Assessment of Feeding Behavior of the Zoo-Housed Lesser Anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla) and Nutritional Values of Natural Prey

Very little information is available to zoo managers on the nutritional preferences of the lesser anteater, a highly specialized predator. By studying lesser anteater feeding behavior, we expect to contribute to improved management decisions and individual welfare experiences. We studied the response of zoo-housed lesser anteaters (n = 7) to feeders with live ants (Acromyrmex lundi) and termites (Cortaritermes fulviceps), and we also evaluated the nutritional values of these prey. We individually evaluated each lesser anteater (3 sessions), recording activities by camera. We ground insect samples into a coarse meal and evaluated in vitro biochemical parameters (humidity, lipids proteins, ash, and carbohydrates). Lesser anteaters spent more time with termites than with ants and consumed more termites. Ant meal presented a higher protein and lipid content than termite meal (35.28 ± 0.18% vs. 18.19 ± 0.34% and 16.95 ± 0.13% vs. 6.54 ± 0.31%, respectively), and carbohydrate digestibility was higher in termites. These findings indicate an association between the level of insect consumption and nutritional and digestibility values. This is the first exploration of lesser anteater responses to the presence of social insects in feeders and may serve to guide the study of food preferences in captivity.

Effectiveness administration of cow rumen liquid at various levels of carbohydrates in feed on nutrient digestiveness and feed efficiency of milk fish (Chanos chanos Forsskal)

Efforts to reduce protein in fish feed by maximizing the use of carbohydrates as an energy source must be supported by exogenous enzymes. One source of exogenous enzymes that can be used as a polysaccharide degrading agent easily obtained and wasted is rumen liquid in slaughterhouses (RPH). This study aims to determine the most effective carbohydrate level after being given rumen liquid as a source of exogenous enzymes in maximizing nutrient digestibility and feed efficiency in milkfish (Chanos chanos Forsskal). This study was designed using a Completely Randomized Design (CRD) which consisted of 4 treatments and three replications. Thus there were 12 experimental units. The treatments tested were feeds with various levels of carbohydrates (27.81%; 39.50%; 46.97%; and 56.75%) then given cow rumen liquid as a source of the enzyme at a dose of 80 mL/100 g of feed. Nutrient digestibility and feed efficiency data obtained were analyzed by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and continued with the W-Tuckey test. The results showed that feeding with various levels of carbohydrates in the feed that was first given cow rumen liquid waste had a significant effect (P<0.05) on fibre digestibility, carbohydrate digestibility, and feed efficiency of milkfish, but had no significant impact (P>0.05) on total digestibility, protein digestibility, and fat digestibility of milkfish. The most effective carbohydrate level in feed after being given cow rumen liquid which can optimize nutrient digestibility and feed efficiency of milkfish, is 46.97%.

Effects of Black Rice Anthocyanin Enrichment on Bread Digestibility and Glycemic Index

Objectives By incorporating black rice anthocyanins into a carbohydrate-rich food matrix, this project aims to assess the changes in in-vitro carbohydrate digestibility, and the glycemic index (GI) of the enriched carbohydrate-rich food. We hypothesize that the bread enriched with black rice anthocyanins will retard carbohydrate digestibility, and have a lower GI. Methods A simulated digestion model in-vitro was used to investigate the digestibility of bread enriched with black rice anthocyanin extract (BRAE). To assess the GI of the enriched bread, 24 healthy adults participated in a randomized, controlled crossover study with 3 intervention arms. Participants received 50-g glucose solutions as a reference; interventions included 50-g available carbohydrate (ACHO) servings of white bread (CON), bread enriched with 2% (BB-2) and 4% (BB-4) BRAE. Results In the simulated digestion model, the enrichment of BRAE was found to significantly reduce oral and intestinal digestion of bread. Relative to CON, the concentration of glucose released in the simulated oral digestion was reduced for BB-2 (P = 0.9529) and BB-4 (P = 0.0001). Relative to CON, the incremental area under the intestinal digestion curves (IAUC) were also reduced for BB-2 (P = 0.0001) and BB-4 (P &lt; 0.0001). The rate constants of the modelled intestinal digestion profiles saw a dose-response reduction with BRAE enrichment. In the randomized controlled trial, there was up to a 27-point reduction in the GI of BRAE-enriched bread. Relative to CON, a significant difference in 2 h mean insulin concentration was also observed after BB-2 (P = 0.024). However, considerable inter-individual variation was also observed in postprandial measurements among the healthy participants. Conclusions These findings suggest that the enrichment of BRAE in bread slows carbohydrate digestibility, reduces GI, and improves postprandial insulinemic responses. BRAE may thus be a viable food-sourced ingredient for the enrichment of some carbohydrate-rich foods, as a dietary strategy to manage postprandial hyperglycemia. Funding Sources This research was co-funded by National University Health System and National University of Singapore as part of the grant awarded to the Health Innovation Program (CF/SCL/16/178) led by Prof. E Shyong Tai.

Processing Matters in Nutrient-Matched Laboratory Diets for Mice—Energy and Nutrient Digestibility

Starch gelatinization is a major determinant of carbohydrate digestibility and varies with diet processing. Laboratory rodent diets are often marketed as identical, but are sold in different forms, regardless of the markedly higher starch gelatinization in extruded than in pelleted diets. Our hypothesis was that this would impact energy and nutrient digestibility in mice fed pellets or extrudate, respectively. Trial 1 showed that feeding C57BL/6 mice a standard maintenance diet in extruded form results in a significantly higher digestibility of organic matter, energy, and carbohydrates than the identical diet in pelleted form. The replication of the experiment, however, revealed a variation between batches of the same pelleted diet regarding starch and total dietary fiber contents. Given the significant differences in diet digestibility and the potential impacts of digestibility on nutrient utilization, the intestinal microbiome, and intermediary metabolism, trials performed with differently processed diets are not comparable. This might partly explain failures to reproduce results, especially in gastrointestinal or microbiome research. Considering this impact on experimental animals, the degree of starch gelatinization should be declared in the diet information for laboratory animal diets. The differences between batches of laboratory animal diets as observed in the pellets are not acceptable.

The Effect of Balsamic Vinegar Dressing on Protein and Carbohydrate Digestibility is Dependent on the Food Matrix

The balsamic vinegar of Modena (BVM), a food specialty under the European Protected Geographical Indication system, is made from grape must blended with wine vinegar exclusively in the Italian province of Modena or Reggio Emilia. Vinegar is associated to an improved digestive function and glycemic response to carbohydrate-rich meals, appetite stimulation, and reduction of hyperlipidemia and obesity. Although many of these effects are attributed to the high concentration of bioactive molecules, the modulation of digestive enzymes activity could have a role. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of BVM on the digestibility and component release of three foods that are often seasoned with this dressing but have different composition: Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, Bresaola (cured meat), and boiled potatoes. BVM modulated the protein digestion of protein-rich foods (cheese and cured meat) in a matrix-dependent manner, and the BVM effect was mainly related to the inhibition of pepsin in the gastric phase. In the starch-rich food (boiled potatoes), the most impressive effect of BVM was the lower release of anomeric and total carbohydrates, which was consistent with the observed reduction of pancreatic amylase activity. The present investigation shed a new light on the impact of BVM on the digestion process.

Utilization of fermented sago pulp as a source of carbohydrate in feed for Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus

ABSTRACTThis study aimed to evaluate sago pulp fermentation method and its effect on crude fiber content, digestibility, and utilization of sago pulp as a feed raw material for Nile tilapia. Fermentation was done using three different fermenters, i.e. yeast tapai and baker’s yeast with five doses of 10 g/kg, 20 g/kg, 50 g/kg,70 g/kg,100 g/kg, respectively, and sheep rumen liquid with five doses of 100 mL/kg, 200 mL/kg, 300 mL/kg, 500 mL/kg and 1000 mL/kg. The incubation time was 0, 24, 72, and 96 hours. In the digestibility test, tilapia (25 g) was stocked at a density of 7 fish/aquarium. Three different diets were applied in quadruplicate, i.e. reference diet (100% reference diet), unfermented sago pulp (AS), and fermented sago pulp (ASF). Three different dietary treatments (in quadruplicate) containing different carbohydrate sources were tested, i.e. cassava flour as a comparion (G), unfermented sago pulp (AS), and fermented sago pulp (ASF). Fermentation of sago pulp with tapai yeast at a dose of 50 g/kg at 72 hours incubation time could reduce crude fiber by 35.76%, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) by 32.68%, and hemicellulose by 60.39%. Fermentation with yeast tapai could significantly increase sago pulp dry matter digestibility by 34% and carbohydrate digestibility by 21%, as well as increase glucose absorption. The growth experiment showed that the use of ASF diets resulted in higher specific growth rate (3.31 ± 0.12%/ day), protein retention (47.34 ± 5.23%) and fat retention (85.58 ± 5.44%) than those of AS dietary. In conclusion, fermentation of sago pulp using yeast tapai at a dose of 50 g/kg at 72 hours incubation could reduce crude fiber content and increase dry matter and carbohydrate digestibilities, so that it can be used as a source of carbohydrates in tilapia diet. Keywords : carbohydrate, digestibility, fermentation, fiber, Nile tilapia, sago pulp ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan mengevaluasi metode fermentasi ampas sagu dan pengaruhnya terhadap kandungan serat kasar, kecernaan, dan pemanfaatan ampas sagu sebagai bahan baku pakan ikan nila. Fermentasi dilakukan dengan penambahan tiga perlakuan bahan fermentor yaitu ragi tape dan ragi roti ditambahkan dengan dosis masing-masing sebanyak 10 g/kg, 20 g/kg, 50 g/kg, 70 g/kg, 100 g/kg, dan cairan rumen domba yang ditambahkan dengan dosis 100 mL/kg, 200 mL/kg, 300 mL/kg, 500 mL/kg, dan 1000 mL/kg. Lama waktu inkubasi 0, 24, 72, dan 96 jam. Pada uji kecernaan digunakan ikan nila (25 g) yang dipelihara dengan kepadatan tujuh ekor per akuarium. Pada uji ini dilakukan tiga perlakuan pakan dengan empat ulangan, yaitu pakan acuan, ampas sagu tanpa fermentasi (AS), dan ampas sagu fermentasi (ASF). Percobaan dilakukan dengan tiga perlakuan pakan (4 ulangan) dengan tiga sumber karbohidrat yang berbeda yaitu gaplek (G) sebagai pembanding, ampas sagu (AS), dan ampas sagu fermentasi (ASF). Fermentasi ampas sagu dengan menggunakan ragi tape sebanyak 50 g/kg dengan lama inkubasi 72 jam dapat menurunkan serat kasar tertinggi sebanyak 35.76%, dan menurunkan fraksi serat neutral detergent fiber (NDF) dan hemisellulosa masing-masing sebanyak 32.68% dan 60.39%. Perlakuan fermentasi ampas sagu dapat meningkatkan nilai kecernaan bahan sebesar 34%, kecernaan karbohidrat sebesar 21%, serta penyerapan glukosa. Hasil uji pertumbuhan menunjukkan bahwa perlakuan ASF memberikan nilai laju pertumbuhan spesifik (3.31 ± 0.12%/hari), retensi protein (47.34 ± 5.23%) dan retensi lemak (85.58 ± 5.44%) yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan perlakuan AS (P<0.05). Dapat disimpulkan bahwa fermentasi ampas sagu dengan menggunakan ragi tape pada dosis 50 g/kg selama 72 jam dapat menurunkan kadar serat kasar dan meningkatkan kecernaan bahan dan karbohidrat sehingga dapat digunakan sebagai sumber karbohidrat pada pakan ikan nila. Kata kunci : ampas sagu, fermentasi, ikan nila, karbohidrat, kecernaan, serat

Sourdough Fermented Breads are More Digestible than Those Started with Baker’s Yeast Alone: An In Vivo Challenge Dissecting Distinct Gastrointestinal Responses

As a staple food, bread digestibility deserves a marked nutritional interest. Combining wide-spectrum characterization of breads, in vitro nutritional indices, and in vivo postprandial markers of gastrointestinal function, we aimed at comparing the digestibility of sourdough and baker’s yeast breads. Microbiological and biochemical data showed the representativeness of the baker´s yeast bread (BYB) and the two sourdough breads (SB and t-SB, mainly differing for the time of fermentation) manufactured at semi-industrial level. All in vitro nutritional indices had the highest scores for sourdough breads. Thirty-six healthy volunteers underwent an in vivo challenge in response to bread ingestion, while monitoring gallbladder, stomach, and oro-cecal motility. SB, made with moderate sourdough acidification, stimulated more appetite and induced lower satiety. t-SB, having the most intense acidic taste, induced the highest fullness perception in the shortest time. Gallbladder response did not differ among breads, while gastric emptying was faster with sourdough breads. Oro-cecal transit was prolonged for BYB and faster for sourdough breads, especially when made with traditional and long-time fermentation (t-SB), whose transit lasted ca. 20 min less than BYB. Differences in carbohydrate digestibility and absorption determined different post-prandial glycaemia responses. Sourdough breads had the lowest values. After ingesting sourdough breads, which had a concentration of total free amino acids markedly higher than that of BYB, the levels in blood plasma were maintained at constantly high levels for extended time.