ABSTRACT:For the monitoring of distribution and accumulation of phthalic acid esters (PAE) in animal tissues, samples of muscle, mesenteric fat (fat), skin and liver from broiler chicks ROSS 308 were used. The chicks were divided into four groups (50 chicks each). All the chicks were given commercial diets (complete feed, KKS) for broiler chicks (starter -BR1; grower -BR2 and finisher -BR3). The experimental diets were supplemented with vegetable oil (RV) with low (group N) or high (group V) phthalate contents, or animal fat with a high phthalate content (group Z). Neither the control diets (K), nor the grower (BR1) diets contained vegetable oils or animal fat. The N chicks were given the grower (BR2) and finisher (BR3) diets supplemented with 5% and 3% vegetable oil, respectively. The V chicks were given BR2 and BR3 diets with 5% and 3% vegetable oil, respectively. The Z chicks were given BR2 and BR3 diets with 5% and 3% animal fat, respectively. The chicks were fattened till 42 days of age. Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were found in the tissues of chicks in all the experimental groups. The DBP content in the muscle ranged from 0.03 to 0.55 mg/kg, in the adipose tissue from < 0.20 to 2.56 mg/kg, in the skin from < 0.20 to 1.49 mg/kg , and in the liver from 0.03 to 0.13 mg/kg. The content of DEHP in the muscle ranged from 0.03 to 1.15 mg/kg, in the adipose tissue from 0.25 to 9.85 mg/kg, in the skin from < 0.20 to 4.68 mg/kg, and in the liver from 0.16 to 0.24 mg/kg. The highest concentrations of DBP of 1.28 ± 1.00 mg/kg of fresh sample (an average value from eight chicks) was determined in the adipose tissue of V chicks. The highest concentration of DEHP of 3.27 ± 2.87 mg/kg of fresh sample (mean of eight chicks) was also determined in the V group. The accumulation of DEHP was 3.2; 2.6 and 2.9 times higher than that of DBP in the muscle, adipose tissue and skin, respectively. The V and Z chicks showed higher phthalate contents (the sum of DBP and DEHP) in the adipose tissue, skin and liver than the K and N chicks.

Phthalates are animal carcinogens and may cause death or tissue deformities. Samples of feedstuffs collected in 2005 and 2006 from industrial feed manufacturers in the Czech Republic were analysed for contamination with phthalic acid esters (PAEs), specifically di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and di-n-butyl phthalate (DBP). Samples of feed additives, premixes and raw materials were collected (year 2005, n = 26). For soybean oil, the total volume of phthalates measured (DBP ? DEHP) reached a level of 131.42 mg kg -1 ; for rapeseed oil, fish meal and animal fats, the levels measured were 15.00, 7.96 and 58.87 mg kg -1 , respectively. The lowest level of DBP ? DEHP was found in corn (2.03 mg kg -1 ). Since phthalates were detected, samples of feed additives (n = 28) and raw materials (n = 28) were collected again in 2006. The highest levels of DBP ? DEHP were found in raw materials containing fat. Phthalate levels in rapeseed oil samples ranged from 1.38 to 32.40 mg kg -1 DBP ? DEHP. For feed additives, contamination levels in vitamins and amino acids ranged from 0.06 to 3.15 and 1.76 to 4.52 mg kg -1 DBP ? DEHP, respectively. Here, we show that the levels of PAEs found in cereals such as wheat, barley and corn may be regarded as being alarmingly high, because cereals make up the largest proportion of compound feed of farm animals.

ABSTRACT:In this study, nutritive values of rapeseed (R), rapeseed meal-expeller A (RM-A), rapeseed mealexpeller B (RM-B) and extracted rapeseed meal (ERM) were compared. The trials were performed using the in sacco method with three steers of the Czech Fleckvieh breed, which were fitted with a permanent ruminal cannula. Nylon bags with samples were incubated in the rumen for 2, 4, 8, 16, 24 and 48 hours. The effective degradability (ED) of crude protein (CP) was calculated at 0.08, 0.06 and 0.04 1/h of rumen particulate outflow rates (k), and the obtained ED values were 65.4, 70.8 and 77.4% for R, 86.7, 88.1 and 89.7% for RM-A, 82.2, 84.4 and 87.0% for RM-B and 56.3, 62.1 and 69.6% for ERM, respectively. The ED values significantly differed between feeds (P < 0.05) for all rumen particulate outflow rates. Disappearances of amino acids (AA) after 16 hours of incubation in the rumen of R, RM-A, RM-B and ERM were determined. In all cases, the concentrations of AA in the feeds determined after incubation in rumen were lower than in the original feeds. A mobile bag technique was used to determine intestinal digestibility. In the experiment, three dry cows fitted with permanent large ruminal cannula and the T-piece cannula in the proximal duodenum were used. The intestinal digestibilities of rumen undegraded CP (DSI) were estimated 30.0% in R, 15.4% in RM-A, 27.6% in RM-B and 65.3% in ERM. The DSI values significantly differ between the feeds (P < 0.05), except for the difference between R and RM-B.

In five trials carried out on two lactating and two dry cows three sets of particle sizes were used: in the first set particles with a diameter of 9 mm and length of 4, 6, 8 and 10 mm, in the second set particle sizes of 8/8,11/11,14/14and 17/17 (diameter/length) mm, and the third set 8/8,9/9,10/10,11/ 11 and 12/12 mm particles. In the first set the lactating cows had a significantly higher mean recovery (97.8 vs 75.9 %) and a significantly shorter total tract mean retention time (TMRT) (53.0 vs 96.6 h) than the dry cows (P<0.05). In the second trial with lactating cows the main differences in recovery were found between 11/11 and 14/14 mm particles, significant at 48 h after administration (63.8 vs 31.3 %; P<0.05). Regurgitation of 17/17 mm particles was 27.5 % in lactating cows and 80% in dry cows in the course of384 h. In the third set did not yield significant results, except 36 h (P<0.05) after placing. It is concluded that relatively good recovery and TMRT can be achieved in lactating cows with plastic particles of a size larger than 11/11 mm but smaller than 14/14 mm.

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