Animal Nutrition and Growth Concepts

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Questions and Answers

What does digestible energy refer to?

Energy that can be used by the body after feces is expelled (correct)

Total energy consumed from all food sources

Energy that is stored in fat tissues

Energy produced during digestion

Which of the following correctly defines feed evaluation?

Assessing animal's physical health

Measuring animal feed consumption rates

Determining the nutritional value of a feed (correct)

Calculating the total energy of a diet

What is the primary cause of diarrhea in animals?

Lack of dietary fiber

High protein intake

Excessive hydration

Local irritation of the intestinal mucosa (correct)

What is endogenous protein primarily composed of?

Nitrogen compounds secreted into the digestive tract Signup and view all the answers

What is one of the key factors that affects enzyme activity?

Specific conditions of pH and temperature Signup and view all the answers

What is compensatory growth in animals characterized by?

Rapid growth after a period of nutritional restriction Signup and view all the answers

Which nutrient is primarily provided by collagen in the body?

Body protein Signup and view all the answers

What is the largest component of endogenous protein entering the intestinal lumen?

Desquamated intestinal cells Signup and view all the answers

What defines a complete feed?

A uniform blend meeting all nutrient requirements Signup and view all the answers

Which statement about energy is correct?

Energy is necessary for performing work Signup and view all the answers

What type of crops are referred to as fodder?

Crops and crop residues used as animal feeds Signup and view all the answers

What is chitin primarily associated with?

Exoskeleton of crustaceans and insects Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of colostral immunity in young animals?

It must be consumed within the first 48 hours for effectiveness. Signup and view all the answers

What process does coprophagy facilitate for the consuming animal?

Intake of B-complex vitamins and bacterial proteins Signup and view all the answers

What is a concentrate in animal nutrition?

A non-forage dietary ingredient usually for herbivores Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes creep feeding?

Supplementary feeding for suckling animals Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary meaning of the term 'feed'?

Animal diets Signup and view all the answers

What characteristic of gastrointestinal microflora is mentioned?

It tends to be greatest in the stomach and large intestine. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is true regarding haylage?

It is mainly used for feeding horses and sheep. Signup and view all the answers

What condition may arise from slowed glucose catabolism in lactating cows?

Ketosis Signup and view all the answers

What happens during glycogenolysis?

Glycogen is broken down into glucose-1-phosphate. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main outcome of glycolysis?

The catabolism of glucose-6-phosphate to pyruvate. Signup and view all the answers

What is D-Glucose primarily utilized for in animals?

Metabolic fuel and energy substrate Signup and view all the answers

What are hemicelluloses primarily associated with?

Structural polysaccharides in plant cell walls. Signup and view all the answers

What is heat stress primarily characterized by?

Difficulty in losing heat produced by the body Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is a condition associated with ketosis?

Energy demands exceeding energy intake Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'lignin' refer to in plant biology?

An insoluble compound that aids in cell wall rigidity Signup and view all the answers

What are considered macronutrients?

Carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins Signup and view all the answers

Which statement accurately describes microbial protein?

It provides a good balance of essential amino acids for ruminants. Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of the Kjeldahl procedure?

To measure total nitrogen in biological materials. Signup and view all the answers

Which nutrient class is categorized as micronutrients?

Water-soluble vitamins Signup and view all the answers

What is metabolic rate primarily associated with?

The sum of all oxidative processes in the body Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'palatability' refer to in the context of animal feed?

The degree to which an animal finds the taste pleasant Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes mycotoxins?

Toxic metabolites produced by fungi Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary function of pelleted feed?

To provide a uniform feeding option for animals Signup and view all the answers

What is the significance of peristalsis in the gastrointestinal tract?

It propels food along the gut Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'roughage' refer to in animal nutrition?

Coarse plant material that is fibrous Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes probiotics?

Dietary components that promote intestinal microbial balance Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of prebiotics in animal feed?

To promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following describes the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle?

A series of reactions converting citric acid to CO2 Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Compensatory Growth

When animals are underfed and then given a nutritionally adequate diet, they show faster growth compared to animals that were continuously fed.
This phenomenon is found in both ruminant and non-ruminant animals.

Definitions

Complete feed - Mixed blend of food ingredients containing all the required nutrients for an animal. It's designed to prevent animals from selecting individual ingredients.

Chitin

A linear polysaccharide made of repeating units of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine.
Found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans, insects, and spiders.
Also found in some fungi, algae, and yeasts.

Collagen

A fibrous protein found in connective tissues like skin, tendons and bones
Makes up a significant portion of white fibers in connective tissues.
Constitutes about 25% of body protein in mammals.
Boiling collagen in water converts it to gelatin.

Contamination

The presence of unwanted substances in food that were not intentionally added.

Cholesterol

A neutral lipid with the formula C27H45OH
The primary sterol found in higher animals.

Colostral Immunity

Passive immunity provided to young animals through colostrum.
Offers protection against various pathogens.
This immunity can be systemic, absorbed in the first 24–48 hours of life, or localized within the gut later.

Colostrum

The milk produced before and around the time of birth.
May differ in consistency and color from milk produced later.

Concentrate

A general term for any non-forage dietary ingredient, typically for herbivores.
Includes compound feeds, protein concentrates, and single raw materials.

Coprophagy

The consumption of feces, often the animal's own feces.
Provides nutritional benefits like B-complex vitamins and bacterial protein synthesized in the hindgut.

Crude Fiber

A collective term for complex carbohydrates, mainly cellulose and lignin, that are insoluble in water, dilute acid, and dilute alkali.

Creep Feeding

Providing supplementary food to nursing animals, mainly used for piglets.
Can involve giving a single food or a combination of feeds.

Diarrhea

Major cause is irritation of the intestinal mucosa by infectious or chemical agents.
Leads to increased intestinal secretions, luminal distension, and increased gut motility.

Digestion

The breakdown of food components to make them available for absorption.
Involves mechanical and chemical processes.

Digestible Energy

The portion of gross energy in food not expelled as fecal energy.

Endogenous Protein

Non-dietary nitrogen compounds found in the digestive tract.
Includes enzymes, glycoproteins, mucus, and desquamated intestinal cells.

Energy

The capacity to do work.
Exists in various forms, including chemical, mechanical, and heat energy.
The sun is the primary source of energy on Earth.

Energy Requirements

In a thermoneutral environment, the animal's total energy requirement is the sum of energy retained in animal products and the associated energy cost of ingestion, digestion, and metabolism.

Enzyme

A protein (or sometimes more than one protein) that speeds up a specific chemical reaction.
Requires specific conditions, such as temperature, pH, and substrate concentration.
Not consumed during reactions.
Their activity can be reduced by enzyme inhibitors.

Feed

A source of nutrients for animals and an ingredient of diets.
Includes pasture, forage crops, grains, seeds, crop residues, and by-products.

Forage

Vegetable food for grazing or browsing animals.
Includes both indigenous plants (grasses, forbs, shrubs, trees, lichens, mosses) and cultivated fodder crops.

Gastrointestinal Microflora

The populations of microorganisms inhabiting the digestive tract of farm animals.
Host animals and their gut microbes form a mutually beneficial ecological unit.
Microbial density and diversity vary along the gut, with higher concentrations in the stomach and large intestine.

Glucose

A central metabolite in animal metabolism.
A primary fuel source and is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscle.
The main energy substrate used by the brain.

Glycogenolysis

The breakdown of glycogen in the liver, kidney, or muscle to glucose-1-phosphate.
Glucose-1-phosphate is then converted to glucose-6-phosphate, which is a source of metabolic energy.

Glycolysis

The process of breaking down glucose-6-phosphate to pyruvate in the cytoplasm of cells.

Growth

The process of an animal developing from a single fertilized cell into an adult.

Haylage

High dry matter (DM) silage.
Usually has a DM content of 50% or greater.
Commonly made in big bales for feeding horses and sometimes sheep.

Hemicelluloses

Mixtures of various polysaccharides, including xylans, glucomannoglycans, arabinogalactans, arabinans, and arabinoxylans.
Primarily found in plant secondary cell walls.
Often associated with lignin.
Found in grasses, annuals, hardwoods, cereal grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Heat Stress

When environmental conditions make it difficult for animals to lose heat.
Body temperature tends to rise.
Can be caused by high temperatures alone or in combination with high humidity.

Immunity

The ability of an animal to resist disease, typically resistance to infection.

Joule

The SI unit of energy.

Ketosis

A metabolic disease caused by high levels of toxic ketone bodies in the blood.
Common in dairy cattle, especially those with fatty liver syndrome, during early lactation.
Occurs when energy demands of milk production exceed energy intake.

Kjeldahl Method

A procedure used to measure total nitrogen in biological materials.

Legume

Any plant from the family Leguminosae.
Includes alfalfa, clover, peas, and beans.

Lehmann System

A feeding system where animals are given bulky feed freely and a restricted amount of concentrate feed once or twice a day.

Lignin

An insoluble polyphenolic compound found in plant cell walls.
Provides rigidity and hydrophobicity to the cell wall.

Mastication

The act of chewing food to prepare for swallowing.

Macronutrients

Nutrients required in the largest amounts.
The six major macronutrients are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, water, vitamins, and minerals.
Carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins comprise the majority of food.

Metabolic Rate

The sum of all oxidative processes in the body.
Equivalent to the rate of heat production.
Can be measured directly as heat or indirectly from oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production.

Microbial protein

Protein from microbial cells, including bacteria, protozoa, fungi, and yeasts.
The principal source of amino acids for ruminants.

Micronutrients

Nutrients required in small dietary amounts.
Include vitamins and minerals.

Molasses

A thick, treacly liquid, a byproduct of sugar production from sugarcane and sugarbeet.

Nutrient Requirement

The amount of a nutrient needed for a specific purpose, such as maximum weight gain or milk yield.

Mycotoxins

Toxic metabolites produced by fungi.
Of concern are mycotoxins produced by fungi that grow on grain crops in the field or during storage.

Palatability

The degree to which an animal finds the taste of a food pleasant.

Pelleting Feed

A blend of raw materials that have been ground, conditioned, and pressed into uniform pellets.
The pellets vary in diameter and length depending on intended use.

Peristalsis

Propulsive movements of the gut that propel food along.
Involves a ring of constriction that moves along the gut wall, reducing the lumen diameter and pushing food forward.

Probiotics

Feed supplements added to animal diets to improve intestinal microbial balance.

Rancidity

Undesirable flavors (often described as bitter or metallic) in lipid-containing foods.

Prebiotic

A non-digestible food ingredient that selectively stimulates the growth of beneficial bacteria in the digestive tract.
Examples include oligosaccharides, resistant starch, and certain non-starch polysaccharides.

Roughage

Coarse, fibrous plant material that is relatively indigestible.
Most valuable to ruminants due to their ability to digest cellulose.
Includes cereal crop residues.

Taint

Abnormal, often unpleasant, odor or taste in food.

Tricarboxylic Acid (TCA) Cycle

Also known as the Krebs cycle or citric acid cycle.
A series of reactions where the carbon in citric acid is converted to CO2.

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Description

This quiz covers essential concepts in animal nutrition, including compensatory growth, the importance of complete feed, and the roles of chitin and collagen in animal physiology. Test your knowledge on how nutrition impacts growth and the biological significance of these compounds.