The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the effects of inoculants on chemical composition, dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (aNDF) in vitro degradation, fermentative and effluent losses, microbiology, fermentative profile, and aerobic stability of sugarcane mini-silos. Treatments were randomly distributed to the mini-silos, in which: (1) Control (CON); (2) Lactobacillus buchneri (Lb), addition of Lb at 2.6 × 10 10 cfu/g; (3) Lactobacillus buchneri and Bacillus subtilis (Lb + Bs), addition of Lb at 2.6 × 10 10 cfu/g and Bs at 1 × 10 9 cfu/g; and (4) Chitosan (CHI), addition of 1% of CHI on wet basis of sugarcane ensiled. Treatments 2 and 3 were incorporated to the silage at 2 g/t of natural matter ensiled. Lb and Lb + Bs did not alter the in vitro degradation of DM and NDF. Chitosan incorporation increased the DM content (P = 0.013, 18.7 g/kg DM) and improved (P = 0.029, 45.6 g/kg DM) the NDF in vitro degradation of sugarcane silage. In addition, CHI incorporation showed higher (P = 0.002) DM content in silage than Lb and Lb + Bs. Microbial inoculants (Lb and Lb + Bs) reduced the total losses (P = 0.009) of sugarcane silage. Moreover, CHI incorporation showed lower (P = 0.001, 84.9 g/kg DM) total losses and higher (P = 0.031, 84.8 g/kg DM) dry matter recovery than Lb and Lb + Bs. Lactic acid bacteria concentration was increased (P = 0.001) with additives, and CHI incorporation showed higher (P = 0.001) lactic acid bacteria concentration than silages treated Lb and Lb + Bs. All additives decreased the ethanol concentration in sugarcane silage, but CHI showed lower (P = 0.002) ethanol concentration compared to Lb and Lb + Bs. Inoculants improved the aerobic stability of sugarcane silage. In general, the incorporation of CHI to sugarcane silage showed better results of NDF in vitro degradation and gas and effluent losses than Lb and Lb + Bs. Moreover,

Chitosan is a biopolymer derived from chitin deacetylation, present in the exoskeleton of crustaceans and insects. Chitosan has been evaluated as rumen modulator and silage additive due to its antimicrobial properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of both chitosan and a bacterial additive on microbiological quality, chemical composition, nutrient in vitro degradation, fermentative profile, and total losses of whole-soybean plant silage (SS) harvested at R6 stage. Four treatments in a factorial arrangement were randomly assigned to 40 experimental minisilos as no additives (CON), 8 g/t fresh forage of microbial inoculant (INO; Kera SIL, Kera Nutrição Animal, Bento Gonçalves, Brazil); 5 g/kg of fresh forage chitosan (CHI); and CHI + INO. Microbial inoculant was composed of Lactobacillus plantarum (4.0 × 10 cfu/g) and Propionibacterium acidipropionici (2.6 × 10 cfu/g). The CHI and INO alone increased counts of lactic bacteria and anaerobic bacteria and decreased counts of mold and yeast in SS. The CHI or INO alone increased in vitro degradation of dry matter, crude protein, and neutral detergent fiber, and decreased nonfiber carbohydrate content of SS. Chitosan increased NH-N and lactate concentrations and decreased ethanol concentration in SS. The CHI increased dry matter recovery from SS; INO increased silage aerobic stability. The combination of CHI+INO showed the lowest value of gas losses. In general, the combination of CHI and INO had small positive effects on gas losses of SS; however, both CHI or INO alone improved nutrient in vitro degradation and decreased mold and yeast in SS. Chitosan or INO utilization improves SS quality.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance and blood parameters of feedlot Nellore cattle fed increasing doses of ricinoleic acid (RA) in the diet. Ninety-six Nellore steers divided into 12 groups of 8 animals were used. The animals were randomly assigned to four treatments: 0, 1, 2, or 4 g of RA/animal/day, with three replicates per treatment. The experimental period consisted of 84 days divided into three 28-day periods preceded by three step-up diets. A quadratic effect was found for average daily gain and final body weight, as well as for leukocyte and lymphocyte counts, and for urea and blood urea nitrogen. A linear effect was observed for albumin, alkaline phosphatase, and gamma glutamyl transferase. The inclusion of 2 g of RA daily improved the performance of feedlot Nellore steers.

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BACKGROUND: Poultry activity exposes workers to accidents and unhealthy conditions with physical, chemical, biological, ergonomic and psychological risks. OBJECTIVE: The objective was to list risk factors in poultry farms in operational, behavioral, and environmental aspects. METHODS: We evaluated poultry farm workers through quantitative and qualitative analysis applying a semi-structured online questionnaire containing 58 questions to identify risks in the workplace and health implications. RESULTS: Most facilities were air-conditioned, workers performed their activities in a totally closed environment, with low light (1 to 10 lux), for more than 40 h/wk. Regarding accidents, 61%of workers claimed to have suffered some type of accident, 34%claimed to not use personal protection equipment, and 41%felt unable to perform their activities at some time due to health problems; handling animals and animal waste were the most significant biological risks; dust and ammonia corresponded to the most significant chemical risks; and electric shock, burns, and heat exposure were the most significant physical/accident risks. CONCLUSIONS: Workers expose themselves daily to physical, chemical, biological, psychosocial, and ergonomic risks. These exposures often lead to symptoms such as stress, headache, eye and mucous membrane disorders, respiratory diseases, back and muscle pain, depression, and symptoms often associated with Sick Building Syndrome.