-This study was carried out to evaluate the influence of diets supplemented with glycerin as an alternative ingredient to corn on the performance and carcass characteristics of Santa Inês confined lambs. The study involved 27 lambs aged 90 days, having an average initial weight of 26.33 ± 0.15 kg. Lambs were randomly distributed into a control group and groups with diets containing 15 and 30% glycerin in the total feed. Diet was formulated with 40% roughage and 60% concentrate.The experimental design was completely randomized, and the production performance and carcass characteristics were analyzed by analysis of variance, and the subjective carcass characteristics, by general linear models. The daily average gain was 0.21, 0.24 and 0.23 kg/day; feeding conversion was 6.39, 5.73 and 5.92 kg of diet/kg BW for control animals, and those fed with 15 or 30% glycerin, respectively, without treatment differences. Lambs were slaughtered, weighing 34 to 36 kg, and average weight of the cold carcass and commercial carcass yield were evaluated. The results were, respectively, 15.97 kg and 49.18%, for control, 15.96 kg and 48.31% for animals fed with 15% glycerin, and 15.79 kg and 47.87% for those treated with 30% glycerin, with no treatment effects. Meat tenderness and cooking loss averages were not affected by diets, with 5.07 kg and 40.45%, 5.10 kg and 40.81%, and 5.27 kg and 39.04%, respectively, for control, and those fed with 15 or 30% glycerin. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that up to 30% of medium purity glycerin in the dry matter of the diet can be used to replace corn, without any negative effect on lamb performance or carcass characteristics.

No abstract

Cryopreservation of mammal embryos has been technically feasible for many years, but morphological injuries still persist in fish embryos during cryopreservation. Thus, the objective of the present study was to describe these freezing injuries in Piaractus mesopotamicus embryos. Two hundred and twenty-five embryos were collected at the post-gastrula stage and assigned into four treatments of sucrose at 8.5, 17.0, 25.0 or 34.0% plus 9.0% methanol. The control was prepared with distilled water only. The gradual decrease in the temperature was 0.5°C/min. After the seeding stage, the fish embryos were stored in liquid nitrogen at -33°C. Thereafter, they were thawed for evaluating per cent hatching, and the samples collected from every treatment were submitted to scanning electron microscopy for morphological analysis. The micrographic images showed that there was substantial alterations in embryo morphology under the highest concentrations of sucrose. These solutions did not prevent the formation of ice crystals, which lead to deformities and killed the embryos, but the observed reduced level of morphological structure in these embryos when treated with 17.0% sucrose plus 9.0% methanol is a compelling argument for additional studies.

The influence of age (85, 140, and 270 days) of European quails breeders on the egg quality and hatching, fertility and progeny performance was evaluated. The experimental design was completely randomized in a 3x3 factorial arrangement (females' age x males' age), with ten replicates and six birds per experimental unit (four females and two males). Egg production and quality were determined during 3 periods of 14 days and incubation parameters were evaluated in eggs obtained in five consecutive days. The live performance of the progenies was analyzed until 35 days. There was no effect of male age or any interaction between the age of males and females for the evaluated variable. The female's age influenced egg production, egg weight and chick weight, with better results obtained for 140-d-old breeders. The age of females reduced the hatchability, increased the late mortality in incubated eggs, and had no effect on fertility, total embryo mortality or eggshell structure, when analyzed by electron microscopy. The number of sperm trapped in the outer perivitelline layer (sptz/mm²) was determined in 10 fertile eggs per experimental unit. Young females fertilized by young males (80 days) had reduced sptz/mm². Progeny live performance was not affected by breeder's age. Breeders with 270 days retain fertility; however, their egg production, weight and hatchability of fertilized eggs is reduced. In conclusion, European quail breeders with 140 days of age have better egg quality, hatching and breeding results.

RESUMO. Foi avaliado o sêmen de 40 coelhos distribuídos em um delineamento experimental inteiramente casualizado com 4 tratamentos (ração sem a adição de óleo e rações contendo 3% de óleo de canola, 3% óleo de milho ou 3% óleo de soja) e 10 repetições. As colheitas de sêmen foram realizadas 2 vezes por semana, durante 5 semanas, totalizando 10 colheitas por animal. Avaliou-se volume, pH, cor, vigor, motilidade espermática progressiva, concentração espermática por mm 3 e por ejaculado, número de doses inseminantes e anormalidades espermáticas. Os animais que receberam ração com 3% de óleo de canola apresentaram maior volume de sêmen e maior quantidade total de espermatozóides no ejaculado (p<0,05) e, como conseqüência, maior número de doses inseminantes (P<0,05). Os demais parâmetros estudados não foram afetados.Palavras-chave: coelhos reprodutores, óleo vegetal, sêmen.ABSTRACT. Semen quality evaluation in rabbit fed on rations containing different sources of vegetable oil. Semen was evaluated in forty rabbit distributed in a completely randomized design, with four treatments (oil-free ration and rations with 3% of canola oil, 3% of corn oil or 3% of soybean oil) and 10 replications. Ten semen collections were taken, twice a week, for five weeks. Parameters consisted of volume, pH, color, vigor, progressive motility, spermatozoa concentration/mm 3 , total spermatozoa per ejaculation, number of inseminating doses and abnormality rates. The animals receiving 3% canola oil rations produced a larger semen volume, higher total spermatozoa rates per ejaculation, and a greater number of inseminating doses (p<0.05). Other oils, including canola, used in the rations failed to affect semen parameters such as volume, pH, color, vigor, spermatic progressive motility and abnormality rates.