Digital Commons Network^™

The Invisible Meat Microcosmos - Investigations Of Processed Meats' Specific Spoilage Organisms, Rebecca Furbeck

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As humankind grows in population, so will our need to compete against bacterial populations which spoil foodstuffs before we are able to consume them. This dissertation aims to identify the bacterial communities responsible for meat spoilage, and the mechanisms that govern the behaviors of these organisms. The literature review summarizes the state of knowledge regarding factors that influence meat microbiome composition, and how analytical methods can influence research outcomes. Study 1 aimed to identify the impact of additional ingredients and processing steps on the microbial ecology of processed turkey products. The main specific spoilage organisms (SSOs) belonged to the orders …

Evaluation Of Maternal Diet And Its Effect On Milk Composition And Piglet Health And Growth Performance, Shana Barnett

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Both graduate research and graduate teaching duties work together to help to develop a graduate student’s skills both in the classroom and on their research experiments. Being both a GTA and GRA allows a student to form more sound hypotheses, connect better with students, and better understand their own research.

During the time as a GTA and GRA four surveys were developed to analyze different groups of students and their learning environment and two animal experiments were conducted to evaluate maternal diet and its effect on milk composition and piglet health and growth performance

The surveys given to students consisted …

Investigating Microbiomes And Developing Direct-Fed Microbials To Improve Cattle Health, Alison Bartenslager

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over the last decade, global beef production has increased to meet the protein needs of the growing population. As a result, the intensification of beef cattle production systems has resulted in broad spectrum prophylactic use of antibiotics and growth promoting agents. With increased concern around antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and emergence of novel pathogenic strains of bacteria, it is critical to understand disease progression and associated changes in the microbiome to develop novel therapeutic alternatives to reduce antibiotic use and control disease. One such approach that is currently being investigated is the development of novel direct-fed microbial strains to outcompete pathogens …

Effects Of Egg Yolk On Piglet Growth Performance, Circulating Immunoglobulins, Biomarkers Of Intestinal Integrity, And Microbial Community, Kelly C. Moore

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A total of 72 crossbred pigs weaned at 24 days were assigned to a completely randomized design (CRD) arrangement of treatments to determine the effects of egg yolk on a nursery piglet’s growth performance, circulating immunoglobulins, biomarkers of intestinal integrity, and microbial community. Pigs were provided with spray-dried plasma (SDP), spray-dried egg yolk (SDEY), or a control diet. During Phase III, ADG was affected by treatment (P < 0.10). Pigs consuming the egg yolk diet had greater (P < 0.05) ADG vs. the plasma group for Phase III. Circulating immunoglobulins (IgA and IgG) were not affected by dietary treatment. C-reactive protein (CRP) and haptoglobin (Hp) concentrations remained constant during the experiment. Treatment did effect Glugacon like peptide-2 (GLP-2) concentration (P < 0.01) where pigs fed egg yolk had the greatest concentration. Microbial OTUs were similar among treatments (P > 0.8), but there were changes over time; from d 0 to Phase I and II there was an increase in diversity (P < 0.01) followed by a decrease in …