Animal Nutrition Module 1- Foundation

Why should we study nutrition and learn how to feed animals?

1. Maximize productivity and health

2. Minimize feed costs

3. Maximize profitability (mainly farm animals)

4. Practice good stewardship- to both the animals and the environment

What is nutrition?

It is both science and art

The series of processes by which an organism takes in and assimilates food for promoting growth, synthesizing products, replacing worn and injured body tissues, doing metabolic work

Nutrient

A chemical compound in food that is useful as an energy source

Essential nutrients

Protein, fat, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, water

These are required

Which essential nutrient is not essential

Carbohydrates- can be replaced by protein and fat

Food/ Feed/ Feedstuff

Edible material that supplies nutrients

Diet

Mixture of feedstuffs used to supply nutrients

Ration

The daily allotment of food

Digestion

Processes by which food is broken down into absorbable units

Metabolism

Complex physical and chemical processes involved in the maintenance of life

Metabolite

Is an organic compound produced during metabolism like glucose

Intermediary metabolism

The interconnected network of chemical reactions inside cells that converts food into energy and builds the small molecules needed for life

Anabolic

Series of reactions that synthesize/ build new compounds

Catabolic

Series of reactions to breakdown larger compounds, usually make energy for systems

Amphibolic

Pathways that link two other pathways, not anabolic or catabolic just new products using the same ingredients

What influences the metabolites needed by a cell or tissue

The physiological state which is if the animal is growing, lactating, or at maintenance

Building blocks for protein synthesis

Amino acids

Building blocks for fat synthesis

Monogastric: Fatty acids and glucose

Ruminant: Acetate, ketones, fatty acids, glucose

Building blocks for lactose synthesis

Glucose

Metabolic fuels

Monogastric: glucose and fatty acids

Ruminant: acetate, ketones, fatty acids, glucose

Categories of compounds in food

1. Water

2. Dry matter

   1. Inorganic matter (ash/minerals)

   2. Organic matter (nitrogenous/proteins, lipids, carbs, vitamins, hormones, toxins)

Carbohydrate cell contents

Sugars and starches

Cellulose and hemicellulose are less digestible and lignin is not digestible

Nitrogenous compound content

Amino acids, peptides, enzymes, nonprotein

Lipid cell contents

Fats, oils, pigments

What effect does water have on calories?

Water has no calories so more water means less dry matter and less energy

What effect does ash have on calories?

Ash has no calories so more ash means less organic matter and less energy

How do lipids affect calories?

These usually have twice as much useable energy than organic matter

How does fiber affect calories?

This is found in the cell wall and it is less digestible and has no usable energy

How does lignin affect calories?

It is a compound found in the cell wall of plants and it makes the fiber even less digestible

What is ether extract?

It is the crude fat or what dissolves in an organic solvent

Total digestible nutrients

Asses the relative energy value of feeds

You add up the percentages of DM multiplies by the Dig. Coefficient for crude protein, ether extract (multiply that by 2.25 cause there is more fat), crude fiber, ash, and nitrogen free extract

Calorimetry

Measurement of the amount of heat evolved or absorbed in chemical reactions

Gross Energy

Amount of heat produced

How many calories in a Calorie (human foods)

1000 calories=1 kcal= 1 Calorie

What are the gross energies of fat, protein, and carbs

9.5, 5.7, and 4

Fiber

Mostly found as cell wall carbohydrates

Cell wall is much less digestible so the percent of cell wall is inversely related to its energy content; measure using neutral detergent fiber/ NDF

What are hexoses?

They are the 6 ring carbohydrate sugars including glucose, galactose, and fructose

Sucrose

A type of disaccharide with a glucose-fructose sugar unit connected by an alpha linkage

Maltose

A disaccharide that has a glucose-glucose sugar units connected by an alpha linkage

Lactose

Disaccharide that has a glucose-galactose sugar unit with a beta linkage

Amylose

A type of starch that is a polysaccharide and is a straight chain of about 1000 glucoses; a-1,4 linked

Amylopectin

A type of starch that is a polysaccharide and it is branched and more soluble than amylose

Glycogen

A polysaccharide that is a branched chain and it stores glucose for short periods of time

Cellulose

A polysaccharide that is a straight chain of over 1000 glucoses; B-1,4 linked

Chains are H bonded together so very stable and insoluble and most abundant carbohydrate on earth

Chitin

Exoskeleton of insects and mollusks, can be digested by gut fermentation

Lignin

A polyphenolic compound that is not a true carbohydrate and it is not digested by gut microbes

Major functions of carbohydrates in plants

Glucose is produced during photosynthesis and this is energy storage, energy transport, provides ATP during respiration, cell wall support, and backbone of DNA

Glucose major functions in animals

It is used for energy storage in animals, glycogen is stored short term or long term carbs are converted to lipid

Used as energy transport by cells and provides ATP for respiration

Lipids

Organic compounds that are insoluble in water but soluble in organic solvents

2.25 x the energy of CHO

Can replace carbohydrates for energy

Saturated vs Unsaturated

Saturated= single bond and unsaturated= double bonds (harder to break)

What are in phospholipids?

They contain C, H, O, P, N

Sterols

Large alcohols/ steroids

Cholesterol (important in cell membranes)

Bile acids, ergosterol, hormones

Major functions of lipids in animals

These are metabolic fuel and energy storage; it is hydrophobic so it is stored without the extra water

Important for mobility and migration

What two fatty acids are essential

Linoleic and Linolenic

Needed for cell membranes and synthesis of longer chain fatty acids

Proteins

Polymers of a-L-amino acids

Amino acids have C, H, O, and N (16% of it) R represents the part of the amino acids that is unique

Uses peptide bond so amino group next to carboxyl group

Functions of proteins

They are enzymes and regulators, used for muscle contraction

Some are essential, but some can be synthesized by the animal