Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Alternative Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Maltese Islands
The ever-increasing human population, the problem associated with climate change and recent crises—COVID-19 disease and trade conflicts—all impacted on the availability and cost of animal feed raw materials. This is clearly visible in realities which heavily rely on importation such as islands and s...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Metabolites |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/13/6/762 |
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| author | Grazia Pastorelli Kalliroi Simeonidis Massimo Faustini Angelo Le Mura Mariagrazia Cavalleri Valentina Serra Everaldo Attard |
| author_facet | Grazia Pastorelli Kalliroi Simeonidis Massimo Faustini Angelo Le Mura Mariagrazia Cavalleri Valentina Serra Everaldo Attard |
| author_sort | Grazia Pastorelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The ever-increasing human population, the problem associated with climate change and recent crises—COVID-19 disease and trade conflicts—all impacted on the availability and cost of animal feed raw materials. This is clearly visible in realities which heavily rely on importation such as islands and small states, where producers involved in the agricultural sector were strongly affected by the sharp increase in prices. To deal with these global issues, alternative resources are perceived to replace conventional ingredients. This work aimed at assessing the nutritive value of different resources (sheep feed, mature carob, Maltese bread, wild asparagus, prickly lettuce, and loquat) for small ruminants present in the Maltese Islands, analyzing their chemical composition, gas production kinetics and antioxidant properties. In general, the variation in chemical composition resulted in different rumen fermentation kinetics (<i>p</i> < 0.007). The ratio between GP-24 h and GP-48 h was higher in Maltese bread than other substrates; loquat, prickly lettuce and wild asparagus showed lower fermentation kinetics in accordance with their high NDF and ADF contents. The antioxidant activity may be partially related to the polyphenolic content that was higher in wild asparagus, prickly lettuce and loquat. All feed characteristic confirmed their potential to be included as ingredients in ruminant diets and as a source of fiber. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:10:31Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-87b5ebd6cb544c14a1e885f55a1c0b3f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2218-1989 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T02:10:31Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Metabolites |
| spelling | doaj.art-87b5ebd6cb544c14a1e885f55a1c0b3f2023-11-18T11:35:19ZengMDPI AGMetabolites2218-19892023-06-0113676210.3390/metabo13060762Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Alternative Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Maltese IslandsGrazia Pastorelli0Kalliroi Simeonidis1Massimo Faustini2Angelo Le Mura3Mariagrazia Cavalleri4Valentina Serra5Everaldo Attard6Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, ItalyIndipendent Researcher, 28053 Castelletto sopra Ticino, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, ItalyDepartment of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milano, Via dell’Università 6, 26900 Lodi, ItalyDivision of Rural Sciences and Food Systems, Institute of Earth Systems, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, MaltaThe ever-increasing human population, the problem associated with climate change and recent crises—COVID-19 disease and trade conflicts—all impacted on the availability and cost of animal feed raw materials. This is clearly visible in realities which heavily rely on importation such as islands and small states, where producers involved in the agricultural sector were strongly affected by the sharp increase in prices. To deal with these global issues, alternative resources are perceived to replace conventional ingredients. This work aimed at assessing the nutritive value of different resources (sheep feed, mature carob, Maltese bread, wild asparagus, prickly lettuce, and loquat) for small ruminants present in the Maltese Islands, analyzing their chemical composition, gas production kinetics and antioxidant properties. In general, the variation in chemical composition resulted in different rumen fermentation kinetics (<i>p</i> < 0.007). The ratio between GP-24 h and GP-48 h was higher in Maltese bread than other substrates; loquat, prickly lettuce and wild asparagus showed lower fermentation kinetics in accordance with their high NDF and ADF contents. The antioxidant activity may be partially related to the polyphenolic content that was higher in wild asparagus, prickly lettuce and loquat. All feed characteristic confirmed their potential to be included as ingredients in ruminant diets and as a source of fiber.https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/13/6/762gas production techniquealternative feedsmall ruminantschemical analysesantioxidant activitypolyphenols |
| spellingShingle | Grazia Pastorelli Kalliroi Simeonidis Massimo Faustini Angelo Le Mura Mariagrazia Cavalleri Valentina Serra Everaldo Attard Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Alternative Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Maltese Islands Metabolites gas production technique alternative feed small ruminants chemical analyses antioxidant activity polyphenols |
| title | Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Alternative Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Maltese Islands |
| title_full | Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Alternative Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Maltese Islands |
| title_fullStr | Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Alternative Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Maltese Islands |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Alternative Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Maltese Islands |
| title_short | Chemical Characterization and In Vitro Gas Production Kinetics of Alternative Feed Resources for Small Ruminants in the Maltese Islands |
| title_sort | chemical characterization and in vitro gas production kinetics of alternative feed resources for small ruminants in the maltese islands |
| topic | gas production technique alternative feed small ruminants chemical analyses antioxidant activity polyphenols |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2218-1989/13/6/762 |
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