Objective: To evaluate the energy metabolites and the glycemic curve of sheep fed with corn silage or different fiber levels in extruded roughage. Material and Methods: The experiment was conducted at the Small Ruminants Sector of Federal University of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Twenty Santa Inês were used, with body weight of 64 kg and 4 years old, allocated in metabolic cages. The animal was distributed in a randomized design and fed ad libitum with (1) corn silage, (2) extruded roughage Foragge® with 52.5% (including virginiamycin as an additive), and (3) 60%, (4) 65%, and (5) 70% Urochloa (no additives added) at 8:00 am and 4:00 pm, during five experimental period of 15 days (10 days of adaptation and 5 days of collection). Blood samples were collected before feeding by venipuncture of the jugular vein using Vacutainer® tubes on days 11, 13, and 15 of the experimental periods. The data were subjected to normality and homoscedasticity tests, followed by analysis of variance, contrast for (1) roughage source and (2) additive addition in extruded roughage, and regression for the levels of extruded roughage (P≤0.05). Results: There was no effect of roughage on cholesterol (57.7 mg dL⁻¹; P = 0.34). However, the corn silage increased the triglyceride (32.67 vs. 16.81 mg dL⁻¹, P<0.01) and reduced the glucose (49.00 vs. 63.62 mg dL⁻¹; P=0.03) compared to the forage as a source of roughage. The additive and levels of extruded roughage (60; 65 and 70%) did not affect blood metabolites (P>0.05). No significant differences were found between sampling times (08:00 am; 11:00 am; 02:00 pm; 05:00 pm e 08:00 pm; 59,78 mg dL⁻¹; P=0.59) or for the treatment vs. time interaction (P=0.95). Conclusion: The use of extruded forage results in higher triglyceride and glucose levels compared to corn silage, indicating a greater energy supply.

Introduction: High-roughage diets limit nutrient intake and ruminant performance; however, extrusion alters fiber stability and degradation. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the performance of lambs fed totally extruded diets with different roughage–concentrate (R:C) ratios. Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted at the Small Ruminants Sector of the Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (UFU), Minas Gerais, Brazil. The experiment was conducted using twenty crossbred lambs (½ Dorper x ½ Santa Inês), with a body weight of 25.0 ± 2.28 kg and an age of 120 ± 8 days, allocated to collective pens (five animals per pen, each pen given one treatment), distributed in a randomized design and fed ad libitum totally extruded diets with different R:C ratios (60:40, 50:50, 40:60, and 30:70) at 08:00 am and 4:00 pm over 105 experimental days (15 days for adaptation and 90 days for collection). The body condition score (BCS) was determined through palpation of the 12th and 13th lumbar vertebrae to assess fat deposition, while body weight (BW) was used to calculate the average daily weight gain of the animals. Both assessments were recorded at 15-day intervals. Data were subjected to normality and homoscedasticity tests, followed by an analysis of variance and regression analysis (P≤0.05). Results: The R:C ratio had no significant effect on BW (33.67 kg; P=0.81), BCS (3.15; P=0.85), or average daily gain (ADG) over the entire evaluation period (0-90 days; 169.77 g day⁻¹; P=0.88) However, significant differences in ADG were observed between treatments during specific periods: from 30 to 45 days (P=0.01; 153.33, 125.00, 241.66, and 325.33 g day⁻¹ for R:C ratios of 30:70, 40:60, 50:50, and 60:40, respectively) and from 75 to 90 days (191.33, 168.33, 75.02, and 102.00 g day⁻¹ for R:C ratios). Conclusion: The inclusion of up to 60% extruded roughage in fully extruded diets does not compromise the overall performance of lambs.

Introduction: Different sources of roughage and nutritional strategies (additives and processing) can alter the metabolism of animals. Objective: We wished to evaluate the protein metabolism of sheep fed with corn silage or extruded roughage of different fiber levels. Materials and Methods: The experiment was conducted at the Small Ruminants Sector of the Federal University of Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Twenty Santa Inês sheep were used, with an average body weight of 64 kg and an average age of 4 years old, and allocated into metabolic cages. The animals wwere distributed in a randomized design and fed ad libitum with (1) corn silage, (2) 52.5% Foragge® extruded roughage (including virginiamycin as an additive), and (3) 60%, (4) 65%, and (5) 70% Urochloa (with no additives added) at 8:00 am and 4:00 pm during five experimental periods of 15 days (with 10 days of adaptation and 5 days of collection). Blood samples were collected before feeding via venipuncture of the jugular vein using Vacutainer® tubes on days 11, 13, and 15 of the experimental periods. The data were subjected to normality and homoscedasticity tests, followed by an analysis of variance, contrasting for the (1) roughage source and (2) additive addition in the extruded roughage, and regression for the levels of extruded roughage (P≤0.05). Results: No effect of roughage on creatinine (0.82 mg dL⁻¹; P=0.52) and total protein (5.54 g dL⁻¹; P=0.26) was observed. However, there was a significant effect of the roughage source on urea levels (26.06 vs. 35.87 mg dL⁻¹, silage and forages, respectively; P=0.02), albumin (3.07 vs. 3.51 g dL⁻¹; P=0.04), and uric acid (0.29 vs. 0.13 mg dL⁻¹; P=0.01). Additive and the levels of extruded roughage (60; 65 and 70%) did not affect their blood metabolites. Conclusion: The use of extruded roughage results in higher plasma urea, albumin, and uric acid levels compared to those with corn silage, indicating differences in protein metabolism between these two roughage sources.

This experiment aimed to study the effect of the inclusion of different proportions (0, 5, 10, and 15% dry matter) of ensiled pomegranate by-product in dairy goat diets on dry matter intake (DMI), water intake (WI), milk yield, and reference physiological parameters. A total of 80 goats were selected and divided into 8 groups of 10 animals each (4 treatments × 2 plots) with homogeneous physiological characteristics. After a pre-experimental blood and milk sampling, four additional milk samplings were taken fortnightly, and one more blood sample was collected at the end of the experiment. Milk yield (Lactocorder®, WMB AG, Switzerland), milk composition, and somatic cell count (SCC) (CombiFoss™7DC, Foss, Denmark) were analyzed. Hematological variables were evaluated using the ElementHT5 analyzer (SCILVET, Spain), and plasmatic metabolites were analyzed with the rapid diagnostic disk “Diagnóstico II” for ElementRC3X (SCILVET, Spain). Statistical analysis was performed using a mixed linear model (Proc. Glimmix, SAS v9.4), considering the covariate effect in pre-experimental sampling, treatment (4 levels), experimental sampling (4 levels), and their interaction (16 levels), with plots nested within treatments. For blood samples, only two levels of sampling were considered. The goat was considered the random effect. Regarding productive indices, the sampling and covariate were significant (P < 0.05). For DMI and WI, treatment and sampling were significant, while their interaction was only significant for DMI. Concerning physiological parameters, only sampling was significant but not biologically relevant. A decline in milk yield was observed, corrected when considering its composition (FPCM), along the experiment. DMI was lower in the highest inclusion treatment (15%). WI was inversely proportional to pomegranate inclusion. Feed efficiency had no significant effect on milk yield. SCC declined in the highest inclusion treatments (10% and 15%). No physiological parameters showed significant changes due to the new diet. Pomegranate silage can be included by up to 15% DM in dairy goats' diets short-term, although long-term experiments are needed. This study was supported by the Valencian Government (CIAICO/2021/301).

The objective was to evaluate the performance of steers with different diet alternatives containing the r-zeta® additive (Zorion US LLC). A total of 54 Hereford steers (335.8 kg LW) were assigned to three treatments (two repetitions/treatments): 1) control: adaptation ration with a corn-based diet with protein concentrate (PC; 45% crude protein) and salt for intake control (78:15:7 ratio); 2) corn + PCt: self-feeder with whole corn grain and r-zeta® protein concentrate (80:20 ratio); and 3) PB _r-zeta®: self-feeder with pelletized balanced feed with the additive. The r-zeta® composition consists of flavorings for regulate intake, products that minimize thermal stress, enzymes, microorganisms that modulate the microbiota, liver protectors, and anti-inflammatories. Diets were formulated to be isonitrogenous and isoenergetic and were offered in self-feeders. The ADG, TKG, intake, and conversion were estimated. Indicators associated with thermal comfort were observed. The experiment ended at 70 days when the animals reached 430 kg LW and were sent to slaughter to estimate the carcass yield. In all groups, the ADG was similar (1.2 to 1.4 kg/animal/d). The intake in the control was higher (10.8 vs. 7.8 kg DM/animal/d); therefore, the conversion was also higher (8.0 vs. 5.1 to 6.0 kg DM/kg LW) compared to the groups with the additive. The control group presented a higher rate of respiration per minute compared to the corn + r-zeta® CP treatment (91 vs. 78 rpm) and also a higher frequency of panting. Carcass yield was similar between groups (58.5%; p= 0.7188). In conclusion, animals can be fattened without adaptation protocols. The performance and thermal comfort improve with additive inclusion in finishing diets.

In order to evaluate the additive r-zeta® (Zorion US LLC) included in pelleted feed to regulate intake, an experiment was carried out at INTA in Concepción del Uruguay with 48 British calves. They were weaned at 4.1 months of age and 110.6 kg LW and were distributed into four treatment groups (two repetitions/treatment, six calves/repetition): Control + hay: daily supply of pelletized feed + alfalfa hay (ratio: 80:20); Control: daily supply of pelletized feed; SF + hay: self-feeder with pelletized feed with r-zeta® additive + daily supply of alfalfa hay independently (20% of the estimated daily consumption); and SF: self-feeder with pelletized feed with r-zeta® additive. In all cases, the balanced pelletized feed was formulated to be an isoprotein and isoenergetic. The additive composition consists of specific flavorings for ruminants that regulate intake, products that minimize thermal stress, enzymes, microorganisms that modulate the microbiota, liver protectors and anti-inflammatories. In the control groups, 1% of the LW initial feed was offered, and the food supply was gradually increased until a remainder was obtained after 24 h. The weight of all animals was recorded at 7-day intervals to determine the ADG and the TKG. The dry matter intake (DMI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were estimated. The ADG was similar between treatments (1.2 kg/animal); however, the TKG was higher for the SF treatment compared to the Control + hay treatment (81.5 vs. 68.8 kg/animal, respectively). The calves presented similar daily intake, but the intake as a function of the LW (%) was lower in the Control group (2.9 vs. 3.2 % LW). The conversion was better in calves fed with SF compared to Control + hay and SF + hay (3.1 vs. 3.7 kg DM/kg LW). The inclusion of the r-zeta® additive in the pelletized feed allowed for the early weaning of calves without adaptation protocols or the use of hay.

The rapid growth of aquaculture and a shortage of fishmeal have increased the demand for quality and cost-effective protein sources for aquafeeds. Recently, cricket meal (Acheta domesticus) has gained interest due to its high protein content, cheap production costs and lower environmental impacts than those of conventional protein sources. Worldwide, tilapia (Oreochromis aureus) is one the most commercially important species produced by aquaculture, yet the increasing costs of feed and diseases endanger its sustainability. Therefore, the aim of this research was to evaluate the effects of replacing fishmeal with cricket meal (0, 20, 40, 60 and 80%) on the final weight and survival of and the expression of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), interleukin 8 (IL-8), tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and immunoglobulin G (IgM) in tilapia. For this purpose, 200 tilapia fingerlings (2.00 ± 0.9 g) were randomly distributed into 20 tanks (250 L each). Each diet was randomly divided into four replicates (with 10 tilapia per tank). The tilapia were fed to satiation, with an initial ration of 0.3% of their biomass divided into three rations during the day (8:00, 12:00 and 16:00 h) for 10 weeks. At the end of the trial, blood samples were taken from four tilapias ffrom each replica, pooled and treated with Trizol for RNA extraction. cDNA was synthesized using oligo dT and the IMPROM-II system. The transcriptional response was measured based on immune-related genes and β-actin as the control. There were no differences in the final weight of the tilapia fed the control and 20% diets. However, their growth decreased significantly with the increasing inclusion of cricket meal in their diets. The survival did not change among the groups. Overall, the inclusion of 40-80% cricket meal increased the expression of all genes. In conclusion, cricket meal can be used to replace fishmeal at a level of up to 20% without affecting growth, whereas increasing its inclusion improves immune-related gene expression.

Globally, growing demand for animal-based food could be met through livestock intensification. However, intensive systems raise concerns about animal welfare and limitations associated with the sustainability of input use. Insect meal shows great potential as a protein source for ruminants, particularly as a substitute for soybean expeller. This study investigates alternative, environmentally sustainable feed sources for sheep, with the aim of evaluating the effects of replacing soybean expeller with black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal on key indicators, including animal performance, ruminal fermentation profiles, and animal welfare during the fattening phase of Merino lambs. To this end, Merino lambs were fattened for 50 days with two diets: soybean expeller (S) and insect meal (IM). Animal performance was measured by individual body weight, body condition score, feed intake, average daily gain, and feed conversion ratio. Animal welfare was evaluated using hematological parameters as stress indicators, including glucose levels, cortisol levels, and total protein concentrations. At the end of the experiment, rumen fluid was sampled and analyzed. No significant differences between diets were found in productive performance, ruminal fermentation, or stress indicators of Merino lambs, suggesting that BSFL meal could be a viable and competitive alternative. These results highlight the potential of IM as a sustainable alternative feed ingredient for ruminants.

The development of microalgae products to solve larviculture challenges is essential to advance the fast-growing aquaculture sector. Combining different microalgae and probiotics is a powerful tool to improve animal nutrition and enhance biological performance, resilience to pathogens, and fish stress coping abilities. Products were used with a green water technique, rotifer cultivation, and live feed enrichment (rotifers and artemia). VitaBloom^® Green Water (VGW) was applied to Argyrosomus regius larviculture until weaning, and compared to live Nannochloropsis sp. (n=3). Larvae at 19 days post fertilization (dpf) showed a significant reduction in skeletal malformations affecting phenotypes (24%) compared to the control (50%), displaying similar survival (20dpf). Vibrionaceae (TCBS) in water also decreased (1.23Log₁₀CFU/ml vs. 1.93Log₁₀CFU/ml). The stress-inducing challenge of transportation was carried out post-weaning. Larvae cultured with VGW revealed higher survival (93.0±1.3%) compared with controls (68.2±18.3%). Rotifers were batch cultured with VitaBloom^® Rotifers+ (VR) or a commercial product (CP). VR showed a significantly reduced decantation (0.16±0.03cm) and agglomeration (0.05±0.04%) compared to controls (0.28±0.07cm and 0.5±0.4%, respectively), significantly improving rotifer growth rate (266±16.7%) and amictic females (28.8±7.5%) compared to the CP (160±13.2% and 23.3±9.8%, respectively). Rotifers and artemia were enriched with VitaBloom^® Enrich (VE) or a CP for Sparus aurata larviculture until weaning (n=4). Although there were no significant differences, larvae fed with live feed enriched with VE revealed 18.7±7.3% of larvae survival at weaning, while larvae fed with live feed enriched with the CP resulted in 15.5±7.7% survival at weaning. The synergetic effect of the three VitaBloom^® products was tested in S. aurata larviculture until weaning compared to larvae cultured with three CPs (n=3). Larvae fed with VitaBloom^® showed higher survival at weaning (11.0±2.3%) compared to controls (6.6±5.0%). These innovative, sustainable, and efficient products are essential in improving larvae survival, which constrains the productivity and growth of the vital aquaculture industry.

This feeding experiment was performed to determine the effect of gradually increasing substitution of compound feed with whole-plant corn silage co-fermented with bacteria and enzymes (WPCS-BE) on the growth performance, slaughter performance and serum parameters of geese. A total of 180 35 d old healthy female Taizhou geese were distributed into six groups and fed the compound feed (control group), and the experimental groups (groups I, II, III, IV and V) were fed diets in which the WPCS-BE replaced 10%, 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% of the compound feed for 49 days. The BW of the geese in group III was increased from 56 to 63 d of age. The ADG of groups II, III and IV was improved during the age of 42-70 d (P < 0.05). At 42-91 d of age, the ADFI and F/G increased significantly with the proportion of WPCS-BE in each experimental group. The geese in group IV had a higher slaughter yield than that of the other groups at 91 d of age (P < 0.05). At 70 d of age, the relative weight of the liver in group V and the relative weight of the gizzards of groups III, IV and V were significantly increased (P < 0.05). At 91 d of age, the relative weight of the liver in groups IV and V and the relative weight of the spleen of group III were significantly higher than those of the control group (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in the concentration of albumin, alkaline phosphatase, blood urea nitrogen, glucose or total protein among all groups at 70 and 90 d of age (P > 0.05). Under these experimental conditions, it is recommend that the substitution level of WPCS-BE should be 20%-30%, which can improve the growth performance of Taizhou geese and has no negative effect on the slaughter performance or serum parameters.