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Effect of calcium propionate and sorghum level on lamb performance
Animal Feed Science and Technology 177 (2012) 237–241
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Animal Feed Science and Technology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/anifeedsci
Short communication
Effect of calcium propionate and sorghum level on lamb performance Héctor A. Lee-Rangel a , German D. Mendoza b,∗ , Sergio S. González c a Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Facultad de Agronomía, México, km. 14.5 Carr. San Luis Potosí – Matehuala, C.P. 78321, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P, Mexico b Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco, México DF, Calzada del Hueso 1100, D.F., C.P. 04970, Mexico c Colegio de Postgraduados, México, Campus Montecillo, km 36.5 Carr. México Texcoco, C.P. 56230, Mexico
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 12 December 2011 Received in revised form 11 August 2012 Accepted 24 August 2012
Keywords: Grains Lambs Propionate
a b s t r a c t The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of calcium propionate and grain level on performance and ruminal variables in 32 finishing Criollo lambs (28.14 ± 2.34 kg initial BW) over 42 days. A completely randomized design was used with a factorial arrangement of treatments with either 550 or 650 g grain and 0 or 10 g calcium propionate per kg diet. All diets contained corn grain 200 and molasses 100 g/kg diet. Sorghum grain levels were 350 or 450 g/kg diet, replacing corn stover. No differences were observed in intake, gain or feed conversion among treatments. Rib eye area increased with 650 g/kg grain (P<0.05). Ruminal pH was not affected by treatments. Ruminal acetate concentration decreased with more grain (P<0.005). It was concluded that Ca propionate could be used to partially replace the energy usually supplied by grain in diets for finishing lambs. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction In highly productive livestock systems alternative food sources should be evaluated in order to maximize energy consumption (Mendoza et al., 2008). Although including more fermentable grain in the diet increases energy density, an excess of such grain in the rumen occasionally reduces dry matter intake, and overall energy intake may not actually increase (Davis, 1967; Oba and Allen, 2003). Given that the cost of grain has been increasing worldwide, the use of glucose precursors such as glycerol, propylene glycol (Ferraro et al., 2009) or calcium propionate to partially replace grain may be an attractive option. Propylene glycol and calcium propionate are used to correct metabolic problems in dairy cattle. However, since propylene glycol can be metabolized into sulphur compounds (Trabue et al., 2007), only calcium propionate can be incorporated into the diet. This would increase the concentration of propionate in the rumen, which is the main precursor required for glucose synthesis in the liver (Aiello et al., 1989). Calcium propionate should be incorporated at low doses because it has a hypophagic effect in ruminants (Oba and Allen, 2003) and decreased intake linearly when infused in sheep (Farningham and Whyte, 1998). Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of calcium propionate (Ca) and two levels of grain on lambs’ performance.
Abbreviations: ADG, average daily gain; ADF, acid detergent fiber; aNDF, neutral detergent fiber; BW, body weight; Ca-Pr, calcium propionate; FC, feed conversion ratio; VFA, volatile fatty acid. ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +52 5556225855; fax: +52 5556225856. E-mail address: [email protected] (G.D. Mendoza). 0377-8401/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2012.08.012
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H.A. Lee-Rangel et al. / Animal Feed Science and Technology 177 (2012) 237–241
Table 1 Experimental diets and chemical composition. Grain (g/kg)
0 g/kg Ca-Pr
10 g/kg Ca-Pr
650
550
650
550
Dry matter basis (g/kg) Sorghum grain Corn grain Corn stover Molasses Soybean meal Urea Mineralsa Ca propionateb Acid buffc
450 200 155 100 70 10 10 0 5
350 200 240 100 85 10 10 0 5
450 200 140 100 70 10 10 10 5
350 200 230 100 85 10 10 10 5
Chemical composition (g/kg DM) Dry matter Crude protein aNDF ADF Starch
873 146 193 95 438
878 144 273 145 385
874 146 168 80 446
879 145 252 153 374
Ca-Pr, calcium propionate; DM, dry matter; aNDF, neutral detergent fibre; and ADF, acid detergent fibre. a Ca 270 g, P 30 g, Mg 7.5 g, Na 65.5 g, Cl 100, K 0.5 g, S 42 mg, lasalocid 2000 mg, Mn 2000 mg, Fe 978 mg, Zn 3000 mg, Se 20 mg, Co 15 mg, vitamin A 35,000 IU, vitamin D 150,000 IU and vitamin E 150 IU. b 780 g propionic acid and 220 g Ca. c CaCO3 750 g and MgCO3 190 g.
2. Materials and methods 2.1. Animals and diets Thirty-two male Criollo sheep (initial weight 28.14 ± 2.34 kg) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments (diets, Table 1): (1) 650 g/kg grain (450 sorghum + 200 corn) and 0 g/kg Ca propionate (780 g/kg propionic acid); (2) 550 g/kg grain (350 sorghum + 200 corn) and 0 g/kg Ca-Pr; (3) 650 g/kg grain (450 sorghum + 200 corn) and 10 g/kg Ca-Pr; (4) 550 g/kg grain (350 sorghum + 200 corn) and 10 g/kg Ca-Pr. The manufacturer of the calcium propionate was Alimentaria Mexicana Bekarem, S.A. de C.V. from México, D.F. The animals were housed in individual cages equipped with food and water bowls, and food was provided at 08:00 and 15:00 h. The sheep were adapted to their diets for 10 days and the experiment lasted 42 days (August 1–September 10, 2009). All sheep had free access to feed ensuring 100 g orts per kg of the amount fed daily.
2.2. Feed analysis Daily samples of feed and orts were composited every 14 days. Dry matter (ID 934.01) and total nitrogen (ID 984.13) in the diets were analyzed according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (1999) (Table 1). Neutral detergent fiber (aNDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) analyses were carried out according to Van Soest et al. (1991). Sodium sulphite and heat-stable amylase were used in analysis of aNDF. Both aNDF and ADF were expressed inclusive of residual ash. Starch was ˜ and Huber (1989). determined from glucose release by the method of Herrera-Saldana
2.3. Growth assay The evaluated variables were daily feed intake, daily gain (ADG), feed conversion (ratio of kg feed intake/kg gain), carcass yield and chop area. Lambs were weighed every 14 days to estimate ADG, while the hot carcass yield empty weight was obtained following slaughter of the sheep, and chop area was assessed (one day before slaughter) by ultrasonography (Silva et al., 2005). gain [
2.4. Rumen fermentation Rumen fluid (50 mL) was extracted on the last day at 07:00 (fasted for 16 h) of the trial and pH was measured using a pH meter (Benchtop Cole Parmer 05669-20, Vernon Hills, IL, USA) and then ruminal fluid was acidified with 1 mL of sulphuric acid (300 g/L) and stored in a freezer (−20 ◦ C) for further analyses. Volatile fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography in samples prepared with metaphosporic acid (Erwin et al., 1961).
H.A. Lee-Rangel et al. / Animal Feed Science and Technology 177 (2012) 237–241
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Table 2 Performance of lambs fed with two levels of grain and calcium propionate. Grain (g/kg)
Initial weight (kg) FC Intake (g/day) ADG (g) Hot carcass weight (kg) Chop area (mm2 )
0 g/kg Ca-Pr
10 g/kg Ca-Pr
SEM
650
550
650
550
24.3 5.0 1177 236 18.5a 959a
24.5 4.5 1246 269 16.0b 866a
23.1 5.1 1194 239 16.8ab 940a
23.5 4.9 1204 243 17.7ab 838b
0.76 0.13 67.4 13.5 0.63 32.1
Significance Grain
Ca-Pr
Grain × Ca-Pr
0.40 0.47 0.34 0.90 0.05
0.35 0.81 0.60 0.08 0.52
0.42 0.59 0.47 0.002 0.90
Ca-Pr, calcium propionate; ADG, average daily gain; FC, feed conversion (ratio of kg feed intake/kg gain); and SEM, standard error of the mean. (abc ) Means within row with different superscripts differ (P<0.05).
2.5. Statistical analysis The results were analyzed according to a completely randomized design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments and were analyzed using PROC GLM (SAS, 2002). Means were compared with the Tukey test (P≤0.05). 3. Results Feed intake was not modified by grain level despite the differences in NDF and starch content. Weight gain was not affected by the addition of Ca propionate. There was no effect of grain level on the ADG and no interaction. Feed conversion was not affected by the addition of propionate or grain level (Table 2). There was an interaction for grain level and calcium propionate in hot carcass weight with the lowest yield obtained with the lowest level of grain without alcium propionate. The chop area was larger (P=0.05) in the diet containing the higher level of grain (Table 2). There were no effects on rumen pH among treatments (Table 3). Diets with a higher level of grain led to a lower proportion of acetate and higher levels of propionate (P=0.005) (Table 3). Feed intake of the diet containing 650 g/kg grain plus calcium propionate led to an increase in the proportion of propionic acid (interaction P=0.03, Table 3). 4. Discussion The proportions of forage included in the diets were too low to alter intake due to distension (Allen, 1997). The addition of propionate did not decrease consumption (P>0. 05), which conflicts with other studies (Oba and Allen, 2003). Bradford and Allen (2007) observed reduced intake when propionate was added to the rumen or portal vein. In other experiments in which calcium propionate was included in the diet of dairy cows, either no changes in intake were observed (DeFrain et al., 2005), or the authors reported a decrease in intake of 11% (McNamara and Valdez, 2005). The variable response in food intake may be due to the differences in propionate levels used and the proportions of concentrate: forage in the diet (Liu et al., 2009). In the present study the dose of Ca propionate (10 g/kg DM) was equivalent to 64.3 mmol/day being an amount lower than used in the experiment conducted by Bradford et al. (2006) who infused intraruminally 19 mol/day of Na propionate in dairy cows and observed the hypophagic effect and even when the body weight of the cows was not reported, it is possible to estimate a much higher dose (30 mmol/kg BW) than that used in our experiment (1.91–2.74 mmol/kg BW). In another experiment with lactating dairy cows with different doses (100, 200 and 300 g/day), Liu et al. (2009) did not find effects on feed intake and milk yield; doses are similar to those from our experiment compared in dietary concentration (5.5–20.2 g/kg DM) or expressed per kg of body weight (0.69–2.68 mmol/kg BW). In studies for hepatic function with propionate challenges, the dose of Ca propionate have ranged from 2.5 to 3.0 mmol/kg BW and most reported no negative effects (Bradford et al., 2006). The results from the current study indicate that low levels of propionate do not have a hypophagic effect. Table 3 Fermentation pattern of lambs fed with two levels of grain and Ca propionate. Grain (g/kg)
pH
0 g/kg Ca-Pr
10 g/kg Ca-Pr
SEM
650
550
650
550
Significance Grain
Ca-Pr
Grain × Ca-Pr
6.3
6.1
6.1
6.3
1.3
0.56
0.86
0.41
VFA (mol/100 mol) Acetate Propionate Butyrate
56.7a 36.2ab 11.1
56.2a 35.4ab 8.4
46.5b 44.1a 9.3
52.7ab 30.9b 12.3
2.2 2.7 1.3
0.005 0.01 0.81
0.21 0.53 0.46
0.15 0.03 0.03
Total VFA (mmol/)L
57.7
60.7
52.6
71.1
5.2
0.15
0.62
0.05
Ca-Pr, calcium propionate; ADG, average daily gain; FC, feed conversion ratio; VFA, volatile fatty acid; and SEM, standard error of the mean. (abc ) Means within row with different superscripts differ (P<0.05).
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The amount of Ca propionate added to the diet in this study was not enough to affect weight gain. Whitney et al. (2000) observed a greater ADG in calves associated with increased blood glucose resulting from increased production of ruminal propionate. Parsons et al. (2009) noted that ADG increased in feedlot cattle receiving up to 10% glycerol in the diet, which may be related to the production of propionate (Ferraro et al., 2009). It is expected that a higher level of grain would improve the productive performance of sheep, but there are few studies comparing sorghum grain levels. Mendoza et al. (2007) found no differences in weight gain in sheep fed diets containing between 62% and 84% grain. Hatfield et al. (1997) reported an increase in ADG when the proportion of barley in the diet increased (40–80%). However, Mandebvu and Galbraith (1999) found no differences in growth rate or efficiency in animals fed 50–75% barley in the diet. Increased feed efficiency has been reported following the inclusion of glucogenic precursors (Richardson et al., 2003). Fluharty et al. (1999) reported that lambs fed a diet high in concentrate had a higher yield carcass weight compared with lambs fed alfalfa. However, the differences in energy consumption in the current study were not high enough to produce obvious changes in these variables. No changes were observed in ruminal pH by the addition of propionate because the levels used were low, as observed in one study where ruminal infusions of sodium propionate did not affect ruminal pH (Quigley and Heitmann, 1991). If the VFA concentration would have been greater it would be expected reduction in rumen pH (Brown et al., 2006), either due to an increase of concentrate in the diet or by acid infusion into the rumen (Mendoza et al., 1993). The fermentation pattern was similar to that reported in sheep fed high grain diets (Mendoza et al., 1993; Swanson et al., 2000) and the molar proportions of acetate were lower than those of propionate in sheep fed diets high in starch (Swanson et al., 2000). 5. Conclusion The addition of 10 g/kg of calcium propionate to diets containing 550–650 g/kg grain did not affect the productive performance of lambs. No inhibitory effects of Ca propionate on intake were manifested. The highest molar concentrations of propionate were observed in sheep fed diets with the higher level of grain plus calcium propionate. The results indicate that calcium propionate can be used to partially replace energy usually obtained from grain in sheep diets but further studies with large number of growing lambs need to be conducted to compare performance and economy before recommending its use in practice. References Aiello, R.J., Armentano, L.E., Bertics, S.J., Murphy, A.T., 1989. Volatile fatty acid uptake and propionate metabolism in ruminant hepatocytes. J. Dairy Sci. 72, 942–949. Allen, M.S., 1997. Relationship between fermentation acid produccion in the rumen and the requirement for physical effective fiber. J. Dairy Sci. 80, 1447–1462. AOAC, 1999. Official Methods of Analysis, 16th ed. Association of Official Analytical Chemists, Arlington, V.A., USA. Bradford, B.J., Allen, M.S., 2007. Phlorizin administration does not attenuate hypophagia induced by intraruminal propionate infusion in lactating dairy cattle. J. Nutr. 137, 326–330. Bradford, B.J., Gour, A.D., Nash, A.S., Allen, M.S., 2006. Propionate challenge tests have limited value for investigating bovine metabolism. J. Nutr. 136, 1915–1920. Brown, M.S., Ponce, C.H., Pulikanti, R., 2006. Adaptation of beef cattle to high-concentrate diets: Performance and ruminal metabolism. J. Anim. Sci. 84 (E. Suppl.), E25–E33. Davis, C.L., 1967. Acetate production in the rumen of cows fed either control or low-fiber, high-grain diets. J. Dairy Sci. 50, 1621–1625. DeFrain, J.M., Hippen, A.R., Kalscheur, K.F., Patton, R.S., 2005. Effects of feeding propionate and calcium salts of long-chain fatty acids on transition dairy cow performance. J. Dairy Sci. 88, 983–993. Erwin, E.S., Marco, G.J., Emery, E., 1961. Volatile fatty acid analysis of blood and rumen fluid by gas chromatography. J. Dairy Sci. 44, 1768–1776. Farningham, D.A.H., Whyte, C.C., 1998. The role of propionate and acetate in the control of food intake in sheep. Br. J. Nutr. 70, 37–46. Ferraro, S.M., Mendoza, G.D., Miranda, L.A., Gutiérrez, C.G., 2009. In vitro gas production and ruminal fermentation of glycerol, propylene glycol and molasses. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 154, 112–118. Fluharty, F.L., McClure, K.E., Solomon, M.B., Clevenger, D.D., Lowe, G.D., 1999. Energy source and ionophore supplementation effects on lamb growth, carcass characteristics, visceral organ mass, diet digestibility, and nitrogen metabolism. J. Anim. Sci. 77, 816–823. Hatfield, P.G., Hopkins, J.A., Pritchard, G.T., Hunt, C.W., 1997. The effects of amount of whole barley, barley bulk density, and form of roughage on feedlot lamb performance, carcass composition, and digesta kinetics. J. Anim. Sci. 75, 3353–3366. ˜ R., Huber, J.T., 1989. Influence of varying protein and starch degradabilities on performance of lactating cows. J. Dairy Sci. 72, 1477–1483. Herrera-Saldana, Liu, Q., Wang, C., Yang, W.Z., Guo, G., Yang, X.M., He, D.C., Dong, K.H., Huang, Y.X., 2009. Effects of calcium propionate supplementation on lactation performance, energy balance and blood metabolites in early lactation dairy cows. J. Anim. Physiol. Anim. Nutr. 94, 605–614. McNamara, J.P., Valdez, F., 2005. Adipose tissue metabolism and production responses to calcium propionate and chromium propionate. J. Dairy Sci. 88, 2498–2507. Mandebvu, P., Galbraith, H., 1999. Effect of sodium bicarbonate supplementation and variation in the proportion of barley and sugar beet pulp on growth performance and rumen, blood and carcass characteristics of young entire male lambs. Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. 82, 37–49. Mendoza, M.G.D., Britton, R.A., Stock, R.A., 1993. Influence of ruminal protozoa on site and extent of starch digestion and ruminal fermentation. J. Anim. Sci. 71, 1572–1578. Mendoza, M.G.D., Plata, P.F.X., Espinoza, C.R., Lara, B.A., 2008. Manejo nutricional para mejorar la utilización de la energía en bovinos, vol. 24. Universidad y Ciencia, UJAT Mexico, pp. 1–13 (Eng. Abstr.). Mendoza, M.G.D., Plata, P.F., Ramirez, M.M., Mejia, D.M.A., Lee, R.H., Barcena, G.R., 2007. Evaluación de alimentos integrales para el engorde intensivo de ovinos. Rev. Cient. FCV-LUZ 15, 66–72 (Eng. Abstr.). Oba, M., Allen, M.S., 2003. Extent of hypophagia caused by propionate infusion is related to plasma glucose concentration in lactating dairy cows. J. Nutr. 133, 1005–1012. Parsons, G.L., Shelor, M.K., Drouillard, J.S., 2009. Performance and carcass traits of finishing heifers fed crude glycerin. J. Anim. Sci. 87, 653–657.
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Quigley, J.D., Heitmann, R.H., 1991. Effects of propionate infusion and dietary energy on dry matter intake in sheep. J. Anim. Sci. 69, 1178–1187. Richardson, J.M., Wilkinson, R.G., Sinclair, L.A., 2003. Synchrony of nutrient supply to the rumen and dietary energy source and their effects on the growth and metabolism of lambs. J. Anim. Sci. 81, 1332–1347. 2002. SAS User’s Guide. Statistics (Release 8.02). SAS Inst. Inc., Cary, NC, USA. Silva, S.R., Gomes, M.J., Días-da-Silva, A., Gil, L.F., Azevedo, J.M., 2005. Estimation in vivo of the body and carcass chemical composition of growing lambs by real-time ultrasonography. J. Anim. Sci. 83, 350–357. Swanson, K.C., Matthews, J.C., Matthews, A.D., Howell, J.A., Richards, C.J., Harmon, D.L., 2000. Dietary carbohydrate source and energy intake influence the expression of pancreatic ␣-amylase in lambs. J. Nutr. 130, 2157–2165. Trabue, S., Scoggin, K., Tjandrakusuma, S., Rasmussen, M.A., Reilly, P.J., 2007. Ruminal fermentation of propylene glycol and glycerol. J. Agric. Food Chem. 55, 7043–7051. Van Soest, P.J., Robertson, J.B., Lewis, B.A., 1991. Methods for dietary fibre, neutral detergent fibre, and nonstarch carbohydrates in relation to animal nutrition. J. Dairy Sci. 74, 3583–3597. Whitney, M.B., Hess, B.W., Burgwald-Balstad, L.A., Sayer, J.L., Tsopito, C.M., Talbott, C.T., Hallford, D.M., 2000. Effects of supplemental soybean oil level on in vitro digestion and performance of prepubertal beef heifers. J. Anim. Sci. 78, 504–514.
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Animal Feed Science and Technology journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/anifeedsci
Short communication
Effect of calcium propionate and sorghum level on lamb performance Héctor A. Lee-Rangel a , German D. Mendoza b,∗ , Sergio S. González c a Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Facultad de Agronomía, México, km. 14.5 Carr. San Luis Potosí – Matehuala, C.P. 78321, San Luis Potosí, S.L.P, Mexico b Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Xochimilco, México DF, Calzada del Hueso 1100, D.F., C.P. 04970, Mexico c Colegio de Postgraduados, México, Campus Montecillo, km 36.5 Carr. México Texcoco, C.P. 56230, Mexico
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 12 December 2011 Received in revised form 11 August 2012 Accepted 24 August 2012
Keywords: Grains Lambs Propionate
a b s t r a c t The objective of this experiment was to evaluate the effect of calcium propionate and grain level on performance and ruminal variables in 32 finishing Criollo lambs (28.14 ± 2.34 kg initial BW) over 42 days. A completely randomized design was used with a factorial arrangement of treatments with either 550 or 650 g grain and 0 or 10 g calcium propionate per kg diet. All diets contained corn grain 200 and molasses 100 g/kg diet. Sorghum grain levels were 350 or 450 g/kg diet, replacing corn stover. No differences were observed in intake, gain or feed conversion among treatments. Rib eye area increased with 650 g/kg grain (P<0.05). Ruminal pH was not affected by treatments. Ruminal acetate concentration decreased with more grain (P<0.005). It was concluded that Ca propionate could be used to partially replace the energy usually supplied by grain in diets for finishing lambs. © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction In highly productive livestock systems alternative food sources should be evaluated in order to maximize energy consumption (Mendoza et al., 2008). Although including more fermentable grain in the diet increases energy density, an excess of such grain in the rumen occasionally reduces dry matter intake, and overall energy intake may not actually increase (Davis, 1967; Oba and Allen, 2003). Given that the cost of grain has been increasing worldwide, the use of glucose precursors such as glycerol, propylene glycol (Ferraro et al., 2009) or calcium propionate to partially replace grain may be an attractive option. Propylene glycol and calcium propionate are used to correct metabolic problems in dairy cattle. However, since propylene glycol can be metabolized into sulphur compounds (Trabue et al., 2007), only calcium propionate can be incorporated into the diet. This would increase the concentration of propionate in the rumen, which is the main precursor required for glucose synthesis in the liver (Aiello et al., 1989). Calcium propionate should be incorporated at low doses because it has a hypophagic effect in ruminants (Oba and Allen, 2003) and decreased intake linearly when infused in sheep (Farningham and Whyte, 1998). Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of calcium propionate (Ca) and two levels of grain on lambs’ performance.
Abbreviations: ADG, average daily gain; ADF, acid detergent fiber; aNDF, neutral detergent fiber; BW, body weight; Ca-Pr, calcium propionate; FC, feed conversion ratio; VFA, volatile fatty acid. ∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +52 5556225855; fax: +52 5556225856. E-mail address: [email protected] (G.D. Mendoza). 0377-8401/$ – see front matter © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2012.08.012
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H.A. Lee-Rangel et al. / Animal Feed Science and Technology 177 (2012) 237–241
Table 1 Experimental diets and chemical composition. Grain (g/kg)
0 g/kg Ca-Pr
10 g/kg Ca-Pr
650
550
650
550
Dry matter basis (g/kg) Sorghum grain Corn grain Corn stover Molasses Soybean meal Urea Mineralsa Ca propionateb Acid buffc
450 200 155 100 70 10 10 0 5
350 200 240 100 85 10 10 0 5
450 200 140 100 70 10 10 10 5
350 200 230 100 85 10 10 10 5
Chemical composition (g/kg DM) Dry matter Crude protein aNDF ADF Starch
873 146 193 95 438
878 144 273 145 385
874 146 168 80 446
879 145 252 153 374
Ca-Pr, calcium propionate; DM, dry matter; aNDF, neutral detergent fibre; and ADF, acid detergent fibre. a Ca 270 g, P 30 g, Mg 7.5 g, Na 65.5 g, Cl 100, K 0.5 g, S 42 mg, lasalocid 2000 mg, Mn 2000 mg, Fe 978 mg, Zn 3000 mg, Se 20 mg, Co 15 mg, vitamin A 35,000 IU, vitamin D 150,000 IU and vitamin E 150 IU. b 780 g propionic acid and 220 g Ca. c CaCO3 750 g and MgCO3 190 g.
2. Materials and methods 2.1. Animals and diets Thirty-two male Criollo sheep (initial weight 28.14 ± 2.34 kg) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments (diets, Table 1): (1) 650 g/kg grain (450 sorghum + 200 corn) and 0 g/kg Ca propionate (780 g/kg propionic acid); (2) 550 g/kg grain (350 sorghum + 200 corn) and 0 g/kg Ca-Pr; (3) 650 g/kg grain (450 sorghum + 200 corn) and 10 g/kg Ca-Pr; (4) 550 g/kg grain (350 sorghum + 200 corn) and 10 g/kg Ca-Pr. The manufacturer of the calcium propionate was Alimentaria Mexicana Bekarem, S.A. de C.V. from México, D.F. The animals were housed in individual cages equipped with food and water bowls, and food was provided at 08:00 and 15:00 h. The sheep were adapted to their diets for 10 days and the experiment lasted 42 days (August 1–September 10, 2009). All sheep had free access to feed ensuring 100 g orts per kg of the amount fed daily.
2.2. Feed analysis Daily samples of feed and orts were composited every 14 days. Dry matter (ID 934.01) and total nitrogen (ID 984.13) in the diets were analyzed according to the Association of Official Analytical Chemists (1999) (Table 1). Neutral detergent fiber (aNDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) analyses were carried out according to Van Soest et al. (1991). Sodium sulphite and heat-stable amylase were used in analysis of aNDF. Both aNDF and ADF were expressed inclusive of residual ash. Starch was ˜ and Huber (1989). determined from glucose release by the method of Herrera-Saldana
2.3. Growth assay The evaluated variables were daily feed intake, daily gain (ADG), feed conversion (ratio of kg feed intake/kg gain), carcass yield and chop area. Lambs were weighed every 14 days to estimate ADG, while the hot carcass yield empty weight was obtained following slaughter of the sheep, and chop area was assessed (one day before slaughter) by ultrasonography (Silva et al., 2005). gain [
2.4. Rumen fermentation Rumen fluid (50 mL) was extracted on the last day at 07:00 (fasted for 16 h) of the trial and pH was measured using a pH meter (Benchtop Cole Parmer 05669-20, Vernon Hills, IL, USA) and then ruminal fluid was acidified with 1 mL of sulphuric acid (300 g/L) and stored in a freezer (−20 ◦ C) for further analyses. Volatile fatty acids were measured by gas chromatography in samples prepared with metaphosporic acid (Erwin et al., 1961).
H.A. Lee-Rangel et al. / Animal Feed Science and Technology 177 (2012) 237–241
239
Table 2 Performance of lambs fed with two levels of grain and calcium propionate. Grain (g/kg)
Initial weight (kg) FC Intake (g/day) ADG (g) Hot carcass weight (kg) Chop area (mm2 )
0 g/kg Ca-Pr
10 g/kg Ca-Pr
SEM
650
550
650
550
24.3 5.0 1177 236 18.5a 959a
24.5 4.5 1246 269 16.0b 866a
23.1 5.1 1194 239 16.8ab 940a
23.5 4.9 1204 243 17.7ab 838b
0.76 0.13 67.4 13.5 0.63 32.1
Significance Grain
Ca-Pr
Grain × Ca-Pr
0.40 0.47 0.34 0.90 0.05
0.35 0.81 0.60 0.08 0.52
0.42 0.59 0.47 0.002 0.90
Ca-Pr, calcium propionate; ADG, average daily gain; FC, feed conversion (ratio of kg feed intake/kg gain); and SEM, standard error of the mean. (abc ) Means within row with different superscripts differ (P<0.05).
2.5. Statistical analysis The results were analyzed according to a completely randomized design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments and were analyzed using PROC GLM (SAS, 2002). Means were compared with the Tukey test (P≤0.05). 3. Results Feed intake was not modified by grain level despite the differences in NDF and starch content. Weight gain was not affected by the addition of Ca propionate. There was no effect of grain level on the ADG and no interaction. Feed conversion was not affected by the addition of propionate or grain level (Table 2). There was an interaction for grain level and calcium propionate in hot carcass weight with the lowest yield obtained with the lowest level of grain without alcium propionate. The chop area was larger (P=0.05) in the diet containing the higher level of grain (Table 2). There were no effects on rumen pH among treatments (Table 3). Diets with a higher level of grain led to a lower proportion of acetate and higher levels of propionate (P=0.005) (Table 3). Feed intake of the diet containing 650 g/kg grain plus calcium propionate led to an increase in the proportion of propionic acid (interaction P=0.03, Table 3). 4. Discussion The proportions of forage included in the diets were too low to alter intake due to distension (Allen, 1997). The addition of propionate did not decrease consumption (P>0. 05), which conflicts with other studies (Oba and Allen, 2003). Bradford and Allen (2007) observed reduced intake when propionate was added to the rumen or portal vein. In other experiments in which calcium propionate was included in the diet of dairy cows, either no changes in intake were observed (DeFrain et al., 2005), or the authors reported a decrease in intake of 11% (McNamara and Valdez, 2005). The variable response in food intake may be due to the differences in propionate levels used and the proportions of concentrate: forage in the diet (Liu et al., 2009). In the present study the dose of Ca propionate (10 g/kg DM) was equivalent to 64.3 mmol/day being an amount lower than used in the experiment conducted by Bradford et al. (2006) who infused intraruminally 19 mol/day of Na propionate in dairy cows and observed the hypophagic effect and even when the body weight of the cows was not reported, it is possible to estimate a much higher dose (30 mmol/kg BW) than that used in our experiment (1.91–2.74 mmol/kg BW). In another experiment with lactating dairy cows with different doses (100, 200 and 300 g/day), Liu et al. (2009) did not find effects on feed intake and milk yield; doses are similar to those from our experiment compared in dietary concentration (5.5–20.2 g/kg DM) or expressed per kg of body weight (0.69–2.68 mmol/kg BW). In studies for hepatic function with propionate challenges, the dose of Ca propionate have ranged from 2.5 to 3.0 mmol/kg BW and most reported no negative effects (Bradford et al., 2006). The results from the current study indicate that low levels of propionate do not have a hypophagic effect. Table 3 Fermentation pattern of lambs fed with two levels of grain and Ca propionate. Grain (g/kg)
pH
0 g/kg Ca-Pr
10 g/kg Ca-Pr
SEM
650
550
650
550
Significance Grain
Ca-Pr
Grain × Ca-Pr
6.3
6.1
6.1
6.3
1.3
0.56
0.86
0.41
VFA (mol/100 mol) Acetate Propionate Butyrate
56.7a 36.2ab 11.1
56.2a 35.4ab 8.4
46.5b 44.1a 9.3
52.7ab 30.9b 12.3
2.2 2.7 1.3
0.005 0.01 0.81
0.21 0.53 0.46
0.15 0.03 0.03
Total VFA (mmol/)L
57.7
60.7
52.6
71.1
5.2
0.15
0.62
0.05
Ca-Pr, calcium propionate; ADG, average daily gain; FC, feed conversion ratio; VFA, volatile fatty acid; and SEM, standard error of the mean. (abc ) Means within row with different superscripts differ (P<0.05).
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The amount of Ca propionate added to the diet in this study was not enough to affect weight gain. Whitney et al. (2000) observed a greater ADG in calves associated with increased blood glucose resulting from increased production of ruminal propionate. Parsons et al. (2009) noted that ADG increased in feedlot cattle receiving up to 10% glycerol in the diet, which may be related to the production of propionate (Ferraro et al., 2009). It is expected that a higher level of grain would improve the productive performance of sheep, but there are few studies comparing sorghum grain levels. Mendoza et al. (2007) found no differences in weight gain in sheep fed diets containing between 62% and 84% grain. Hatfield et al. (1997) reported an increase in ADG when the proportion of barley in the diet increased (40–80%). However, Mandebvu and Galbraith (1999) found no differences in growth rate or efficiency in animals fed 50–75% barley in the diet. Increased feed efficiency has been reported following the inclusion of glucogenic precursors (Richardson et al., 2003). Fluharty et al. (1999) reported that lambs fed a diet high in concentrate had a higher yield carcass weight compared with lambs fed alfalfa. However, the differences in energy consumption in the current study were not high enough to produce obvious changes in these variables. No changes were observed in ruminal pH by the addition of propionate because the levels used were low, as observed in one study where ruminal infusions of sodium propionate did not affect ruminal pH (Quigley and Heitmann, 1991). If the VFA concentration would have been greater it would be expected reduction in rumen pH (Brown et al., 2006), either due to an increase of concentrate in the diet or by acid infusion into the rumen (Mendoza et al., 1993). The fermentation pattern was similar to that reported in sheep fed high grain diets (Mendoza et al., 1993; Swanson et al., 2000) and the molar proportions of acetate were lower than those of propionate in sheep fed diets high in starch (Swanson et al., 2000). 5. Conclusion The addition of 10 g/kg of calcium propionate to diets containing 550–650 g/kg grain did not affect the productive performance of lambs. No inhibitory effects of Ca propionate on intake were manifested. The highest molar concentrations of propionate were observed in sheep fed diets with the higher level of grain plus calcium propionate. The results indicate that calcium propionate can be used to partially replace energy usually obtained from grain in sheep diets but further studies with large number of growing lambs need to be conducted to compare performance and economy before recommending its use in practice. References Aiello, R.J., Armentano, L.E., Bertics, S.J., Murphy, A.T., 1989. 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