The effects of conjugated linoleic acids or an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor on tissue lipid concentrations and fatty acid composition of broiler chicks fed a low-protein diet.

The effects of dietary conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and an alpha-glucosidase inhibitor--Bay g 5421--on tissue lipid concentrations and fatty acid composition were investigated in male broiler chicks fed a low-protein diet. The trial comprised six isoenergetic broiler diets. One diet (high-protein diet) was used as a control diet and contained 230 g crude protein per kilogram. The other five diets were low-protein diets (180 g crude protein/kg) without additional supplement, or supplemented with 20 or 40 g/kg of a CLA-enriched oil, or supplemented with 50 or 100 mg of Bay g 5421/kg. Broilers fed the low-protein diets had higher concentrations of triglycerides and cholesterol in the liver than broilers fed the high-protein diet. Broilers fed low-protein diets supplemented with CLA had a higher cholesterol concentration in plasma, lower hepatic triglyceride concentrations, higher relative concentrations of saturated fatty acids (SFA), and lower relative concentrations of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in lipids of liver, thigh muscle, and adipose than broilers fed low-protein diets without CLA supplement. Broilers fed the low-protein diets supplemented with Bay g 5421 had lower concentrations of triglycerides and cholesterol in the liver and lower concentrations of triglycerides in plasma than broilers fed the low-protein diet without supplementation. Moreover, broilers fed diets with Bay g 5421 had higher relative concentrations of polyunsaturated fatty acids and lower relative concentrations of MUFA in lipids of liver, muscle, and adipose tissue. The results show that supplementation of the low-protein diets with CLA and Bay g 5421 affected tissue lipid concentrations and fatty acid composition in broilers, which are of practical relevance with regards to meat quality.

Allelochemicals in plant foods and feedingstuffs: 1. Nutritional, biochemical and physiopathological aspects in animal production.

Several allelochemicals (anti-nutritional/anti-quality factors) contained in some plant foods and feedingstuffs are outlined. These include the trypsin and amylase inhibitors, hemagglutinins, gossypol, cyanogenic glycosides, tannins, oxalates, phytin, saponins, glucosinolates, estrogens, coumarins, alkaloids and aflatoxins. The nutritional, biochemical and physiopathological implications of their ingestion in a wide range of animals are reviewed. These include impaired growth, feed consumption, efficiency of feed utilization, alterations of normal enzyme activities, organ atrophy, necrotic changes, lesions and changes in normal hematological indices. The induction of increased dietary requirements for such nutrients as methionine, lysine, vitamins and divalent ions (eg Fe, Ca, Mg and Zn) by some of these factors is discussed. Ameliorative measures aimed at minimizing the concentrations and anti-nutritional effects of these factors are processing and including additives in the diet, or genetic manipulations. There is a need to prevent both functional and nutritional damage of food proteins and other nutrients arising from excessive heat treatment.

Feeding differently processed soya bean. Part 3. Effect on serum constituents and bone mineralization in the chicken.

The effect of feeding differently processed soya bean on serum constituents and bone mineralization in the chicken was investigated in growing chickens. The response parameters were total serum protein (TSP), albumin, globulin, albumin:globulin ratio and urea. Others were phosphorus, calcium and calcium:phosphorus ratio in the tibia and femur. The results indicated that TSP was significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the heat processed soya bean diets but decreased in the chicks fed raw soya bean diet. Albumin and globulin were not significantly affected. However, albumin:globulin ratio was significantly (P < 0.05) influenced. Serum urea was generally higher (P < 0.05) in the chicks fed processed soya bean diets. Significant (P < 0.01) decrease was observed in the total ash [%] of the bones in the chickens fed raw soya bean diet. The phosphorus [%] and Ca:P ratio in both tibia and femur were not significantly affected by dietary treatments.

Feeding differently processed soya bean. Part 2. An assessment of haematological responses in the chicken.

The use of differently processed soya bean as a major source of dietary protein was evaluated in a haematological study using broiler chickens in which groundnut cake (GNC), raw soya bean (RSB), roasted soya bean (RtSB), cooked soya bean (CSB) and soya bean oil cake (SBC) were fed on equi-protein basis. The results showed that: 1. Red blood cell (RBC) count and haemoglobin content of blood significantly (P less than 0.05) increased in chicks fed RSB relative to the other soya bean diets. Feeding differently processed soya bean significantly (P less than 0.05) influenced mean cell haemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) while the mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) was not significantly influenced. 2. Both the total white blood cell (WBC) count and the monocytes were significantly (P less than 0.05) influenced by the dietary treatments. Chicks fed processed soya bean generally had higher number of monocytes. 3. Physical properties determined were specific gravity and erythrocyte sedimentation rate. The latter was significantly (P less than 0.05) lower in all the processed soya bean-fed chicks. 4. Minerals determined in blood were Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu and P. Of all these, chicks fed RSB had significantly (P less than 0.01) lower levels of blood Mg and marked decrease in Ca.

Feeding differently processed soya bean. Part 1. Effect on performance, protein utilization, relative organ weights, carcass traits and economics of producing broiler-chickens.

The comparative utilization of differently processed (roasted, cooked and oil cake) soya bean base diets and groundnut cake diet were evaluated in a feeding trial using 100 day-old Anak broiler-chicks. The response criteria included performance, protein utilization, relative organ weights, carcass traits and economy of production. At the end of the feeding trial, the average weight gains of chicks fed processed soya bean diets were significantly (P less than 0.05) higher than those fed groundnut cake and raw soya bean diets. Both feed consumption and efficiency were significantly (P less than 0.05) enhanced by processing. For example, feed consumption was highest in the chicks fed soya bean oil cake and least in those fed raw bean. Feed efficiency was best in chicks fed roasted soya bean. The relative weights [g/100 g body wt.] of the liver, kidneys, lungs, heart, gizzard and bursa were not significantly affected by the differently processed soya bean while the raw bean (unprocessed) significantly (P less than 0.01) increased pancreas weight. The dressed weight [%], eviscerated weight [%] and the relative weight of the thigh, drumsticks, chest, back and head were not significantly influenced by the dietary treatments. However, the relative weights of the shank and belly fat were significantly (P less than 0.05) affected. Cost-benefit analysis showed that the processed soya bean gave higher profit than groundnut cake diet. Among the soya bean diets, profit was in the order: roasted greater than cooked greater than oil cake greater than raw bean.

Dietary fishmeal versus soyabean meal: an assessment of serum and liver enzyme response in the chicken.

In a five-week feeding trial, 90 broiler chicks were used to study the response of serum and liver alanine aminotransferase (ALT) aspartate aminotransferase (AST), sorbitol dehydrogenase (SDH) and alkaline phosphatase following the replacement of varying levels (0, 20, 40, 60, 80 and 100 per cent) of fishmeal protein by soyabean meal protein. The results showed that both serum ALT and AST activities increased significantly (P less than 0.01) with the increasing levels of substitution of soyabean meal for fishmeal. Regression analysis showed a significant (P less than 0.01) positive correlation between ALT and AST activities and the level of soyabean meal substitution with correlation coefficient, r, of 0.93 and 0.98, respectively. The liver ALT and AST tended to increase with the increasing proportion of soyabean meal although such increases were not significant (P greater than 0.01). Serum and liver SDH and alkaline phosphatase activities were not significantly influenced by diet.

Use of oyster shell as calcium supplement. Part 1. Effect on the utilization of gossypol-containing cotton seed cake by the chicken.

The comparative utilization of cottonseed cake (CSC) diet supplemented with varying levels of oyster shell (0.00, 1.50, 3.00 and 4.50%) as a source of calcium, and groundnut cake (GNC) based diet were evaluated in a feeding trial using 100 day-old HYPECO broiler-chicks. The response criteria included performance, carcass traits and economics of production. The weight gains at the end of the trial were not significantly different. However, feed consumption significantly (P less than 0.5) increased with increasing dietary calcium. Feed consumption was significantly (P less than 0.05) correlated with dietary calcium levels with r = 0.96. Feed efficiency and protein efficiency ratio were significantly (P less than 0.05) better in the GNC diets than CSC based diets in spite of the oyster shell supplementation of the latter. Both nitrogen retention and apparent nitrogen digestibility were not significantly influenced. The percent dressed weight, percent eviscerated weight and the relative weights of the thigh, drumstick, chest, back, head and belly fat were not significantly influenced by the dietary treatment. Only the relative weight of the shank was significantly (P less than 0.05) influenced. The cost-benefit analysis showed that although it was chapter to formulate CSC diets, profits were identical with GNC diets when fed to the chicks. It was suggested that CSC could be a good substitute for GNC because of the ready availability of the former. Dietary calcium of up to 1.82% was beneficial in the utilization of the CSC.

Use of oyster shell as calcium supplement. Part 2. An assessment of the responses of hepatic and serum enzymes, relative organ weights, and bone mineralization in the broiler chicken fed gossypol-containing cottonseed cake supplemented with oyster shell.

The role of oyster shell as calcium supplement in the utilization of gossypol-containing cottonseed cake (CSC) was assessed using Hypeco broiler chickens. The results showed that of the organ measured, only the relative weight of the spleen was significantly (P less than 0.05) decreased by oyster shell supplementation in the CSC diets. Spleen weight correlated negatively (r = -0.45) with dietary calcium. Alkaline phosphatase activity in the liver was significantly (P less than 0.05) increased due to the levels of oyster shell supplemented while the activities of serum and liver alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were not significantly influenced. The results also showed that although oyster shell supplementation generally increased alkaline phosphatase activity, bone mineralization was relatively uninfluenced as judged by the low coefficients of variation (CV) of 3.14-3.51% and 3.39-4.82% for calcium and phosphorus content in the femur and tibia respectively.

Changes in differently processed soya bean (Glycine max.) and lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) with particular reference to their chemical composition and their mineral and some inherent anti-nutritional constituents.

The effects of 3 processing techniques: cooking, roasting and autoclaving on the proximate chemical composition, the mineral content and some inherent toxic factors of soya and lima beans were investigated. The processing techniques generally reduced the crude fibre levels and enhanced the extractable fat in the soya and lima beans. The coefficients of variability for crude fibre and ether extract due to the processing techniques of soya and lima beans were 20.9%, 16.0% and 22.3%, 38.1%, respectively. In parallel with decreased ash content in the cooked bean samples, there was a decrease in the K, Mg, Na and P levels relative to the raw bean and also relative to the other processing techniques. Mineral contents of the autoclaved bean samples were generally similar to those of the raw (unprocessed) samples. Under the processing conditions, roasting caused the highest reduction in thioglucoside content (59%) in soya bean while cooking caused the highest reduction in lima bean (78%). Trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) ranged between 0.59 mg/g sample in the cooked soya bean and 11.6 mg/g sample in the raw bean while the corresponding values for lima bean ranged between 0.59 and 6.3 mg/g sample. Cooking and roasting caused over 90% reduction of TIA, while autoclaving caused 64-69% reduction in both bean samples. Under the assay conditions, haemagglutinating activity was not detected in the cooked and autoclaved soya and lima beans. The need to prevent both functional and nutritional damage to food proteins and other nutrients, resulting from excessive heating, was discussed.

Compositional evaluation of some cowpea varieties and some under-utilized edible legumes in Nigeria.

The nutritive potentials of some cowpea varieties such as Ife Brown, Ife Bimpe, IT84E-124, K59 and TVX716 and some under-utilized edible legumes grown in Nigeria such as pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan), lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus), lablab bean (Dolichos lablab), mucuna bean (Mucuna sp.) and Sphenostilis sternocarpa have been evaluated with respect to their proximate chemical composition, mineral content and some endogenous toxic constituents. The cowpea varieties contained on the average 22.5 g crude protein (CP), 2.60 g crude fibre (CF), 5.89 g either extract (EE) and 3.36 g ash/100 g DM while the under-utilized legumes contained 21.7, 6.10, 2.86, and 3.56 g/100 g DM for CP, CF, EE and ash respectively. Distinct varietal differences were observed for EE values as indicated by the coefficients of variation (CV) of 102% for cowpea and 60.8% for the under-utilized legumes. The CF content of the under-utilized legumes were generally higher than those of the cowpea varieties. Potassium was the most abundant mineral in both the cowpea varieties and the under-utilized legumes with mean values of 1.45 and 1.66% respectively, while P was the least abundant with 13.1 and 8.50 ppm, respectively. There were marked intra-varietal differences in the P content as shown by the high CV of 84.0 and 73.9% for the cowpea varieties and the other legumes. The cowpea varieties generally had higher levels of thioglucosides, trypsin inhibitor activity (TIA) and lower haemagglutinating activity (mean values of thioglucosides: 3.86%, of TIA: 13.9 mg/g protein and of haemagglutinating activity: 13.0 HU/mg N respectively), than the under-utilized legumes with mean respective values of 1.22%, 9.84 mg/g protein and 22.7 HU/mg N. The nutritional implications of these anti-nutritional components were discussed and some reasons adduced for the under-utilization of some of these legumes inspite of their apparent similarity in nutritional quality to the more commonly consumed grain legumes.

Effect of varying levels of oyster shell on serum constituents and erythrocyte indices in growing chicken fed gossypol-containing Nigerian cottonseed cake.

The addition of calcium ions to iron-gossypol complex in phosphate solution has been reported to effect the removal of the soluble ferrous-gossypol complex from solution. These workers then postulated that the formation of insoluble ferrous-gossypol by calcium may explain the biological synergistic effect of calcium with iron in the inactivation of gossypol. Earlier studies by Skutches et al. indicated reduced haemoglobin, haematocrit and total serum protein in pigs fed 0.06% free gossypol diet. While other attempts at gossypol detoxification using divalent ions have been, mainly, in the form of calcium hydroxide and/or ferrous sulphate, this paper describes the dose-response relationships between dietary oyster shell (a much cheaper source of calcium than Ca(OH)2) and some serum constituents and erythrocyte indices in the chicken fed gossypol-containing cottonseed cake (CSC) diets.

Dietary interactions of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) trypsin inhibitor, haemagglutinin and cyanide. Part 2. Effect on pancreatic and intestinal alpha-amylase (EC 3.21.1.1) in growing albino rats.

A total of 108 growing albino rats was used to evaluate the dietary interactions of the major lima bean antinutritional factors trypsin inhibitor (TI), haemagglutinin (Hgg) and cyanide (CN) with respect to their effects on pancreatic and intestinal alpha-amylase activities. The results indicate that when fed at the same level of activity as found in the raw lima bean (RLB) these factors had no significant (p greater than 0.05) influence on pancreatic alpha-amylase activity whether acting individually or in combination. However, when acting alone, CN appeared to depress pancreatic amylase level more than when interacting with TI or Hgg or both. Amylase activity was significantly (p less than 0.01) depressed by the dietary treatments in both the small and large intestine while caecal levels were not. The most severe depression in amylase activity was elicited by the RLB diet. The haemagglutinin-containing diets appeared generally associated with lower levels of intestinal amylase activity. From the present finding it is suggested that these factors alone cannot fully account for the magnitude of the depression of intestinal amylase activity which is contingent upon the ingestion of RLB by experimental rats.

Effect of dietary sub-lethal doses of lima bean lectin on relative organ weights, pancreatic and intestinal trypsin (EC 3.4.21.4) and chymotrypsin (EC 3.4.21.1) in the rat.

The dietary implications of feeding sub-lethal doses of extracted and purified lectin from lima bean were assessed in weanling rats using changes in relative organ weights, pancreatic and intestinal trypsin and chymotrypsin activities as the response indices. Liver weights decreased significantly (p less than 0.05) while the heart showed a slight but non-significant increase in response to dietary lectin levels. The kidneys, pancreas and spleen were not significantly affected by dietary lectin. Although the activities of the pancreatic enzymes tended, for the most part, to decrease with increasing dietary lectin, such decreases were not significant when compared with the control. Intestinal trypsin and chymotrypsin activities were significantly (p less than 0.05) decreased in the small intestine while the activity values in both the large intestine and caecum were relatively unaffected. Activities of both enzymes showed significant (p less than 0.05) negative quadratic relationship with dietary lectin levels in the small intestine as judged by the magnitude of the R2, coefficients of multiple determination, of 0.77 and 0.76 for trypsin and chymotrypsin respectively.

The interactive effects of lima bean (Phaseolus lunatus) trypsin inhibitor, hemagglutinin and cyanide on some hepatic dehydrogenases, ornithine carbamoyltransferase and intestinal disaccharidases in weanling rats.

The interactive effects of lima bean trypsin inhibitor (TI), hemagglutinin (Hgg) and cyanide (CN) when fed at the same degree of activity as found in the raw lima bean (RLB) were assessed in weanling rats using hepatic glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), isocitrate dehydrogenase (ICDH), ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OCT) and intestinal disaccharidases activities as the response criteria. Whereas RLB significantly (P less than 0.05) increased hepatic GLDH and decreased ICDH activities respectively, dietary CN, TI and Hgg whether acting individually or jointly had no significant influence on GLDH. Only the CN-containing diets significantly (P less than 0.05) elevated ICDH activity when compared with the control. Raw lima bean significantly (P less than 0.05) depressed OCT activity while neither the individual nor collective effects of these factors were significant. Dietary CN + TI + Hgg interaction depressed maltase activity to approximately the same extent as RLB in all the intestinal regions. These factors had neither individual nor collective effects on sucrase in the small intestine. Lactase activity in the small intestine was influenced only by the RLB diet, while CN + Hgg, and CN + TI + Hgg dietary combinations induced significant (P less than 0.05) elevations in the activities of cellobiase when compared with the control. Although synergism of action is indicated in a number of instances, it is suggested that these factors may need to combine with others within the bean, perhaps synergistically, to elicit comparable anti-nutritional influences as the RLB.