Current researches

• New developed or alternative feedstuff: Apply cellulolytic enzymes or microbes to perform solid fermentation on high fiber containing feedstuffs. The purpose of the research is to increase the fiber digestibility of locally produced alternative feedstuffs. The nutritional utilization of agriculture by-products, such as copra meal and palm kernel meal, tomato juice residue, asparagus peel, napiergrass, Leucaena Leucocephaln, whole rice plant silage, surplus banana silage, surplus orange etc were measured by pigs, chicken and even goats. A high fiber digestibility wheat bran was produced by fermentation approach with cellulolytic bacteria collected from dairy cow,s rumen.. We evaluate the nutritional value of wheat bran for gestating sow at the late stage of pregancy. The utilization of sweet potato chip are performed on meat pig or black pig, broiler, duck ,goose and country chicken to measure the feeding value of sweet potato. After those experiments are finished, the experimental data will be accumulated and publish a booklet on feed composition and formulations by using those new developed feedstuffs. 

• Feed additive production: Use yeast expression system to produce the recombinant enzymes like lipase, colipase and pepsinogen as feed additive. The aim of the research is to develop new additives and evaluate the efficacy of improving the dietary lipid digestibility for weaner pigs .The addition of recombinant lipase in weaner diet can improve the weight gain and feed conversion rate via the improvement of lipid utilization during the critical post weaning period. Another recombinant myostatin propeptide (mstn-prop) was also developed and its effect on growth performance and carcass trait of TLRI black pig was measured. Those TLRI black pig gilts fed with diets containing 10ppm mstn-prop without hydrolyzing or hyrdolyzed with pepsin had a higher daily gain than the barrows. For the carcass traits, TLRI black pigs gilts fed with 10ppm mstn-prop without hydrolyzing or hydrolyzed by pepsin could improve lean percentage and reduced back fat thickness and fat percentage, but no effects was observed in the barrows. The blood trait of pigs were not significantly influenced by feeding diet containing10 ppm of mstn-prop without hydrolyzing or hydrolyzed by pepsin.

• Sow nutrition: The effect of applying ß-glucan on reproductive performance of sows was cconducted. The results found that the addition of ß -glucan in lactating sows diet can increase the immunoglobin levels in both colostrum and blood of sows. It can also increase the immunoglobin levels and erythrocytes number in bloods from 2 wks and 4 wks of age nursing piglets. Another research aim to understand the effect of different lysine to valine ratio on reproductive performance of sows and growth of piglets. The purpose of the experiment is to evaluate the feasibility of increasing the reproductive efficiency of lactating sow by manipulation of the dietary ratio of lysine and valine.

• Poultry nutrition: For chicken nutritional research, the protein and metabilizable energy requirement for Leghorn layer at 23 wks of age were measured and the effect of dietary levels of distiller,s dried grains with soluble on egg shell quality, egg yolk color and egg traits. A special brown eggs shell laying hens were used to evaluate the effect of crude protein and metabilizable energy levels on egg production and egg quality. Besides, effect of levels of copper and zinc on the laying performance and egg shell quality in Leghorn layer were also determined.

• Feed Analysis Center of Taiwan Livestock Research Institute 

Taiwan Livestock Research Institute (TLRI) is a Government agency doing the research and providing services to the livestock sector in Taiwan. The Feed Analysis Center carry out the feed analysis since the 1960’. In order to improve the quality and credibility of analytical result, the Feed Analysis Center has accredited by Chinese National Laboratory Accreditation (CNLA) on May 1, 2001 and 10 accreditation criteria in biological testing (CNLA-ZL01048) was approved. Under the policy of “Devotness”, “Diligence” and “Profession”, the  Feed Analysis Center provide the best quality and service for the researcher and animal industry. The items of feed analysis include: