Alejandro Plascencia Jorquera

Increasing efficiency in the feeding systems is an important contributing factor to farm profitability. Feed efficiency is a complex function of nutrient intake in relation to growth-performance potential. Because roughly 80% of the total tract digestible organic matter intake is fermented in the rumen, an understanding of the principles of fermentation processes and the limits of the rumen functi ...

 Introduction.It is well known that, ruminal microbial protein synthesis (MPS) is the most important process in ruminant nitrogen (N) metabolism, since MPS not only contributes more than 50% of the amino acids absorbed in the small intestine, but also has an amino acid composition similar to that of the proteins required for meat production (Zinn and Owens, 1983; NRC, 1985; Seo et al., 2013). ...

1. Introduction.Because of its low cost per unit of nitrogen (N) compared with most sources of natural protein, urea (U) is typically the primary source of supplemental N in conventional steam-flaked corn-based finishing feedlot diets (Vasconcelos et al. 2009). Previous reports (Milton et al. 1997; Zinn et al. 2003) have shown that supplemental U has more positive effects on growth performance or ...

INTRODUCTIONSupplementation of feedlot diets with either lasalocid or monensin may improve gain efficiency (Berger et al., 1981; Delfino et al., 1988). This effect has been attributed, in part, to shifts in ruminal fermentation patterns toward reduced methane energy loss (Bergen and Bates, 1984; Russell and Strobel, 1988). Both monensin and lasalocid supplementation may decreases dry matter intake ...