Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of rapeseed and linseed oil supplementations on performance and meat quality of lambs. Methods The experiment was conducted on 18 growing (100-day-old) lambs of 19.7±1.9 kg live weight, assigned to 3 groups of 6 animals each. Control lambs were fed meadow hay and concentrate alone. Experimental animals additionally received rapeseed or linseed oils at a dose of 50 g/d. The lambs were slaughtered at an average body weight of 35.7±0.5 kg. Results The dressing percentage was higher in lambs fed rapeseed oil. Total saturated fatty acids (SFA) and C15:0, C16:0, C17:0, C21:0, C24:0 were lower in longissimus dorsi muscle (MLD) in lambs fed linseed oil. Supplementation of diet with linseed oil decreased concentrations of total monounsaturated fatty acids and C16:1, C17:1, C18:1 cis-9 in MLD. The concentrations of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and C18:3 n-3 , C20:5 n-3 in MLD were higher in lambs fed linseed oil than in other groups. Oils supplementation to diets resulted in increased concentration of C22:6 n-3 in MLD. The inclusion of linseed oil into the diet increased the contents of total PUFA, n-3 PUFA and C18:3 n-3 , C20:5 n-3 , C22:6 n-3 in semitendinosus muscle in comparison to control. A tendency towards a lower n:6/n:3 ratio in MLD was observed when lambs were supplemented linseed oil. Conclusion The supplementation of linseed oil to diets seems to reduce the concentration of SFA and increase the concentration of n-3 PUFA. The n-6 / n-3 ratio is an important nutritional factor, and its value has been favorably decreased below 2, thereby achieving an important target related to human health. Due to these changes carcass fatty acid profile was improved, and so enhanced lamb meat healthy properties.

This study aimed to quantify the engulfed starch and reserve α-glucans (glycogen) in the cells of the ciliates Eudiplodinium maggii, as well the α-glucans in defaunated and selectively faunated sheep. The content of starch inside the cell of ciliates varied from 21 to 183mg/g protozoal DM relative to the rumen fauna composition whereas, the glycogen fluctuated between 17 and 126mg/g dry matter (DM) of this ciliate species. Establishment of the population Entodinium caudatum in the rumen of sheep already faunated with E. maggii caused a drop in both types of quantified carbohydrates. The content of α-glucans in the rumen of defaunated sheep varied from 4.4 to 19.9mg/g DM and increased to 7.4-29.9 or 11.8-33.9mg/g DM of rumen contents in the presence of only E. maggii or E. maggii and E. caudatum, respectively. The lowest content of the carbohydrates was always found just before feeding and the highest at 4h thereafter. The α-glucans in the reticulum varied 7.5-40.1, 14.3-76.8 or 21.9-106.1mg/g DM of reticulum content for defaunated, monofaunated or bifaunated sheep, respectively. The results indicated that both ciliate species engulf starch granules and convert the digestion products to the glycogen, diminishing the pool of starch available for amylolytic bacteria.

Forage availability for wild rodents varies with season. In turn, the composition of food can affect morphometric parameters of the digestive tract. This study was performed in Eurasian beavers (Castor fiber) whose population was close to extinction in most Eurasian countries, but has now increased. Due to the previous low number of studies, information about the effect of forage availability on the digestive tract morphology has previously been lacking. This study was performed using beavers captured from the natural environment during three seasons of different forage availability: winter, summer and autumn. It was found that the diet of the beaver varied during the year; in winter it was dominated by woody material consisting of willow shoots, whereas in summer the diet was primarily herbs, grass and leaves. Season also affected the mass of digested contents of the digestive tract. The digestive content increased in the caecum and colon in winter and autumn, when poor-quality food dominated the beaver's diet. The results indicated that the digestive tract parameters of beavers varied based on the composition of available forage.

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Majewska M.P., Miltko R., Bełżecki G., Skomiał J., Kowalik B. (2017): Supplementation of rapeseed and linseed oils to sheep rations: effects on ruminal fermentation characteristics and protozoal populations. Czech J. Anim. Sci., 62, 527−538.The study was performed on six sheep fitted with a cannula in the rumen and re-entrant cannula in the duodenum; divided into three groups, two sheep in each. The animals were fed meadow hay and the concentrate alone or the same diet supplemented with rapeseed or linseed oils at a dose of 5% of the basal diet. Ruminal degradation of protein and acid detergent fibre were lower when sheep were fed rapeseed compared to linseed oil (P < 0.05). The addition of oils to diets caused increased ruminal degradation of fat (P < 0.01). The density of protozoa in the rumen at 2 or 4 h after feeding was lower than before feeding in each experimental group. The inclusion of rapeseed oil in the diet decreased the total number of ciliates and Entodinium spp. compared with control and animals fed linseed oil (P < 0.01). Before feeding, the concentration of Diplodinium and Ophryoscolex spp. were lower in sheep fed rapeseed oil compared to control (P < 0.05), and the number of Dasytricha species decreased 2 h after feeding linseed oil compared to animals fed rapeseed oil (P < 0.05). Each of the oil supplements decreased the bacterial mass in the rumen compared with control (P < 0.01). The addition of rapeseed oil to the diet decreased total volatile fatty acid and acetate concentrations in the rumen in comparison to control and sheep receiving linseed oil (P < 0.01). In both diets, the estimated emission of methane and carbon dioxide (P < 0.01) increased 2 and 4 h after feeding compared to that at 0 h. The oleic acid more strongly reduced protozoa and digestive processes in the rumen than linolenic acid. Nevertheless, the quantity of oils added was still too low to induce detectable changes in methane formation in the rumen.

IntroductionSheep breeding is one of the oldest professions closely associated with human civilization. The group of livestock called ruminants has a great utility. Sheep breeding yields meat and lambs, and, to a lesser degree, milk, wool, and hide. The physiology and morphology of sheep reflect adaptations to particular ecological niches. Based on food preference, sheep are herbivorous animals that prefer food rich in cellulose, i.e. 'grass/roughage eaters' (1). The most important feature of ruminants is the four-chambered stomach in the front of the gastrointestinal tract. Digestion of plant material occurs in the largest chamber, in the rumen, thanks to symbiotic microorganisms belonging to three taxonomic groups: bacteria, fungi, and protozoa (2). Among the protozoa, the most abundant and most important are the ciliates belonging to the family Ophryoscolecidae, followed by the family Isotrichidae. Protozoa differ in food preferences. Representatives of Ophryoscolecidae prefer insoluble carbohydrates, e.g., starch and cellulose, whereas Isotrichidae ciliates prefer soluble polysaccharides and do not utilize cellulose (3).Numerous studies have assessed digestive processes in the rumen, but relatively few provided information about digestion later in the digestive tract of ruminants. The goal of this work was to characterize degradation of carbohydrates in the full gastrointestinal tract of adult sheep. Materials and methods Animals, feeds, and feedingSix adult Polish Merino sheep with an average body mass of 55.3 kg were kept in separate pens. Their diet consisted of high-quality ingredients: 1560 g of meadow hay (which was collected on approximately 20 May, before heading), 250 g of ground barley, and 20 g of vitamin-mineral premix (Polfamix OK, Trouw Nutrition Polska, Grodzisk Mazowiecki, Poland), as shown in Table 1. The daily ration was divided into two equal parts and fed at 0700 and 1900 hours. Water was available ad libitum. Feed analyses were conducted in the Laboratory of Chemistry, The Kielanowski Institute of Animal Physiology and Nutrition, Polish Academy of Sciences, using AOAC methods (4). Cellulose was calculated as ADF -ADL according to Rinne et al. (5). Measurements of the length and weight of the digestive organsAnimals were weighed and then slaughtered 3 h after the morning feeding according to standard procedures. Immediately after slaughtering, the entire digestive tract of sheep was removed and the connective tissues and lipids were removed carefully. Particular organs in the digestive tract (the stomach including the rumen, reticulum, omasum, and abomasum, as well as the small intestine, cecum, and large intestine) were isolated by ligating these

Parasitological examination after necropsies of 48 European beavers from Podlaskie and Warmisko-Mazurskie provinces were performed between April 2011 and November 2012. All helminthes were isolated from the contents of the gastro-intestinal tract and their species were determined. In addition, blood samples and faeces were examined. All beavers were infected with six species of parasites. Stichorchis subtriqetrus trematodes were found in 93.7% of animals. They were localized mainly in the caecum, less in the colon, and single juvenile parasites were found in the small intestine. The intensity of infection ranged from two to 893 parasites. Travassosius rufus nematodes (10-4336 specimens) were present in the stomach of 68.7% of the beavers. In the small intestine of four (8.3%) beavers, two-six specimens of Psilotrema castoris were found. This is the first record of this species in Poland and the third of its discovery in the world. Furthermore, in the small intestine of one beaver, two Trichostrongylus capricola nematodes were detected. In the liver of one beaver, pathological changes caused by hydatid cestode Echinococus granulosus occurred. Inflammatory changes of the gastric mucosa caused by Travassosius rufus and of caecum caused by Stichorchis subtriquertus, were observed. Coproscopy was performed with the use of Baermann, flotation, and decantation methods. All results of Baermann method were negative. Examinations with flotation and decantation methods confirmed necropsy findings. Using the flotation method, single oocysts of Eimeria sprehni in one beaver were detected. A blood test conducted by Kingston and Morton method did not reveal the presence of protozoa or microfilariae.

The influence of live Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells and their metabolites on the number of ciliates and some fibrolytic and amylolytic enzymes, together with the effect on the concentration of volatile fatty acids (VFA), and disappearance of dry matter (DM) and structural carbohydrates in the rumen of three goats was examined. The control diet (1.2 kg DM·d -1 ) was composed of hay (63%), barley meal (31%), and soyabean meal (4%). Two experimental rations consisting of the same components supplemented with either live Saccharomyces cerevisiae (CNCM I-1077) cells or their metabolites (Diamond V XP). The additives were supplied at the rate of 3 and 25 g·d -1 , respectively. The experiment was carried out in a 3 x 3 Latin square design. Enrichment of the control diet with yeast metabolites increased (P<0.05) the total number of protozoa and the number of Diplodinium from 115 to 146×10 4 and from 2.5 to 6×10 4 ·g -1 digesta, respectively. Conversely, the number of representatives of the genus Isotricha decreased over eightfold regardless of the additive used. The activity of carboxymethylocellulase was about 9.4 µM released reducing sugars·g -1 DM·min -1 irrespective of diet, whereas xylan digestion increased from 57.5 to 69.7 and 70.4 µM released reducing sugars·g -1 DM·min -1 when live yeast (P<0.05) or their metabolites (P<0.01) were added, respectively. On the other hand, amylolytic activity decreased from 58 to 50 µM released reducing (P<0.05) sugars·g -1 DM·min -1 when the control diet was supplemented with viable Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Live yeast cells increased the disappearance of neutral detergent fibre (NDF) from 38 to 44.7% after in sacco incubation of hay in the rumen for 16 h (P<0.05). The disappearance of neither DM nor acid detergent fibre was affected by the diet. Yeast metabolites decreased (P<0.01) total volatile fatty acids (VFA), whereas live yeast had no effect. Enrichment of the control diet with 527 KOWALIK B. ET AL.live yeast increased (P<0.05) the molar proportion of acetate from 62 to 64% of total VFA. Both additives elevated the molar proportion of butyrate from 10.5 to 11.9 and 11.3% of total VFA, respectively (P<0.05) and lowered that of propionate. The acetate/propionate ratio in the rumen of goats fed the control diet and the diet supplemented with either live yeast (P<0.01) or their metabolites (P<0.05) was 2.7, 3.1 and 2.9, respectively. The yeast metabolites increased ruminal pH from 6.5 to 6.7. No changes in acidity were found when live yeast were added.