Twenty-eight Brangus cattle were used to determine the effect of copper and selenium supplementation on the carcass characteristics, fatty acid composition of the longissimus dorsi muscle and on the copper and selenium concentrations in the liver. The treatments were: no supplementation of copper or selenium; 2 mg Se/kg DM as sodium selenite; 40 mg Cu/kg DM as copper sulfate; and 2 mg Se/kg DM as sodium selenite and 40 mg Cu/kg DM as copper sulfate. The fat thickness, rib eye area and fatty acid composition of the longissimus dorsi muscle were not affected by treatments. There was no effect on carcass yield and cooling loss with the supplementation of copper, selenium or selenium × copper in the levels studied. For the ether extract concentration in the longissimus dorsi muscle, no differences were found according to the treatments with selenium, copper or selenium × copper. The treatments with selenium and selenium × copper showed higher selenium concentrations in the liver than the control and copper treatments. For the copper concentration in the liver, the copper and selenium × copper treatments showed higher values than the control and selenium treatments. Despite the little effect on the meat composition, the results of this experiment demonstrate no interaction between selenium and copper in the levels studied.

Two experiments were carried out with twenty-four male weaned Holstein calves to verify the influence of different dietary cation-anion concentrate and roughage proportions on calves metabolism. In the first experiment, calves were fed rations with -100, +200 and +400 mEq cation-anion balance/kg of dry matter, containing 60% of roughage and 40% of concentrate. In the second experiment, calves (117.6±20.8 kg average weight) received rations with similar dietary cation-anion balance but in diets of 40% roughage and 60% concentrate. As the dietary cation-anion balance became more positive, there was a quadratic response of blood pH in both diets with 60 and 40% roughage. A linear increase following increased dietary cation-anion balance was observed on bicarbonate concentration, carbon dioxide tension, carbon dioxide partial pressure and urine pH on both experiments, while anion gap decreased linearly. Blood urea nitrogen and base excess increased quadratically according to increased dietary cation-anion balance on 60% roughage, whereas those same parameters showed a linear increase on 40% roughage. Growing ruminant metabolism both in cationic and anionic diets was modified when the roughage:concentrate ratio was altered.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de dieta com alto teor de soja extrusada e selênio orgânico sobre o perfil de ácidos graxos e a estabilidade oxidativa do leite de vacas da raça Holandesa. Vinte e quatro vacas foram divididas em três blocos e distribuídas ao acaso em três tratamentos: dieta controle; dieta com 21% de soja extrusada e dieta com 21% de soja extrusada + 5 mg de selênio orgânico. O experimento teve duração de seis semanas. As vacas alimentadas com soja extrusada produziram leite com menor concentração de ácidos graxos de cadeias curta e média, maior concentração de ácidos graxos de cadeia longa, menor concentração de ácidos graxos saturados e maior concentração de ácidos graxos poliinsaturados e de ácido linoléico conjugado. A suplementação com selênio aumentou a sua concentração no leite e retardou o processo oxidativo do leite. A dieta com 21% de soja extrusada alterou o perfil de ácidos graxos do leite, aumentando sua susceptibilidade à oxidação; o enriquecimento com selênio minimizou esse efeito e influenciou positivamente a estabilidade do leite.

The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of extruded soybean and organic selenium supplementation on fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of Holstein milk. Twenty-four Holstein cows were distributed in three blocks and were allocated in three treatments: control diet; diet with 21% extruded soybean; and diet with 21% of extruded soybean + 5 mg of organic selenium. The experiment lasted six weeks. The cows fed with extruded soybean diet produced milk with lower concentration of short and medium chain fatty acids and higher concentration of long chain fatty acids, lower concentration of saturated fatty acids and higher concentration of polyunsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid content. The organic selenium supplementation increased milk selenium concentration and delayed milk oxidation. Diet with 21% extruded soybean modified fatty acid profile and resulted in milk susceptible to oxidation. Organic selenium supplementation reduced oxidation and influenced positively the stability of milk.

Foram utilizadas oito vacas Holandesas em lactação, distribuídas em um quadrado latino (4x4), replicado, num experimento conduzido durante o verão, por um período de 72 dias. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar quatro níveis de dietas catiônicas sobre a composição e as propriedades físico-químicas do leite em vacas após o pico de lactação. Para a manipulação do balanço cátion-aniônico da dieta (BCAD), foram adicionadas diferentes concentrações de bicarbonato de sódio nas dietas, obtendo-se os seguintes tratamentos: +150, +250, +400 e +500mEq kg-1 MS. Não houve diferença significativa para as variáveis: porcentagem de gordura, densidade e índice crioscópico do leite. O pH do leite aumentou linearmente e a acidez apresentou resposta cúbica com o aumento do BCAD.

Eight lactating Holsteins cows were distributed in a 4x4 replicated Latin square in the summer for 72 days. The objective of this research was to study the effect of four levels of cationic diets on the composition and physic-chemistries parameters of milk in cows after the lactation peak. For dietary cation anion balance manipulation, different concentrations of the sodium bicarbonate were added in the diets and the following treatments were obtainned: +150, +250, +400 e +500mEq kg-1 DM. The diets did not affect fat percentage and variables, density and crioscopic indice in the milk. Milk pH increased linearly and acidity decreased cubically with increased of dietary CAB.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o efeito do balanço cátion-aniônico da dieta (BCAD) no balanço e concentração sérica de cálcio em ovinos da raça Santa Inês. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos para controlar o efeito do peso inicial dos animais. Foram utilizados cinco tratamentos com níveis crescentes de BCAD (-160, -40, 140, 250 e 500mEq/kg de matéria seca) com cinco repetições em 25 animais. O BCAD influencia o metabolismo de cálcio em ovinos machos da raça Santa Inês. Com a diminuição do BCAD o cálcio sérico aumentou. Dietas aniônicas aumentaram a excreção urinária de cálcio, entretanto a retenção não foi afetada.

This work aimed at studing the effect of dietary cation-anionic balance (DCAB) in calcium balance and serum concentration in Santa Ines breed sheep. To control the effect of animals’ initial weight blocks were used as experimental design. Five treatments with increasing DCAB levels (-160, -40, 140, 250 and 500mEq/kg of dry matter) and five repetitions each were tested in 25 males. DCAB affected calcium metabolism of Santa Ines breed males. As DCAB lowered, serum calcium increased. Anionic diets raised urinary calcium excretion, however calcium retention wasn’t affected.

Quatro bubalinos e quatro bovinos adultos com fístulas ruminais foram utilizados com o objetivo de se estudar os efeitos de diferentes níveis de fibra em detergente neutro na dieta sobre as características digestão ruminal. Foram avaliadas as degradabilidades da matéria seca, fibra em detergente neutro do feno de coastcross e do farelo de trigo, matéria seca do milho em grãos moídos e do farelo de soja; digestibilidade com indicador (Cr2O3). Os animais foram delineados em dois quadrados latinos (4x4) com arranjo fatorial 4x2, sendo quatro níveis crescentes de FDN na MS (54, 60, 66 e 72%) e duas espécies (bubalinos e bovinos). Cada subperíodo compreendeu 29 dias, sendo 13 de adaptação. Os bubalinos apresentaram maior desaparecimento ruminal da MS e FDN do feno de coastcross e da MS do farelo de soja que os bovinos, na maioria dos tempos de incubação. Por outro lado, o desaparecimento ruminal da FDN do farelo de trigo foi maior para os bovinos, somente nas primeiras horas. Para o coeficiente de digestibilidade da MS, houve interação de espécies com níveis de FDN. O coeficiente de digestibilidade da FDN foi influenciado pelos níveis de FDN e, para o coeficiente de digestibilidade da PB, não foram notados efeitos de espécies ou níveis de FDN.

Four buffaloes and four cattle rumen fistulated were used with the objective to study the effects of different levels of neutral detergent fiber in the diet on the digestion characteristics. The In situ degradations of dry matter (DM), neutral detergent fiber (NDF) of the coastcross hay and wheat meal, DM of the corn ground and soybean meal were evaluated. The digestibilities of DM, crude protein and NDF of the diets were also evaluated using a Cr2O3 as a marker. The animals were allotted to two in a 4x2 factorial arrangement with four increasing levels of NDF in the DM (54, 60, 66 and 72%) and two animal species (buffaloes and cattle). Four twenty-nine days subperiods were used, with 13 days for diet adaptation. The buffaloes showed higher ruminal DM and NDF disappearance of the Coast-cross hay and soybean meal DM than cattle, in most of the incubation times. On the other hand, the ruminal NDF disappearance of wheat meal was higher for the cattle only in the first hours. There was interaction between species and NDF levels for the DM digestibility coefficients. The NDF levels influenced the NDF digestibility coefficient and it was not noticed effects of species or NDF levels for the CP digestibility coefficient.