ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the optimal cooking time for Dachang Tang in order to promote Chinese cuisine culture and to improve the utilization of pig large intestines, thereby reducing resource waste.MethodsThe raw pig large intestines were cleaned with water and flour, then boiled with selected spices for 40 mins to reduce off-odors. Subsequently, the large intestines were stir-fried with oil, garlic, and Zanthoxylum bungeanum for a specified duration, before being added to the original broth. The pig large intestines were then cooked for 10 mins, 20 mins, 40 mins, and 60 mins, respectively. Samples were collected at each cooking times to analyze their basic nutritional components (moisture, protein, fat), texture, color, water state, fatty acids, volatile compounds, microstructure, and sensory characteristics.ResultsWith the increase in cooking time, the moisture and fat content decreased significantly, and the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids increased (p<0.05). At 20 mins, pig large intestines exhibited optimal chewiness, color, surface integrity and sensory scores. Meanwhile, volatile flavor compounds mainly derived from spices, such as 4-methoxybenzaldehyde, benzaldehyde, 3-ethyltoluene, estragole, and ethyl decanoate effectively masking the off-flavor caused by p-cresol and indole in pig large intestines, and provided fruity, spicy, fennel and citrus aromas to Dachang Tang.ConclusionA comprehensive analysis concluded that 20 mins was the optimal cooking time.

This study assessed the effects of incorporating unfermented or fermented rice bran meal (RBM) into a rabbit's diet on their growth performance, cecal microbiota, and intestinal health. Twenty-one male weaned New Zealand White rabbits aged 6 weeks were randomly allocated into 3 groups (n = 7). Rabbits consumed the basal diet in the control (CON) group and the basal diet with a 20% substitution of either unfermented RBM (UFRBM) or fermented RBM (FRBM) for 8 weeks. A combination of Lactobacillus johnsonii L63 with hydrolytic enzymes ([cellulase (100 U/g], phytase [1.25 U/g], and papain [300 U/g]) was used to FRBM for 60 h at 37°C and a pH value of 4.8. Our results demonstrated that the rabbits' growth performance, serum biochemical variables, and cecal microbiota for α and β diversities at the phylum level didn't differ among the treatments. The nutrient digestibility, cecal and jejunal morphology, or α-amylase and trypsin activities increased in the FRBM group than the CON and UFRBM groups, while the catalase and malondialdehyde activities decreased in the UFRBM group (p<0.05). The solute carrier families 15 and 5 levels were higher in the FRBM group than the UFRBM and CON groups, while the UFRBM group improved the levels of the solute carrier family 1, occludin, and V9D2013 group at the genus level than the FRBM and CON groups (p<0.05). The abundance of glycolysis-to-gluconeogenesis was increased in the FRBM and UFRBM groups compared to the CON group (p<0.05). The total short-chain fatty acid, acetate, and butyrate concentrations were, respectively, improved in the FRBM group than the CON and UFRBM groups (p<0.05). The two formulas incorporating 20% of UFRBM or FRBM in rabbit diet should be recommended to farmers, particularly the FRBM, to decrease the reliance on corn and soybean meal for rabbit production.

The development of pre-hierarchical follicles (PHFs), especially small yellow follicles (SYFs), directly affects the recruitment of dominant follicles and subsequently affects the egg-laying performance of chickens. The development of PHFs, especially SYFs, and their regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. Transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses were conducted on large white follicles (LWFs) and SYFs in chickens. Transcriptome sequencing revealed 258 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between SYFs and LWFs, with 172 genes upregulated and 86 downregulated. The DEGs were mapped to 17 Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) pathways, including glutathione metabolism, ferroptosis, calcium signaling pathway, and neuroactive ligand- receptor interactions, among others. The metabolome analysis revealed 129 significant differential metabolites (DMs), comprising 36 upregulated and 93 downregulated metabolites. The DMs were associated with nine KEGG pathways, including glutathione metabolism, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, and linoleic acid metabolism, etc. The combined transcriptional and metabolic analysis revealed significantly enriched pathways. Five KEGG pathways associated with follicular development were identified, including glutathione metabolism, ferroptosis, alpha-linolenic acid metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, and pyrimidine metabolism. Glutathione metabolism may directly inhibit Ferroptosis, which can induce apoptosis of granulosa cells, thereby regulating SYFs development in chickens. These findings could serve as a reference for improving the egg-laying performance of Tengchong snow chickens.

ObjectiveThe effects of heat-treated soybean meal (SBM) and citric acid (HCSBM) on the growth performance, rumen fermentation, blood metabolites, nutrient digestibility, and nitrogen (N) utilization were evaluated in growing Hanwoo heifers.MethodsEight growing Hanwoo heifers (initial body weight: 228.5±11.3 kg; age: 9.3±0.3 months) were allocated to a crossover design with two dietary treatments: a control diet containing untreated SBM (Control) and a diet containing HCSBM. There were two 28-day phases in the trial, each containing 14-day measurements and an adaptation period. Growth performance, rumen fermentation parameters, blood metabolites, hematological parameters, apparent digestibility, energy, and N utilization were measured.ResultsNo significant differences were observed in the growth performance or energy utilization between the diets. The digestibility of dry matter and crude protein (CP) did not differ between the two diets. HCSBM supplementation increased neutral detergent fiber digestibility (p = 0.0874) and acetate molar proportions (p = 0.0748). The HCSBM diet resulted in lower ruminal ammonia nitrogen concentrations and iso-valerate proportions (p<0.05), indicating reduced ruminal protein degradation. Blood metabolites related to protein metabolism showed no significant differences between treatments. The control group exhibited higher red blood cell counts and hemoglobin and hematocrit levels (p<0.05). N excretion or retention did not significantly differ between the dietary groups.ConclusionDespite enhanced protection against ruminal protein degradation, HCSBM supplementation did not improve N utilization efficiency or growth performance in growing Hanwoo heifers, possibly because of a sufficient N supply from the high CP content in both diets.

Spermatogenesis is a complex biological process that encompasses meiosis in spermatocytes and the dynamic epigenetic alterations that ensure the inheritance of genetic traits. CXXC finger protein 1 (CFP1, Cfp1, CXXC1, Cxxc1) is a critical component of the SET domain-containing 1A histone lysine methyltransferase complex that catalyzes histone H3K4 methylation and has a specific binding domain for unmethylated CpG DNA. However, our current understanding of CFP1's role in the genome-wide regulation of DNA and H3K4 methylation remains limited. We performed genome-wide methylation analysis using reduced-representation bisulfite sequencing on spermatocytes isolated from Cfp1 knockout and wild-type mice. Promoter methylation changes were integrated with publicly available microarray and ChIP-seq data to identify genes regulated by CFP1. CFP1 depletion led to significant alterations in DNA methylation, particularly in promoter regions of genes associated with meiosis, transcription regulation, and chromatin remodeling. A total of 21 genes were identified as direct targets of CFP1, exhibiting reduced promoter methylation and CFP1 binding. Our study findings contribute to elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of CFP1 in spermatocytes, providing valuable insights into the reproductive process and advancing our understanding of the underlying causes of infertility.

ObjectiveCell death-inducing DNA fragmentation factor alpha-like effector B (CIDEB), a family member of Cell death-inducing DFF45-like effectors (CIDEs), is well known as a crucial regulator for lipid metabolic signaling pathways in various metabolic tissues and secretory glands. However, its role in regulating intramuscular fat (IMF) deposition in goat remains unclear.MethodsThe expression vector pcDNA3.1-CIDEB was constructed and transfected into goat intramuscular preadipocytes; the overexpression and interference efficiency and expression of genes related to lipid metabolism were measured by Real-time polymerase chain reaction; the effect of overexpression of CIDEB and interfering with CIDEB on lipid droplet formation was observed by Oil Red O staining and glycerol phosphate oxidase-Trinder enzymatic reaction. Then RNA-Seq was used to investigate the metabolic pathway of CIDEB affecting adipocyte deposition in goat intramuscular preadipocytes.ResultsOverexpression of CIDEB significantly promoted the lipid droplets accumulation and the triglyceride deposition, and significantly upregulated the expression of genes related to lipid metabolism. After overexpression of CIDEB in goat intramuscular preadipocytes, 171 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were found, including 122 up-regulated and 49 down-regulated DEGs, and the top three significantly changed pathways filtered by Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis were Cocaine addiction, Amphetamine addiction and Malaria pathways. Conversely, the silencing of CIDEB significantly reduced lipid accumulation in goat intramuscular preadipocytes, meanwhile changing the expression of lipid metabolism genes. For CIDEB silencing, a total of 2140 DEGs were found, including 1252 up-regulated and 888 down-regulated DEGs, and the top three significantly changed pathways filtered by KEGG analysis were Ribosome, Thyroid hormone signaling pathway and Alzheimer disease.ConclusionThe expression of CIDEB can significantly promote lipid deposition of intramuscular adipocytes in goats, and these results provide important data to support further clarifying the mechanism of CIDEB gene on the regulation of intramuscular adipogenesis, and the IMF formation in goats.

This study investigated the effects of a low-purine (Pu) diet supplemented with Sida acuta Burm. f. (SA) on growth performance, serum uric acid (SUA), and meat quality, including chemical composition, biomolecules, and purine deposition, in slow-growing Korat chickens (KRC). A total of 480 mixed-sex one-d-old KRC were randomly allocated into five groups with six replicates each (16 chicks/replicate) using a 1+2×2 augmented factorial experiment in a completely randomized design. Five experimental diets were as follows: a control (basal diet), two diets with 30% and 45% lower purine levels than the control (-30% and -45% Pu), each supplemented with two levels of SA (0.3% and 0.6% SA), respectively. After sex determination, all subsequent analyses were conducted exclusively on female birds. KRC fed a -30% Pu diet supplemented with 0.6% SA showed reduced hypoxanthine and total purine deposition in major breast muscle (Pectoralis majora) without negative effects on growth performance, SUA levels, meat quality, chemical composition, biomolecules, and protein secondary structures comparable to the control group. Birds fed a -45% Pu diet, supplemented with either 0.3% or 0.6% SA, exhibited impaired growth performance and without significant changes in major breast muscle hypoxanthine or total purine content. Correlation analysis revealed that the -30% Pu diet supplemented with 0.6% SA was positively correlated with reduced hypoxanthine and total purine content, while showing negative correlations with lipid content and β-turn structure. A 30% reduction in dietary purines combined with 0.6% SA supplementation effectively decreased purine deposition in chicken meat, contributing to the production of healthier chicken meat product. Further studies are needed to investigate the molecular mechanisms and metabolic pathways, which will enable breeders to advance the development of Pu chicken meat production.

Changes in ambient temperature negatively impact livestock productivity, with thermal stress causing physiological changes that affect beef quality and quantity. The calf stage is critical, as thermal stress during this period can have lasting effects on productivity. This study examined the impact of weather conditions on calf growth, carcass traits, and their interrelationships in Korean native Hanwoo steers. Data from 8,727 male Hanwoo calves were selected from 41,107 data points. Meteorological data were collected from 60 cities in Korea between 2016 and 2019. The input data included calf growth, carcass traits, and weather conditions at birth for each calf. Temperature, relative humidity (RH), and temperature-humidity index (THI) increased from winter to summer and decreased from summer to winter. Summer-born calves had significantly lower birth body weight (BBW) than those born in winter. The average daily gain (ADG) of the calves was highest in winter and lowest in spring and fall. A high carcass weight (CW) was observed in steers born in summer and winter. BBW and ADG were negatively correlated with ambient temperature, RH, and THI. Positive relationships were observed between BBW, ADG, and CW. Only CW was positively correlated with the meat quality grade of steers. Thus, temperature negatively affects the BBW of male Hanwoo calves, in turn affecting the daily gain, CW, and meat quality grade. This study demonstrates that temperature, RH, and THI adversely affect the BBW of male Hanwoo calves, leading to reduced ADG and influencing CW and meat quality grade. Negative correlations were observed between BBW, ADG, and environmental factors, while CW showed positive correlations with BBW, ADG, and meat quality grade. These findings highlight the critical impact of climatic conditions on the growth performance and productivity of Hanwoo cattle.

The current study aimed to determine the impact of supplementing fruit peel pellet microencapsulated phytonutrients (mMARABAC) on rumen fermentation efficiency, in vitro degradability, methane production, and microbial diversity. The experiment was completely random, and the dietary treatments were mMARABAC supplements at 0, 5, 10, and 15 mg/500 mg dry matter (DM) of substrate (rice straw and concentrate). The experiment's results demonstrated that mMARABAC supplementation significantly affected the gas production from the insoluble fraction (b), rate of gas production value (c), and potential extent of gas (|a|+b) value (p<0.05), while the soluble fraction of gas production (a) was not influenced by the treatments. Furthermore, mMARABAC increased the cumulative gas at 96 h after incubation (p<0.05) when mMARABAC was supplemented with 5 mg of total DM substrate. However, mMARABAC supplementation did not have an effect on in vitro degradability of dry matter (p>0.05). The supplementation of mMARABAC did not significantly affect ruminal pH and NH3-N (p>0.05). Additionally, there was linearly (p<0.05) decreased CH4 production at 24 hours of incubation. The mMARABAC supplementation to the diet did not affect the concentration of total volatile fatty acids, acetic acid (C2), propionic acid (C3), butyric acid, or the C2:C3 ratio (p>0.05). The effect of mMARABAC supplementation on Fibrobacter succinogenes, Ruminococcus albus, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens and Megasphaera elsdenii was different between treatments (p<0.05), while the mMARABAC supplement had an effect on Methanobacterial (p>0.05). This study suggested that ruminants could use agricultural by-products as a source of phytonutrients by supplementing with mMARABAC at 5 mg/500 mg DM of substrate.

The increase in methane emissions, a major greenhouse gas, threatens human well-being and global ecosystems due to its contribution to global warming. Livestock, particularly ruminants, have been a major research topic in recent decades due to their methane production. Therefore, the objective of the current review was to comprehensively discuss the in silico techniques used to mitigate methane production from ruminants. The review covers the principles of in silico docking and molecular dynamics, which can be used to develop methanogenesis inhibitors. It also discusses specific methanogen enzymes as potential targets for inhibitor development. Furthermore, in silico-based methanogenesis inhibitor development studies have been reviewed with the authors' opinions. The further use of in silico-based research techniques, including artificial intelligence-based systems, is encouraged to help reduce methane production from livestock more efficiently and cost-effectively.