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Fatty acid composition and the melting point of subcutaneous fat was determined in 18 Hereford, 25 Brahman x Hereford, 22 Simmental x Hereford, and 15 Friesian x Hereford steers that were grown out on pasture at two sites and slaughtered when the mean weight of the Herefords at each site was ca. 450 kg. Multivariate and univariate analyses tested the relations of fatty acid composition, degree of saturation, and melting point with sire breed, environment, age, and carcass characteristics. Hereford and Brahman steers were fatter than the Simmental and Friesian steers. Fat from Brahman-sired steers had a melting point 2.5 degrees C lower than fat from the Bos taurus-sired steers at the same age and had a higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, independent of variation in carcass weight and fatness. Melting point and degree of saturation decreased as age increased. Step-down discriminant analyses identified a set of three acids (14:0, 16:0, and 17:1) that differed among sire breeds, independent of differences in melting point: the acids 14:0 and 16:0 discriminated between Brahman and Bos taurus steers and 17:1 between Hereford and Simmental and Friesian steers. Increase in fatness was associated with an increase in 17:1, but, at the same fatness, no acids discriminated among the Bos taurus-sired steers. The use of Bos indicus cattle or their crossbreeds in situations in which hard-setting fat is likely may mitigate the problem.

Energy and nitrogen (N) metabolism were studied in 6-week-old male birds taken from 4 lines of chickens selected for 10 generations for increased weight gain (line W), increased food consumption (line F), increased conversion of food to gain (line E) or at random (controls, line C). Calorimetric measurements were made 8 times on each line while fed ad libitum in large open-circuit respiration chambers for 3 d, and 11 to 13 times without food in smaller closed-circuit respiration chambers for 24 h. The F line ate 60% more food, produced 90% more excreta and 34% more heat and retained 80% more energy and 35% more N in their bodies than lines E and C. Line W was intermediate. When differences in body weight were taken into account, the E and W lines had lower heat production than the C line, while the F line ate 40% more food, produced 30% more heat and retained 70% more energy and 30% more N than the E line. In lines W, F, E and C respectively, the mean metabolisability of dietary energy (%) was 69.4, 62.9, 70.1 and 67.8; the fasting heat production (mean +/- SE) was 481 +/- 9, 569 +/- 10, 485 +/- 9, and 508 +/- 9 kJ/kgW d; the net availability of metabolisable energy (NAME) was 0.68 +/- 0.05, 0.76 +/- 0.04, 0.85 +/- 0.06 and 0.73 +/- 0.04; the estimated daily maintenance energy requirements were 671 +/- 15,866 +/- 14,701 +/- 13, and 742 +/- 11 kJ ME/kgW; and the proportion of N retained per unit increase in N intake was 0.38 +/- 0.08, 0.50 +/- 0.06, 0.56 +/- 0.10 and 0.53 +/- 0.06. The contribution of line differences in the above traits to large line differences in efficiency of food utilisation is discussed.

Concentrations of surviving Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens, and Salmonella spp. were determined temporally in mechanically dewatered biosolids derived from anaerobic–mesophilic digestion and applied to agricultural land. Following applications in different seasons, repeated assessments of bacterial concentrations in biosolid clumps, using most-probable-number (MPN) techniques, found sustained high levels of these bacteria. Bacterial concentrations were often well above soil background levels at 6 months, and in some cases 11–12 months, after land application. Survival in surface-applied biosolids was similar to that for biosolids incorporated into the soil, and between application rates of 10 or 30 dry t/ha. Salmonella concentrations in applied biosolids were not predicted from, and could exceed those of, the indicator organism E. coli. Multiple plot analyses indicated regrowth of E. coli and Salmonella can occur within biosolids, up to several months after application. However, Salmonella serovars likely to pose a significant risk to animal health were not detected among isolates from the dewatered biosolids. Reduced accessibility for grazing livestock by soil incorporation, together with the time taken for normal pasture establishment practices, and the limited pathogenicity of the vast majority of salmonellae present in biosolids may significantly reduce the risk of spread of these organisms to the human food chain.

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