• Energy Research

Three cultivars of Lupinus albus L. (Lutteur, Lublanca and Multitalia) were assessed for proximate composition, fatty acids, alkaloids and in vitro fermentation characteristics over three harvest years.The chemical composition varied greatly during the three harvest years. Crude protein content ranged from 353 to 456 g kg(-1) dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber content from 209 to 321 g kg(-1) DM and lignin content from 3.0 to 63.9 g kg(-1) DM. Lublanc showed the highest crude protein (417 g kg(-1) DM) and lignin (35 g kg(-1) DM) contents. High levels of lipids (89.9 g kg(-1) DM) and starch (93.3 g kg(-1) DM) were found in all samples. Alkaloid content ranged from 3.63 to 165 mg per 100 g. Lutteur and Lublanc showed more favorable n-3/n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid ratios (from 0.44 to 0.73) and lower values of the anti-quality factor 'erucic acid' (from 5.8 to 20.9 g kg(-1) ) than Multitalia. Lutteur showed higher degradability (897 g kg(-1) ), gas production (330 mL g(-1) organic matter (OM)) and volatile fatty acid production (117 mmol g(-1) OM) than the other varieties.The present data suggest L. albus L. cv. Lutteur to be a promising crop as food thanks to its high nutritive traits and most constant yield over time.

SummaryTo find equations able to estimate the fermentation characteristics of the caecum from that of faeces, caecal content and faeces of 10 hybrid Hyla rabbits were used as inocula for an in vitro gas production trial. About 1 g of 12 roughages, 11 hays (ryegrass, alfalfa, sulla, oat, vetch, sulla‐lolium, vetch‐oat, sulla‐oat, clover, ryegrass‐clover, sulla‐vetch‐oat) and a wheat straw, was weighed, in triplicate per inoculum, in 120‐ml flasks; 75 ml of anaerobic medium and 4 ml of reducing solution were added and the flasks were placed at 39 °C. Caecal content and faeces were diluted respectively 1:2 (CI) and 1:8 (FI) with anaerobic medium and were introduced into their respective flasks (10 ml). Gas production was recorded 20 times at 2–24 h intervals throughout fermentation (120 h). The fermentation characteristics (i.e. degraded organic matter, OMd; potential gas production, A; maximum fermentation rate, Rmax; volatile fatty acid, VFA; ammonia, NH3) were studied by inocula and substrates. The two inocula did not differ in OMd but CI produced significantly higher gas (A, 213.1 vs. 199.4 ml/g, respectively, for CI and FI, p < 0.01) in less time (Rmax, 3.08 vs. 2.24 ml/h, respectively, for CI and FI, p < 0.01). CI also produced higher levels of total VFA (57.86 vs. 46.70 mmol/g OM, respectively, for CI and FI, p < 0.01) and showed a higher branched chain proportion (0.023 vs. 0.018, respectively, for CI and FI, p < 0.01). For some parameters (as OMd pH and propionate) the equations for the estimation of caecal fermentation characteristics from that of faeces were accurate (R2 > 0.8828) and reliable (CV < 10.78%) suggesting that faeces can be successfully used for the estimation of these parameters.

AbstractBACKGROUND: The aim of this trial was to evaluate the replacement of rumen fluid with faeces as inoculum in studying the in vitro fermentation characteristics of diets for ruminants using the in vitro gas production technique. Six iso‐protein diets with different forage/concentrate ratios were incubated with rumen fluid (RI) or faeces (FI) collected from sheep.RESULTS: Most of the fermentation parameters were influenced by diet and inoculum (P < 0.01). With both inocula, organic matter degradability (dOM), cumulative gas production (OMCV) and maximum fermentation rate (Rmax) increased as the amount of concentrate in the diet increased. Rmax was lower with FI vs RI (P < 0.01); dOM was higher with FI vs RI and the diet × inoculum interaction was significant. As expected, with both inocula, Rmax increased as the neutral detergent fibre content of the diet decreased. Significant correlations were obtained using both inocula between OMCV/dOM and gas/volatile fatty acid (VFA), while the correlation VFA/dOM was significant only with FI. The microbial biomass yield calculated by stoichiometric analysis for all diets was higher with FI vs RI. With FI the organic matter used for microbial growth showed an overall decreasing trend as the amount of concentrate in the diet increased.CONCLUSION: The results indicate that both faeces and rumen fluid from sheep have the potential to be used as inoculum for the in vitro gas production technique. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry

The Noble Method® has been successfully introduced in the last few years in Italy and in some foreign countries. This novel livestock management provides, among other rules, a high forage/concentrate ratio, no use of silage and supplements, no GMOs and the availability of outdoor paddocks. One of the goals is to achieve high-quality milk in terms of nutritional properties. Other benefits have been reported; amongst them, the forage/concentrate ratio of the diet was shown to reduce the amount of methane produced by animals, also, the system provides economic benefits, mainly for small breeders, in terms of the sustainability and market placement of milk. Thus, the method represents a sustainable approach to improve the production and the supply chain, from the land to the final product. In this review, the most recent studies on Noble Method® are depicted, showing that, besides the nutritional proprieties of dairy products, the method is able to improve animal welfare, human health and environmental sustainability, thus falling within a “One Health” approach.