School of Biosciences
 

Julian Wiseman

Professor of Animal Production,

Contact

  • workRoom 205 South Laboratory
    Sutton Bonington Campus
    Sutton Bonington
    Leicestershire
    LE12 5RD
    UK
  • work0115 951 6054
  • fax0115 951 6099

Biography

Prof Julian Wiseman

Professor of Animal Production , Division of Animal Science

Julian's research interests fall into two main areas: non-ruminant animal nutrition and product quality. Current research areas include:

  • Nutritional value of co-products from bioethanol production
  • Home-grown legumes in diets for non-ruminants; digestibility, performance and carcass quality
  • Evaluating exogenous enzymes in pig nutrition
  • Muscle growth in broilers

Expertise Summary

Nutritional, biochemical and rheological characterisation of feedstuffs

Cereals and cereal co-products

Cereals are the principal components of diets for non-ruminants. Current developments include digestibility of starch and non-starch polysaccharides in cereals, and digestibility of amino acids in new and near isogenic wheat lines; the IBIR rye translocation, introduced into numerous UK wheat cultivars, had a negative impact on nutritional value and the characteristic has now been bred out.

The influence of dietary cereals (both raw and processed) on gut environment and how these ingredients might influence gut morphology. The background is the withdrawal of anti-biotic growth promoters from the diets of newly-weaned piglets.

Predictive model for nutritional quality of cereals is on-going in collaboration with Division of Food Sciences where those assessments employed in the human food industry and now being extended to feeds.

The UK bioethanol industry is generating significant quantities of co-products following fermentation of wheat including wheat distillers dark grains with soluble. As a high protein material, W-DDGS has potential for inclusion into diets for non-ruminants.

Legumes

Amino acid digestibility determined and quantification of the impact of anti-nutritional factors (primarily anti-trypsin factors) together with processing conditions designed to minimise their effects. Heat processing is important for peas not only to denature anti-trypsin factors but also to reduce crystalinity in starch, rendering it more digestible.

Whilst 'home grown' legumes continue to attract attention, Europe is still dependent on soya bean imports. With the removal of mammalian proteins from the diets of livestock, soya is an increasingly important dietary raw material.

Canola

Canola (oilseed rape) is the UK's principal oilseed crop but also a high protein raw material for inclusion into non-ruminant diets. Variations in glucosinolate concentrations could be of nutritional significance. Levels of these anti-nutritional factors may vary between cultivars and this subject is currently under investigation.

Reproduction

Seasonal variation in breeding activity in domestic pigs is a commonly-observed phenomenon although it seems not to have a genetic basis. The overall conclusion was that, if observed, seasonality was attributable to management / other environmental factors.

Product quality

Qualitative aspects of both pig and poultry meat are assuming increasing importance.

Recommendations from Government bodies has identified the importance of essential fatty acid intake in the human population. Manipulation of the fatty acid profile of pig and poultry carcass fat through dietary means is well-known. However quantitative relationships between diet and carcass are less clear. Areas of interest include the time for dietary changes to be mirrored in alterations in carcass fatty acid profile.

Fatty acid profile of carcass fat may have a profound influence on eating quality.

Teaching Summary

Animal science concentrating on recent developments; non-ruminant nutrition, product quality and production; companion animal science

Research Summary

Nutritional, biochemical and rheological characterisation of feedstuffs

Cereals and cereal co-products

Cereals are the principal components of diets for non-ruminants. Current developments in this area include digestibility of starch and non-starch polysaccharides in cereals, and digestibility of amino acids in new and near isogenic wheat lines in collaboration with BBSRC John Innes Institute and commercial companies. The key advantage of these lines is that they are substantially genetically similar, except for one key characteristic whose nutritional implications can thus be assessed. Current developments include an assessment of endosperm texture as an important variable influencing nutritional value. The objectives of programmes are to examine possible variability in both biological and biochemical characteristics of cereals which might have been influenced by breeding programmes; the IBIR rye translocation, introduced into numerous UK wheat cultivars, had a negative impact on nutritional value and the characteristic has now been bred out.

Studies are complemented by other research programmes examining the influence of dietary cereals (both raw and processed) on gut environment and how these ingredients might influence gut morphology. The background to this is the withdrawal of anti-biotic growth promoters from the diets of newly-weaned piglets.

Development of an in vitro predictive model for nutritional quality of cereals is on-going in collaboration with Division of Food Sciences. This is a particularly novel approach where those assessments employed in the human food industry and now being extended to feeds. Laboratory techniques being assessed include rapid visco-analyser, X-Ray diffraction, water solubility index and water absorption index.

The UK bioethanol industry is generating significant quantities of co-products following fermentation of wheat including wheat distillers dark grains with soluble. As a high protein material, W-DDGS has potential for inclusion into diets for non-ruminants.

Legumes

Studies consider the nutritional value of plant legumes (as measured principally through amino acid digestibility determined in the small intestine) and quantification of the impact of anti-nutritional factors (primarily anti-trypsin factors) together with processing conditions designed to minimise their effects. Novel pea cultivars were developed at BBSRC JIC to contain reduced levels of trypsin inhibitor activity; these were demonstrated to be of better nutritional quality. Heat processing is important for peas not only to denature TIA but also to reduce crystalinity in starch, rendering it more digestible.

Whilst 'home grown' legumes continue to attract attention, Europe is still dependent on soya bean imports. With the removal of mammalian proteins from the diets of livestock, soya is an increasingly important dietary raw material.

Canola

Canola (oilseed rape) is the UK's principal oilseed crop but also a high protein raw material for inclusion into non-ruminant diets. Variations in glucosinolate concentrations could be of nutritional significance. Levels of these anti-nutritional factors may vary between cultivars and this subject is currently under investigation.

Reproduction

Seasonal variation in breeding activity in domestic pigs is a commonly-observed phenomenon. The European wild boar is know to be seasonal, although this can be mediated through high planes of nutrition, shorter / abrupt weaning and the continued presence of a mature male - these are all environmental factors found in the management of the domesticate. This does however lead to the question as to whether seasonality has a genetic basis. A major survey of the breeding data base of Cotswold (now JSR Genetics), including incorporation of sophisticated mathematical models, examined whether there was an influence of genotype. The overall conclusion was that there was not and that, if observed, seasonality was attributable to management / other environmental factors.

Product quality

Qualitative aspects of both pig and poultry meat are assuming increasing importance. The growth of individual portions of the broiler carcass as influenced through dietary inputs has been studied in order to assess optimum conditions for growth and time of slaughter. Modelling routines, based on the Gompertz function, have allowed patterns of growth to be quantified.

Recommendations from Government bodies has identified the importance of essential fatty acid intake in the human population. Manipulation of the fatty acid profile of pig and poultry carcass fat through dietary means is well-known. However quantitative relationships between diet and carcass are less clear. Areas of interest include the time for dietary changes to be mirrored in alterations in carcass fatty acid profile.

Fatty acid profile of carcass fat may have a profound influence on eating quality. Thus an increase in the essential polyunsaturated fatty acid content of pig meat, whilst being perceived as being of possible benefit to the consumer, may also be associated with a decline in both keeping and eating quality because of the increased risk of oxidative degradation of these fatty acids producing off-odours and flavours. Previous studies involving taste panels have confirmed this. A study, in collaboration with colleagues in Food Science, attempted to quantify those compounds produced during oxidation of meat lipid through GC-mass spectroscopy.

Selected Publications

School of Biosciences

University of Nottingham
Sutton Bonington Campus
Nr Loughborough
LE12 5RD, UK

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