The fiber is an essential component and one of the main items in diet of ruminants, and their physical and chemical characteristics can directly affect the digestive physiology in the rumen. In the practice, the fiber in the balance of diets given different terms, according with their solubility and degradation characteristics. These terms, including FB (crude fiber), NDF (neutral detergent fiber) and ADF (acid detergent fiber), NDF being more related to structural carbohydrates (cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin), which is more used to interfere in the diet utilization by animal, their quantity can stimulate or inhibit food intake by ruminants. Based on the physical characteristics of NDF two new concepts were developed: physically effective NDF (peFDN) related to particle size and effective NDF (eFDN) related with the ability of food in maintained the percentage of fat in milk. The FDA refers to cellulose, lignin, silica and protein, and is used to estimated the hemicellulose by subtraction of ADF from NDF. The fiber stimulates chewing, serves as substrate for microorganisms, contribute to maintenance of the fermentative standards and rumen ambient stability. Thus, the fiber in diet of ruminants when not available in quantity and quality at animals may compromise the performance and interfere in the final products characteristics, yonder cause disturbances in the energy metabolism of animals.

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the ingestive behavior and physiological parameters of confined goats fed peanut cake instead of soybean meal in their feed. We used 40 goats that were ¾ Boer, uncastrated, and 5 months of age on average, with an average initial weight of 15.6 ± 2.7 kg. The treatments consisted of diets with different levels of peanut cake replacing soybean meal in the concentrate (0.0, 33.33, 66.67, and 100%). The experimental design was completely randomized, with four treatments and ten repetitions. For the evaluation of feeding behavior, single animals were observed every 5 min for 24 h on 3 days. The physiological responses (respiratory rate; heart rate; rectal temperature, obtained with a rectal thermometer; and surface temperature) of the animals were evaluated at 09:00 and 15:00 h. The replacement of soybean meal with peanut cake did not change (P > 0.05) feeding behavior. The physiological parameters of the animals (P < 0.05) were altered; however, the changes appeared to be unrelated to the diet and to be due to the weather conditions. Peanut cake can replace soybean meal at 100% without causing negative effects on the feeding behavior or physiological parameters of confined ¾ Boer goats.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of condensed tannin inclusion (0, 10, 30 or 50 g/kg of dry matter (DM) total) from Acacia mearnsii extract on the fatty acid profile, physicochemical quality and sensorial analysis of salted and sun-dried meat from young Nellore bulls. The inclusion of condensed tannin extract in the young bulls’ diets promoted a quadratic reduction in the lipid content. There was a linear increase in the water retention capacity, cooking weight loss and C18:3 n–3 and a linear reduction in collagen, C16:0, C16:1 cis– 9, C18:1, MUFAs, and Δ9–desaturaseC18 in the salted and sun-dried meat from young Nellore bulls supplemented with condensed tannin. The myristic fatty acid (C14:0) and the flavor sensory attribute presented a quadratic increase. The inclusion of condensed tannin extract in the young Nellore bulls’ diets did not influence most of the physicochemical characteristics, fatty acids and nutraceutical compounds, including CLA, atherogenicity, thrombogenicity and the h:H index, the tenderness and the global appearance of the salted and sun-dried meat. Condensed tannins reduce ruminal biohydrogenation and improve the PUFA content of salted and sun-dried meat from young Nellore bulls.

In the Author Contributions section, Ronaldo Lopes Oliveira (RLO) should be listed as responsible for conceptualization rather than Elzânia Sales Pereira (ESP).

This study showed the effect of feed restriction on performance, nitrogen balance (NB), microbial protein synthesis, carcass traits and meat cut of the thirty-two Sindhi non-castrated males (296 ± 21.3 kg initial BW and 21 ± 1.5 months old). All bulls were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments (feed restriction levels) (0, 15, 30, and 45% in total dry matter -DM) and the data were subjected to analysis of variance and regression. Nutrient intake, NB, final BW, total gain, feeding efficiency, carcass gain, hot and cold carcass weight, subcutaneous fat thickness, commercial cuts and fat tissue decreased linearly (P<0.05) by feed restriction level. A linear increased on digestibility of DM, NDFap, total carbohydrates and on the proportion of muscle tissue, as well as quadratic increase on non-fibrous carbohydrates and bone tissue percentage with the restriction level imposed on bulls (P<0.05). The feed restriction did not affect (P>0.05) the digestibility of crude protein, synthesis and microbial efficiency, deposition efficiency, longissimus dorsi area and muscle + fat/bone ratio. The feed restriction reduced intake and consequently performance, carcass traits and meat cuts of Sindhi bulls; however, it promoted a reduction in the N excretion, which can be important if conducted a subsequent compensatory weight gain.