Staff Profile:Dr Caroline Rymer

Name:

Dr Caroline Rymer

Job Title:

Senior Research Fellow

Responsibilities:

Managing research programmes, supervision of postgraduate students and some lecturing

Areas of Interest:

My main interest is in the manipulation of animal products, through the management and feeding of farm animals, to increase the nutritive value and health benefits of those products. I am particularly interested in producing foods from animals that have a positive impact on the management of the metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease, and also the maintenance of cognitive function in later life. The impact of changing the animals' diet on the health, welfare and immune response of the animal is also an interest of mine.

I also have a long standing interest in the characterisation of feeds, and on the impact that livestock can make to the livelihoods of some of the world's poorest people. Appropriate strategies and interventions to increase the contribution that livestock can make to these livelihoods is another interest of mine.

Research groups / Centres:

I am currently involved in the EU Framework 7 Project 'Lipgene' (FOOD-CT-2003-505944; www.ucd.ie/lipgene). In this I am seeking to increase the long chain n-3 fatty acid content of edible poultry tissues without adversely affecting the sensory characteristics and oxidative stability of the meat. I am also involved in investigating what impact an increased long chain n-3 fatty acid intake has on the immune response of the chicken. My research is investigating alternative sources of long chin n-3 PUFA, as the continued use of fish oil may not be sustainable. Other avenues therefore involve the use of algae, and also plant sources. The vast majority of plant n-3 fatty acid is in the form of linolenic acid (C18:3 n-3), which is converted to the long chain n-3 fatty acids extremely inefficiently. However, there may be scope for exploiting plant sources that express the more unsaturated C18:4 n-3, as this is beyond the rate limiting step of the conversion pathway.This avenue is currently being explored.

I am involved in the DEFRA LINK programme LK0973 'Development and evaluation of low-phytate wheat germplasm to reduce diffuse phosphate pollution from pig and poultry production units', and am responsible for evaluating the impact of the low phytate wheat on the excretion of phosphorus by broilers and laying hens. I have also assessed the impact of genotype, processing and treatment post-processing on the nutritive value of rapeseed meal for poultry and ruminants.

In another area of research, I worked with a team including resource poor and landless farmers in Nepal. We were investigating the contribution that livestock could make to the livelihoods of the very poor and marginalised in Nepal, and evaluating appropriate strategies for increasing the contribution that livestock could make to those livelihoods. This was part of the DFID-funded Livestock Production Programme Projects R7632 and R8109.

Publications:

Refereed papers:

• Rymer, C. and Armstrong, D.G. (1989)Digestion by sheep of ground and unground dried molassed sugarbeet diets and the effects of partly replacing the beet pulp with barley.Journal of agricultural science, Cambridge. 113:223-231
• Rooke, J.A., Rymer, C., Maya, F.M. and Armstrong, D.G. (1992)Effect of including barley or molassed sugarbeet feed in grass silage diets on their digestion by cattle and sheep.Journal of the science of food and agriculture. 58: 475-483
• Huntington, J.A., Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (1998)The effect of host diet on the gas production profile of hay and high-temperature dried grass.Animal Science, 67:59-64.
• Rymer, C., Huntington, J.A. and Givens, D.I. (1999). Effects of inoculum preparation method and concentration, method of inoculation and pre-soaking the substrate on the gas production profile of high temperature dried grass. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 78: 199 - 213.
• Brown, V.E., Rymer, C., Agnew, R.E. and Givens, D.I. (2002)Relationship between in vitro gas production profiles of forages and in vivo rumen fermentation patterns in beef steers fed those forages.Animal Feed Science and Technology, 98:13-24.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2002) The relationship between the pattern of rumen fermentation measured in sheep and the in situ degradability and in vitro gas production profile of the diet. Animal Feed Science and Technology 101:31-44.
• Rymer, C., Givens, D.I., and Wahle, K.W.J (2002) Dietary strategies for increasing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations in bovine milk: a review.Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews Series B 73:9R-25R
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2005).n-3 Fatty acid enrichment of edible tissues of poultry: a review.Lipids 40:121-130.
• Krishnamoorthy, U., Rymer, C. and Robinson, P.H. (2005).The in vitro gas production technique: limitations and opportunities.Animal Feed Science and Technology 123-124, 1-7.
• Rymer, C., Huntington, J.A., Williams, B.A. and Givens, D.I. (2005). In vitro cumulative gas production techniques: history, methodological considerations and challenges. Animal Feed Science and Technology 123-124, 9-30.
• Rymer, C., Williams, B.A., Brooks, A.E., Davies, D.R. and Givens, D.I. (2005).Inter-laboratory variation of in vitro cumulative gas production profiles of feeds using manual and automated methods.Animal Feed Science and Technology 123-124, 225-241.
• van Gelder, A.H., Hetta, M., Rodrigues, M.A.M., De Boever, M.A.M., den Hartigh, H., Rymer, C., van Oostrum, M., van Kaathoven, R. and Cone, J.W. (2005).Ranking of in vitro fermentability of 20 feedstuffs with an automated gas production technique: Results of a ring test.Animal Feed Science and Technology 123-214, 243-253.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2006). Effect of species and genotype on the efficiency of enrichment of poultry meat with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids. Lipids, 41, 445-451.
• Rymer, C. (2007). The effect of wilting and soaking Eupatorium adenophorum on its digestibility in vitro and voluntary intake by goats, Anim. Feed Sci. Technol. (2007), doi:10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2007.04.013 In press

Edited papers:

• Rooke, J.A., Rymer, C., Maya, F.M. and Armstrong, D.G. (1987)Comparative digestion of silage based diets by sheep and cattle (abstr.)Eighth Silage Conference, 7-9 Sept, 1987, Institute of Grassland and Animal Production, Hurley, Berkshire, UK. p157.
• Rymer, C., Tamang, B.B. and Pradhan, C.B. (1990)A feasibility study of silage making in the hills of eastern Nepal.Proceedings of the Second International Livestock Workshop, 11-16 March, 1990, Pakhribas Agricultural Centre, Dhankuta, Nepal.
• Rymer, C. and Redman, S. (1996)A comparison of methods of characterising feeds for the prediction of daily liveweight gain in ewe lambs. Animal Science 62:667
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (1997)A comparison of different types of apparatus for measuring gas production in vitroProceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 1997p.193
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (1998). Relationship between the gas production profiles of mixtures of hay and maize and the patterns of rumen fermentation observed in sheep fed those mixtures. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 1998, p.63
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I.(1998) Relationship between the rates of production of gas and VFA during in vitro incubations of high temperature dried grass.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 1998. p.55
• Rymer, C.,Brooks, A.E., Theodorou, M.K. and Givens, D.I. (1998)The effect of shaking on the gas production profile of high temperature dried grass.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 1998. p65.
• Rymer, C., Calabrò, S., Williams, B.A., Gurung, H.B. and Givens, D.I. (1998). A comparison of sources of inocula and the relationship between the gas production profile, in situ degradability, and perceived nutritive value of some native Nepalese grasses. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 1998, p.67
• Rymer, C., Huntington, J.A. and Givens, D.I. (1998)A study of the inter-laboratory variation in results obtained using the gas production technique. In: Deaville, E.R., Owen, E., Adesogen, A.T., Rymer, C., Huntington, J.A. and Lawrence, T.L.J. (Eds)In vitro techniques for measuring nutrient supply to ruminants.BSAS Occasional Publication No. 22, BSAS Edinburgh.pp. 278-281.
• Rymer, C., Moss, A.R., Deaville, E.R. and Givens, D.I. (1998)Factors affecting the amount of indirect gas produced by the in vitro gas production technique. In: Deaville, E.R. Owen, E., Adesogen, A.T., Rymer, C., Huntington, J.A. and Lawrence, T.L.J. (Eds) In vitro techniques for measuring nutrient supply to ruminants.British Society of Animal Science Occasional Publication No. 22 pp 89-91.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (1999). Predicting the apparent disappearance of starch in the rumen of cows from the in vitro gas production profile of their diet. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 1999,p.157
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (1999). The use of the in vitro gas production technique to investigate the effect of substrate on the partitioning between microbial biomass production and the yield of fermentation products. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 1999, p.36
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. and Cottrill, B.R. (2000) Changes with time in the short chain fatty acid profile during in vitro incubations of feeds with rumen fluid and their effect on the prediction of ATP production.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 2000, p.24
• Rymer, C., Williams, B.A., Brooks, A.E. and Givens, D.I. (2000) The effect of laboratory on the rate and extent of gas production in vitro. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 2000, p.45
• Moss, A.R., Rymer, C., Fakhri, S. and Givens, D.I. (2000) The additivity of predicted ATP yields from feedstuffs incubated in vitro with rumen fluid. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 2000, p.25
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2000) Predicting the in vitro gas production profile of dried grass with strained rumen fluid from the in vitro gas production profile of dried grass with faeces. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 2000, p. 48
• Brown, V.E., Rymer, C., Agnew, R.E. and Givens, D.I. (2000)Relationship between the gas production profiles of forages and the rumen fermentation patterns observed in beef steers fed those forages.Proceedings of EAAP Satellite Symposium, Gas Production: Fermentation Kinetics for Feed Evaluation and to Assess Microbial Activity.18-19 August 2000, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp 60-61.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2000) Predicting the duodenal flow of non-ammonia nitrogen in dairy cows from the in vitro gas production profiles of the feeds used in their diets. Proceedings of EAAP Satellite Symposium, Gas Production: Fermentation Kinetics for Feed Evaluation and to Assess Microbial Activity.18-19 August 2000, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp 118-119.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2000) Predicting the amount of starch apparently degraded in the rumen from the in vitro gas production profile of the diet. Proceedings of EAAP Satellite Symposium, Gas Production: Fermentation Kinetics for Feed Evaluation and to Assess Microbial Activity.18-19 August 2000, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp 84-85.
• Rymer, C., Stewart, C.R., Garstang, T.F. and Givens, D.I. (2000)The use of mixtures of pure bacterial cultures as an alternative inoculum to rumen fluid in the in vitro gas production technique. Proceedings of EAAP Satellite Symposium, Gas Production: Fermentation Kinetics for Feed Evaluation and to Assess Microbial Activity.18-19 August 2000, Wageningen, The Netherlands, pp 29-30.
• Rymer, C., Dyer, C., Givens, D.I. and Allison, R. (2001).Relationship between fish oil intake by dairy cows and the yield of eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid in their milk.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2001. p. 199.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2002) The effect of wilting or soaking on the nutritive value of two invasive weed species in Nepal.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 2002. p. 143.
• Rymer, C., McLeod, A., Jayaswal, M.L., Dhaubhadel, T.S. and Neupane, K.P. (2002)The contribution of goats to the livelihoods of resource poor crop and livestock keepers in Nepal, and the use of banmara as a forage for goats.Proceedings of a Workshop, Browse Plants and Small Ruminant Productivity in the Tropics.8-10 January, 2002, Sokoine University of Agriculture, Morogoro, Tanzania.Natural Resources International Ltd, Aylesford, UK, pp105-110.
• Rymer, C., McLeod, A., Jayaswal, M.L., Neupane, K.P., Dhaubhadel, T.S., Jha, V.C. and Taylor, N.M. (2002)Increasing the contribution that goats can make to the livelihoods of resource poor livestock keepers in Nepal.Proceedings of a Conference, Responding to the Increasing Global Demand for Animal Products, 12-15 November, 2002, University Cultural Centre, UADY, Merida, Mexico. British Society of Animal Science, Edinburgh, UK. pp143-145.
• Givens, D.I., Rymer, C., Moss, A.R. and Allison, R. (2003)The effect of duration of feeding oilseeds to dairy cows on the persistency of response in milk fatty acid composition. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 2003. p.22.
• Afdal, M., Givens, D.I., Rymer, C., Owen, E. and Mould, F. (2003)The relationship between diet and the chemical composition of sheep faeces. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 2003. p. 150.
• Rymer, C., Jayaswal, M.L., Neupane, K.P., Jha, V.C., Shrestha, S.P., Dhaubhadel, T.S., Taylor N.M. and McLeod, A. (2004).Strategies to increase the contribution goats make to the livelihoods of resource poor livestock keepers in Nepal. In: Smith, T., Godfrey, S.H., Buttery, P.J. and Owen (E. (Eds)The contribution of small ruminants in alleviating poverty: communicating messages from research: Proceedings of the third DFID Livestock Production Programme Link Project (R7798) workshop for small ruminant keepers.Izaak Walton Inn, Embu, Kenya, 4-7 February, 2003. Natural Resources International Ltd, Aylesford, UK, pp 79-89.
• C. Rymer and D.I. Givens.Effect of rapeseed variety on the chemical composition and predicted amino acid availability for poultry of rapeseed meal.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2004. p. 56.
• Rymer, C., Jayaswal, M.L., Jha, V.N., Shrestha, S.P., Jha, V.C., Neupane, K.P., Lama, N., Best, J.R. and Dhaubhadel, T.S. (2005).Increasing the contribution goats make to the livelihoods of resource poor livestock keepers in Nepal.In:Tulachan, P. (Ed) Proceedings of a workshop held in Kathmandu, Nepal, June 2004.Natural Resources International Ltd, Aylesford, UK.In press.
• Lama, N.K., Jayaswal, M.L., Rymer, C., Neupane, K.P., Shrestha, S.P. and Dhaubhadel, T.S. (2005).A socio-economic description of the communities involved in the'Goat' research project (R7632).In:Tulachan, P. (Ed) Proceedings of a workshop held in Kathmandu, Nepal, June 2004.Natural Resources International Ltd, Aylesford, UK.In press.
• Jayaswal, M.L., Rymer, C., Neupane, K.P., Shrestha, S.P., Lama, N., Jha, V.N. and Neupane, D. (2005).Interventions to increase the contribution that goats make to the livelihoods of landless and land-constrained livestock keepers in the Gangetic plains of Nepal.In: : Smith, T., Godfrey, S., Ssewannyana, E., Buttery, P. and Owen, E. (Eds) Small stock in development.Proceedings of a workshop on enhancing the contribution of small livestock to the livelihoods of resource-poor communties. Masaka, Uganda, 15-19 November, 2004.Natural Resources International Ltd, Aylesford, UK. pp85-92..
• Rymer, C., Jayaswal, M.L., Neupane, K.P., Shrestha, S.P., Lama, N., Jha, V.N. and Neupane, D. (2005).Effects of the strategic supplementation of does' diets on goat performance and smallstock keeper livelihood in the Gangetic plains of Nepal.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 2005 p46.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2005).Effect of enzyme addition on the availability for poultry of amino acids in rapeseed meal.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science, 2005 p76.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2005).Effect of dietary concentrations of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content of edible poultry tissues: a review and meta analysis.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2005 p79.
• Rymer, C., Jayaswal, M.L., Neupane, K.P. and Shrestha, S.P. (2005).The role of goats in improving livelihoods in the Gangetic plain of Nepal.In: Rowlinson, P., Wachirapakorn, C., Pakdee, P. and Wanapat, M. (Eds)Integrating Livestock-Crop Systems to Meet the Challenges of Globalisation.Proceedings of AHAT/BSAS International Conference, Nov 14-18 2005, Khon Kaen, Thailand.British Society of Animal Science, Penicuik, UK, T154.
• Rymer, C., Jayaswal, M.L., Neupane, K.P. and Shrestha, S.P. (2005).Observations on the effectiveness of groups and the impact of small interventions aimed at improving goat-keepers' livelihoods in Nepal.In: Smith, T., Buttery, P. and Owen, E. (Eds) Proceedings of a workshop on enhancing the contribution of small livestock to the livelihoods of resource-poor communties. South Africa, 5-9 September, 2005. Natural Resources International Ltd, Aylesford, UK., In press.
• Best, J.R., Garforth, C.J., Mujaffar Hossain, M., Jayaswal, M.L. and Rymer, C. (2005).Communicating the benefits of keeping livestock by marginalised and land-constrained people in Nepal and Bangladesh.In: Smith, T., Buttery, P. and Owen, E. (Eds) Proceedings of a workshop on enhancing the contribution of small livestock to the livelihoods of resource-poor communties. South Africa, 5-9 September, 2005. Natural Resources International Ltd, Aylesford, UK., In press.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2006).Effect of species and breed on the enrichment with long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in edible poultry tissues from the conversion of dietary a-linolenic acid by broilers and turkeys.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2006, p.34.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2006).Effect of species and breed on the response by broilers and turkeys to increased dietary concentrations of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in terms of the n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content of edible poultry tissues.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2006, p.36.
• Rymer, C., Jayaswal, M.L. and Best, J.R. (2006).Socio-economic viability of keeping goats on a share basis by resource poor households in Nepal.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2006, p.59.
• Gibbs, R.A., Givens, D.I. and Rymer C. (2007) The effect of age and gender on current and potential intakes of very long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids from oil-rich fish and animal derived foods in the UK.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2007, p.9.
• Gibbs, R.A, Rymer, C., Givens, D.I.. (2007). Effect of dietary source of very long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids on their concentrations in the
• edible tissues of the chicken. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2007, p.16.
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D.I. (2007). Effect of dietary source of very long chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in poultry diets on the oxidative stability of chicken meat.Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Science 2007, p.17.

Reports:

• Rymer, C. (1998)The effect of fibre quality on cow health and performance: a review.MDC Project Number 98/R1/10.
• Rymer, C. (1999).The in vitro gas production technique: a review. MAFF reportLS2101
• Rymer, C., Givens, D.I., and Wahle, K.W.J (2001) Dietary strategies for increasing docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) concentrations in bovine milk: a review.MAFF Report LS 3508.
• Cottrill, B.R. and Rymer, C. (2001) The effect of enhanced supplementation of trace elements on the health and performance of dairy cows, and on the composition of their milk.MDC Project 99/T2/27.
• Rymer, C. and Short, F. (2003).The nutritive value for livestock of UK oilseed rape and rapeseed meal.HGCA Research Review No. OS14.Home Grown Cereals Authority, London, UK, 44 pp.
• Rymer, C., Givens, D.I. and Kirton, P. (2004).Effects of genotype and processing technology on the protein quality for ruminants and poultry of UK rapeseed.HGCA Project Report No. 350., Home Grown Cereals Authority, London, UK, 55pp.

Book chapters:

• Rymer, C. (2000)The measurement of forage digestibility in vivoIn:Givens, D.I., Owen, E., Axford, T. and Omed, H. (Eds)Forage Evaluation in Ruminant Nutrition.CABI Publishing, Wallingford, UK.pp 113-134.
• Offer, N.W. Agnew, R.E. Cottrill, B.R. Givens, D.I. Keady, T.W.J., Mayne, C.S., Rymer, C., Yan, T., France, J., Beever, D.E. and Thomas, C. (2002) Feed into milk - an applied feeding model coupled with a new system of feed characterisation. In: Recent advances in animal nutrition 2002. Nottingham University Press, Nottingham, UK pp 167-194.
• Givens, D.I. Rymer, C. Cottrill, B.R. Offer, N.W. and Thomas, C. (2004).Protein requirement and supply. In: Feed into milk: a new applied feeding system for dairy cows. Nottingham University Press, Nottingham, UK pp 21-40.
• Rymer, C. and Agnew, R.E. (2004).Summary of feed characterisation methods. In: Feed into milk: a new applied feeding system for dairy cows. Nottingham University Press, Nottingham, UK. pp 59-61.

Popular articles:

• Rymer, C. (1995). Assuring TMR quality.Getting more from TMR. TMR Forum, Telford, UK.
• Moss, A.R. and Rymer, C. (1998).Rearguard action on global warming.Science and Public Affairs.Spring 1998
• Rymer, C. and Givens, D. I. (2005).Factors affecting the protein quality of rapeseed meal.Feed Compounder. 25, 28-33.

Thesis:

• Rymer, C. (1988) Digestion of molassed sugarbeet pulp by ruminants. PhD thesis, University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Qualifications:

BSc, Physiology and Biochemistry of Farm Animals (University of Reading, 1984)
PhD, Ruminant Biochemistry and Nutrition (University of Newcastle upon Tyne, 1988)