Dietary effects of linseed on fatty acid composition of milk and on liver, adipose and mammary gland metabolism of periparturient dairy cows.

During the transition period in dairy cows, drastic adaptations within and between key tissues and cell types occur in a coordinated manner to support late gestation, the synthesis of large quantities of milk and metabolic homoeostasis. The start of lactation coincides with an increase of triacylglycerols in the liver, which has been associated with several economically important diseases in dairy cows (i.e.

The relation between starch digestion rate and amino acid level for broiler chickens.

Digestion coefficients of nutrients give information about the amount of nutrients available to the animal but not about the rate or site of absorption. Gradual digestion of starch may have an amino acid sparing effect and therefore enhance growth efficiency of broiler chickens. A growth trial was performed with 6,800 broiler chickens from 9 to 30 d of age to investigate interactions between starch digestion rate and amino acid level.

In vitro starch digestion correlates well with rate and extent of starch digestion in broiler chickens.

Current feed evaluation systems for poultry are based on digested components (fat, protein and nitrogen-free extracts). Digestible starch is the most important energy source in broiler chicken feeds and is part of the nitrogen-free extract fraction. Digestible starch may be predicted using an in vitro method that mimics digestive processes in the gastrointestinal tract of broiler chickens.

Starch digestion rate in the small intestine of broiler chickens differs among feedstuffs.

Dietary starch is the major energy source for broiler chickens, and knowledge about its digestive behavior can be important. In a digestibility trial with 720 broiler chickens, site, rate and extent of starch digestion were measured for 12 feedstuffs. Starch digestion was determined using the slaughter technique, which involves removal of the small intestine from the recently killed chicken, with manual collection of the contents.