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The present study was to evaluate the impact of feeding level and fish size on the growth factors,carcass composition and digestibility of rainbow trout. Six experimental treatments were assigned by the use of three feeding levels (maintenance, medium and satiation levels) and two fish sizes (43.02 ± 2.93 and 231.32± 6.74g) according to a 3×2 factorial design.  There were three replicates for each treatment and the experiment lasted for 59 days. The results showed that there is a significant interaction effect between fish size and feeding level for body weight gain, final body weight and specific growth (p<0.05). Body composition (dry matter, energy, moisture, fat and protein) was affected by feeding level and size of the fish (p<0.05). However, the interaction effect between fish size and feeding level for body composition was not significant (p>0.05).The digestibility measurements showed that fish size and feeding level  changed  significantly digestibility of protein, lipid, energy and dry matter in rainbow trout (p<0.05). Maximum growth at satiation feeding level can reduce feed conversion ratio and increase waste production at both fish sizes.

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Key words: growth model, routine metabolism, rainbow trout , digestibility

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To study the effect of cell-wall degrading enzymes on the nutrient efficiency of young chickens fed different grains, an in vitro experiment was conducted to determine the range of viscosities of seven local wheat varieties. From these, the highest (Flaat) and the lowest (Ghods) were selected for an in vivo study. 288 day-old Arian chickens were kept in cages and fed one of four grains (Flaat, Ghods, Triticale, and Corn) with or without a die-tary NSP degrading enzyme in a 4×2 factorial arrangement with six replicates per treat-ment. An indigestible marker (chromic oxide) was used for digestibility measurements. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Excreta samples were collected from 18-21 days of the experiment. Apparent metabolizable energy corrected for nitrogen (AMEn) was improved (P<0.05) in all diets by enzyme supplementation except the corn diet. The ap-parent lipid digestibility (ALD) and apparent crude carbohydrate digestibility (ACCD) of all treatments were significantly improved by adding an enzyme (P<0.01). This improve-ment was highest in the Flaat variety (highest viscosity) of wheat. The results of this ex-periment clearly indicate the positive effects of supplemental NSP degrading enzymes on nutrient digestibilities and on AMEn especially for the grains with the highest viscosity (wheat cultivar Flaat and triticale).

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In this study five diets were formulated to investigate the effects of different levels of dietary Gracilaria pygmaea powder on growth performance, feed, apparent digestibility of and water stability in juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei. Four formulated diets with three different levels of G.pygmaea (GL5, Gl10, GL15%) against a control (0% G.pygmaea) were fed to triplicate groups of L.vannamei (mean initial 6/5-7gr) for 40 days. Shrimp were fed 3 times per day, to apparent satiation and amounts of diet applied were recorded. After 40 days trial, results showed that final body weight (FBW) and weight gain (WG) of shrimp fed 10% (G.pygmaea) diets were significantly higher that those of shrimp fed other diets (P<0.05). Feed efficiency ratio (FCR) of shrimp fed 10% (G.pygmaea) diet were significantly high than that of shrimp fed control 5 and 15% (G.pygmaea) diets (P<0.05). Apparent digestibility coefficients of diets were the significantly different between the shrimp groups. Survival in all treatment was 100 %. Diets containing Gracilaria meal inclusion had significant effects on diet water stability compared with the control diet. Diet containing 15% G.pygmaea had the highest water stability after 4 h (p> 0/05). The results of this study showed that diet supplemented with 10% Gracilaria has a positive effect on the diet water stability, growth performance of Litopenaeus vannamei.

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• In this study, the apparent digestibility of protein and amino acids of  ten types of plant and animal feed ingredients as the main sources of protein was evaluated in Siberian sturgeon diet (290-250 g).

Materials and Methods: Feedstuffs included fish meal, meat and bone meal, poultry byproduct meal, blood meal, feather meal, soybean meal, rapeseed meal, wheat gluten, corn gluten and bakery yeast. The dietary treatments included: reference diet and ten different experimental rations (30% of the target feed ingredient + 70% of the reference diet). Chromic oxide was used as an indigestible marker in dietary feed. A group of 165 Siberian sturgeons stocked into 33 tanks with 500 liters volume and fed with test diets (3 replicates per diet).

• At the end of the experiment, the highest and lowest protein digestibility was observed in fish meal (92.87%) and poultry byproduct meal (59.96%), respectively. Also, the highest level of amino acid digestibility in fish meal was measured (90.9% and 88.13% for total essential and non-essential amino acids respectively). The lowest digestibility of the essential amino acids was observed in rapeseed meal (65.5%) and non-essential amino acids in poultry powder (60.68%). Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, fishmeal, meat and bone meal, poultry byproduct meal, corn gluten and wheat gluten were identified as feed ingredients with high protein and amino acids digestibility for Siberian sturgeon.

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The extrusion process is widely used in making aquatic feeds. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of extrusion on biochemical analysis, removal of phenolic compounds and protein and carbohydrate digestibility of wheat flour in common carp. In treatments 1, 2 and 3 wheat flour was mixed with tap water at the rate of 250, 100 and 200 ml per kg of flour and then extruded by a single-axis extruder under the temperature of 120, 135 and 120 °C, respectively. Treatment 4 (control) was not subjected to the conditions of dough preparation and then extrusion. Extruding had no significant effect on the amount of crude protein and ash of wheat flour (p>0.05) but it significantly decreased the content of crude lipid, total phenolic compounds and non-tannin phenolic compounds and increased the digestibility of carbohydrate and protein (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in the amount of crude protein, crude lipid, ash and non-tannin phenolic compounds in the extruded treatments, but significantly the lowest amount of total phenolic compounds was recorded in treatments 1 and 2. Significantly, the highest carbohydrate digestibility was obtained in treatments 1 and 2, and the highest protein digestibility was observed in treatment 2. In total, treatment 2 (135 °C and 100 ml tap water per kg flour) was recognized as the best extruded wheat flour for common carp.
 

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The objective of this study was to determine the effects of 8 levels of threonine (0.4, 0.5, 0.6, 0.7, 0.8, 0.9, 1.0 and 1.1%) and 2 levels of protein (17.5 and 20.5%) on growth performance, gut sizes and morphology as well as to estimate Standardized Ileal Digestible (SID) Thr requirements in Ross 308 males at 0 to 21 days of age. Chicks were randomized into 64 battery cages (5 chicks per replicate). FI was lower for broiler given the high CP diets as compared to those fed on low CP diets. BWG and FCR improved up to 0.7% Thr in both CP levels. Fitted broken lines indicated break points at 0.62 and 0.66% SID Thr for weight gain at 17.5 and 20.5% crude protein, respectively. Significant interaction was found between CP and Thr on relative weight and length of duodenum and jejunum (P< 0.05). Thr supplementation significantly affected villus height, epithelial thickness, goblet cell number and crypt depth in duodenum, jejunum and ileum (P< 0.01). Low CP diets adequate in Lys, Total Sulfur Amino Acid (TSAA) supplemented with Thr may result in optimal BWG and FCR as well as in growth of intestinal length. Such parameters of gut functionality as microvilli height, crypt depth and epithelial thickness seemed to be improved with even higher levels of dietary SID Thr levels.

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The nutritive values of honey locust pods obtained from different growing sites were evaluated by chemical composition and in vitro gas production techniques. Growing site was found to have a significant (P< 0.001) effect on the chemical composition. The CP contents of honey locust pods ranged from 67.2 to 119.9 g kg-1 DM. Water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) ranged from 122.3 to 152.2 g kg-1 DM. Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) contents varied with growing site in the range of 299.6 to 414.3 and 195.3 to 262.9 g kg-1 DM, respectively. Condensed tannin (CT) contents ranged from 27.8 to 148.2 g kg-1 DM. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) addition significantly (P< 0.001) increased gas production and some estimated parameters of honey locust pods obtained from different growing sites. However, honey locust pods obtained from different growing sites showed variable responses to PEG treatment. There were also significant (P< 0.001) differences among growing sites in terms of gas production and estimated parameters. Organic matter digestibility (OMD) and metabolizable energy (ME) contents of honey locust pods obtained from different growing sites without PEG supplementation ranged from 58.81 to 65.86% and 8.85 to 9.92 MJ kg-1 DM respectively. The improvement in gas production, the OMD and ME with PEG emphasized the negative effect of tannins on digestibility. The increase (%) in the estimated OMD and ME contents ranged from 6.30 to 15.81% and 5.61 to 14.94%, respectively.

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Parkia biglobosa starch was subjected to different heat-moisture treatment (HMT) at different moisture contents (15, 20, 25, and 30%) at 110^oC for 16 hours. The content of resistant starch (RS) was the lowest (33.38%) in the untreated native Parkia and increased in the samples with HMT-15 (37.79%), HMT-30 (39.64%), HMT-25 (46.63%), and HMT-20 (50.14%), showing significant increase (P < 0.05) in RS following the HMT. There was a reduction in the swelling power and pasting properties of HMT starches, but the solubility of the HMT starches was higher than that of untreated native starch. Differential scanning calorimetry and the changes in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns confirmed the effect of HMT on Parkia starch. Therefore, replacing native Parkia with heat-moisture treated Parkia starch leads to the development of new products from RS-rich powder with high RS levels and functional properties.

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Samples of grass pea seed (Lathyrus sativus) were prepared and analyzed for some chemical composition and as well for their anti-nutritional factors. The rumen degradability coefficients and post ruminal digestibility of dry matter and crude protein of unheated vs. oven heated samples were determined, employing in situ and in vitro techniques. Results indicated that grass pea seed contained a considerable level of crude protein (36%). The process of heating reduced (P< 0.05) tannins and Oxalyl DiAminoPropanoic acid (ODAP) content in grass pea seeds. Heat processing, especially 3 hours of heating, increased (P< 0.05) the slowly degradable fractions of the seed. Ruminal disappearance of DM and CP occurred at a lower rate (P< 0.05) for the heated grass pea seed than for the unheated seed. Heat processing did not affect the production of some such nutritional parameters (estimated through gas production method) as DOM, ME, NE_L, SCFA and MP production (P> 0.05). It was concluded that grass pea seed was of a substantial potential as a protein source in ruminant nutrition with its heat processing resulting in positive effects on its DM and CP digestibility.

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In this study, the nutritional indices of the larval stages of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) were determined on 10 canola (Brassica napus L.) genotypes (Talaye, Opera, Licord, Modena, SLM₀₄₆, Hayula₄₂₀, Zarfam, Okapi, RGS₀₀₃ and Sarigol) at 25±1˚C, 60±5% RH and a photoperiod of 16: 8 (L: D) hours. The third instar larvae reared on Talaye showed the highest value of Efficiency of Conversion of Ingested food ECI and Efficiency of Conversion of Digested food ECD (7.005±0.632 and 8.972±1.862, respectively). However, the lowest value of ECI and ECD was on Licord (0.503±0.017 and 2.507±0.449, respectively). The highest (0.778±0.091) and lowest (0.594±0.059) Relative Growth Rate (RGR) of the fourth instar larvae were obtained on SLM₀₄₆ and Sarigol, respectively. Results indicated that the highest values of ECI and ECD for fourth instar larvae were on Talaye (6.300±0.585 and 8.880±1.954, respectively). The lowest value of the Relative Consumption Rate (RCR) and Approximate Digestibility (AD) of the fifth instar was recorded on Modena (5.193±0.629 and 38.625±11.340, respectively). The ECI and ECD values of the fifth larval instar were the highest on Talaye (9.893±0.889 and 19.655±0.966, respectively). The highest value of RCR and AD of the sixth instar was on Okapi (7.781±0.665 and 82.223±1.922, respectively). Among different genotypes tested, the highest ECI and ECD of the whole larval instars (12.323±0.310 and 32.357±5.508, respectively) were observed on Talaye and the lowest ones (5.947±0.257 and 6.922±0.320, respectively) were on Okapi. Together, Talaye and Okapi were the most suitable and unsuitable genotypes, respectively, for H. armigera larvae.

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Pulses form stable dietary components for majority of population across the world. Different people consume pulses in different ways like Uncooked, Soaked, and cooked or only cooked without soaking. All these processing techniques lead to changes in the nutritional value of the pulses. Studies have also reported that in addition to nutritional components like Proteins, Carbohydrates, and fats, pulses also contain anti-nutritional components like Lectins, Tannins, and Polyphenols that greatly interfere with digestion of pulses in the human intestine. Hence in the current study a comprehensive review is being compiled to evaluate the nutritional and antinutritional aspects of pulses and effect of processing methods on invitro protein and starch digestibility of the pulses.
 

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This study was conducted to investigate the effect of 20 and 40 kGy doses of Gamma-Ray (GR), 90 and 120-second- Infrared Irradiation (IR), as well as 15 and 30 minute- Roasting (R) at 140˚C on Amino Acid (AA) profile, AA degradation, ruminal Dry Matter (DM), and Crude Protein (CP) degradation kinetics and in vitro digestibility of Linseed Meal (LSM). The results indicated that while the AAs contents of untreated LSM were relatively higher, the disappearances of AA were decreased by GR and IR after 16 hours of incubation in the rumen (P< 0.01). Moreover, irradiation decreased the water-soluble fraction and increased the potentially degradable fraction of DM and CP (P< 0.01). On the other hand, GR treatments decreased the Effective Ruminal Degradability (ERD) of DM and CP at ruminal outflow rates of 0.05 and 0.08 h-1 (P< 0.01). The digestible undegradable protein and the metabolizable protein of GR and IR at three outflow rates (0.02, 0.05 and 0.08 h^-1) were significantly higher than the roasted treatment and the control group (P< 0.01). Metabolizable Protein (MP) of IR did not have a significant difference with the control group in the outflow rate of 0.02, but there was significant increase in outflow rates of 0.05 and 0.08 h-1 (P< 0.01).

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 The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Gamma Ray irradiation (GR) at doses of 20 and 40 kGy and Microwaving (MW) at 800W for 3 and 5 minutes on ruminal degradation kinetics and in vitro digestibility of Sesame Seal (SSM). Degradability parameters of irradiated samples were measured by nylon bag technique. The amount of histidine, threonine, valine, alanine, arginine, glutamine, glycine, and serine were lower, but the amount of methionine and phenylalanine were higher in GR and MW treated samples compared to untreated ones. Irradiation reduced the fiber content of SSM and altered its chemical composition compared to the untreated SSM. Ruminal degradability of DM (Dry Matter) and CP (Crude Protein) was diminished in the treated SSM. Effective Degradability (ED) of DM and CP was found to be lower in the GR irradiated SSM compared to the MW irradiated SSM and the control. After 16 hours of ruminal incubation of the treated SSM, the degradability of isoleucine, methionine, phenylalanine, and threonine were lower, but those of glycine and serine were higher. The in vitro Digestibility of DM (DMD) and Organic Matter (OMD), as well as the Organic Matter in the Dry matter (DOMD) were lower and higher in GR and MW irradiated SSM, respectively, compared to unirradiated SSM. It can be concluded that irradiation of sesame meal by gamma ray irradiation was effective in protecting crude protein and some amino acids, including methionine and phenylalanine, from ruminal degradation.