The 6-month cattle and female parents shared similar intestinal bacteria; the community structure of fecal microbiota was significantly affected by high-fat diet in older cattle. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

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Macroalgae are regarded as a healthy food due to their composition and nutritional properties. In this work, nutritional composition of two green (Ulva rigida, Codium tomentosum) and two red (Palmaria palmata, Porphyra purpurea) edible seaweed was studied. Total lipids were measured gravimetrically as evaporated mass after petroleum-ether Soxhlet extraction of samples. In addition, fatty acid profile was determined by gas chromatography coupled to a flame ionization detector (GC-FID). Results showed that all studied species were accounted for very low levels of lipids (<1% dw), but levels of unsaturated fatty acids oleic, linoleic, and linolenic acids were present at high concentrations, with P. palmata displaying the highest quantities (>200 mg C18:1/g extract). In parallel, proteins were quantified following the macro-Kjeldahl method. In this analysis, red algae, especially P. purpurea, showed significant protein content up to 30% DW. Total organic acids were found by ultra-filtration liquid-chromatography coupled to an amperometry detector (UFLC-PAD) after an acid extraction, P. purpurea being the algae with the higher organic acid content (10.61% dw). Minerals were identified and quantified by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), suggesting that both algae groups are rich in K and Mg (>15 g/kg), but U. rigida also displayed a remarkable iron content (>1 g Fe/kg). Other detected minerals in minor concentrations were Ca, P or F. Altogether, results corroborate that these edible algae are a good source of nutrients in accordance with literature.

Excessive volatile amines are considered to cause environmental pollution and human health threatening, especially ammonia has been reported to be associated with a variety of human diseases. In this Article,...

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To evaluate the functions of safflower on aquatic animal, the effects of dietary safflower supplementation on growth performance, immunity response, short-chain fatty acids, and intestinal microflora of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.) were studied in the present study. Four isonitrogen and isolipid experimental diets were formulated by adding 0, 0.25%, 0.50%, and 1.00% safflower to the basal diet (CON, S-0.25%, S-0.50%, and S-1.00%, respectively). The results showed that safflower supplementation (S-0.50%) significantly improves the growth performance (FBW, WGR, SGR) compared with that of the CON group ( P < 0.05 ). Similarly, safflower also promoted the CAT and LZM activities in the midgut, yet the content of MDA in the S-0.50% group was reduced ( P < 0.05 ). The content of proinflammatory factors (IL-1β, IL-12) in serum underwent significant reduction ( P < 0.05 ); the level of anti-inflammatory factor IL-10 had an upward trend in the S-0.50% group. Moreover, the mRNA expression levels of the IL-10, TGF-β, NF-κB, and TLR-1 gene in the head kidney were remarkably upregulated ( P < 0.05 ) in safflower addition groups, while IL-6 and IL-1β were downregulated significantly in the S-1.00% group ( P < 0.05 ). After 96 hours of the A. hydrophila challenge test, the survival rate of common carp had been improved greatly with the safflower addition, which was most impressive in the S-1.00% group. Additionally, the levels of acetic acid and butyric acid in intestinal contents were significantly higher in the S-0.50% and S-1.00% groups than in the CON group ( P < 0.05 ). Dietary safflower increased the intestinal microbiota abundance of Fusobacteria at the phylum level. At the genus level, the abundance of beneficial bacteria (Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium) increased significantly in the S-1.00% group; some pathogens such as Aeromonas, Shigella, and Streptococcus were inhibited. Spearman coefficient analysis revealed that the contents of SCFAs were positively correlated with probiotics and negatively correlated with pathogens. In summary, safflower addition at an appropriate dose can promote the immune functions of the common carp by producing the short-chain fatty acids and regulating the intestinal microflora.