Influence of the Zinc and Fibre Addition in the Diet on Biomechanical Bone Properties in Weaned Piglets

The effects of the zinc and fibre source in piglets’ diet on the bone mineral content, density, and strength parameters of the femur were investigated using 24 piglets fed a diet supplemented with either lignocellulose (LC) or potato fibre (PF). Half of each group of piglets consumed a diet with ZnSO4 monohydrate or with zinc glycinate (ZnGly). The diets contained similar amounts of lysine, energy, and fibre. Bone mineral content and density were over 9% higher in pigs receiving diets with ZnGly than in animals fed diets with ZnSO4. Moreover, ZnGly strongly improved maximum and elastic strength (by 25.7 and 20.0%, respectively, p < 0.0001) and bone stiffness (by 29.4%, p < 0.0001). Only the mass of the femur was affected by the type of fibre in the diet, as the femurs of piglets fed diets with LC were over 7% (p < 0.0001) heavier than in piglets fed diets with PF. The intake of digestible zinc and the zinc content in the blood serum were positively correlated with the measured bone parameters and, depending on the parameter, “r” ranged from 0.749 to 0.866 and from 0.400 to 0.479, respectively. It can be concluded that bone parameters are affected more strongly by the organic than inorganic source of zinc.

Quality Assessment of Goldenrod, Milkweed and Multifloral Honeys Based on Botanical Origin, Antioxidant Capacity and Mineral Content

The goal of the study was to evaluate the pollen spectrum, antioxidant capacity and mineral content of four Hungarian honey types, using multivariate statistical analysis. The light colored honeys were represented by milkweed honey and a multifloral (MF) honey with dominant pollen frequency of linden (MF-Tilia); the darker ones were goldenrod honey and a multifloral honey with Lamiaceae pollen majority (MF-Lamiaceae). The pollen spectrum of the samples was established with melissopalynological analysis. The absorbance of the honeys positively correlated with the antioxidant capacity determined with three of the used methods (TRC, TEAC, DPPH), but not with ORAC. The latter method correlated negatively also with other antioxidant methods and with most of the mineral values. MF-Tilia had high ORAC value, K and Na content. The MF-Lamiaceae had the highest K, Mg, P, S, Cu and Zn content, the last five elements showing strict correlation with the TRC method. The darker goldenrod honey had higher SET values and total mineral content, than the milkweed honey. The above character-sets facilitate identification of each honey type and serve as indicators of variety. The antioxidant levels and mineral content of honeys allowed their clear separation by principal component analysis (PCA).

Transcriptomic, Metabolomic and Ionomic Analyses Reveal Early Modulation of Leaf Mineral Content in Brassica napus under Mild or Severe Drought

While it is generally acknowledged that drought is one of the main abiotic factors affecting plant growth, how mineral nutrition is specifically and negatively affected by water deficit has received very little attention, other than being analyzed as a consequence of reduced growth. Therefore, Brassica napus plants were subjected to a gradual onset of water deficits (mild, severe, or severe extended), and leaves were analyzed at the ionomic, transcriptomic and metabolic levels. The number of Differentially Expressed Genes (DEGs) and of the most differentially accumulated metabolites increased from mild (525 DEGs, 57 metabolites) to severe (5454 DEGs, 78 metabolites) and severe extended (9346 DEGs, 95 metabolites) water deficit. Gene ontology enrichment analysis of the 11,747 DEGs identified revealed that ion transport was one of the most significant processes affected, even under mild water deficit, and this was also confirmed by the shift in ionomic composition (mostly micronutrients with a strong decrease in Mo, Fe, Zn, and Mn in leaves) that occurred well before growth reduction. The metabolomic data and most of the transcriptomic data suggested that well-known early leaf responses to drought such as phytohormone metabolism (ABA and JA), proline accumulation, and oxidative stress defense were induced later than repression of genes related to nutrient transport.

Mineral composition of wheat species as influenced by different fertilizer sources and different weed control practices

This research was carried out to determine the effects of agronomic practices on the mineral composition of organically-grown wheat species. In terms of all nutrients evaluated, the mineral content of wheat showed significant differences according to crop years, varieties, weed control methods and fertilizer sources. As the average of all factors, the Cu, Fe, Mn, Se, Zn, Cd, Co, Cr, Ni and Pb contents of the ground wheat grain were; 3.93, 42.8, 79.6, 0.549, 11.34, 0.012, 0.140, 0.194, 3.71 and 0.269 mg / kg, respectively. According to the wheat varieties, the Kırik was superior in terms of Cu, Fe, Se, Zn, Co and Cr, and the Dogu-88 was superior in terms of Mn, Cd, and Ni. The effect of weed control methods on mineral content was variable. According to fertilizer sources, the highest mineral content was obtained from the control plots without fertilizer treatments. The lowest mineral contents were obtained from chemical fertilization, cattle manure and organic fertilizer applications. There was no significant increase in the mineral content of wheat with organic fertilization, however, organic agriculture still preserves its place in terms of healthy food. As a result, it has been determined that the values obtained for all mineral elements were not at a level that pose a risk on the environment, human and animal health according to WHO.

Experimental Study on Shut-in-Time Optimization for Multi-Fractured Horizontal Wells in Shale Reservoirs

The optimization of shut-in-time in shale gas well is an important factor affecting the production of single well after volume fracturing. In this study, a new method for determining the optimal shut-in-time considering clay mineral content and ion diffusion concentration was proposed. First, a novel water spontaneous imbibition apparatus under the conditions of formation temperature and confining pressure was designed. Then, the water imbibition satuation of 15 shale samples from the Longmaxi Formation (LF) of the Sichuan Basin were measured to quantitatively evaluate the water imbibition ability and classify reservoir types. Finally, the salt ion concentration diffusion experiment was carried out to optimize the shut-in-time of different types of shale reservoirs. The experimental results shown that the clay mineral content was the key factor affecting water wettability of shale, the shale reservoirs can be divided into two types and the critical value of clay mineral content was about 40%. Based on the law of salt ion diffusion in shale, the initiation time of micro-fractures induced by shale hydration was about 10-15 days. Under the experimental conditions, the optimal shut-in time of type I shale reservoir and type II shale reservoir were about 20 days and 15 days respectively. The average daily gas production has increased from 15.6×104 m3/day to 25.1×104 m3/day. The study results can provide scientific basis for the optimization of flowback regime of shale gas resrvoirs.

Mineral Biofortification and Growth Stimulation of Lentil Plants Inoculated with Trichoderma Strains and Metabolites

Biofortification of crops via agricultural interventions represents an excellent way to supply micronutrients in poor rural populations, who highly suffer from these deficiencies. Soil microbes can directly influence plant growth and productivity, e.g., by contrasting plant pathogens or facilitating micronutrient assimilation in harvested crop-food products. Among these microbial communities, Trichoderma fungi are well-known examples of plant symbionts widely used in agriculture as biofertilizers or biocontrol agents. In this work, eleven Trichoderma strains and/or their bioactive metabolites (BAMs) were applied to lentil plants to evaluate their effects on plant growth and mineral content in greenhouse or field experiments. Our results indicated that, depending upon the different combinations of fungal strain and/or BAM, the mode of treatment (seed and/or watering), as well as the supplementary watering with solutions of iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn), the mineral absorption was differentially affected in treated plants compared with the water controls. In greenhouse conditions, the largest increase in Fe and Zn contents occurred when the compounds were applied to the seeds and the strains (in particular, T. afroharzianum T22, T. harzianum TH1, and T. virens GV41) to the soil. In field experiments, Fe and Zn contents increased in plants treated with T. asperellum strain KV906 or the hydrophobin HYTLO1 compared with controls. Both selected fungal strains and BAMs applications improved seed germination and crop yield. This biotechnology may represent an important challenge for natural biofortification of crops, thus reducing the risk of nutrient deficiencies.

Elderberry Stalks as a Source of High-Value Phytochemical: Essential Minerals and Lipophilic Compounds

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra L.) consumption has been growing in the last years, generating a large number of stalks (~10% of the berries bunch) that are still under-valorized. This study focused on the evaluation of elderberry stalks as a source of high-value phytochemicals. In this vein, the essential mineral content and lipophilic composition were analyzed for the first time. In addition, the polar fraction was evaluated regarding its total phenolic content (TPC) and antioxidant activity by both 2,2-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid (ABTS) and 2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl hydrate (DPPH) assays. The lipophilic fraction was mainly composed of triterpenic acids (2902.20 mg kg−1 of dry weight (dw)), fatty acids (711.73 mg kg−1 dw) and sterols (288.56 mg kg−1 dw). Minor amounts of long-chain aliphatic alcohols and other components were also detected. Ursolic acid (2265.83 mg kg−1 dw), hexadecanoic acid (219.85 mg kg−1 dw) and β-sitosterol (202.74 mg kg−1 dw) were the major lipophilic components verified. The results of this study also indicated that elderberry stalks might be used as a natural source of essential minerals, particularly calcium, iron and potassium, which are known to play important roles in various body functions. The analysis of the polar fraction also showed that elderberry stalks present TPC as high as elderberry themselves as well as considerable antioxidant activity (1.04 and 0.37 mmol TE g−1 of extract, against respectively ABTS and DPPH radicals). These results highlight the potential of elderberry stalks as a natural source of high-value phytochemicals that may be explored in several fields.

EFFECT OF MATURITY STAGES ON POTENTIAL NUTRITIVE VALUE OF VICIA CRACCA (L.) HAY

The aim of the current experiment was to determine the effect of harvesting stage on the potential nutritive value. Vicia cracca plant was harvested at three maturity stages (before flowering, flowering and seeding). Vicia cracca plants were dried at 70 °C and grinded in a hand-mill with 1 mm sieve for chemical analysis. Crude protein, crude oil, crude ash, condensed tannin, acid detergent fiber (ADF), and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) parameters were investigated as the chemical composition. Harvesting stage had a significant (p ≤ 0.01) effect on chemical composition. Dry matter, NDF and ADF contents were increased with advancing maturity whereas crude protein, crude oil, condensed tannin and crude ash contents were decreased. As a conclusion, the nutritive value of Vicia cracca plant decreased with increasing maturity. Vicia cracca hays harvested at three maturity stages were adequate in term of mineral content for ruminant. Therefore, the Vicia cracca plant can be harvested or grazed before flowering and flowering stages due to high crude protein, crude oil and low ADF and NDF.