View related articles View Crossmark data Citing articles: 2 View citing articles Effect of dietary inclusion of dried citrus pulp on growth performance, carcass characteristics, blood metabolites and hepatic antioxidant status of rabbits
Sorghum dried distiller's grains with solubles (S‐DDGS) are distillation extract residues from the ethanol fuel industry. In this experiment, two hundred 42‐day‐old rabbits were randomly allocated to five experimental diets containing 0 g/kg (control), 75, 150, 225 and 300 g/kg S‐DDGS. The experiment lasted for 4 weeks. No difference was found in the average daily feed intake (ADFI; p > 0.05). With increasing sorghum inclusion, the average daily gain (ADG) was linearly (p < 0.001) and quadratically (p = 0.039) reduced, while, conversely, the feed conversion ratio (FCR) linearly (p < 0.001) increased. Increasing the amount of S‐DDGS in the diet linearly decreased (p < 0.001) the apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of dry matter (DM), organic matter (OM), crude protein (CP) and ash. Carcass weight, carcass yield, heart and liver weights were linearly decreased by an increase in the amount of S‐DDGS added to diets (p < 0.001), but no difference was observed between the 0, 75 and 150 g/kg S‐DDGS groups (p > 0.05). Serum IL‐6, IL‐10 and SIgA linearly increased (p = 0.008) with increasing levels of S‐DDGS in the diet. Rabbits fed 0, 75 and 150 g/kg of S‐DDGS had similar IL‐6 and IL‐10 levels. Statistically significant differences in SIgA were observed between rabbits fed control diets and feed mixtures containing S‐DDGS (p < 0.01). To conclude, S‐DDGS can safely be added up to 75 g/kg, to the diet of rabbits. Increasing dietary S‐DDGS inclusion may decrease the growth performance, nutrient digestibility and carcass traits, and activate immune responses.
The changes in fatty acid composition of total intramuscular lipid and phospholipids were investigated in the longissimus dorsi, left-hind leg muscle, and abdominal muscle of male Ira rabbits. Changes were monitored at 35, 45, 60, 75, and 90 d. Analysis using gas chromatography identified 21 types of fatty acids. Results showed that the intramuscular lipid increased and the intramuscular phospholipids (total intramuscular lipid %) decreased in all muscles with increasing age (p<0.05). An abundant amount of unsaturated fatty acids, especially polyunsaturated fatty acids, was distributed in male Ira rabbits at different ages and muscles. Palmitic acid (C16:0), stearic acid (C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2), and arachidonic acid (C20:4) were the major fatty acids, which account to the dynamic changes of the n-6/n-3 value in Ira rabbit meat.
The purpose of this experiment is to study the relationship between the difference in production performance between Sichuan White (SC) rabbits and New Zealand (NZL) rabbits and the diversity of caecal flora. Twelve pregnant SC rabbits and 12 NZL female rabbits were selected for this experiment. After delivery, the young rabbits were divided into two groups according to breeds, each group had 30 replicates, and each replicate had one rabbit. During the experiments, these rabbits were kept in the same room, and the temperature in the room was controlled at 12–25 °C, with a 16-hour light cycle every 24 hours. The nutritional composition of the feed and other environmental conditions were consistent. On the 59<sup>th</sup> day of the experiment, the caecum contents of the two groups of young rabbits were collected. The results showed that the survival rate of the SC rabbit group was higher than that of the NZL rabbit group, and the diarrhoea rate and average daily gain were lower than those of the NZL rabbit group (P < 0.05). The results of high-throughput sequencing of the 16S gene showed that compared with the NZL rabbit group, the relative abundance of Bacteroides increased, and the abundance of harmful flora Verrucomicrobia and Proteobacteria decreased (P < 0.05). Functional analysis of the microflora showed that the relative abundance of carbohydrate metabolism genes in the SC rabbit group was higher than in the NZL rabbit group. In conclusion, compared with the NZL rabbits, the SC rabbits have a more optimized intestinal flora structure and lower abundance of harmful bacteria. Moreover, the intestinal health level of SC rabbits is improved, and the tolerance to roughage of SC rabbits is increased.
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