Two experimental tests were carried out to evaluate the inclusion of forage cactus meal in diets for rabbits during the growth phase. In the first test 14 male New Zealand red rabbits were used, housed in metal cages, and distributed in a completely randomly design with two treatments and seven replicates with one animal per experimental unit. The digestibility of the nutrients and the digestible energy of the forage cactus meal were determined by the total feces collection method. The forage cactus meal presented 92.24% of DM, 5.63% of CP and 2,347 kcal of DE/kg. In the second test the inclusion of 0, 10, 20 and 30% forage cactus meal in the rabbit diet was tested for productive performance, carcass characteristics, viscera and economic viability. Thus, 40 male rabbits of the New Zealand red breed were used, distributed in metal cages, completely random designed with four treatments, five replicates and two animals per experimental unit. No influence of inclusion levels (P>0.05) on performance variables, housing characteristics or economic viability was observed. The forage cactus meal can be included in up to 30% in the diets of growing rabbits.

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This study aimed to evaluate the supplementation of L-glutamine + glutamic acid and/or L-arginine on the productive performance, incidence of diarrhea, intestinal morphological of weaned piglets. Sixty-four 28-day-old weaned piglets were distributed in four treatments: DC -control diet; DG -glutamine diet (1% L-glutamine + glutamic acid); DA -arginine diet (1% L-arginine); and DGA -glutamine + arginine diet (0.5% L-glutamine + glutamic acid and 0.5% L-arginine) with eight replicates and two animals per experimental unit. The addition of 1% L-arginine to the piglet diet improved weight gain and feed conversion over 28 to 35 days of age. In the period of 28 to 49 days of age, supplementation with 1% L-glutamine + glutamic acid increased the animals' weight gain and reduced the incidence of diarrhea. Supplementation with amino acids in combination had a positive effect on the morphometric parameters of the intestinal mucosa compared to the control diet. Supplementation with 1% L-glutamine + glutamic acid increased the number of anti-PCNA + cells and goblet cells. Taken together, our fi ndings suggest that supplementation with L-glutamine + glutamic acid and L-arginine can improve the productive performance and enhance the integrity of the intestinal mucosa of weaned piglets.

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the influence of including L-glutamine along with glutamic acid as a supplement in weaned piglets’ diets with and without whey powder.Methods: Two assays were carried out. A total of 40 piglets ([Landrace×Large White]× Pietrain) weaned at 24 days of age with an initial body weight of 6.6±0.6 kg were used in the first assay, and the following parameters were evaluated: growth performance, the incidence of diarrhea, morphometry, intestinal integrity, and hepatic glycogen index. The animals were then blocked into four groups according to different diets: diet all-grain feeding (G); diet all-grain feeding with whey powder (GW); and with vs without 1% supplementation of the commercial product containing L-glutamine and glutamic acid (A or NA). Whey powder was added according to the stage of life, corresponding to 17%, 10%, and 5%, respectively, in order to meet the need for lactose. The animals were evaluated at 24 to 42 days and at 24 to 55 days of age. The nutrient digestibility for the second assay was carried out by using 24 animals with an average weight of 11.49±1.6 kg, and the same diets were tested.Results: The supplementation of L-glutamine + glutamic acid or the addition of whey powder in diets for weaned piglets provided (p<0.05) greater feed intake, greater weight gain and improved feed conversion in the initial period (24 to 42 days age). However, in the whole period (24 to 55 days age) only amino acid supplementation affected (p<0.05) growth performance. There was a positive interaction (p<0.05) between the type of diet and L-glutamine + glutamic acid supplementation on villus height, crypt depth and the villus:crypt ratio in the duodenum. In addition, L-glutamine + glutamic acid supplementation reduced (p<0.05) the crypt depth and improved the villus:crypt ratio in the jejunum. The inclusion of whey powder affected (p<0.05) positively the digestibility coefficients analyzed except mineral matter digestibility coeficients. The supplementation of 1% the commercial product composed of L-glutamine and glutamic acid improved (p<0.05) only the digestibility coefficient of crude protein.Conclusion: These results indicate that supplementation of 1% commercial product containing L-glutamine + glutamic acid in diets for piglets from 24 to 55 days of age, dispenses with the use of whey powder when evaluating growth performance. Amino acid supplementation alone or associated with whey powder affects (p<0.05) positively the indicators of the intestinal integrity.

The objective of this study is to evaluate the influence of different soybean oil (SO) and selenium yeast (SeY) levels in the diet of meat quails on productive performance, physicochemical, quality measurements, fatty acid profile, enzyme activity estimation, and oxidative stability of meat. A total of 288 one-day old commercial meat quails are allocated into four groups according to a completely randomized experimental design, with two levels of SO (1.5% and 3.0%) and SeY (0 and 0.15 mg kg −1 ) in the feed. The supplementation period is 42 days. The use of up to 3% supplementation of SO in the diet improves (p < 0.05) the productive performance. The polyunsaturated acid content and thiobarbituric acid value in the meat are increased (p < 0.05) as an effect of the SO increase in the diet. The use of SeY in quail diets associates with 3% inclusion of SO and promotes improvements in the qualitative parameters of the quail meat. Therefore, the inclusion of 0.15 mg kg −1 of SeY in the diets is a viable alternative for improving the oxidative stability of meat since it improves the qualitative parameters of quail meat in diets with a high inclusion of SO. Practical Applications: These results have practical applicability in the meat industry, since it is possible to change the lipid profile of this raw material, meeting the requirement of the consumer market for healthy foods, reducing the total cholesterol content, and nutritionally desirable, through enrichment with polyunsaturated fatty acids.