Hostname: page-component-77c89778f8-fv566 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-19T14:49:45.090Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Nutritional evaluation of kale (Brassica oleracea) diets:4. Responses to supplementation with synthetic S-methyl-L-cysteine sulphoxide (SMCO)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

T. N. Barry
Affiliation:
Invermay Agricultural Research Centre, Mosgiel, New Zealand
T. R. Manley
Affiliation:
Invermay Agricultural Research Centre, Mosgiel, New Zealand
K. R. Millar
Affiliation:
Wallaceville Research Centre, Upper Hutt, New Zealand

Summary

Synthetic SMCO was added to basal diets of either fresh kale or lucerne at the concentrations 0, 0·2, 0·4, 0·8 and 1·6% D.M. and each diet offered ad libitum to groups of four lambs that were individually fed indoors. Within each group, two lambs were of haemoglobin genotype AA and two were AB. Initial live weight (W) was 21 kg and the experiment lasted for 6 weeks.

SMCO supplementation depressed voluntary intake, body growth and wool growth, caused the development of haemolytic anaemia and produced kidney hypertrophy. Effects were much more severe when SMCO was added to a kale than to a lucerne diet, with the lowest SMCO intake of kale-fed lambs (0·3 g/kg W) producing marked detrimental effects whereas the highest SMCO intake of lucerne-fed lambs (0·7 g/kg W) produced only small and transient effects. The intake depressions were evident during the first week of SMCO supplementation and persisted throughout the full 6-week feeding period. Approximately 80 and 65% of the changes in body growth and wool growth could be accounted for by changes in intake, and it was concluded that the most important effect of SMCO in ruminant diets is as an intake depressant.

It is suggested that the greater ratio of soluble to structural carbohydrate in kale (2·3) compared with lucerne (0·9) probably resulted in a microbial population developing in the rumen of kale-fed sheep that could metabolize SMCO to dimethyl disulphide at a faster rate than occurred in the rumen of lucerne-fed sheep. Dimethyl disulphide production is postulated as the cause of both the haemolytic anaemia and appetite depression. Plasma SMCO concentrations did not increase with increasing SMCO intake in sheep fed either diet, indicating that there must have been negligible absorption of this amino acid from tho digestive system.

No haemoglobin C was produced by any of the lambs fed lucerne, and kale-fed lambs produced significant amounts only during weeks 5 and 6, with type AA lambs producing more than type AB lambs. However, there was no difference between AA and AB lambs in rate of decline in total haemoglobin concentration or upon voluntary intake, body growth and wool growth.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1982

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Bailey, R. W. (1967). Quantitative studies of ruminant digestion. II. Loss of ingested plant carbohydrates from the reticulo-rumen. New Zealand Journal of Agricultural Research 10, 1532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, T. N. (1981). Protein metabolism in growing lambs fed fresh ryegrass-clover pasture ad libitum. I. Protein and energy deposition in response to abomasal infusion of casein and methionine. British Journal of Nutrition 46, 521532.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, T. N., Mcdonald, R. C. & Reid, T. C. (1981). Nutritional evaluation of kale (Brassica oleracea) diets. 1. Growth of grazing lambs as affected by time after introduction to the crop, feed allowance and intraperitoneal amino acid supplementation. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 96, 257267.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barry, T. N., Reid, T. C., Millar, K. R. & Sadler, W. A. (1981). Nutritional evaluation of kale (Brassica oleracea) diets. 2. Copper deficiency, thyroid function, and selenium status in young cattle and sheep fed kale for prolonged periods. Journal of Agricultural Science, Cambridge 96, 269282.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Blumenkrantz, N. & Asboe-Hansen, G. (1973). New method for quantitative determination of uronic acid. Analytical Biochemistry 54, 484489.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Case, G. L. & Benevenga, N. J. (1977). Significance of formate as an intermediate in the oxidation of metliionine, S-methyl-L-cysteine and sarcosine methyl carbons to CO2 in the rat. Journal of Nutrition 107, 16651676.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Drew, K. R. (1966). The in vitro prediction of herbage digestibility. Proceedings of the N.Z. Society of Animal Production 26, 5270.Google Scholar
Forss, D. A. & Barry, T. N. (1982). Nitrile production during autolysis of kale and swedes, their stability during incubation with rumen fluid, and possible significance in ruminant nutrition. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture (in the Press).Google Scholar
Fuke, H., Yagi, H., Takegoshi, C. & Kondo, T. (1976). A sensitive automated colourimetric method for the determination of serum gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Clinica Chimica Acta 69, 4351.Google ScholarPubMed
Josefsson, E. (1975). Influence of glucosinolates and high molecular factors on the nutritional value of low-glucosinolate rape seed meal. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 26, 12991310.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Millar, K. R. (1980). Haemoglobin types, blood parameters and erythrocyte glutathione in the New Zealand Romney and other breeds. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 28, 251262.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Nicol, A. M. & Barry, T. N. (1980). The feeding of forage crops. In Supplementary Feeding (ed. Drew, K. R. and Fennessy, P. F.), New Zealand Society of Animal Production Occasional Publication No. 7, pp. 69102. C/- Invermay Research Centre, Mosgiel New Zealand.Google Scholar
Smith, R. H. (1974). Kale poisoning. Report Rowett Institute 30, 112131.Google Scholar
Smith, R. H. (1978). S-methylcysteine sulphoxide, the brassica anaemia factor (A valuable dietary factor brassica anaemia factor for man?). Veterinary Science Communications 2, 4761.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Synoe, R. L. M. & Wood, J. C. (1956). (+) S-methyl-L-cysteine S-oxide in cabbage. Biochemical Journal 64, 252259.Google Scholar
Van Etten, C. H., Gagne, W. E., Robbins, E. J., Booth, A. N., Daxenbichler, M. E. & Wolff, I. A. (1969). Biological evaluation of Crambe seed meals and derived products by rat feeding. Cereal Chemistry 46, 145155.Google Scholar
Whittle, P. J., Smith, R. H. & Mcintosh, A. (1976). Estimation of S-methylcysteine sulphoxide (Kale Anaemia factor) and its distribution among brassica forage and root crops. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture 27, [633642.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed