A total of 16 growing pigs (Landrace × Yorkshire × Duroc, average weight 71 ± 2 kg) were used in this experiment for 24 days to determine the effect of replacing ground corn with barley varieties on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and blood metabolites. Each pig was housed individually in a metabolic cage with a nipple waterer and feeder. Four dietary treatments included control (a corn and soybean meal-based diet) and 3 barley varieties (Youngyang, Wooho, or Yuyeon barley replacing 40% of ground corn). Growth performance and nutrient digestibility were not affected by replacement of 40% of ground corn with one of the three barley varieties (p > 0.05), but final body weight was. As for blood characteristics, pig treated with all of the barley treatments had no effect (p > 0.05) on total protein, albumin, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), lactate dehydrogenase (LD), and glucose in comparison with control; however, there was a difference in high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels between the control and all of the barley replaced treatment groups (p < 0.05). In conclusion, in spite of statistically significant differences, each of the three barley varieties is a suitable substitute for ground corn in the diet of growing and fattening pigs without adverse effects on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and blood characteristics.

The study was performed to evaluate the effects of soybean meal (T1) and corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS, T2) hydrolyzed by microbial proteolytic enzyme of Protame® on milk production and protein contents in dairy cows. Total of nine Holstein cows (i.e., 1.67 ± 0.47 average parity and 23.7 ± 1.2 kg/d average milk yield) were randomly assigned to control, T1, and T2 (e.g., 3 animals per group) and treated for 4 weeks. Milk yield of 3 different groups was similar in the beginning of the study, however the milk yield of T1 and T2 treatment group had increased by 0.93 kg/d and 1.89 kg/d, respectively. Milk protein level of T2 treatment group was increased by 0.19% (e.g., 0.14 kg/d protein content), whereas there was no significant different in control and T1 group. In conclusion, blood metabolites were ranged in normal level, but BUN content was reduced from 19.03 mg/dl to 17.70 mg/dl in T2 treatment group. This result suggests that DDGS hydrolysate supplement efficiently increase milk yield and milk protein level as well as feed protein availability in dairy cattle.

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of increasing the dietary levels of nattokinase (NK) addi-tives on milk production and composition, and blood metabolites in dairy cows. NK additives with high fibrinolytic activity were produced by the strain with similarity to the Bacillus amyloliquefacines. A total 20 mid-lactating Holstein cows (average body weight 652.00 ± 4.38 kg; average 2.25 ± 0.35 parity; average milk yield 24.4 ± 0.38 kg/d) were randomly assigned to three treatments (5 animals per treatment). Cows were fed TMR supplemented with DDGS 100 g for control, NK additives 100 g and 200 g for T1 and T2 treatment, respectively for 4 weeks. By the increases of NK additives, milk yield increased for T1 (1.35 kg/d) and T2 (0.98 kg/d) at the final period than at the initial period (p < 0.05). But milk protein content decreased for T1 (3.20%) and T2 (3.24%) than for control (3.56%) (p < 0.05). Blood triglyceride, T-CHO and BUN levels in T1 decreased compared with that in control and T2 (p < 0.05). This finding showed that 100g of NK additives could possibly have a positive effect in lactation performance of mid-lactation Holstein cows by increasing milk yield, improving protein metabolism and decreasing cholesterol in blood.