scispace - formally typeset
Search or ask a question
Author

L. O. Fiems

Bio: L. O. Fiems is an academic researcher from Flemish Community. The author has contributed to research in topics: Belgian Blue & Feed conversion ratio. The author has an hindex of 14, co-authored 56 publications receiving 625 citations.


Papers
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: This study shows that double-muscled animals belong to a sub-population of the Belgian Blue breed rather than deviants from the non-double-Muscled animal andFat characteristics of the carcass and meat showed only limited predictive power for meat tenderness and colour.

99 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Meat quality of the aged LT of cows is not negatively affected by age, while some carcass quality traits decreased with advancing age, and several carcass (SEUROP-grading, composition, LT-area) and meat quality traits were better correlated with carcass weight than parity.

58 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, a methodology for the composition of nutrient balances at farm level in Flanders was developed, which defines input-output models for the different sectors (cattle, pigs and poultry) and fixes rules on how to determine quantities and nutrient contents for several products.

41 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the effect of yeast culture on rumen fermentation may depend on the nature of the diet and living yeast cell number in the rumen fluid rapidly declined when dietary yeast was ceased and survived the passage through the digestive tract.
Abstract: Five mature wethers fitted with rumen fistulas were fed grass hay and a sugarbeet-pulp-based concentrate or maize silage and a cereal-based concentrate (50/50 digestible organic matter basis), or without with 5 g yeast supplement (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Biosaf) per day in a latin square design. Diets were given for a 28-d adaptation period, followed by a 10-d collection period to determine digestibility and nitrogen retention data. Afterwards, rumen samples were taken on 3 consecutive days and analysed for volatile fatty acids, pH and ammonia. Digestibility and nitrogen balance were not affected by yeast treatment. Supplementation of yeast increased acetate: propionate ratio, butyrate, isoacids, pH and ammonia. The effects were more pronounced for the maize silage diet. These results demonstrate that the effect of yeast culture on rumen fermentation may depend on the nature of the diet. Living yeast cell number in the rumen fluid rapidly declined when dietary yeast was ceased. Furthermore, yeast cells survived the passage through the digestive tract.

38 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the effect of three protein levels (77, 97 and 117 g DVE (true protein digested in the small intestine) per kg dry matter (DM)) and two energy levels (7·38 and 8·03 MJ NEF) on the performance of Belgian White-blue double-muscled finishing bulls and on the quality of their carcasses and meat was investigated.
Abstract: The effect of three protein (77, 97 and 117 g DVE (true protein digested in the small intestine) per kg dry matter (DM)) and two energy levels (7·38 and 8·03 MJ NEF (net energy for fattening) per kg DM) on the performance of Belgian White-blue double-muscled finishing bulls and on the quality of their carcasses and meat was investigated. The diet, offered ad libitum, consisted of 650 g/kg concentrates and 350 g/kg maize silage on DM basis.No significant influence was found of the energy level on the growth rate. The low protein level reduced live-weight gain, from 370 to 501 kg (1·43 kg on average v. 2·60 and 1·66 kg daily; P < 0·02). The growth rate during the entire period (370 to 692 kg) and the live weight at slaughter were significantly influenced by the protein content.The bulls given the high energy level lost less weight during the 20-h fasting period before slaughter. Their carcasses were classified with a higher fatness score and a better conformation. These carcasses had a higher fat content, while the proportion of bone in the carcass was lower than in the low energy groups. The cold carcass weight of the low protein groups (456 kg on average) was significantly smaller than that of the four other groups (470 kg on average). Although no differences between the six groups were found concerning the dressing proportion, this measurement was significantly influenced by the protein level (685 g/kg for low protein v. 692 for high protein). The SEUROP conformation was positively influenced by the protein and the energy level, while the fatness score was influenced only by the energy level (5·5 v. 6·0 for the low and the high energy level, respectively). Although the differences in conformation, fatness score and dressing proportion are significant, because of the small variation, the practical meaning is less important.

27 citations


Cited by
More filters
Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Results suggest an improvement in rumen fermentation by yeast supplementation, which could be modulated by several different factors such as DMI, percentage of concentrate or NDF in the diet, or species.

327 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
01 Aug 1999
TL;DR: The review ends with a consideration of the limits to the modification of ruminant fats, involving considerations of consumer acceptance as well as animal welfare and environmental effects.
Abstract: Beef and dairy products suffer from a negative health image, related to the nature of their lipid fraction. Rumen lipid metabolism involves the presence of saturated lipids in ruminant tissues. Lipolysis, fatty acid biohydrogenation and formation of microbial fatty acids in the rumen and their effects on rumen outflow of fatty acids are discussed. Special emphasis is given to the formation of trans-fatty acids and the possibilities of decreasing biohydrogenation. Small differences in intestinal digestibilities of fatty acids are mentioned, followed by a discussion on transfer of absorbed fatty acids into milk and adipose tissue lipids. The preferential retention of polyunsaturated fatty acids as well as the balance between synthesis and incorporation of fatty acids in tissues is described. Dietary means for the modification of milk fat are listed, with special emphasis on the possibilities for enrichment in polyunsaturated fatty acids and the presence of conjugated linoleic acids. A description of the nature and development of fat depots in beef cattle is followed by a discussion of breed, conformation and feed effects on adipose tissue distribution and fatty acid composition. Special emphasis is given to the very lean Belgian Blue double-muscled breed. The review ends with a consideration of the limits to the modification of ruminant fats, involving considerations of consumer acceptance as well as animal welfare and environmental effects.

280 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Tenderness and strength measurements were predominantly related to the muscle fibre area, collagen characteristics and energetic metabolic activity, and dry matter content was the principal muscle characteristic related to flavour.

248 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is difficult to establish straightforward relationships between nutrient management, surplus, losses and environmental impact, and agronomic and environmental reference or target values need to be established for different production systems, geographical areas and elements.

243 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, eight horses were allotted into pairs consisting of one cecum-and right ventral colon-fistu-lated animal and one colostrum-and colon-fed animal, each of which was fed daily at the same level of intake either a high-fiber (HF) or high-starch (HS) diet without or with 10 go f aSaccharomyces cerevisiae preparation.
Abstract: Eight horses were allotted into pairs consisting of one cecum- and right ventral colon-fistu- lated animal and one cecum-fistulated animal They were fed daily at the same level of intake either a high- fiber (HF) or a high-starch (HS) diet without or with 10 go f aSaccharomyces cerevisiae preparation, in a 4 × 4 Latin square design The HS diet provided a starch overload (ie, 34 g starchkg −1 BWmeal −1 ) while main- taining a high amount of fiber intake (ie, dietary NDF/ starch ratio was 10) A 21-d period of adaptation to the treatments occurred before cecal and colonic contents were withdrawn 4 h after the morning meal to count total anaerobic, cellulolytic, and lactic acid-utilizing bacteria, lactobacilli, and streptococci Lactic acid, vola- tile fatty acids, ammonia concentrations, and pH were measured on cecal and colonic fluid samples collected hourly during the first 12-h postfeeding When the HS diet was fed, the concentration of total anaerobic and lactic acid-utilizing bacteria increased (P < 0001), whereas that of cellulolytic bacteria decreased (P < 005) in the cecum The concentration of lactobacilli and streptococci increased (P < 0001) in the cecal and co- lonic contents These alterations of the microbial pro- files were associated with decreases (P < 0001) of pH, (acetate + butyrate)/propionate ratio and with an in- crease (P < 0001) of lactic acid concentration Supple- menting the S cerevisiae preparation increased (P < 001) the concentration of viable yeast cells, averaging 43 × 10 6 and 45 × 10 4 cfu/mL in the cecal and colonic contents, respectively Yeast supplementation had al- most no effect on microbial counts in the cecum and colon The supplementation of S cerevisiae appeared to modify (P < 005) pH, concentrations of lactic acid and ammonia, molar percentages of acetate and buty- rate with the HS diet and ((acetate + butyrate)/propio- nate) ratio when the HF diet was fed The effects of the S cerevisiae preparation were greater in the cecum than in the colon, which coincided with the abundance of yeast cells When the digestion of starch in the small intestine was saturated, the effect of the addition of a S cerevisiae preparation appeared to limit the extent of undesirable changes in the intestinal ecosystem of the horse

196 citations