Project description:This study was designed to address key questions concerning the use of alternative protein sources for animal feeds and addresses aspects such as their nutrient composition and impact on gut function, the immune system and systemic physiology. We used casein (CAS), partially delactosed whey powder (DWP), spray dried porcine plasma (SDPP), soybean meal (SBM), wheat gluten meal (WGM) and yellow meal worm (YMW) as protein sources. We investigated the effects of feeding mice during a period of four weeks on semi-synthetic diets containing 30% of six different protein sources. Microarrays were used to detail the global gene expression in the ileal mucosae of mice. Male C57BL/6J mice were stratified according to bodyweight and litter of origin into six dietary treatment groups. These mice were fed for four weeks with semi-synthetic diets containing one of the following protein sources. At the end of four weeks, mice were sacrificed by euthenesia and ileal tissue samples (scrapings) were collected for RNA extraction and hybridization on Affymetrix microarrays. Soybean meal (SBM) diet group served as reference to make comparisons with other experimental diets.
Project description:The sustainable development of modern aquaculture must rely on a significant reduction of the fish meal (FM) used in aquafeed formulations. However, FM substitution with alternative ingredients in diets for carnivorous fish species often showed reduced nutrient absorption, significantly perturbed metabolisms and histological changes at both hepatic and intestinal level. In the present study, adult rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) were fed three different experimental aquafeed formulations. A control diet with higher FM content (27.3%) than two test formulations in which fish meal was substituted with two more sustainable and promising alternatives: insect meal (Hermetia illucens larvae=10.1%, FM=11.6%) and poultry by-products meal (PBM=14.8%; FM=11.7%). Combined metabolomics and proteomics analyses of fish liver, together with histological examination of liver and intestine demonstrated that a well balanced formulation of nutrients in the three diets allowed high metabolic compatibility of either substitutions, paving the way for innovative and sustainable use of novel raw materials for the fish feed industry. Results show that the main metabolic pathways of nutrient absorption and catabolism were essentially unaltered by alternative feed ingredients, and also histological alterations were negligible. It is demonstrated that substitution of fish meal with sustainable alternatives does not impact on fish metabolism, given proper efforts are put in fulfilling nutritional requirements of rainbow trout.
Project description:The increasing aquaculture production volumes have caused an escalating demand for alternative protein feed ingredients. Agro-industrial by-products such as sunflower meal are relatively abundant and cheap, but the inclusion levels are limited due to the presence of antinutritional factors and fiber. Solid state fermentation is a processing method with the aim of reducing the content of fiber and antinutritional factors and improving nutritional value in plant protein raw materials. In this study, Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) at two commercial-like fish farms were fed diets containing 5% non-fermented sunflower meal (as a control diet) and two experimental diets with 5% or 10% fermented sunflower meal. The field trial lasted for eight and 11 months in a coastal and fjord location, respectively with the aim of comparing the effect of fermented diets on growth performance, gut microbiota, distal intestine histology and gene expression of Atlantic salmon under different environmental conditions. The findings revealed that diets with fermented sunflower meal sustained growth performance, improved intestinal health by reducing the prevalence of prominent inflammation and ectopic goblet cells and promoted gut lactic acid bacteria Lactiplantibacillus and Lactobaccilaceae after long-term feeding. Our results suggest that fermented sunflower meal is suitable as a protein source for Atlantic salmon when included at a level of up to 10% in the diet.
Project description:Background: Different diets result in significantly different phenotypes through metabolic and genomic reprogramming. Epigenetic marks, identified in humans and mouse models upon caloric restriction, high fat diet or the intake of specific bioactives, suggest that genomic reprogramming drives this reprogramming and mediates the effect of nutrition on health. Histone modifications encode the epigenetic signal that adapts genome functions to environmental conditions, including diets, by tuning the structure and properties of chromatin. So far, the effect of different diets on the genome-wide distribution of critical histone marks has not been determined Methods: We investigated by chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing the distribution of the trimethylation of lysine 4 of histone H3 in the liver of mice fed for one year with five different diets including: chow containing corn powder as extra source of plant bioactives or specifically enriched with the cyanidin-3-O-glucoside, high fat enriched obesogenic and caloric restricted pro-longevity diets Conclusions: The comparison of the resulting histone mark profiles revealed functional food containing cyanidin determines broad effect.
Project description:White bass (Morone chrysops) are a popular sportfish throughout the southern United States, and one parent of the commercially successful hybrid striped bass (M. chrysops x M. saxatilis). Currently, white bass are cultured using diets formulated for other carnivorous fish, such as largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) or hybrid striped bass and contain a significant percentage of marine fish meal. Since there are no studies regarding the utilization of alternative proteins in this species, we evaluated global gene expression of white bass fed diets in which fish meal was partially or totally replaced by various combinations of soybean meal, poultry by-product meal, canola meal, soy protein concentrate, wheat gluten, or a commercial protein blend (Pro-Cision). Significant differential expressed genes and gene ontology of pairwise comparisons between control diet and each test diet are presented and discussed.