The effects of new strains of lactic acid bacteria on alfalfa silage fermentation were evaluated. The experiment was performed using a completely randomized design (with three replicates) based on a 6 × 6 factorial assay with 6 inoculants (I): Control (CTRL), Commercial inoculant (CI), Lactobacillus pentosus 14.7SE (LPE), Lactobacillus plantarum 3.7E (LP), Pediococcus pentosaceus 14.15SE (PP), and Lactobacillus plantarum 3.7E + Pediococcus pentosaceus 14.15SE (LP + PP), and six fermentation periods (P): 1, 3, 7, 14, 28 and 56 days. Alfalfa was wilted for 6 h in the field, which increased the dry matter content to 368 g/kg as fed. The CP and yeast population decreased during the fermentation process. Silage inoculated with the PP strain had the lowest pH values beginning at 14 d of fermentation and the lowest acetic acid concentration on the last day of fermentation. New strains more efficiently regulated enterobacteria and mold populations at days 56 and 28, respectively. Silages inoculated with the PP strain had a higher coefficient of in vitro dry matter digestibility than LP silages. All of the tested novel strains resulted in positive effects on at least one chemical property of the silage during the fermentation process. However, the adding of P . pentosaceus can be indicated as the better for silage quality considering the tested treatments in the present study.

-The objective of this study was to evaluate the nutritional and productive characteristics of primiparous lactating cows grazing on tropical pasture, using different levels of crude glycerin in the supplement. The experiment was conducted at Rancho Santana farm, located in Jequié city, Bahia, Brazil, in the period from December 21, 2010 to March 16, 2011. Ten ¾ Holstein × ¼ Dairy Gyr lactating primiparous cows, with 109±24 days of lactation and a mean age of 30±6 months and mean body weight of 426.2±68.29 kg were distributed into five treatments, using two simultaneous 5 × 5 latin squares. Treatments consisted of inclusion levels (0, 94, 191, 289, 389 g/kg dry matter basis) of crude glycerin in the supplement. Intake, digestibility, milk production and composition were measured. Results were statistically analyzed by analysis of variance and regression at 0.05 probability. For all consumption variables no significant differences were found between the levels of crude glycerin. Except for the digestibility of ether extract, all digestibility values were similar between treatments. The fat content and yield showed quadratic effect between treatments. No significant differences were observed for protein, lactose, total solids, nonfat dry extract, fat:protein ratio, milk urea nitrogen and somatic cell count between treatments. For primiparous lactating cows grazing on tropical pasture, up to 389 g of crude glycerin/kg of dietary supplement can be included without nutritional and productive interference.

Coffee beans contain high polyphenol content, which have the potential to modulate the intestinal microbiota, and possibly attenuate weight gain and the associated dyslipidemia. This study investigated the effect of freeze-dried coffee solution (FCS) consumption on physiological parameters, lipid profile, and microbiota of Wistar rats fed a high-fat diet (HF) or control diet (CT). FCS combined with a high-fat diet increased the fecal and cecal Bifidobacterium spp. population and decreased the cecal Escherichia coli population and intestinal Il1b mRNA level. Regardless of the diet type, FCS increased the serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C); however, it did not affect body weight, food intake, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, fecal bile acids, and intestinal Il6 mRNA levels. The high-fat diet increased weight gain, hepatic cholesterol and triglycerides, fecal bile acids, and the fecal and cecal Lactobacillus spp. population, and reduced food intake, the fecal E. coli population, and intestinal Il6 mRNA level. The results suggest that FCS consumption exhibits positive health effects in rats fed a high-fat diet by increasing Bifidobacterium spp. population and HDL-C reverse cholesterol transport, and by reducing Il1b mRNA level. However, FCS administration at a dose of 0.39 g/100 g diet over an eight-week period was not effective in controlling food intake, and consequently, preventing weight gain in rats of high-fat diet-induced obesity model.

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PALAVRAS-CHAVE Ácidos orgânicos Aditivo de silagem Bactéria do ácido lático Zea mays L.