Fermented total mixed ration (TMR) is a novel feed for ruminants in South Korea. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on the quality of TMR and in vitro ruminal fermentation. Strains of three LAB spp. (Lactobacillus plantarum, L. brevis, L. mucosae) were used in fermentation of TMR. Inoculations with the three LAB spp. lowered pH and increased concentrations of lactic acid, acetic acid, and total organic acid compared to non-LAB inoculated control (only addition of an equivalent amount of water) (p<0.05). Bacterial composition indicated that aerobic bacteria and LAB were higher. However, E. coli were lower in the fermented TMR than those in the control treatment (p<0.05). Among the treatments, L. brevis treatment had the highest concentration of total organic acid without fungus detection. Gas production, pH, and ammonia-nitrogen during ruminal in vitro incubation did not differ throughout incubation. However, ruminal total VFA concentration was higher (p<0.05) in the LAB spp. treatments than the control treatment at 48 hours. Overall, the use of L. brevis as an inoculant for fermentation of high moisture. TMR could inhibit fungi growth and promote lactic fermentation, and enhance digestion in the rumen.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the odor reduction in swine farms by the application of probiotics. A total of five farms were selected from the preliminary survey based on the management scale, odor gas concentration level, and production efficiency. The application of probiotics consisted of feeding swine high concentrations of probiotics, addition of odor-reducing agents in the slurry pit, and the spraying of swine houses. The concentration of probiotics given per pig per day was above 107 cfu/g. The odor was measured before and after probiotics application for 77 days in the swine farms. With the exception of E farm, the odor concentration decreased in four farms with probiotics application. Ammonia and amine concentrations were reduced by 48.24% and 45.37% on average, respectively. The main causes of odor were hydrogen sulfide, p-cresol, and butyric acid. The total odor activity value was the lowest in D farm, followed by B, A, E, and C farms, respectively in increasing order. In the case of C farm, hydrogen sulfide accounted for 92% of the total odor activity value. In order to verify the reliability and effectiveness of probiotics at the farm site, appropriate application and monitoring should be performed continuously on the basis of the product quality evaluation system.

Fecal calprotectin is a noninvasive marker of gut inflammation and has been widely utilized in human gastrointestinal diagnostics. This marker, however, has not been extensively utilized in porcine samples. The aim of this study was to optimize a protocol for the extraction of porcine fecal calprotectin, and to the best of our knowledge this is the first study to be conducted in this regard. Freshly collected swine fecal samples were used in this study. We determined the variability of three commercial ELISA assays in the recovery of porcine fecal calprotectin. We further studied the effect of dilution factor and roller shaker homogenization on the yield of calprotectin from swine fecal samples. Calprotectin recovery was significantly different(p<0.05) across the three commercial assays with MBS033848 having a greater recovery compared to DAEF-012 and calprest. Fecal calprotectin yield increased with an increase in dilution factor with maximum recovery at 1:250. Furthermore, homogenization of fecal sample extracts using a roller shaker for tubes for 30 min led to a 30.75% relative increase in calprotectin yield. Further increase in shaking time(at 60 min) led to a reduced calprotectin recovery. Calprotectin recovery ratio was 130.8% and 101.4% at 30 min and 60 min homogenization respectively. In our conclusion, we observed that various factors affect the recovery of porcine fecal calprotectin, and therefore the researcher should double check certain parameters in regard to the type of kit, the dilution factor and homogenization time if reliable and reproducible results are to be obtained. Results of the present study provide useful information on a non-invasive protocol to veterinarians and researchers in examining and monitoring swine gut healthusing the fecal calprotectin.