Defects in appearance of Japanese Black cattle are not only impairing the characteristics of the breed but also inflicting economic losses on farmers in Japan. The objective of this study was to investigate the incidence of the four kinds of defects using 511,337 calf test records of Japanese Black heifer calves born in Kagoshima prefecture in April 1999 through March 2015. The defects included were white spotting (WS), tongue’s defect (TD), nipple’s defect (ND) and defect of coat color (DC). The defect incidence rate ranged from 0.29% for DC to 3.68% for WS. All incidences increased from 1999 to 2015. In addition, site of occurrence for WS has changed, and a decreased trend in ratio of udder-specific WS was observed. Regression coefficients of the incidences of WS on the level of inbreeding were significantly positive (P<0.05). The defect incidence of daughters was significantly different between normal and defective dams (P<0.01) except for DC. Moreover, highly positive correlations were found between the sire-by-sire incidence rates crossed with normal dams and defective dams in WS and TD, suggesting that sires could be influential factor for the incidence. Our results showed the possibility to reduce the appearance defects of Japanese Black by considering the mates.

Relationship between prepartum blood plasma steroid hormone concentrations and days (and hours) for parturition were investigated using Holstein pregnant cows. The concentrations of estradiol-17β in blood plasma 7 or 10 days before the due date were highly correlated to the days until calving. When parturitions were occurred before the due date, the concentrations of progesterone and cortisol 7 days before the due date were highly correlated to the days until calving. On the other hands, the estradiol-17β concentrations in blood plasma before dexamethasone injection were highly correlated to the time between calving and prostaglandin injection when artificial parturition was induced by dexamethasone and prostaglandin injections. These results suggested that we can expect the day of natural parturition and the time of induced parturition from the prepartum concentrations of estradiol-17β in blood plasma of cows.

Thirty-five Japanese Black cows were assigned to the control or carrot group from 3 weeks before the expected calving date to 60 days after parturition to clarify the variation factor on plasma immunoglobulin (Ig) at parturition and the effects of feeding β-carotene-enriched dry carrots on plasma Ig concentrations in cows after parturition. There was a positive correlation between plasma IgG₁ concentrations and age or plasma protein concentrations and between plasma IgM and plasma IgA concentrations in cows at parturition, but there were no relationships between plasma Ig concentrations and plasma β-carotene concentrations in cows at parturition. Plasma IgG₁ concentrations in the carrot group at parturition were higher (P<0.05) than those in the control group, but plasma IgG₁ concentrations in the carrot group at 60 days after parturition were lower (P<0.05). These results indicate that plasma IgG₁ concentrations were lower in Japanese Black young cows and feeding dry carrots improved plasma IgG₁ concentrations in cows at parturition.

The main component of artificial sausage casing is collagen. In this study, we added the manufacturing residue from this casing to broiler feed as an eco-feed material, and analyzed the productivity, intestinal mucosa, immune function, and intestinal flora of the chickens. Fifty-two 1-day-old male broiler chicks (ROSS 308) were used for the 22-day study after their random allocation to two groups. Both groups were fed experimental feed for broilers without antibiotics. The casing group feed was supplemented with 1.0% manufacturing residue from casing production. This experiment was repeated twice (104 birds). From day 4 to the end of feeding period, the chickens’ bodyweights were significantly higher in the casing group than in the control group. The heights of the duodenal and ileal villi and the thickness of the cecal mucosa were significantly greater in the casing group than in the control. These findings suggest that the efficiency of nutrient absorption was greater in the casing group. The expression of inflammatory cytokine genes associated with general immunity (spleen) and local immunity (cecum tonsils) was significantly reduced in the casing group. A comparison of the numbers of bacteria in the duodenum, ileum, and cecum using selective quantitative culture indicated that the numbers of lactic acid bacteria and Escherichia coli differed between the individuals in each group. No correlation between bacterial counts and bodyweight was observed. In this study, we have demonstrated that chronic inflammation in the intestinal tract was partly suppressed by the administration of the residue from the manufacture of collagen casing. This fact is supported by the increased nutritional absorption efficiency and the improved intestinal mucosae in the experimental chickens. Our results also suggest that improving the efficiency of energy distribution by feeding the manufacturing residue from collagen casing improved the weight gain in the chickens. In conclusion, we suggest that the residue from the manufacture of collagen casing is a useful feed supplement for breeding meat-type chickens.

We investigated the effect of suckling period on growth performance, blood metabolites, and behavior of Japanese Black calves under high-roughage feeding. Seven cow-calf pairs were divided into a 7.5-month (4 pairs) and a 3-month weaning group (3 pairs). The cow and calf in the 7.5-month weaning group lived together until the calf was about 7.5 months old. In the 3-month weaning group, the calves were completely weaned at about 3 months of age. All the calves were fed roughage ad libitum. The average daily gain in the weight of calves was 1.1kg/day in the 7.5-month weaning group and 0.7kg/day in the 3-month weaning group. The feed intake of the calves did not differ between the two groups. The concentration of β-hydroxybutyric acid in the plasma of the calves was considerably higher after weaning in the 3-month weaning group. It increased with age in the 7.5-month weaning group and did not differ between the two groups at 7.5 months of age. In the 7.5-month weaning group, the lying time and the sleeping posture time per day were generally longer than in the 3-month weaning group, and the time that the calf licked from the cow at 3 months of age, when the study was started, was almost the same as it was at 7 months of age. These results indicate that the growth performance of calves was improved and their blood metabolites and behavior differed when the suckling period was extended from these parameters determined in the calves weaned at 3 months of age, under high-roughage feeding.

This study examined the effect of crude fat concentration on NaCl concentration and metmyoglobin percentage in cured beef from Japanese Black and Japanese Shorthorn cattle. Muscle samples (100 or 500g M. semitendinosus) were cured with 6g NaCl for 1 or 3 days. After curing, crude fat and permeated NaCl concentrations (superficial and deep sections) and metmyoglobin percentages (surface, surface of superficial section, and surface of deep section) in muscle samples were analyzed. There were no significant relationships between crude fat concentration and permeated NaCl concentration in the 100g muscle samples after 1 and 3 days of curing. In the deep section of the 500 g muscle sample, the permeated NaCl concentration significantly decreased with crude fat concentration after 3 days of curing. Metmyoglobin percentages significantly decreased with crude fat concentrations in the surface of the deep section of the 100g muscle sample after 1 day of curing and in the superficial and deep sections of the 100g muscle sample after 3 days of curing.

This study compared the quality of beef (M. biceps femoris) from Japanese shorthorn steers (n＝8) cured with different amounts of NaCl. Muscle samples (100g) were cured with 2 (2g group), 4 (4g group), or 6g (6g group) NaCl for 3 days. The surface and internal (10mm deep from surface) textures of the meat were then analyzed. Metmyoglobin percentages and a* values were analyzed at the surface, at 5mm depth (superficial section) and at 25mm depth (deep section). Cohesiveness, adhesiveness, and load of gumminess of the 2g group were significantly lower than those of the 6g group in all sections. The metmyoglobin percentage of the 2g group was significantly lower than that of the 6g group in the superficial and deep sections. The a* value of the 2g group was significantly higher than that of the 6g group in all sections. The lowest drip loss was found in the 2g group and was highest in the 6g group.

This study determined the accurate greenhouse gas emission factor of Greenhous gas (GHG) emission from wastewater treatment system for cattle manure based on several weeks of measurement result of the facility, and their fluctuation factor were discussed. These measurements had investigated at the wastewater treatment facility of dairy cattle in Okayama Prefectural Technology Center (35.02°N 133.50°E, 24m³ of aeration tank and 2.6m³ of sedimentation tank, for 40 heads of dairy cattle). Under 1.5m³/m³/hr aeration condition, GHG emission was measured with a dynamic chamber which covered the wastewater treatment facility. Fresh air (Inlet air, outside of this facility) and Outlet air (exhaust air, facility exit of exhaust air) were collected drawn through Teflon tube, and N₂O, CH₄ and NH₃ were continuously measured with a Photo-acoustic Multi gas Monitor. Gas measurements were operated for several weeks in fifteen periods from 2008 to 2013, and the emission factor (EF) were calculated besed on the experimental results. According to the results of total measurement periods, the N₂O and CH₄ emission factors were 2.88% (g N₂O-N/g total N) and 0.30% (g CH₄/g volatile solids), respectively. N₂O emission factor calculated under this experiment was low compared to present value (5.0% (g N₂O-N/gTN)) of National Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report of JAPAN (2015). On the contrary, CH₄ Emission factor calculated under this experiment was rather high compared to present value (0.00% (g CH₄/g volatile solids)). N₂O emission were dependent on organic compounds and nitrogen ratio of the influent wastewater, and the high N₂O emission were occurred in the operating condition of under 6.0 of BOD₅/TN ratio or under 2.5 of COD/N ratios. N₂O emission factor were fluctuate huge and there were high emission periods and low emission periods. The emission of CH₄ is affected by the wastewater of the sump pit.

To assess the welfare and physiological stress levels of fattening pigs, four different rearing systems in Japan were compared : fully slatted and windowless housing system with 20 pigs (SI), fully slatted and windowless housing system with 350 pigs (LI), a deep-litter system with 400 pigs (LD), and a pasturing system with indoor area with 9 pigs (SP). The welfare level was assessed using Welfare Quality^® Assessment protocol (WQ^® protocol). Serum cortisol and immunoglobulin A (IgA) concentrations from the saliva, feces, and serum were measured as physiological stress indices. Physiological samples were collected 2 or 3 days before shipping. The total scores by the WQ^® protocol were in the order of SP > LD > LI > SI ; the former two systems were rated as “Enhanced” and the latter two as “Acceptable”. The serum cortisol concentrations were significantly higher for LI pigs than for SI and LD pigs (P < 0.05) and tended to be higher than for SP pigs (P < 0.1). The IgA concentrations in the saliva, feces, and serum were, respectively, significantly higher for SI and LI pigs than for LD pigs (P < 0.05), higher for SI and SP pigs than for LI pigs (P < 0.05), and higher for LI pigs than for SP pigs (P < 0.05). The results suggest the following : SI pigs had low welfare and high stress level ; LI pigs had low welfare and the highest stress level with higher fecal IgA concentrations than those of pigs in the other rearing systems ; LD pigs had high welfare and low stress level ; and SP pigs had high welfare and slightly higher but appropriate stress level.