Approximately 44% of the citrus that is processed becomes processing residue. The residue consists of the non-juice components of a citrus fruit, primarily peel and pulp, and is recovered by conversion to animal feed. The material is hygroscopic, agglomerating, has a wide particle size distribution, and must be carefully dried to avoid thermal damage to nutrients and flavors. This dissertation evaluates the possibility of utilizing a vibrofluidized bed dryer for citrus processing residue. Results demonstrate that it is possible to overcome the agglomeration difficulties associated with this material, offering an economically viable alternative processing methodology. To properly analyze this proposed system, a benchtop vibrofluidized bed dryer was designed, constructed and instrumented. Vibrofluidization and batch drying trials were conducted and analyzed. An economic evaluation of the proposed process was undertaken. Two mathematical models of the drying process were developed and validated. Characteristics that describe the vibrofluidized bed drying of the residue were determined. The conditions that facilitated fluidization were: 1) A particle size distribution of the dried residue that was lognormal, had a geometric mean diameter, dgw, of 3.829 mm, and a geometric standard deviation, Sgw, of 2.49x10-07 mm. 2) A vibrational acceleration, Aω2/g, of 2.54. 3) A minimum vibrofluidization velocity, Umvf, of 4.2 cm/s. The controlling mechanism of the falling rate period was determined to be diffusion, with an effective diffusion coefficient, Deff, of 2.85x10-5 cm/s, and critical moisture content, Mc, of 30%. Economic evaluation of the proposed method has a payback period of 4.34 years, and an estimated processing cost of $33 per ton of dried material. Models were developed based on bed hydrodynamics and three-phase drying kinetics, and thin-layer drying. Both models accurately predicted the drying curves. The three-phase kinetic drying model solved a series of simultaneous equations, and differential equations, based on moisture and enthalpy balances. This complex model successfully predicted the bed hydrodynamic properties and serves to facilitate scale-up, design, and bed configuration investigations. For the thin-layer drying model, the drying constants, K & N, for Page’s equation were determined as a function of bed temperature. This computationally simple, single-parameter model would serve process control algorithms.

Banana peels account for about 61 million tons of waste each year globally. The aim of this project was to investigate the possibility of using banana peels as a substrate to cultivate edible filamentous fungi. The peels were subjected to physical and thermal pretreatments while variables such as changes in the medium pH, biomass concentration, fungal strain dependence, and protein content of the fungal biomass were analyzed. The experiments were carried out in three phases. The purpose of phase I was to identify which of the four fungal strains among Neurospora intermedia, Aspergillus oryzae, Rhizopus oryzae, and Rhizopus oligosporus could grow in a medium containing ball-milled banana peel powder (BPP) only. In phase II, the best performing strains from phase I in terms of biomass concentration, i.e., A. oryzae and R. oryzae, were cultivated using banana peel broth (BPB) obtained from thermal pretreatment of BPP. During this phase, the impact of medium supplementation with yeast extract was also assessed. The biomass yield for A. oryzae and R. oryzae 2.9 g/L and 1.6 g/L, respectively, yeast supplementation compared to 2.7 g/L and 0.7 g/L, respectively, without supplementation. In phase III, the experiments performed in phase II without yeast extract supplementation were scaled up, after which protein analysis was performed. A crude protein content of 8.82% was determined for A. oryzae, while in R. oryzae, a higher value of 21.1% was obtained. The protein content from both fungal strains was much higher than that present in the BPP, which was 4.8 g/L. The results showed the potential of using banana peel as a substrate to produce edible fungal biomass with higher protein content and thus has potential applications as animal feed or human food. Further studies are needed to optimize the process in order to raise the fungal biomass yield as well as increase the protein content of the biomass. In addition, comprehensive characterization of the fungal biomass would reveal other important components, such as the amino acid profile.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Grain Science and Industry / Subramanyam Bhadriraju / Ludek Zurek / Feed samples and live stored-product insects from feed mills and swine farms were collected and cultured for Enterococcus spp. The mean concentration of enterococci in insect and feed were 2.7 ± 0.5 × 101 cfu/insect and 6.3 ± 0.7 × 103 cfu/g respectively. A total of 362 isolates of enterococci collected from 89 feed samples and 228 stored-product insects were identified to the species level using PCR. These isolates were represented by Enterococcus casseliflavus (53.0%), E. gallinarum (20.4%), E. faecium (16.2%), E. hirae (5.2%), and E. faecalis (5.0%). Enterococci were phenotypically resistant to tetracycline (48.0%), erythromycin (14.3%), streptomycin (16.8%), kanamycin (12.1%), ciprofloxacin (11.0%), ampicillin (3.3%), and chloramphenicol (1.1%). All isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and gentamicin. Tetracycline resistance was encoded by tetM (50.0%), tetO (15.1%), tetK (0.5%), tetS (0.2%) and other unknown tetracycline determinants. Enterococci carried virulence genes including gelatinase (gelE; 21.5%), an enterococcus surface protein (esp; 1.9%), and cytolysin (cylA; 2.2%). An aggregation substance (asa1) gene was detected in 61.0% of E. faecalis isolates. Fifty perncet of E. faecalis isolates were phenotipically tested positive for aggregation substances. Enterococci with cylA genes were hemolytic (52.0%) and with gelE genes were gelatinolytic (18.5%). The ermB gene, encoding erythromycin resistance was detected in 8.8% of the total isolates. The Tn916/1545 family of conjugative transposons was detected in 10.7% of the isolates. Laboratory experiments showed that adults of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum (Herbst), fed on poultry and cattle feeds inoculated with E. faecalis OG1RF:pCF10, were able to successfully acquire enterococci and contaminate sterile poultry and cattle feeds. To assess the potential of horizontal gene transfer, conjugation assays were carried out with E. faecalis using a donor (wild strains) and recipient (E. faecalis OG1SSP) in ratio of 1:10. Only one isolate (1 out of 18 E. faecalis) could transfer tetM to a recipient using broth mating. However, filter mating assay, followed by PCR confirmation revealed that 89.0% (16 out of 18 E. faecalis) of isolates could transfer tetM to E. faecalis. Transfer ratios of transconjugant per recipients ranged from 2.6 × 10-4 to 1 × 10-9. In summary, feed (52.0%) and stored-product insects (41.6%) collected from feed mills and swine farms carried antibiotic-resistant and potentially virulent enterococci. Our study showed that T. castaneum, a pest commonly associated with feed, served as a potential vector for enterococci in the feed environment. Conjugation assays followed by PCR confirmed presence of the tetM gene on a mobile genetic element(s) such as Tn916 and may be horizontally transferred to other Enterococcus species and to other bacteria of clinical significance.

<p>U savremenom uzgoju živine i svinja sme&scaron;e se retko koriste u pra&scaron;kastom obliku<br />već se uglavnom peletiraju nakon ume&scaron;avanja pojedinačnih sastojaka. Pri<br />peletiranju dolazi do naru&scaron;avanja granulacije sme&scaron;e, odnosno do gotovo<br />potpunog eliminisanja krupnih čestica, kao i do nastajanja velike količine najsitnijih čestica. U okviru istraživanja u ovoj doktorskoj disertaciji ispitivan je uticaj promene odabranih parametara mlevenja i peletiranja na granulaciju čestica od kojih su pelete sačinjene. Cilj je bio da se utvrdi kombinacija parametara koja doprinosi povećanju sadržaja krupnih čestica, &scaron;to je značajno u ishrani živine, odnosno da se utvrdi kombinacija parametara koja će u &scaron;to većoj meri uvećati sadržaj čestica srednje veličine i umanjiti udeo najsitnijih čestica, &scaron;to je značajno u ishrani svinja. Pri tome je određivan i kvalitet peleta, koji ne sme biti značajnije naru&scaron;en, kao i potro&scaron;nja energije pelet prese za koju je poželjno da je &scaron;to niža.<br />Nezavisni parametri peletiranja bili su granulacija kukuruznog mliva, rastojanje (zazor) između valjaka i matrice pelet prese, debljina matrice pelet prese i sadržaj vode materijala koji se vodi na peletiranje. Istraživanje je podeljeno u dve faze, gde je u prvoj za usitnjavanje primenjen mlin čekićar, a u drugoj mlin sa valjcima. Na oba uređaja prizvedene su po tri granulacije mliva, pri čemu se granulacija ukrupnjava od najsitnijeg mliva dobijenog na mlinu čekićaru do najkrupnijeg mliva dobijenog na mlinu sa valjcima. U prvoj fazi tri granulacije mliva dobijene na mlinu čekićaru su peletirane u kombinaciji sa tri zazora valjci-matrica (0,30; 1,15 i 2,00 mm) i tri sadržaja vode materijala (14,5%, 16,0% i 17,5%), a u drugoj fazi tri granulacije mliva dobijene na mlinu sa valjcima peletirane su u kombinaciji sa tri debljine matrice (24, 30 i 36 mm) i tri sadržaja vode materijala (14,5%, 16,0% i 17,5%). Dakle, u obe faze su varirana tri parametra na tri nivoa pri čemu je primenjen Box-Behnken eksperimentalni dizajn. Zavisno promenljive karakteristike (odzivi) bili su temperatura matrice pelet prese, specifična potro&scaron;nja energije pelet prese, udeo pra&scaron;ine u peletama, stepen želatinizacije skroba, tvrdoća, stepen otiranja i nasipna masa peleta, kao i granulacija materijala nakon peletiranja. Za svaki od pomenutih odziva definisan je polinom (model) drugog reda. Dobijeni modeli upotrebljeni su za optimizaciju procesa peletiranja sa ciljem da se postigne željena granulacija peletiranog materijala, uz &scaron;to bolji kvalitet peleta i uz &scaron;to manju potro&scaron;nju energije.<br />U istraživanju je utvrđeno da mliva sa približno istom vredno&scaron;ću geometrijskog srednjeg prečnika, dobijena na mlinu čekićaru i mlinu sa valjcima, imaju značajno različitu raspodelu veličine čestica. Na mlinu čekićaru dobija se &scaron;ira raspodela, sa većim sadržajem najkrupnijih i najsitnijih čestica, u poređenju sa mlinom<br />sa valjcima. Za proizvodnju mliva približno istog geometrijskog srednjeg prečnika, a pogotovo mliva sa relativno sličnom raspodelom veličine čestica,<br />potro&scaron;nja energije kod mlina sa valjcima značajno je manja u poređenju sa mlinom<br />čekićarom. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; Potvrđeno je da peletiranje uzrokuje veliki intenzitet usitnjavanja čestica bez obzira na primenjene parametre. Međutim, određene kombinacije parametara mogu doprineti značajnijem očuvanju krupnih čestica. Parametar peletiranja koji najvi&scaron;e doprinosi<br />povećanju udela krupnih čestica u peletama je granulacija mliva koje se upućuje na<br />peletiranje. &Scaron;to je krupnija granulacija, udeo krupnih čestica u peletama će biti veći.<br />Rezultati optimizacije procesa peletiranja u prvoj fazi ukazuju da je u pogledu proizvodnje peletirane hrane za živinu, kada je poželjno očuvanje određene količine krupnih čestica, potrebno primeniti krupno mlevenje na mlinu čekićaru, uz<br />pode&scaron;avanje zazora između valjaka i matrice od 2 mm i uz sadržaj vode materijala od 17,5%. U drugoj fazi optimizacijom je utvrđeno da je potrebno koristiti debljinu matrice od 30 mm, najkrupniju granulaciju mliva na mlinu sa valjcima i vlagu od 17,5%. Pri proizvodnji peletirane hrane za živnu povoljnije je koristiti mlin čekićar, s obzirom da je utvrđeno da su čestice mliva dobijenog na čekićaru otpornije na usitnjavanje tokom peletiranja od čestica dobijenih na mlinu sa valjcima &scaron;to omogućuje očuvanje većeg broja krupnih čestica tokom peletiranja. Povećanje &scaron;irine zazora valjci-matrica nije poželjno prilikom peletiranja hrane za svinje jer se povećava intenzitet usitnjavanja čestica, a time i udeo najsitnije frakcije čestica. Sličano je i sa povećanjem debljine matrice. U prvoj fazi istraživanja, rezultati optimizacije pokazuju da je u cilju povećanja udela frakcija čestica srednje veličine (630 &ndash; 1600 &mu;m), kao i smanjenja sadržaja najsitnijih čestica (&lt; 125 &mu;m), potrebno primeniti najsitnije mlevenje na mlinu čekićaru, najveći sadržaj vode materijala (17,5%), dok zazor između valjaka i matrice treba podestiti da bude ne&scaron;to veći od 0,30 mm. I u drugoj fazi istraživanja optimizacija je ukazala da je najveći udeo čestica srednje veličine (630 &ndash;<br />1600 &mu;m), kao i najmanji udeo čestica &lt; 125 &mu;m, ostvaren pri peletiranju najsitnijeg<br />mliva dobijenog na mlinu sa valjcima. Pri tome sadržaj vode je potrebno podesiti na<br />17,5%, dok debljina matrice treba biti oko 28 mm.<br />Pri predloženim optimalnim parametrima peletiranja ostvaren je zadovoljavajući<br />kvalitet peleta, a potro&scaron;nja energije pelet prese bila je na prihvatljivom nivou.</p> / <p>In modern poultry and swine breeding, animal feed is rarely used in powder form but mainly pelleted after mixing of different ingredients. During pelleting process, granulation of the feed is compromised, i.e. coarse particles are<br />almost completely destroyed and the content of fine particles is strongly<br />increased. This doctoral thesis investigated the impact of changes in selected grinding and pelleting parameters on granulation of particles after pelleting. The goal was to achieve the quantity of coarse particles in pellets to be as high as possible, which is important in poultry nutrition. Another goal was to determine the combination of parameters that will increase, as much as possible, the content of particles medium in size and reduce the share of the smallest particles, which is important in swine nutrition. At the same time quality of the pellets must not be significantly degraded and energy consumption of pellet press should be as low as possible.<br />Independent pelleting parameters were corn granulation after grinding, the distance (gap) between the rollers and the die of pellet presses (roller-die gap), the thickness<br />of the pellet press die (die thickness) and the water content of pelleted material. The study was divided in two stages. In the first stage the corn was ground using a hammer mill and in the second stage, roller mill was used. Three different granulations were produced on both mills. Coarseness of the ground material increased from the finest material produced using the hammer mill to the coarsest material obtained at the roller mill. In the first stage, three different granulations produced at the hammer mill were pelleted in combination with three different roller-die gaps (0.30, 1.15 and 2.00 mm) and three different water contents of material (14.5%, 16.0% and 17.5%). In the second stage three different granulations produced at the roller mill were pelleted in combination with three different die thicknesses (24, 30 and 36 mm) and three different water content of material (14.5%, 16.0% and 17.5%). Thus, three parameters were varied at three levels in both stages and experiments were designed according to Box-Behnken design. Depended variables (responses) were: temperature of the pellet press die, specific energy consumption of pellet press, dust content in pellets, degree of starch gelatinization,&nbsp; particle size of the material after pelleting. For each of the responses, a second order polynomial model was defined and used for optimization of the pelleting process. It was determined that particle size distribution of material with similar geometric mean diameter, obtained with hammer mill and roller mill, is significantly different from each other. Hammer mill produced higher quantity of the coarsest and the finest particles comparing to roller mill. Energy consumption of roller mill for grinding to similar particle size distribution or similar geometric mean diameter is lower compared to hammer mill. Even though it was determined that secondary grinding of particles during pelleting is inevitable, certain combinations of pelleting parameters may contribute to significant preservation of large particles and to reduction of quantity of small particles. Results of optimization in the first stage indicated that for the production of pelleted poultry feed, when certain amount of coarse particles should be preserved, it is necessary to apply coarse grinding on hammer mill, with the roller-die gap of 2 mm and with material water content of 17.5%. In the second stage it was determined that it is necessary to use die with thickness of 30 mm, coarsest granulation at the roller mill and material water content of 17.5%. In the production of pelleted poultry feed it is better to use a hammer mill since it was found that the particles obtained on hammer mill are more resistant to secondary grinding than the particles obtained with the roller mill. Roller-die gap increase is not desirable during pelleting of swine feed because it increases secondary grinding, and thus the proportion of the smallest particles. Similar effect has an increase of the die thickness. In the first stage of the study, the results of the optimization showed that the largest quantity of medium-sized particles (630 &ndash; 1600 &mu;m), and the lowest quantity of the smallest particles (&lt; 125 &mu;m), were achieved with the finest grinding on the hammer mill. At the same time water content of 17.5% should be applied, while the roller-die gap should be close to 0.30 mm. In the second stage of the study, the largest quantity of medium-sized particles, and the lowest quantity of the smallest<br />particles, was achieved with the finest grinding on the roller mill. According to the optimization results, the water content should be set to 17.5%, while die thickness should approx. 28 mm. With the proposed optimal parameters, satisfactory pellet quality was achieved, and energy consumption of the pellet<br />presses was at an acceptable level.</p>

Apesar de ser utilizado na indústria de Fosfato Bicácico (DCP) há vários anos, a microgranulação a partir de misturados horizontais de alto cisalhamento possui fundamentos pouco conhecidos, de maneira que as operações das unidades industriais sejam baseadas em conhecimentos empíricos. Este trabalho busca determinar os mecanismos de granulação associados com o processo de microgranulação de DCP e o perfil de crescimento dos grãos em função dos seguintes parâmetros operacionais: a quantidade de fase líquida, acidez do meio reacional e a velocidade de rotação do eixo central do granulador. Após a análise estatística de dados coletados a partir de um ano de operação em uma unidade industrial, conclui-se que a aglomeração do DCP em ambientes com alta umidade geram preferencialmente partículas grosseiras, que não contribuem para o aumento da eficiência de granulação. O processo de microgranulação de DCP deve ser controlado em uma estreita faixa de condições operacionais, balanceando a quantidade de fase líquida adicionada e a taxa de reciclo de material seco praticada. A redução na umidade de operação, aumenta a qualidade granulométrica do material produzido por este processo. / Despite being used by the Dicalcium Phosphate (DCP) Industry for many years, the fundaments of high shear horizontal mixer microgranulation are poorly known, so the industrial operations are based on empirical knowledge. The goal of this work was to determine the granulation mechanisms associated with the DCP microgranulation process and the particle size enlargement pattern, according with the following operational parameters: the amount of liquid phase, reaction media acidity and the mixer paddles` rotational speed. After statistically analysing one year operational data collected from an industrial facility, it was concluded that the agglomeration of DCP at a high moisture environment promotes preferable formation of coarse particles, which dont increase the overall granulation efficiency. The DCP microgranulated process has to be controlled in very narrow operational condition, balancing the liquid phase and the recycle material returned during the granulation process. The reduction of the process moisture increased the quality of physical quality of the material produced by this process route.

A crescente demanda por fontes de energia limpas e sustentáveis tem impulsionado a busca por matérias-primas alternativas para a produção de biocombustíveis. Dentre as fontes vegetais não utilizadas para a alimentação, a mamona, o pinhão-manso e o caroço de algodão apresentam elevados teores de óleo para produção de biodiesel e potencial para utilização dos resíduos na alimentação de ruminantes. Entretanto, para que esses \"resíduos\" adquiram status de coprodutos, é necessário avaliar sua toxicidade, para administrá-los em níveis seguros ou realizar sua destoxificação. Este estudo teve por objetivo mensurar o teor das moléculas biotivas gossipol, ricina e ésteres de forbol em tortas de caroço de algodão, mamona e pinhão-manso, respectivamente, a fim de avaliar o potencial de utilização desses subprodutos na alimentação de ruminantes, considerando a ação dessas biomoléculas na fermentação ruminal in vitro em diferentes níveis de substituição ao farelo de soja do concentrado. O delineamento experimental foi totalmente casualizado, utilizando três níveis de adição de biomoléculas extraídas das tortas, simulando a substituição da soja do concentrado em 33,3 66,6 e 100% e adicionadas sobre uma dieta base (controle), e um nível de torta em substituição a 22,2% ao farelo de soja do concentrado da mesma dieta base dos demais tratamentos, a fim de avaliar possíveis diferenças de ação da biomolécula in natura na torta ou extraída. Os dados foram analisados por regressão linear e quadrática, ANOVA e teste de Dunnett para comparação das médias dos tratamentos em relação ao controle. As metodologias em CLAE (HPLC) para quantificação das biomoléculas foram adaptadas e validadas. As concentrações das biomoléculas nas tortas analisadas estiveram dentro da faixa citada pela literatura, sendo que o gossipol e a ricina poderiam ser adicionados na alimentação de ruminantes nos teores propostos neste estudo, proporcionando níveis de ingestão inferiores aos citados como tóxicos pela literatura. Da mesma forma, a produção de gases na fermentação ruminal in vitro não demonstrou ocorrência de efeitos destas biomoléculas sobre a microbiota ruminal. Os níveis de adição de pinhão-manso propostos poderiam ocasionar toxicidade pela ingestão de ésteres de forbol. No bioensaio com pinhão-manso, foram observados efeitos com 22,2% de adição de torta sobre a taxa de eficiência de conversão do metano, sugerindo que os ésteres de forbol estejam bioativos apenas na torta in natura ou ainda que a presença de outro composto tóxico, sozinho ou sinergia com os ésteres de forbol, possa ter interferido na microbiota ruminal. A viabilidade da inclusão das tortas de caroço de algodão e mamona in natura não foi negada por este estudo, entretanto, é necessário considerar a concentração de suas biomoléculas e o manejo animal correto. Para a utilização de pinhão-manso in natura em qualquer nível de adição, ainda são necessários novos estudos sobre a toxicidade dos ésteres de forbol nas tortas e sua possível sinergia com outros compostos tóxicos. A identificação e quantificação dos ésteres de forbol antes e após o tratamento de destoxificação constituem os principais entraves para que a utilização da torta de pinhão-manso se torne um coproduto da alimentação animal / The growing demand for sustainable and clean energy sources has increased the search of alternative raw materials for the production of biofuels. Castor-oil plant, jatropha and cotton seeds are among the plant resources that are not used for food although they have high level of oil for biodiesel production and might have considerable potential to use their residues to feed ruminants. However, for these \"residues\" to achieve status of co-products it is necessary to evaluate its toxicity before using them at safe levels or to perform its detoxification. This study aimed to measure the content of gossypol, ricin and phorbol esters bioactives molecules in cottonseed, castor and jatropha meals respectively in order to evaluate the potential of the use of these co-products to feed ruminants, considering the action of these biomolecules in ruminal fermentation in vitro into different substitution levels of soybean meal in the concentrate. The experimental design was completely randomized; one level of a meal by replacing 22,2% of soy in its concentrate and three levels by adding biomolecules extracted from meals simulating the replacement of 33,3, 66,6 and 100% of soy in its concentrate in the same diet base (control) of others treatment in order to evaluate differences of effects of biomolecules in natura both in a meal or extracted. The results were analyzed by linear and quadratic regression, ANOVA and Dunnett´s test for comparison of averages of treatments compared to control. The HPLC methodologies to quantify the biomolecules were adapted and validated. The biomolecules\' concentrations were within the values were quoted in the literature and both the gossypol as ricin could be added in the feeding of ruminants at the levels proposed in this report, providing intake levels below those quoted as toxic in literature. Likewise, the gas production in rumen fermentation in vitro showed no effects of biomocules on rumen microbial. According to the literature, the jatropha levels proposed could cause toxicity by the content of phorbol esters ingested. In the bioassay with jatropha, effects on methane efficiency rate were observed when 22,2% of meal were added, suggesting that phorbol esters are bioactives only in meal in natura or even the presence of other toxic compound, alone or in synergy with phorbol esters, might have affected the ruminal microflora. The viability of cottonseed and castor meal in natura inclusion was not denied by this report, however, it is extremely necessary to consider their concentration of biomolecules and correct animal handling. For the use of jatropha in natura at any level of addition further studies are still needed on the toxicity of phorbol esters in meal in natura and its possible synergy with other toxic compounds. The identification and quantification of phorbol esters before and after detoxification treatment has still being a main barrier to jatropha meal becomes a co-product of animal nutrition

Tanto a administração de monensina quanto o processamento de grãos alteram o padrão de fermentação ruminal de forma a aumentar a disponibilidade de energia e proteína para o animal, resultando em melhor desempenho. Dois trabalhos foram conduzidos com o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de concentrados contendo milho laminado a vapor ou floculado, com ou sem a adição de monensina, no consumo de MS, ganho de peso e parâmetros sanguíneos e ruminais de bezerros leiteiras, antes e após a desmama realizada a sexta semana de vida. No primeiro experimento foram utilizadas 32 bezerras holandesas do nascimento a 12 semanas de vida, em um delineamento experimental do tipo blocos ao acaso, com arranjo fatorial 2x2. Do nascimento a desmama os animais receberam concentrado ad libitum até o consumo de 2 kg/d , quatro litros diários de leite e tiveram acesso livre à água. Após a desmama, realizada na sexta semana de vida, os animais continuaram recebendo 2 kg de concentrado e passaram a ter acesso a feno picado ad libitum. O tipo de processamento de grão ou a adição de monensina não afetou o consumo médio de concentrado ou feno (P>0,05), assim como o peso final e o ganho de peso diário (P>0,05). As concentrações plasmáticas de glicose e AGL médios do período experimental não foram afetadas pelos tratamentos; entretanto, as concentrações de N-uréico foram inferiores no plasma de animais recebendo concentrado com grãos laminados e monensina (P=0,08). Houve efeito significativo da idade animal nas concentrações plasmáticas de glicose (P<0,0001), N-uréico (P<0,001) e AGL (P<0,02). Somente os parâmetros glicose e AGL plasmáticos foram afetados pelo horário após o fornecimento do alimento. No segundo experimento, 16 bezerros holandeses fistulados no rúmen com 3 a 5 dias de vida, foram agrupados em blocos ao acaso, com arranjo fatorial 2x2. Os animais receberam concentrado ad libitum até o consumo de 2 kg/d , 4 litros diários de leite e tiveram acesso livre à água. Após a desmama, realizada na oitava semana de vida, os animais passaram a receber 2 kg/d de concentrado e feno picado ad libitum. Os tratamentos não afetaram (P>0,05) o consumo de concentrado e feno, assim como o desempenho animal. A concentração molar de propionato (P<0,05) foi maior para animais recebendo grão laminado. Houve tendência de maior concentração molar de AGV total (P=0,11) e butirato (P=0,13) para animais recebendo grão laminado. A inclusão de monensina tendeu a reduzir as concentrações de N-NH3 ruminal (P=0,12). O peso do retículo-rúmen (% trato total) tendeu (P=0,09) a ser maior em animais recebendo grão laminado e monensina. A capacidade do retículo-rúmen foi aumentada (P<0,05) pelo fornecimento de grão laminado e monensina. Milho floculado resultou em menor peso do abomaso em % trato total (P<0,01). / Two trails were conducted to evaluate the effects of concentrates containing processed grains (steam-flaked vs. steam-rolled), with or without monensin, on intake, weight gain and blood and rumen parameters of baby calves, before and after weaning at six weeks of life. In the first trial, 32 baby heifers were utilized on a completely randomized block, with a 2x2 factorial arrangement. The animals received concentrate ad libitum up to 2 kg/d, plus 4 L of milk. Calves had free access to water. After weaning, at the sixth week of life, calves received concentrate and chopped hay. The treatments did not affect (P>0,05) concentrate or hay intake, final live weight, average daily gain, plasma glucose and NEFA concentration. PUN was lower on calves fed steam-rolled corn and monensin (P=0,08). There was a significant effect of age on glucose (P<0,0001), PUN (P<0,001), and NEFA (P<0,02) concentrations. Only glucose and NEFA were affected by time after feeding. In the second trial, Sixteen Holstein calves were ruminally canulated with 3 to5 days of life, and utilized on a completely randomized design block with a 2x2 factorial arrangement. The animals received concentrate ad libitum up to 2 kg/d, plus 4 L/d of milk. Calves had free access to water. After weaning at the eight weeks of life, calves received concentrate and chopped hay. Animal performance, concentrate and hay intakes were lower than expected and not affected (P>0,05) by treatments. The molar proportion of propionate was higher (P<0,05) for steam-rolled concentrate. There was a tendency for higher total VFA (P=0,11) and butyrate (P=0,13) for steam-rolled corn. Monensin tended to reduce ruminal N-NH3 concentration (P=0,12). Weight of reticulum-rumen (as % total tract) tended to be higher (P=0,09) for calves on steam-rolled and monensin concentration. However, the capacity of reticulum-rumen was increased by steam-rolled and monensin feeding (P<0,05). Steam-flaked concentrate resulted on heavier abomasum, as % total tract (P<0,01).

Os níveis de radioatividade natural do planeta e suas eventuais consequencias são objeto de estudo da radioproteção ambiental. Nos últimos anos, as agências internacionais ligadas à proteção radiológica têm debatido as práticas até então estipuladas, no que diz respeito à proteção da fauna e flora, cuja filosofia acreditava que as recomendações sugeridas para a proteção do homem asseguravam que outras espécies estariam também protegidas. Assim, são necessários estudos sobre as concentrações de atividade dos radionuclídeos dispersos no meio ambiente, assim como as doses absorvidas por organismos de diferentes ecossistemas, pela exposição interna e externa. O Brasil possui a segunda maior população de cães e gatos do mundo e produz anualmente mais de 2 milhões de toneladas de rações. O presente trabalho investigou os níveis de radioatividade presentes em rações comerciais para cães e gatos, por meio da espectrometria gama de alta resolução. Os resultados mostraram concentrações abaixo da MDA para radionuclídeos artificiais e baixas concentrações para radionuclídeos naturais, cujos valores variaram de 0,9 &plusmn; 0,3 Bq/kg a 5,1 &plusmn; 0,7 Bq/kg para o 226Ra, de 1,2 &plusmn; 0,4 Bq/kg a 11,1 &plusmn; 1,0 Bq/kg para o 232Th e de 156 &plusmn; 7 Bq/kg a 410 &plusmn; 19 Bq/kg para o 40K. Para verificar a composição de alguns minerais, foi empregada a técnica por EDXRF e, utilizando estatística multivariada, foi possível verificar as correlações entre os radionuclídeos e o conteúdo mineral encontrado. A boa correlação que foi observada entre as concentrações de 226Ra, 232Th e cálcio, pode estar associada ao uso de farinhas de carne e ossos na fabricação das rações. As doses internas para alguns órgãos foram inferidas pelo método de Monte Carlo, obtendo valores menores que 1 &mu;Gy/dia. Em síntese, os resultados mostraram que os níveis de atividade encontrados nas rações são baixos o suficiente para concluir que as marcas de ração canina avaliadas não fornecem riscos radiológicos para os animais que as consomem. / The levels of natural radioactivity throughout the planet and their eventual consequences are studied by Environmental Radioprotection. Over the past years, the international agencies concerned with radiation protection have debated over the practices conducted so far, regarding the protection of the fauna and flora, which believed that the recommendations implemented for human beings assured that other species were also protected. Thus, assessments of the activity concentration of different radionuclides in the environment, as well as the absorbed doses for species from different ecosystems, due to internal and external exposures, are needed. Brazil holds the second largest dog and cat population in the world and annually produces over 2 million tons of feed. The present work has investigated the radioactivity levels in commercial brands of dry dog and cat food, using high resolution gamma spectrometry. The results have shown activity concentrations for artificial radionuclides below the detector\'s Minimum Detectable Activity and also, low concentration levels for the natural radionuclides, varying from 0,9 &plusmn; 0,3 Bq/kg up to 5,1 &plusmn; 0,7 Bq/kg for 226Ra, from 1,2 &plusmn; 0,4 Bq/kg up to 11,1 &plusmn; 1,0 Bq/kg for 232Th and from 156 &plusmn; 7 Bq/kg up to 410 &plusmn; 19 Bq/kg for 40K. In order to verify the mineral content in pet food, EDXRF technique was applied and, using multivariate statistics, correlations between the mineral and radionuclide content were verifyied. The good correlation observed between concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and calcium could be associated with meat and bone flour used in feed manufacturing. The internal dose for some organs were inferred by Monte Carlo method and the results were no higher than 1 &mu;Gy/day. In summary, results have shown that the activity levels found in the pet food are low enough to conclude that the brands evaluated carry no radiological risks for the animals that consume them.

Existe uma série de evidências que os pintos de corte na fase pré-inicial têm seu sistema digestório ainda imaturo, implicando em menor capacidade de aproveitamento dos alimentos. Em função desse fato, ingredientes de maior digestibilidade seriam recomendados para proporcionar um desenvolvimento adequado do organismo. Com isso, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi determinar a energia metabolizável aparente corrigida pelo balanço de nitrogênio (EMAn) de ingredientes como fontes de carboidrato e proteína para frangos de corte na fase pré- inicial, bem como avaliar a utilização destes ingredientes sobre o desenvolvimento inicial de órgãos do trato gastrintestinal, desempenho e características da carcaça das aves. Os ingredientes avaliados foram: milho (MI), amido de milho (AMI), amido de mandioca (AMA), glicose (GLI), lactose (LAC) e sacarose (SAC), como fontes de carboidrato; e farelo de soja (FS), soja integral micronizada (SIM), isolado protéico de soja (IS), ovo em pó (OP), plasma sanguíneo (PS), farelo de glúten de milho (GM) e levedura seca (LS), como fontes de proteína. Para a determinação da EMAn foram desenvolvidos vários ensaios de metabolismo utilizando-se o método de coleta total de excretas. Para a avaliação do desempenho, desenvolvimento do trato gastrintestinal e características da carcaça foram conduzidos diversos experimentos, em gaiolas e em piso de galpão experimental, com a inclusão dos ingredientes nas dietas. Os valores de EMAn para a fase pré- inicial das fontes de carboidrato foram: 3.213; 3.269; 3.690; 3.427; 1.225 e 3.524 kcal/kg para MI, AMI, AMA, GLI, LAC e SAC, respectivamente. Para as fontes protéicas a EMAn foi: 2.085; 4.068; 2.110; 5.095; 3.831; 3.374 e 2.037 kcal/kg para FS, SIM, IS, OP, PS, GM e LS, respectivamente. Para as aves criadas em gaiolas pode-se dizer que o desenvolvimento do trato gastrintestinal, de maneira geral, não foi influenciado pelas diferentes fontes de carboidrato, mas o consumo de ração das aves foi aumentado pelo fornecimento de carboidrato de maior disponibilidade na dieta préinicial, contribuindo para um aumento no peso vivo das aves. As diferentes fontes de proteína afetaram o desenvolvimento dos órgãos, mas esse efeito não foi suficiente para explicar as variações no desempenho das aves. A adição de diferentes fontes de proteína e carboidrato, bem como suas misturas, em dietas pré- iniciais de frangos de corte criados sob piso de galpão experimental, promoveram alterações no desempenho e no desenvolvimento do intestino delgado das aves até o sétimo dia de idade, entretanto as diferenças de desempenho não foram mantidas nas fases subseqüentes, contribuindo para que as características da carcaça e composição da carne de perna não apresentassem diferenças no momento do abate. / There are some evidences in the literature that newly hatched chicks have the digestive system still immature, what result in a small capacity to metabolize feed ingredients. So, more digestible ingredients could be recommended to allow an adequate development of the body. Herewith, the objective of this work was to determine the Ncorrected apparent metabolizable energy (EMAn) of carbohydrate and protein sources for newly hatched chicks, and to evaluate the utilization of these ingredients on the early development of gastrointestinal tract organs, performance and carcass characteristics of birds. The ingredients evaluated were: corn (MI), corn starch (AMI), cassava starch (AMA), glucose (GLI), lactose (LAC) and sucrose (SAC), as carbohydrates sources, and soybean meal (FS), micronized full fat soybean (SIM), isolated soy protein (IS), dried whole eggs (OP), blood plasma (PS), corn gluten meal (GM) and dried sugar cane yeast (LS), as protein sources. Several metabolism trials were conducted to determine the EMAn, using the total excreta collection method. To evaluate the performance, gastrointestinal tract development and carcass characteristics, experiments were conducted, in cages and floor pens, using diets containing those ingredients. The EMAn of the carbohydrate sources determined for chicks in the first week were: 3,213; 3,269; 3,690; 3,427; 1,225 and 3,524 kcal/kg for MI, AMI, AMA, GLI, LAC and SAC, respectively. The EMAn for protein sources were: 2,085; 4,068; 2,110; 5,095; 3,831; 3,374 and 2,037 kcal/kg for FS, SIM, IS, OP, PS, GM and LS, respectively. For the birds reared in cages, the results showed, in general, that the different carbohydrate sources did not affect the gastrointestinal tract development, but the feed consumption of the birds was improved by the more available carbohydrate sources in the newly hatched chicks diets, contributing to a higher liveweight of the birds. Otherwise, the different protein sources affected the gastrointestinal tract development, but these effects did not explain the changes on broiler performance. The addition of different protein and carbohydrate sources, and their mixtures, in the diets of newly hatched chicks reared in the floor pens resulted in differences on performance and on small intestine development of the birds until seven days of age, but these differences were not maintained on the following phases, contributing to a similar carcass characteristics and similar chemical composition of the whole leg meat at slaughter time.

Os níveis de radioatividade natural do planeta e suas eventuais consequencias são objeto de estudo da radioproteção ambiental. Nos últimos anos, as agências internacionais ligadas à proteção radiológica têm debatido as práticas até então estipuladas, no que diz respeito à proteção da fauna e flora, cuja filosofia acreditava que as recomendações sugeridas para a proteção do homem asseguravam que outras espécies estariam também protegidas. Assim, são necessários estudos sobre as concentrações de atividade dos radionuclídeos dispersos no meio ambiente, assim como as doses absorvidas por organismos de diferentes ecossistemas, pela exposição interna e externa. O Brasil possui a segunda maior população de cães e gatos do mundo e produz anualmente mais de 2 milhões de toneladas de rações. O presente trabalho investigou os níveis de radioatividade presentes em rações comerciais para cães e gatos, por meio da espectrometria gama de alta resolução. Os resultados mostraram concentrações abaixo da MDA para radionuclídeos artificiais e baixas concentrações para radionuclídeos naturais, cujos valores variaram de 0,9 &plusmn; 0,3 Bq/kg a 5,1 &plusmn; 0,7 Bq/kg para o 226Ra, de 1,2 &plusmn; 0,4 Bq/kg a 11,1 &plusmn; 1,0 Bq/kg para o 232Th e de 156 &plusmn; 7 Bq/kg a 410 &plusmn; 19 Bq/kg para o 40K. Para verificar a composição de alguns minerais, foi empregada a técnica por EDXRF e, utilizando estatística multivariada, foi possível verificar as correlações entre os radionuclídeos e o conteúdo mineral encontrado. A boa correlação que foi observada entre as concentrações de 226Ra, 232Th e cálcio, pode estar associada ao uso de farinhas de carne e ossos na fabricação das rações. As doses internas para alguns órgãos foram inferidas pelo método de Monte Carlo, obtendo valores menores que 1 &mu;Gy/dia. Em síntese, os resultados mostraram que os níveis de atividade encontrados nas rações são baixos o suficiente para concluir que as marcas de ração canina avaliadas não fornecem riscos radiológicos para os animais que as consomem. / The levels of natural radioactivity throughout the planet and their eventual consequences are studied by Environmental Radioprotection. Over the past years, the international agencies concerned with radiation protection have debated over the practices conducted so far, regarding the protection of the fauna and flora, which believed that the recommendations implemented for human beings assured that other species were also protected. Thus, assessments of the activity concentration of different radionuclides in the environment, as well as the absorbed doses for species from different ecosystems, due to internal and external exposures, are needed. Brazil holds the second largest dog and cat population in the world and annually produces over 2 million tons of feed. The present work has investigated the radioactivity levels in commercial brands of dry dog and cat food, using high resolution gamma spectrometry. The results have shown activity concentrations for artificial radionuclides below the detector\'s Minimum Detectable Activity and also, low concentration levels for the natural radionuclides, varying from 0,9 &plusmn; 0,3 Bq/kg up to 5,1 &plusmn; 0,7 Bq/kg for 226Ra, from 1,2 &plusmn; 0,4 Bq/kg up to 11,1 &plusmn; 1,0 Bq/kg for 232Th and from 156 &plusmn; 7 Bq/kg up to 410 &plusmn; 19 Bq/kg for 40K. In order to verify the mineral content in pet food, EDXRF technique was applied and, using multivariate statistics, correlations between the mineral and radionuclide content were verifyied. The good correlation observed between concentrations of 226Ra, 232Th and calcium could be associated with meat and bone flour used in feed manufacturing. The internal dose for some organs were inferred by Monte Carlo method and the results were no higher than 1 &mu;Gy/day. In summary, results have shown that the activity levels found in the pet food are low enough to conclude that the brands evaluated carry no radiological risks for the animals that consume them.