskal Wallis's analysis showed that spinach extract had a significant effect on the aroma of the test feed (P<0.05) and had no significant effect on the color and texture of the test feed (P>0.05). The one-way ANOVA results showed that adding spinach extract to the artificial feed had a significant effect on breaking speed, solids disperse, hardness level, sinking speed, attractiveness and deliciousness (P<0.05). Physical testing of each parameter showed a breaking speed of 293.35-419.28 min, a density dispersion of 7.56-9.40%, a hardness level of 78.80-99.58%, a sinking speed of 4.94-6.99 cm sec-1, an attractiveness of 3.27-5.21 cm sec-1 and the feed deliciousness of 0.15-0.21 g lobster-1 day-1. The chemical analysis of the feed showed a water content between 11.94 and 14.87%, an ash content between 14.15 and 14.85%, a crude protein between 39.74 and 42.6%, a crude fat between 3.18 and 4.63%, carbohydrates between 24.77 and 29.29% and crude fiber between 2.06 and 3.73%. Based on the organoleptic, physical, and chemical tests, it was shown that the artificial feed enriched with spinach extract at different concentrations resulted in different feed quality.

The industrial solid wastes generated during the production of silymarin from the fruits of milk thistle Silybum marianum was used as the substrate. Preparation and evaluation of the feeds produced by solid-state fermentation (SSF) of the industrial solid wastes was carried out. The protein content of the fermented feed (FF) from a combination of Aspergillus niger and Candida tropicalis was the highest among the examined strains. The optimal process parameters for protein enrichment with SSF using A. niger and C. tropicalis included incubation temperature of 30.8 °C, fermentation time of 87.0 h, and initial moisture content of 59.7 %. Under these conditions, the value additions of FF occurred. The fiber of FF was decreased by 25.07 %, while the digestibility of protein, protein content, and the ratio of total essential amino acids to total amino acids were increased by 79.85, 16.22, and 8.21 %, respectively. The analysis indicated that FF contained 1.44 mg/kg flavonoids and 0.5 mg/kg silybin, which significantly increased by 2.42 and 1.63 times, respectively than those in unfermented substrates. FF recorded reduced molecular weight of proteins from 20.1 to 44.3 kDa to below 14.3 kDa. The results of feeding trial of FF replacement with soybean meal in broilers diets for 8 weeks showed that FF significantly improved carcass characteristics including abdominal fat rate, serum biochemical parameters including aspartate transaminase, blood urea nitrogen and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, and immune responses of broilers. A potential feed quality improvement was achieved through mixed strains SSF of industrial solid wastes of S. marianum fruits.

The quality of feed, including its microbiological characteristics, is important for the organization of full-value feeding of animals in agriculture. So, the means of non-reagent processing of feeds, including cavitation treatment, are becoming more widespread. In our study, it was shown that the amount of mesophilic aerobic and facultative anaerobic microorganisms (QMAFAnM) decreases after a 5-min treatment of the test samples (chalk, fuz, bran, and zeolite) (1.1–35 times) compared to untreated samples, while an increase in the duration of exposure is proportional to the expression of the bactericidal effect. A study of the bioluminescent response of the test strain Escherichia coli K12 TG1 under the influence of the test samples showed inhibition of bioluminescence under the action of chalk and an increase in luminescence during incubation with fusa and bran. When examining the growth rates of strains E. Coli 675 and Bifidobacterium longum B379M , it was found that water and zeolite treated with cavitation suppressed the growth of E. coli 675 , while the growth of Bifidobacterium longum B379M was higher than the control values at the end of the experiment. So, cavitation processing can cause the death of microflora of feed additives, at the same time, as a result of the dissociation of a complex of organic polymers, contributing to the positive response of probiotic strains. These studies can be used in agriculture in the preparation of feed additives from waste from the processing industry.

                                                    AbstrakIkan lele merupakan salah satu komoditas perikanan budidaya yang popular di Indonesia. Permintaan pasar akan jenis ikan ini yang semakin bertambah menyebabkan pembudidaya lele menggunakan berbagai cara untuk meningkatkan kualitas dan kuantitas produksinya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk megetahui hasil uji proksimat daging ikan lele yang dibudidayakan dengan manajemen kualitas air dan pakan yang berbeda meliputi kandungan protein, lemak, air dan abu. Sampel didapatkan dari lima pembudidaya ikan lele yang menggunakan metode pemeliharaan yang berbeda yaitu (1) L1 : pemberian pakan daging ayam dengan pergantian air 3 -5 hari sekali; (2) L2 : pemberian pakan pelet dicampur dengan bahan herbal, penambahan probiotik pada air budidaya dan dilakukan pergantian air setiap hari; (3) L3 : pakan kombinasi pelet dan daging ayam dengan pergantian air 3-5 hari sekali; (4) L4 : pakan pelet tanpa pergantian air; (5) L5 : pakan pelet dicampur multivatimin komersial, penambahan probiotik pada air budidaya dan dilakukan pergantian air 3-5 hari sekali. Daging ikan lele L1 memiliki kandungan air (67,1%) dan protein (14,6%) paling rendah walaupun memiliki kandungan lemak (5,6%) tertinggi dibandingkan sampel perlakuan lain, sedangkan sampel L2 memiliki kandungan protein tertinggi sebesar 17,4% sekaligus memiliki kadar abu paling rendah diantara sampel lainnya sebesar 0,4%. Hasil tersebut menunjukkan bahwa manajemen kualitas air dan pakan mempengaruhi hasil uji proksimat daging ikan lele yang dibudidayakan.                                                         AbstractCatfish is one of the most popular aquaculture commodities in Indonesia. The increasing market demand for this fish caused the catfish farmers to apply various methods to improve the quality and quantity of its product. This study aimed to assess the proximate test results of catfish meat cultured in different water quality and feeding management for the parameters protein, fat, water, and ash content. The samples were obtained from five catfish farmers using different culture methods, namely (1) L1: chicken meat feeding with water exchange every 3-5 days; (2) L2: pellets feeding mixed with herbs, probiotics addition to culture water and daily water exchange; (3) L3: combination of pellets and chicken meat feeding with water exchange every 3-5 days; (4) L4: pellets feeding with no water exchange; (5) L5: commercial multivatimin mixed with pellets feeding, probiotics addition to culture water and water exchange every 3-5 days. The L1 catfish meat has the lowest water (67,1%) and protein (14,6%) content, although it has the highest fat content (5,6%) compared to other treatments, while the L2 sample has the highest protein content of 17,4 % as well as the lowest as content among other samples of 0.4%. These results indicate that water quality and feeding management affect the proximate test results of cultured catfish meat.

Feed security, feed quality and issues surrounding the safety of raw materials are always of interest to all livestock farmers, feed manufacturers and competent authorities. These concerns are even more important when alternative feed ingredients, new product developments and innovative feeding trends, like insect-meals, are considered. The black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) is considered a good candidate to be used as feed ingredient for aquaculture and other farm animals, mainly as an alternative protein source. Data on transfer of contaminants from different substrates to the insects, as well as the possible occurrence of toxin-producing fungi in the gut of non-processed insects are very limited. Accordingly, we investigated the impact of the substrate/diet on the intestinal mycobiota of H. illucens larvae using culture-dependent approaches (microbiological analyses, molecular identification through the typing of isolates and the sequencing of the 26S rRNA D1/D2 domain) and amplicon-based next-generation sequencing (454 pyrosequencing). We fed five groups of H. illucens larvae at the third growing stage on two substrates: chicken feed and/or vegetable waste, provided at different timings. The obtained results indicated that Pichia was the most abundant genus associated with the larvae fed on vegetable waste, whereas Trichosporon, Rhodotorula and Geotrichum were the most abundant genera in the larvae fed on chicken feed only. Differences in the fungal communities were highlighted, suggesting that the type of substrate selects diverse yeast and mold genera, in particular vegetable waste is associated with a greater diversity of fungal species compared to chicken feed only. A further confirmation of the significant influence of diet on the mycobiota is the fact that no operational taxonomic unit common to all groups of larvae was detected. Finally, the killer phenotype of isolated yeasts was tested, showing the inhibitory activity of just one species against sensitive strains, out of the 11 tested species.