Publications by authors named "Christian Visscher"

Introduction: In all sectors of the economy, including livestock production, there is an increasing focus on sustainability criteria. The carbon footprint is therefore an important target value in pig production. The aim is to minimize this value.

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Proteins from insect production represent an interesting (environmentally friendly) option or supplement to commercial livestock farming. At present, however, the larval stages of (mealworm) and (buffalo worm) have been authorized as food for human consumption EU-wide, as have the nymph and adult stages of () (, Linnaeus, 1758) and () (house cricket, , Linnaeus, 1758). However, there is the problem that insects that are recognizable as a whole tend to be avoided by consumers, especially in the European region, as they are reminiscent of living things and can cause aversion and disgust in consumers.

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  • Salmonellosis is a significant bacterial disease affecting pigs in Germany, and increasing rye in pig diets can help reduce Salmonella due to its beneficial fermentation properties.
  • A study involving seven pig farms showed that higher rye content (40%-70%) and reduced fine particle feed resulted in significantly lower Salmonella antibody levels compared to farms with no dietary changes.
  • Overall, incorporating more rye into pig feed can lead to decreased Salmonella antibody detection, improving food safety and reducing the risk of zoonotic transmission, especially on farms with previously high Salmonella levels.
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Environmental issues and concerns about animal welfare display current challenges in animal husbandry and feeding. Rye, a cereal that has scarcely been used in animal feed in recent decades, could help address some of the challenges in pig feeding as a climate friendly and health promoting feed ingredient. Distinct constituents of rye - especially its non-starch-polysaccharides (NSP) - are fermented in the large intestine while short chain fatty acids (SCFA) are produced in that process.

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In total, around 631 million broilers were slaughtered in Germany in 2022. This evaluation included data of approx. 198 million broilers of different ages and breeds that were transported in Germany in 2022 (31% of all cases of broiler chicken transport in 2022).

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  • * In a study with German Holstein cows, one group received L-carnitine supplements while the other did not, and both groups were given an injection to induce inflammation.
  • * Although L-carnitine supplementation led to a higher count of certain white blood cells, it had minimal effects on their overall immune function during the inflammation phase.
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  • Campylobacteriosis cases in Germany dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to reduced contamination levels on chicken carcasses and changes in consumption patterns.
  • The study analyzed chicken meat consumption and contamination levels from 2018 to 2021, noting that higher contamination and human cases were prevalent before the pandemic, while lower levels corresponded with increased consumption during the pandemic.
  • The research suggests that ongoing evaluations of campylobacteriosis risks should consider varying contamination levels in chicken from different European countries, as human cases remained low in Germany despite increased chicken consumption in 2023.
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  • Side streams from the milling industry are rich in nutrients but have high phosphorus levels, mainly as phytate, which limits their use in animal feed.
  • A biotechnological process using enzymatic hydrolysis effectively reduces phosphorus content in these streams, transforming them into suitable animal feed.
  • Batch experiments showed significant phosphorus reductions (up to 92%) in rye bran, and the process allows for the recovery of phosphorus from wastewater while being scalable and easy to implement.
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The aim of this study was to examine the nutrient composition and feed hygiene of alfalfa as well as investigate the feed intake, blood, urine and faecal parameters of horses fed alfalfa haylage (AS) compared with alfalfa hay (AH) and meadow hay (MH). A total of 11 geldings were fed ad libitum (2.1% dry matter (DM) of body weight (BW)) with alfalfa haylage, alfalfa hay and meadow hay (MH) in a Latin square design.

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Worldwide outbreaks make infections with pathogenic strains of (EC) one of the most important diseases in the broiler industry. Although research has increased knowledge about the pathogen, the transmission is not fully understood. Samples from different locations were collected from two broiler farms in Germany over a total of six production cycles.

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Farmgate balances are used as a tool for monitoring nutrient surpluses at farm level. In Germany, preparation of farmgate balances is legally mandatory and also requires data on chemical body composition, especially concentration of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), of farm animals. It is well known that increased N and P efficiency results in lowered N and P excretions with the manure and therefore mitigates negative consequences of high N and P release into the environment (e.

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Background: Unsupervised clustering and outlier detection are important in medical research to understand the distributional composition of a collective of patients. A number of clustering methods exist, also for high-dimensional data after dimension reduction. Clustering and outlier detection may, however, become less robust or contradictory if multiple high-dimensional data sets per patient exist.

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  • * While there were no significant differences in overall performance between the sow groups, piglets with low to medium birth weights consumed more colostrum when their mothers were fed rye bran.
  • * The findings suggest that rye bran does not negatively affect sow and piglet performance, but further research is needed to explore its potential benefits.
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Campylobacteriosis is the most commonly reported bacterial foodborne disease in the European Union. Its transmission is often associated with the consumption of poultry meat. In 2018, Regulation (EC) No.

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  • - The study investigated the impact of reduced nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) diets on fattening pigs to decrease nutrient excretion due to regulations from the European Nitrates Directive and German legislation changes.
  • - Eight pigs were used in an experiment to compare a control diet with an N and P-reduced diet, revealing that pigs on the reduced diet consumed less N (10.5% less) and excreted significantly lower N (28.3% less) and P (15.1% less) without affecting overall growth or feed efficiency.
  • - The results indicated that while nutrient retention rates for N and P were higher in the reduced diet group compared to the control group, the digestibility of crude protein improved
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The nutritional benefits of rye (and therefore rye bran) are mainly due to its high content of fermentable dietary fiber, the non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). Microorganisms in the large intestine are able to convert these into short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), including butyrate. Butyrate strengthens the epithelial barrier function in the colon by nourishing the enterocytes and inhibiting the spread of in the intestinal tract.

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Sorghum is the fifth most produced cereal in the world and is a source of nutrients and bioactive compounds for the human diet. This study examined the nutrient composition and in vitro fermentation characteristics of sorghum varieties grown in 2020 and 2021 ( = 15 × 3 × 2) across three locations in the north of Italy (Bologna, Padova, and Rovigo). In 2020, the crude protein content of sorghum was significantly higher in the region of Padova than in the region of Bologna (124 vs.

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Broiler meat is the predominant source of Salmonella as a foodborne pathogen. Several control strategies have focused on the reduction of Salmonella spp. levels at different production stages.

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Green liver discoloration (GL) in fattening turkeys is suspected to be a multifactorial disease complex with a compromised immune system as the key factor. This study aimed to identify the formal pathogenesis of GL and to investigate possible nutritional influences. A total of 360 Bronze turkey hens out of 10 flocks from 5 fattening farms were necropsied for detection of GL during 2 consecutive trials on 2 examination dates each (70th to 75th and 120th to 127th day of fattening, respectively).

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Introduction: Rye is one of the most important cereal crops in Central Europe, thus attempts have been made to include it in the diets of birds to reduce production costs, since the cost of feed accounts for as much as 50 %-70 % thereof. Nevertheless, the use of rye has been limited to date, particularly in turkeys. This study aimed to test the effects of rye inclusion up to 10 % on growth, excreta, and/or litter dry matter, and foot pad health.

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Mammals respond to amino acid (AA) deficiency by initiating an AA response pathway (AAR) that involves the activation of general control nonderepressible 2 (GCN2), phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eIF2α), and activation of transcription factor 4 (ATF4). In this study, the effects of protein (N) and/or phosphorus (P) restriction on the GCN2/eIF2α/ATF4 pathway in the liver and the induction of fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) in young goats were investigated. An N-reduced diet resulted in a decrease in circulating essential AA (EAA) and an increase in non-essential AA (NEAA), as well as an increase in hepatic mRNA expression of and and protein expression of GCN2.

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The primary contaminants in poultry are , ji, and . Their pathogenicity together with the widespread of these bacteria, contributes to many economic losses and poses a threat to public health. With the increasing prevalence of bacterial pathogens being resistant to most conventional antibiotics, scientists have rekindled interest in using bacteriophages as antimicrobial agents.

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  • The study examines the use of poultry by-product meal in dog diets, focusing on its digestibility and how it affects fecal quality.
  • Beagle dogs were fed diets containing poultry by-product meal in different particle sizes to determine the effects on nutrient digestibility and fecal characteristics.
  • Results showed that poultry by-products are well accepted by dogs, with consistent nutrient digestibility and well-formed feces, suggesting they are a viable protein source in pet food.
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In order to enhance the health and welfare of obese dogs and to facilitate the required loss of body weight, commercial diets are produced with fibrous ingredients. Cellulose is a common dietary fiber used mainly in powdered form. However, other processing forms and fibers are available as fibrous additives.

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The present study aims to compare the effects of maternal and offspring treatment with 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25-OHD) and vitamin D on vitamin D status, mineral homoeostasis, bone metabolism and locomotion in the offspring. Either vitamin D (50 μg/kg diet) or 25-OHD (50 μg/kg diet) was supplemented to the gestation and lactation diets of 49 multiparous sows and/or to the diets of their growing offspring. Treatment of the sows did not affect plasma concentrations of 25-OHD of the offspring.

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