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Research Article
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The Effect of Monensin and Supplemental Fat on Growth Performance, Blood Metabolites and Commercial Productivity of Zel Lamb |
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K.J. Khorshidi,
A. Karimnia,
S. Gharaveisi
and
H. Kioumarsi
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ABSTRACT
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This research was conducted in order to investigate
the effects of supplemental fat and monensin on the level of Dry Matter
Intake (DMI), Average Daily Gain (ADG), final weight, Feed Conversion
Ratio (FCR), blood glucose level, Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN), calcium,
phosphor, triglyceride, cholesterol and crude protein of the Zel lambs;
as well as commercial effects of monensin and supplemental fat on the
lambs fattening. Most of the time, ordinary food does not suffice the
animals needs. Thus, using high-energy materials like fats are important
in programming the diets. Moreover, adding some materials to the animal
diets could increase the animal efficiency and the products quality. Hormones,
antibiotics, ionophores are amongst the most important additives affecting
income in the lamb fattening industry. Monensin is the first ionophore
component proven to be effective in increasing efficiency of ruminant
animals. Twenty-four male Zel lambs were used with an age average of 3-4
months and an initial live weight of 21.94 ± 0.642 kg. A period
of eleven days was considered as the adaptation time and the experiment
was carried on during three 21-day phases (totally 63 days). The variables
for this study were supplemental fat on two levels of 0 and 4% and monensin
on tree levels of 0, 20 and 40 mg kg-1 on adrymatterbasis.
There were four repetitions for each treatment. The results of this research
reveal that different levels of fat and monensin do not have significant
effect on DMI, ADG, FCR and level of glucose. The food treatment had significant
effect on final weight, calcium level, BUN, phosphor, triglyceride, cholesterol
and CP (p<0.05). Also, they affect commercial productivity.
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INTRODUCTION
Ionophores are an associate polyether antibiotic group and are used as
growth promoters in ruminants and pigs. They are used as a coccidiostat
in poultry and ruminants (McKellar and Lawrence, 1996; Salles et al.,
2008). Antibiotic ionophores have been widely used to improve feed efficiency
and to regulate rumen functions in animals. The ionophore decreases methanogenesis
(Thornton and Owens, 1981; Crutzen et al., 1986; Rumpler et
al., 1986; Mbanzamihigo et al., 1996; Guan et al.,
2006) and increases the molar proportion of propionate while acetate and
often butyrate proportions are decreased (Horn et al., 1981; Broderick,
2004). In addition, they act by increasing Non-Ammonia Nitrogen (NAN)
flows in the duodenum of treated animals (Schelling, 1984; Rogers et
al., 1997). Monensin is an ionophore produced by a Streptomyces
cinnamonensis sub-type and improves animal feed efficiency. On the
other hand, the most important reason for using supplemental fat in ratio
is the increase of dietary energy level without the increase of starch
in using diet. Therefore, it can be assumed that we can obtain increase
in dietary energy level without any change in Dry Matter Intake (DMI)
after adding fat. Soodeen-Karamath and Youssef (1999) assessed the effect
of monensin, avoparcin and grass supplementation on utilization of urea-treated
rice straw by sheep and goats and concluded that diets based on urea-treated
rice straw supplemented with grass and/or monensin were utilized more
efficiently by sheep than goats. Garcia et al. (2000) assessed
the effect of a yeast culture (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and monensin
on ruminal fermentation and digestion in sheep and showed that although
supplementing sheep with a combination of S. cerevisiae and monensin
had no effect on digestibility or ruminal fermentation, monensin improved
the fermentation pattern. According to Clary et al. (1993), supplemental
fat and ionophores can be bound and as a result, the amount of inserting
fat to intestine will be increased. Wholly, using supplemental fat and
ionophores can be as a strong method to improve ruminant`s nutrition and
there have been many other researches by the scientist on the different
species in this regard. Nonetheless, the data does not seem to be adequate
yet. This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of monensin and
supplemental Fat on growth performance, blood metabolites and commercial
productivity of Zel lambs.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Lambs and experimental conditions: This study was conducted in
2007 as a portion of Animal Science Research Program in Agricultural and
Animal Science Research Center of Azad University, Ghaemshahr Branch in
north of Iran. Twenty-four male Zel lambs were used with an age average
of 6 months and an initial live weight of 21.94 ± 0.642 kg. The
animals were allowed 50 days period to adjust to the new feeding and housing
conditions prior to the start of the experiment. The animals were housed
in experimental pens and fed two times a day with Total Mix Ratio (TMR)
for a period of 63 days including 3 periods and each period lasted 21
days.
Experimental diets: Chemical analysis of the feeds was performed
according to AOAC (1990). Subsequently, with reference to the average
age and weight of the lambs and based on the standards set by the NRC,
six food rations were prepared with two levels of Fat (0 and 4%) and one
of three levels of monensin (0, 20 and 40%). Food was offered in the morning
and evening and the food refused from the previous day was removed before
the new meal was given on the following morning.
Blood metabolites: Blood samples were collected from the jugular
veins. All blood samples were stored in ice in a sterile vacutainer that
contained EDTA as an anti-coagulant. In the lab, the blood samples were
centrifuged at 5,000 x G for 6 min. Subsequently, using commercial kits,
the amounts of glucose, urea, calcium, phosphor, triglyceride and cholesterol
based on mg/100 mL and Crude Protein (CP) based on g 100 mL-1
in the samples were determined.
Statistical analysis: A completely randomized design of 6 diets
in a 2x3 factorial design was replicated four times. The model was:
Where:
Xijk |
= |
Observations |
M |
= |
Treatment average |
Bj |
= |
Effect of fat level |
Bk |
= |
Effect of monensin level |
Bjk |
= |
Effect of the interaction between fat and monensin levels |
Eijk |
= |
Experimental error |
Data were statistically analyzed using the General Linear Model procedures
of SAS (1996) with the Duncan test.
RESULTS
Growth performance: The fat and monensin levels were found to
have a significant effect on final weight (p<0.05). The ration containing
4% fat and 20 mg kg-1 Dry Matter (DM) monensin resulted in
the most favorable final weight. Monensin and fat did not significantly
affect Dry Matter Intake (DMI), Average Daily Gain (ADG), as well as Feed
Conversion Ratio (FCR) (Table 1).
Blood metabolites: Monensin and fat did not significantly affect
blood glucose. The fat and monensin levels were found to have a significant
effect on BUN (p<0.05) that the lowest and the highest amount was 10.33
and 19.58 mg/100 mL for lambs fed with ratios two and six, respectively
(Table 2). Furthermore, the fat and monensin levels
were found to have a significant effect on calcium (p<0.05) that the
lowest and the highest amount was 9.60 and 10.61 mg/100 mL for lambs fed
with ratios one and six, respectively. Moreover, the fat and monensin
levels were found to have a significant effect on phosphor (p<0.05)
that the lowest and the highest amount was 6.70 and 9.69 mg/100 mL for
lambs fed with ratios six and three, respectively. In addition, the fat
and monensin levels were found to have a significant effect on triglyceride
(p<0.05) that the lowest and the highest amount was 15.25 and 29.25
mg/100 mL for lambs fed with ratios six and three, respectively. Also,
the fat and monensin levels were found to have a significant effect on
cholesterol (p<0.05) that the lowest and the highest amount was 28.91
and 51.16 mg/100 mL for lambs fed with ratios two and six, respectively.
Besides, the fat and monensin levels were found to have a significant
effect on CP (p<0.05) that the lowest and the highest amount was 6.24
and 7.67 g/100 mL for lambs fed with ratios three and five, respectively.
Table 1: |
Effects monensin and supplemental fat on lamb performance
and efficiency |
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In each line, means with different letter(s) are significantly
different (p<0.05) |
Table 2: |
Effects monensin and supplemental fat on lamb blood
metabolites |
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In each line, means with different letter(s) are significantly
different (p<0.05) |
Commercial productivity: The ration containing 40 mg kg-1
Dry Matter (DM) monensin and 4% fat resulted in the most favorable feed
intake cost/kg gain, un-variable profit/kg live weight and un-variable
profit/total gain (Table 1).
DISCUSSION
Growth performance: The addition of monensin and supplemental
fat had significant effect on final weight but had no significant effect
on Dry Matter Intake (DMI), Average Daily Gain (ADG), as well as Feed
Conversion Ratio (FCR). Huston et al. (1990), Stock et al.
(1995) and Rowghani et al. (2006) using monensin caused decrease
in DMI but here the result can be justified with using fat beside monensin
in order not to have any negative effects on DMI. Monensin and supplemental
fat improved feed conversion ratio and increased daily weight gain, but
the effects were nonsignificant. Also, it had significant effect on final
weight. Ruminal fermentation has been manipulated with different feed
additives, including ionophores, to improve animal production (Wallace,
1994; Garcia et al., 2000). The main described effects of monensin
on rumen fermentation have been explained partially by the reduction of
Gram-positive bacteria in the rumen (Russell, 1987; Devant et al.,
2007) and are the increase of propionate production, the decrease in methane
production (McGinn et al., 2004; Devant et al., 2007) and
the increase of final weight as a result. Spears and Harvey (1984) suggested
that using ionophores can create component with some cations like sodium
and potassium in rumen and they will change rumen microbial activity pH
and as a result, they will change absorption, metabolite process and nutrition
productivity in animals. Moreover, in parallel with these changes, especially
nutrition productivity, Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) will be improved.
Blood metabolite: The effect of monensin and supplemental fat
on blood glucose level was nonsignificant. Spears and Harvey (1984) assessed
serum characteristics of steers fed lasalocid on pasture and observed
that an increase (p<0.05) in plasma was observed in steers fed 300
mg lasalocid/day as compared with the 200 mg level and described that
if the increased plasma glucose concentrations were due to an increased
availability of propionate for gluconeogenesis, it is difficult to rationalize
why glucose was increased only at the high level of lasalocid while propionate
was similar for steers fed 200 or 300 mg lasalocid/day. Thonney et
al. (1981) also did not witness any regular effects on blood glucose
level in steers fed by lasalocid. Arieli et al. (2001) showed that
the glucogenic effect of monensin might be only revealed in cows that
are in a negative energy balance. The findings of this experiment reveal
that monensin alone decreases the level of blood urea and the justification
is that monensin reduced the degradation of dietary protein in the rumen,
so it could be expected that blood urea nitrogen would decline (Hayes
et al., 1996). On the other hand, the supplemental fat increases,
as well as the simultaneous increase in monensin and supplemental fat
raise the Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN). Increasing the energy level allows
the production of more fermentable ME for paunch microorganisms resulting
in a rise in the synthesis of microbial protein and in the amount of protein
available to the animal (Webster, 1994; Early et al., 2001; Kioumarsi
et al., 2008a) and consequently, it can increase the amount of
Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN). Adding fat and monensin to the diet has significant
effect on the level of calcium and phosphorous in increasing them. Monensin
modifies the flux of ions across intestinal epithelial cells and increase
uptake and availability of dietary minerals (Beckett et al., 1998;
Kirk et al., 1985a, b).
Supplemental fat and monensin have significant effect on the blood triglyceride
level. Yang et al. (2003) stated that monensin has significant
effect on the blood triglyceride level of the goat fed by monensin. By
adding supplemental fat, more fatty acids enter the intestine and thus,
absorbed. Triglycerides are needed to transfer the absorbed fatty acids
in the blood. As a result, the level of blood triglycerides increases.
By adding fat to the diet number four, the level of cholesterol significantly
increase. At the same time, by adding fat and monensin simultaneously
(diets five and six) the level of cholesterol increases significantly
compared to that of the control diet. Studying the effects of fatty acids
produced by saturated acids, the researchers have observed that adding
these fats to the diet would increase the blood cholesterol level. They
also found that the change in the blood cholesterol level is due to changes
occurring in the liver. When the saturated fatty acids enter the liver,
cholesterol goes into the regulatory pool and gets out of the ester pool.
This decreases the activity level of LDL receptor in the liver, that is
to say the connecting factor to the cholesterol and the one that transfers
it decrease and thus, the produced cholesterol receptor increases (Drackley
et al., 1992, 1998; Mohamed et al., 1998; Staples et
al., 1997).
Commercial productivity: This experiment reveals that increase
in monensin and supplemental fat to diet would improve the economical
productivity. A number of factors affect productivity in sheep marketing,
of which the dietary energy and protein levels and their interaction are
probably the most important (Muwalla et al., 1998; Bellof and Pallauf,
2004; Kioumarsi et al., 2008b). Supplemental fat will increase
dietary energy level and increasing the energy level allows the production
of more fermentable ME for paunch microorganisms resulting in a rise in
the synthesis of microbial protein and in the amount of protein available
to the animal (Early et al., 2001; Kioumarsi et al., 2008a).
On the other hand, monensin is an ionophore that improves animal feed
efficiency (Salles et al., 2008).
CONCLUSION
In this research, it was observed that adding monensin and supplemental
fat improve feed conversion ratio, increases daily weight gain and consequently
increase the final weight. Moreover, it was observed that adding monensin
alone decreases the dry matter intake, though it will increase it when
accompanied by fat. It also has significance on blood metabolite. On the
whole, although these effects on the feed conversion ratio and daily weight
gain are nonsignificant, they surely tap on commercial productivity.
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