Animal nutrition

1. Provide the biochemical pathways (and a written description of each step of those pathways) that a dog can use to produce all non-essential amino acids. In other words, assume that the animal is not fed any non-essential amino acids. Show how the animal’s body/cells will produce those amino acids. The reactions MUST include the biochemical pathways and MUST be written using the structural formulas of all substrates, intermediates, and products.

2. Explain why there can be a greater number of different polysaccharide polymer structures than protein polymer structures even if only 20 monomers (monosaccharides or amino acids) are used for each polymer. Also, assume each polymer contains 100 total residues.

3. Explain the reason (at the molecular level) why humans cannot utilize cellulose and poultry litter as sources of nutrients very efficiently, but cattle can.

4. Describe the differences between a proteoglycan and a glycoprotein. Draw the principal components of a typical proteoglycan. Be sure the show the relationships and connection among the components in the sketch. Also, describe those relationships and connections in written form.

5. Describe the quality of each of the following grains as a feedstuff for poultry: corn, milo, wheat, and oats. Be sure to include energy contents, amino acid contents, fiber content, and digestibility for each grain. Also, give one negative aspect of each grain as it pertains to poultry. You cannot list deficiencies (such as amino acid deficiencies) as negative aspects.

6. Give at least one negative aspect for each of the following as a feed ingredient for poultry: molasses, cottonseed meal, raw soybeans, canola meal, peas, sorghum, sesame meal, safflower meal, linseed meal, silkworm pupae meal, fish meal, feather meal, blood meal, and lupins. You cannot list deficiencies (such as amino acid deficiencies) as negative aspects.

7. Describe at least three positive aspects of the following ingredients when used in horse feed: distillers dried grains, wheat middlings, oats, barley, beet pulp, soybean hulls, alfalfa hay, clover hay, peanut hay, and timothy grass. You cannot list “good source of protein” or “good source of carbohydrate” as aspects. You would need to be more specific as to the type of carbohydrates or amino acids. Also, you cannot just list 3 amino acids or carbohydrate structures found in the ingredient and count that as 3 positive aspects. That would count as only one aspect (2 aspects if you give the amino acids and the carbohydrates).

8. Explain at the molecular level how oats would be fully digested (do not include the fat composition), and how the molecules would be recycled and absorbed (or excreted if it is a waste product) by a cow. You need to include all parts of the oat grain in this explanation (again, do not include the fat composition). Also, you must include the names and the functions of the molecules involved in digestion and absorption, and /or movements of the digested molecules as the oats are broken down (digested), recycled, and absorbed (or excreted).

9. Explain at the molecular level how the following carbohydrate structures would be broken down (digested) and absorb (or excrete) in humans: Glucose, fructose, sucrose, lactose (in both lactose tolerant and lactose intolerant), starch (including the further breakdown of maltose), and glycogen. Be sure to include the enzymes involved in the breakdown of the carbohydrates and how those enzymes function.