Browsing by Author "Almeida AK"

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    A regional-scale assessment of nutritional-system strategies for abatement of enteric methane from grazing livestock
    (CSIRO Publishing, 2023-08-15) Almeida AK; Cowley FC; Hegarty RS; Yanez-Ruiz D
    Progress towards methane (CH4) mitigation for the red meat, milk and wool sectors in Australia and reduced CH4 emissions intensity (g CH4/kg animal product, typically milk or liveweight gain) involves not only reduced net emissions but also improved productive efficiency. Although nutritional additives have potential to reduce CH4 production rate of livestock (g CH4/head.day), systemic improvement of the nutrition of grazing breeding females, the largest source of CH4 emissions in Australian agriculture, will also be required to reduce emissions intensity. Systemic changes that increase productive efficiency for producers are part of the economic and environmental 'win-win' of reducing emissions intensity, and so offer good potential for adoption by industry. For sheep and cattle breeding enterprises, improved nutrition to achieve a younger age at first joining and increased reproductive rate will reduce the proportion of CH4-emitting, but unproductive, animals in a herd. However, if breeding stock are managed to be more productive (e.g. by superior nutrition leading to greater product/breeder) and more efficient (e.g. greater product per kilogram DMI) the producer is faced with the following management challenge. Should the enterprise increase stock numbers to utilise surplus feed and gain extra product, or reduce stock numbers to maintain previous product output with smaller enterprise net emissions (and emissions intensity), and so make land available for other uses (e.g.Tree plantings, conservation zones). The right balance of incentives and price on carbon is necessary to achieve a result whereby total emissions from Australian agriculture are reduced, and so a positive impact on climate change is achieved.
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    Applying the California net energy system to growing goats
    (Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science, 2019-06-25) Teixeira IAMA; Almeida AK; Fernandes MHMR; Resende KT
    The aim of this review is to describe the main findings of studies carried out during the last decades applying the California net energy system (CNES) in goats. This review also highlights the strengths and pitfalls while using CNES in studies with goats, as well as provides future perspectives on energy requirements of goats. The nonlinear relationship between heat production and metabolizable energy intake was used to estimate net energy requirements for maintenance (NEm). Our studies showed that NEm of intact and castrated male Saanen goats were approximately 15% greater than female Saanen goats. Similarly, NEm of meat goats (i.e., >50% Boer) was 8.5% greater than NEm of dairy and indigenous goats. The first partial derivative of allometric equations using empty body weight (EBW) as independent variable and body energy as dependent variable was used to estimate net energy requirements for gain (NEg). In this matter, female Saanen goats had greater NEg than males; also, castrated males had greater NEg than intact males. This means that females have more body fat than males when evaluated at a given EBW or that degree of maturity affects NEg. Our preliminary results showed that indigenous goats had NEg 14% and 27.5% greater than meat and dairy goats, respectively. Sex and genotype also affect the efficiency of energy use for growth. The present study suggests that losses in urine and methane in goats are lower than previously reported for bovine and sheep, resulting in greater metabolizable energy:digestible energy ratio (i.e., 0.87 to 0.90). It was demonstrated that the CNES successfully works for goats and that the use of comparative slaughter technique enhances the understanding of energy partition in this species, allowing the development of models applied specifically to goat. However, these models require their evaluation in real-world conditions, permitting continuous adjustments.
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    Bioactive metabolites of Asparagopsis stabilized in canola oil completely suppress methane emissions in beef cattle fed a feedlot diet
    (Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science., 2024-04-22) Cowley FC; Kinley RD; Mackenzie SL; Fortes MRS; Palmieri C; Simanungkalit G; Almeida AK; Roque BM
    Asparagopsis taxiformis (Asparagopsis) has been shown to be highly efficacious at inhibiting the production of methane (CH4) in ruminants. To date, Asparagopsis has been primarily produced as a dietary supplement by freeze-drying to retain the volatile bioactive compound bromoform (CHBr3) in the product. Steeping of Asparagopsis bioactive compounds into a vegetable oil carrier (Asp-Oil) is an alternative method of stabilizing Asparagopsis as a ruminant feed additive. A dose-response experimental design used 3 Asp-Oil-canola oil blends, low, medium, and high Asp-Oil which provided 17, 34, and 51 mg Asparagopsis derived CHBr3/kg dry matter intake (DMI), respectively (in addition to a zero CHBr3 canola oil control), in a tempered-barley based feedlot finisher diet, fed for 59 d to 20 Angus heifers (five replicates per treatment). On four occasions, live weight was measured and CH4 emissions were quantified in respiration chambers, and blood, rumen fluid, and fecal samples were collected. At the end of the experiment, all animals were slaughtered, with carcasses graded, and samples of meat and edible offal collected for testing of consumer sensory qualities and residues of CHBr3, bromide, and iodide. All Asp-Oil treatments reduced CH4 yield (g CH4/kg DMI, P = 0.008) from control levels, with the low, medium, and high Asp-Oil achieving 64%, 98%, and 99% reduction, respectively. Dissolved hydrogen increased linearly with increasing Asp-Oil inclusion, by more than 17-fold in the high Asp-Oil group (P = 0.017). There was no effect of Asp-Oil treatment on rumen temperature, pH, reduction potential, volatile fatty acid and ammonia production, rumen pathology, and histopathology (P > 0.10). There were no differences in animal production and carcass parameters (P > 0.10). There was no detectable CHBr3 in feces or any carcass samples (P > 0.10), and iodide and bromide residues in kidneys were at levels unlikely to lead to consumers exceeding recommended maximum intakes. Overall, Asp-Oil was found to be safe for animals and consumers of meat, and effective at reducing CH4 emissions and yield by up to 99% within the range of inclusion levels tested.
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    Effect of 3-nitrooxypropanol on enteric methane emissions of feedlot cattle fed with a tempered barley-based diet with canola oil
    (Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society of Animal Science, 2023-07-10) Almeida AK; Cowley F; McMeniman JP; Karagiannis A; Walker N; Tamassia LFM; McGrath JJ; Hegarty RS
    A dose-response experiment was designed to examine the effect of 3-nitrooxypropanol (3-NOP) on methane (CH4) emissions, rumen function and performance of feedlot cattle fed a tempered barley-based diet with canola oil. Twenty Angus steers of initial body weight (BW) of 356 ± 14.4 kg were allocated in a randomized complete block design. Initial BW was used as the blocking criterion. Cattle were housed in individual indoor pens for 112 d, including the first 21 d of adaptation followed by a 90-d finishing period when five different 3-NOP inclusion rates were compared: 0 mg/kg dry matter (DM; control), 50 mg/kg DM, 75 mg/kg DM, 100 mg/kg DM, and 125 mg/kg DM. Daily CH4 production was measured on day 7 (last day of starter diet), day 14 (last day of the first intermediate diet), and day 21 (last day of the second intermediate diet) of the adaptation period and on days 28, 49, 70, 91, and 112 of the finisher period using open circuit respiration chambers. Rumen digesta samples were collected from each steer on the day prior to chamber measurement postfeeding, and prefeeding on the day after the chamber measurement, for determination of rumen volatile fatty acids (VFA), ammonium-N, protozoa enumeration, pH, and reduction potential. Dry matter intake (DMI) was recorded daily and BW weekly. Data were analyzed in a mixed model including period, 3-NOP dose and their interaction as fixed effects, and block as a random effect. Our results demonstrated both a linear and quadratic (decreasing rate of change) effect on CH4 production (g/d) and CH4 yield (g/kg DMI) as 3-NOP dose increased (P < 0.01). The achieved mitigation for CH4 yield in our study ranged from approximately 65.5% up to 87.6% relative to control steers fed a finishing feedlot diet. Our results revealed that 3-NOP dose did not alter rumen fermentation parameters such as ammonium-N, VFA concentration nor VFA molar proportions. Although this experimental design was not focused on the effect of 3-NOP dose on feedlot performance, no negative effects of any 3-NOP dose were detected on animal production parameters. Ultimately, the knowledge on the CH4 suppression pattern of 3-NOP may facilitate sustainable pathways for the feedlot industry to lower its carbon footprint.
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    Late-gestation heat stress impairs daughter and granddaughter lifetime performance
    (Elsevier Inc on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association, 2020-08) Laporta J; Ferreira FC; Ouellet V; Dado-Senn B; Almeida AK; De Vries A; Dahl GE
    Records of late-gestation heat stress studies conducted over 10 consecutive years in Florida were pooled and analyzed to test the hypothesis that maternal hyperthermia during late gestation impairs performance of the offspring across multiple generations and lactations, ultimately impeding the profitability of the US dairy sector. Dry-pregnant multiparous dams were actively cooled (CL; shade of a freestall barn, fans and water soakers, n = 196) or not (HT; shade only, n = 198) during the last 46 d of gestation, concurrent with the entire dry period. After data mining, records of 156 daughters (F1) that were born either to CL (CLF1, n = 77) or HT dams (HTF1, n = 79) and 45 granddaughters (F2) that were born either to CLF1 (CLF2, n = 24) or HTF1 (HTF2, n = 21) were used in the analysis. Life events and daily milk yield for 3 lactations of daughters and granddaughters were obtained. Milk yield, reproductive performance, and productive life data were analyzed using MIXED and GLIMMIX procedures, and lifespan was analyzed using PHREG and LIFETEST procedures of SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Milk production of HTF1 was reduced in their first (2.2 kg/d), second (2.3 kg/d), and third lactations (6.5 kg/d) compared with CLF1. More HTF1 were culled before first calving, and the productive life and lifespan of HTF1 were reduced relative to CLF1 (4.9 and 11.7 mo, respectively). The granddaughters (HTF2) born to HTF1 produced less milk in their first lactation (1.3 kg/d) relative to granddaughters (CLF2) born to CLF1. More HTF2 were culled before first breeding relative to CLF2; however, productive life and lifespan were not different between HTF2 and CLF2 animals. An economic analysis was then performed based on the number of heat stress days, dry cows per state, and the aforementioned impairments on daughters' lifespans and milk production. Collectively in the United States, the economic losses for additional heifer rearing cost, reduced productive life, and reduced milk yield of the F1 offspring were estimated at $134, $90, and $371 million per year, respectively. In summary, late-gestation heat stress exerts carryover effects on at least 2 generations. Providing heat abatement to dry-pregnant dams is important to rescue milk loss of the dam and to prevent losses in their progeny.
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    Metabolizable Protein: 2. Requirements for Maintenance in Growing Saanen Goats
    (Frontiers Media S.A., 2021-06-07) Souza AP; Vargas JAC; Fernandes MHMR; Almeida AK; Resende KT; Teixeira IAMA; Rotta PP
    This study aimed to estimate the protein requirements for the maintenance of growing Saanen goats of different sexes from 5 to 45 kg of body weight (BW) using two methods and applying a meta-analysis. For this purpose, two datasets were used. One dataset was used to evaluate the effects of sex on the protein requirements for maintenance using the comparative slaughter technique. This dataset was composed of 185 individual records (80 intact males, 62 castrated males, and 43 females) from six studies. The other dataset was used to evaluate the effects of sex on the protein requirements for maintenance using the N balance method. This dataset was composed of 136 individual records (59 intact males, 43 castrated males, and 34 females) from six studies. All studies applied an experimental design that provided different levels of N intake and different levels of N retention, allowing the development of regression equations to predict the net protein requirement for maintenance (NPM) and the metabolizable protein (MP) requirements for maintenance (MPM) in Saanen goats. The efficiency of MP use for maintenance (kPM) was computed as NPM/MPM. The efficiency of MP use for gain (kPG) was calculated using the equation of daily protein retained against daily MP intake above maintenance. A meta-analysis was applied using the MIXED procedure of SAS, in which sex was considered a fixed effect, and blocks nested in the studies and goat sex were considered as random effects. The NPM did not differ between sexes, irrespective of the approach used. The daily NPM estimated was 1.23 g/kg0.75 BW when using the comparative slaughter technique, while it was 3.18 g/kg0.75 BW when using the N balance technique for growing Saanen goats. The MPM estimated was 3.8 g/kg0.75 BW, the kPM was 0.33, and the kPG was 0.52. We observed that the NPM when using the comparative slaughter technique in growing Saanen goats is lower than that recommended by the current small ruminant feeding systems; on the other hand, the MPM was similar to previous reports by the feeding systems. Sex did not affect the protein requirements for maintenance and the efficiencies of use of metabolizable protein.
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    Multivariate relationship among body protein, fat, and macrominerals of male and female Saanen goats using canonical correlation analysis
    (Sociedade Brasileira de Zootecnia, 2018-11-29) Vargas JAC; Almeida AK; Härter CJ; Souza AP; Fernandes MHMDR; de Resende KT; Teixeira IAMDA
    The objective of this study was to investigate the multivariate relationship among body protein, fat, and macrominerals in Saanen goats of different sexes (castrated males, females, and intact males) using canonical correlation analysis. Individual records of 274 Saanen goats combined from 10 studies was used. Two sets of body constituents were established: the first one contained variables related to body protein or fat (canonical variate U) and the second contained variables related to body calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, or potassium (canonical variate V). Two canonical pairs were identified for each sex. However, irrespective of sex, first canonical pairs accounted for more than 87% of variance of the dependent variables, these only being used for the analysis. For canonical variate U1, canonical weights for protein were greater than that for fat (in castrated males, protein = 0.62 and fat = 0.41; in females, protein = 0.96 and fat = 0.039; and in intact males, protein = 0.81 and fat = 0.20). For canonical variate V1, in males, the highest canonical weights were for potassium and phosphorus, whereas the lowest were for calcium (in castrated males, potassium = 0.485 > phosphorus = 0.259 > magnesium = 0.206 > sodium = 0.129 > calcium = 0.081, and in intact males, potassium = 0.499 > phosphorus = 0.459 > sodium = 0.105 > magnesium = 0.024 > calcium = 0.001). On the other hand, in females, the highest canonical weights were for potassium and calcium, whereas the lowest was for magnesium (potassium = 0.539 > calcium = 0.201 > phosphorus = 0.178 > sodium = 0.088 > magnesium = 0.081). The current results may help to understand the role of sex on strength and nature of the association among body protein, fat, and macrominerals in growing Saanen goats.