This book presents specially commissioned reviews of key topics in farm animal metabolism and nutrition, such as repartitioning agents, near infrared reflectance spectroscopy and digestibility and metabolisable energy assays, where major advances have recently been made or which continue to represent issues of significance for students and researchers. Authors include leading researchers from Europe, North America and Australia.
Amino acid metabolism and nutrition of farm animals continues to be an active area of research. However, since the publication of the first edition, as Amino Acids in Farm Animal Nutrition (1994), there is now a need to take into account advances in the amino acid nutrition of a wider range of animals, including companion animals. In this new edition, the editor has attempted to retain chapter imparting strength to the first version, while introducing authors with new ideas and vision, as well as chapters on other animals such as cats and dogs. The book is thematically structured. Part 1 includes chapter of an introductory and general nature with applications to a wide range of animal species. The next four parts are species-related sections, including pigs, poultry, ruminants and other animals. The chapters in the final section cover applications and perspectives. The book has been written as a reference work for advanced students as well as researchers in animal nutrition.
Protein Deposition in Animals explores the factors controlling protein deposition in farm animals including fish, poultry, and ruminants. Topics covered range from protein biosynthesis in eukaryotic cells and protein metabolism in intact animals to whole-body amino acid metabolism, synthesis of egg proteins, and metabolism of the fetus. The energy costs of protein metabolism, dietary constraints on nitrogen retention, and metabolism in muscle are also discussed. Emphasis is placed on the factors that influence protein production by animals. This book is comprised of 15 chapters; the first of which explains some fundamental aspects of protein synthesis, followed by a topic of the molecular control of protein breakdown. Two chapters then consider the measurement of whole-body protein metabolism and the integration of the metabolism of individual organs with the rest of the animal. Two 'tissues', the muscle and the fetus, are singled out for detailed analysis in subsequent chapters, while another chapter describes the synthesis of egg proteins. The factors that influence overall nitrogen retention by the animals are also examined, along with the energy costs of protein deposition, hormonal influences on protein deposition, and the use of anabolic agents to manipulate growth. Two chapters, one on poultry and the other on ruminants, are concerned with predicting rates of protein deposition. This text concludes by discussing the protein metabolism in fish. This book will be of interest to scientists working in the fields of applied biochemistry, animal nutrition and physiology, physiology, and agriculture.
In the past decade, animal scientists have learned that administering recombinantly derived somatotropin (growth hormone) to cows improves milk production and that giving beta-adrenergic agonists to meat animals improves productivity and leanness. In order for these metabolic modifiers to yield benefits, however, sound management of the animals' nutrition is necessary. This volume reports on how these substances work in the animals' metabolism, what effects they might have on nutrient requirements of domestic livestock, and what information should be developed further by investigators. The book explores the current understanding of the biology, structure, mechanisms of action, and treatment effects of somatotropin, beta-adrenergic agonists, and anabolic steroids. A companion volume to the Nutrient Requirements of Domestic Animals series, this authoritative volume will be required reading for animal scientists, researchers, veterinarians, livestock farmers, and faculty and students in university animal veterinary science programs.
This volume is comprised of invited papers presented at the Seventh International Symposium on Ruminant Physiology, held in Sendai, Japan, in September 1989. Papers are invited on the recommendations of 300 international experts. The proceedings of this symposia provides the most comprehensive coverage available of current research in ruminant physiology.
Amino acids (AAs) are not only building blocks of protein, but are also signalling molecules as well as regulators of gene expression and the protein phosphorylation cascade. Additionally, AAs are key precursors for syntheses of hormones and low-molecular weight nitrogenous substances with each having enormous biological importance. For example, physiological concentrations of AA metabolites (e.g., nitric oxide, polyamines, glutathione, taurine, thyroid hormones, and serotonin) are required for cell functions. Growing evidence shows that humans and animals have dietary requirements for all proteinogenic AAs. Mammals, birds and fish also have species- and age-dependent needs for some AA-related substances. However, elevated levels of other products (e.g., ammonia, homocysteine, H2S, and asymmetric dimethylarginine) are pathogenic factors for neurological disorders, oxidative stress, and cardiovascular disease. Thus, optimal amounts of AAs and their ratios in diets and circulation are crucial for whole body homeostasis and health. Adequate provision of one or a mixture of functional AAs or metabolites may be beneficial for ameliorating health problems at various stages of the life cycle (e.g., fetal growth restriction, neonatal morbidity and mortality, weaning-associated intestinal dysfunction and wasting syndrome, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, the metabolic syndrome, and infertility). Dietary supplementation of these nutrients can also optimize the efficiency of metabolic transformations to enhance muscle growth, milk production, and athletic performance, while preventing excess fat deposition and reducing adiposity. Therefore, functional AAs hold great promise in improving the growth, health and well-being of individuals. Chapter 7 is available open access under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License via link.springer.com.
Protein and Amino Acid Nutrition describes the state of knowledge concerning the nutrition of proteins and amino acids. Topics range from the effect of some therapeutic agents on protein and amino acid nutrition, to species and age differences in amino acid requirements; utilization of D-amino acids; effect of proteins and amino acids on the growth of adult tissue in vitro; and amino acid requirements of animals and young adults. This volume is organized into 16 chapters and begins with an overview of the nutritional implications of the metabolic interrelationships of amino acids. The next chapters discuss experiments that tested the differences in amino acid requirements due to the differences in age and in species among animals, the biochemical individuality of amino acid requirements, and the utilization of dietary proteins. This book explains the synthesis of tissue proteins in relation to the essential amino acids; the link between food energy and nitrogen metabolism; and the use of the repletion method to measure the nutritive value of proteins, protein hydrolyzates, and amino acid mixtures. The final chapter discusses the nutritional needs of the older age groups. This book is intended for scientists, students, and researchers interested in human and animal nutrition.
Variations in feeding frequency may lead to difference in utilization of dietary nutrients. The effects of feeding frequency have been tested in growing pigs and finishing pigs using respiratory quotient and postprandial kinetics of plasma metabolites. A reduced feeding frequency resulted in an increased lipogenesis and proteolysis shortly after the meal both in growing and finishing pigs. Nevertheless, growing and finishing pigs exhibit different metabolic pathways when feeding frequency is reduced.