Conservation methods have been shown to affect forage nutrient composition and value, but little information is available about the effect of forage conservation on plant condensed tannins (CT). The objective of this study was to assess the effects of conservation method on the concentration, chemical composition and biological activity of CT. Whole-plant purple prairie clover (PPC, Dalea purpurea Vent.) was harvested at full flower and conserved as freeze-dried forage (FD), hay (HAY) or silage (SIL). Concentration of CT in conserved PPC was determined by the butanol-HCl-acetone method. Structural composition, protein-precipitation capacity and anti-bacterial activity of CT isolated from conserved forage were determined by in situ thiolytic degradation followed by HPLC-MS analysis, a protein precipitation assay using bovine serum albumin and ribulose 1,5-disphosphate carboxylase as model proteins and by an Escherichia coli (E. coli) growth test, respectively. Conservation method had no effect on concentration of total CT, but ensiling decreased (p < 0.001) extractable CT and increased (p < 0.001) protein- and fiber-bound CT. In contrast, hay-making only increased (p < 0.01) protein-bound CT. Regardless of conservation method, epigallocatechin (EGC), catechin (C) and epicatechin (EC) were the major flavan-3-ol units, and gallocatechin (GC) was absent from both terminal and extension units of PPC CT. The SIL CT had the lowest (p < 0.001) EGC, but the highest (p < 0.01) EC in the extension units. Similarly, SIL CT exhibited a lower (p < 0.001) mean degree of polymerization (mDP), but higher (p < 0.001) procyanidins (PC) than FD or HAY CT. The protein-precipitating capacity of CT in conserved PPC ranked (p < 0.001) as FD > HAY > SIL. E. coli growth n M9 medium was inhibited by 25–100 µg/mL of CT isolated from FD, HAY and SIL (p < 0.05), but preservation method had no effect on the ability of CT to inhibit bacterial growth. The results demonstrated that ensiling decreased the extractability and protein-precipitating capacity of CT by increasing the proportions of PC. Purple prairie clover conserved as hay retained more biologically active CT than if it was conserved as silage.

A 60‐day feeding trial was conducted to assess the effects of xylooligosaccharides on growth performance, immunity and Vibriosis alginolyticus resistance of juvenile Litopenaeus vannamei. Five diets were formulated to contain 0 (T0), 1 (T1), 2 (T2), 4 (T4) and 6 (T6) g/kg of xylooligosaccharides, triplicate groups of 40 shrimps with initial weight of 0.10 ± 0.01 g were fed to apparent satiation four times daily. At the end of the feeding trail, ten shrimps from each tank were challenged with V. alginolyticus. Results showed that shrimps fed xylooligosaccharides containing diets had higher (p < 0.05) feed efficiency, survival rate and intestinal villi length and area than those of T0. There was no significant difference in final body weight, weight gain rate and chemical compositions of whole shrimp among treatments. Shrimps fed T4 and T6 diets had higher (p < 0.05) phenoloxidase and lysozyme activities than those in T0. Concentration of albumin, phenoloxidase activity and survival rate of shrimps decreased (p < 0.05) after 72 hr of challenge, with SR being greater (p < 0.05) in T2, T4 and T6 than that of in T0. Results demonstrate that supplementing 4–6 g/kg of xylooligosaccharides in diets increased feed efficiency, survival rate, intestinal villi length and area, and improved the resistance of juvenile L. vannamei against V. alginolyticus. This study suggests that xylooligosaccharides could be a potential feed additive in practical diet of juvenile L. vannamei.

This study examined the diversity and responses of intestinal microbiota in hybrid grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus ♀ × E. lanceolatus ♂) fed diets with varying levels of fishmeal replaced by black soldier fly larvae (BSFL). The 10% BSFL substitution (BSFL10) group showed the highest levels of trypsin and amylase. Substituting fishmeal with 30% and 50% BSFL weakened the intestinal wall, resulting in vacuoles, sparse striatal boundaries, and fewer villi. Microbiota diversity, measured through Shannon’s index, was higher in the BSFL10 and BSFL50 groups than in the control. 16S rRNA amplicon data revealed the dominance of Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetota, and Verrucomicrobia phyla. The BSFL-replacement groups showed an increase in Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Spirochaetota compared to the control, but fewer Firmicutes. PICRUSt analysis indicated significant alterations in microbial function, particularly enhanced protein, carbohydrate, lipid, and energy metabolisms in the BSFL-fed group. Substituting 10% fishmeal with BSFL enhanced nutrient metabolism and gut microbiota in juvenile hybrid grouper. Further research is needed to explore factors affecting the efficacy of insect feed as a sustainable aquaculture diet.