Effect of Cyberlindnera jadinii yeast on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and gut health of broiler chickens from 1 to 34 d of age.

The effect of dietary graded levels of Cyberlindnera jadinii yeast (C. jadinii) on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, and gut health of broilers was evaluated from 1 to 34 d of age. A total of 360 male broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 dietary treatments (6 replicate pens each) consisting of a wheat-soybean meal-based pelleted diet (Control or CJ0), and 3 diets in which 10% (CJ10), 20% (CJ20), and 30% (CJ30) of the crude protein were supplied by C. jadinii, by gradually replacing protein-rich ingredients. Body weight and feed intake were measured at d 1, 11, 22, and 32. Pellet temperature, durability, and hardness increased linearly (P < 0.05) with C. jadinii inclusion, with highest (P < 0.05) values for CJ30. Up until d 22, feed conversion ratio (FCR) was similar between treatments (P = 0.169). Overall, increasing C. jadinii inclusion linearly increased (P = 0.047) feed intake but had no effect on weight gain or mortality. FCR increased (P < 0.05) linearly with increasing C. jadinii inclusion but only birds fed CJ30 had a significantly poorer FCR compared to the Control. Ileal digestibility was not affected by C. jadinii inclusion, however, there was a significant linear decrease in crude protein and phosphorus, and a tendency for a decrease in fat digestibility. Apparent metabolizable energy (AME) decreased (P < 0.001) quadratically with increasing C. jadinii and was significantly lower in CJ30 compared to the Control. Ileal concentrations of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) were not affected by C. jadinii inclusion, but butyric acid and total VFAs were linearly and quadratically increased and were significantly higher in cecal digesta of birds fed CJ20 and CJ30. Increasing C. jadinii inclusion was associated with an increase (P < 0.05) in the relative abundance of lactobacillus in the ileum and cecum. In conclusion, C. jadinii yeast can supply up to 20% of the total dietary protein without negatively affecting performance, digestibility, or gut health of broilers. The potential confounding role of feed processing and C. jadinii cell wall components on broiler performance is discussed.

Beyond standard PSE testing: An exploratory study of bioimpedance as a marker for ham defects.

During post-mortem conversion from muscle to meat, diverse quality anomalies can emerge. Recent pork defects are often accompanied by deteriorating fibre structure. Here we investigate how bioimpedance response, an indicator of structural disintegration, can help in detecting quality defects. We, first, measured the relationship between standard meat quality variables (pHu, CIELAB, drip loss) and bioimpedance (BI) response. To screen for defect-biomarkers that are linked to aberrant bioimpedance and physicochemical indicators of quality decline, we performed LC-MS/MS proteomic analysis on samples, classified with a multivariate-based separation into good versus poor quality. We found that BI correlated significantly with, e.g., colour and drip loss. Proteomics revealed eleven proteins to be unique for either, good or poor ham quality groups, and maybe linked to structural degradation. In all, our data supports a wider integration of BI testing in pork quality testing to assess structural disintegration, which can render ham unsuitable for, e.g., costly curing.

Clues from the intestinal mucus proteome of Atlantic salmon to counter inflammation.

Intestinal inflammation in Atlantic salmon was studied by profiling the intestine mucus proteome, employing iTRAQ and 2D LC-MS/MS approach. Two fish groups were fed soy saponin-containing (inflammation inducer) diets (SO and SP) and two control fish groups were fed diets devoid of soy saponin (CO and CP) for 36 days. The CP and SP diets contained a health additive. Inflammation characteristics in the intestine were milder in the SP-fed fish compared to the SO-fed fish. The SO group was characterised by alterations of many proteins. KEGG pathways such as phagosome and lipid binding were possibly affected in the SO group due to the higher abundant proteins like Integrin beta 2 precursor, Coronin 1A, Cathepsin S precursor, Vesicle-trafficking protein, and Neutrophil cytosol factors. On the other hand, the SP group had fewer altered proteins and inflammation characteristics; aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis and ribosome in the fish group were plausibly changed due to the higher abundance of many large and small subunit of ribosomes. Elevation of the abundance of ribosomal proteins, aminoacyl-tRNA ligases, and appropriate abundance of Glycogen phosphorylase and Glutamine synthetase could possibly alleviate intestinal inflammation. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD027922 and PXD029849. SIGNIFICANCE: Intestinal inflammation, caused by dietary factors, can be considered as a non-infectious disease. Hence, researchers are gathering clues to avert the associated health issues. The present study was conducted to infer the alterations in the intestine mucus proteome induced by a dietary health additive to counter intestinal inflammation in farmed Atlantic salmon. The reduction in the number of affected proteins and their alterations point to mechanisms evoked by the premix. Our knowledge on inflammation associated proteome in fish is limited and the present study not only highlights the changes, but also opens the possibility to avert the dysfunction of the organ through a dietary approach.

Nutrigenomic and Nutritional Analyses Reveal the Effects of Pelleted Feeds on Asian Seabass (Lates calcarifer).

As nutrition-related expenses constitute the majority of the costs for aquaculture farms, it is essential for them to use feeds that provide an ideal combination of nutrients for the species of choice. In this study, the relative effect of consuming three different pelleted feeds (B, C and D) in comparison to frozen baitfish (A; control) were compared on juvenile Asian seabass (77.3 ± 22.4g) that were selected for increased growth rate over two generations. Our objectives were: 1) to evaluate the effects of different pelleted feeds based on overall physiological changes and nutritional quality of fillets; 2) improve our understanding of the underlying mechanisms with transcriptomic analysis; 3) if possible, identify the feed type that supports the growth of these fishes without substantially reducing the nutritional quality of fillet. The growth performance, fatty acid composition of fillet, hepatic histology and transcriptome of the fishes (Groups A-D) were analyzed. The majority of fatty acids of the fillets, except γ-linolenic acid (GLA, C18:3n6), correlated significantly with the respective diets. Asian seabass fed Feed C showed highest specific growth rate (SGR) and feed conversion efficiency (FCE) with closest histology and transcriptomic profile to control, but their fillet contained the highest n6/n3 ratio. When the liver-based transcriptomes were analyzed, a complex set of differentially expressed genes were detected between groups fed pelleted feeds and controls as well as among the pellet-fed groups themselves. Significant enrichment of genes with growth-related function tallied with the morphological data measured. When compared with control (Group A), 'Biosynthesis of unsaturated fatty acids' and 'Steroid biosynthesis' pathways were significantly enriched in pellet-fed groups. Reduced goblet cell numbers were observed in the gut of pellet-fed fish compared to controls and fads6 was found to be a suitable candidate gene to separate wild-caught Asian seabass, from pellet-fed ones. These results provide insights for researchers on the various effects of feeds on the biochemistry and global gene expression of the fish and potentially for seabass farms to make more informed feed choices.

Disappearing scales in carps: re-visiting Kirpichnikov's model on the genetics of scale pattern formation.

The body of most fishes is fully covered by scales that typically form tight, partially overlapping rows. While some of the genes controlling the formation and growth of fish scales have been studied, very little is known about the genetic mechanisms regulating scale pattern formation. Although the existence of two genes with two pairs of alleles (S&s and N&n) regulating scale coverage in cyprinids has been predicted by Kirpichnikov and colleagues nearly eighty years ago, their identity was unknown until recently. In 2009, the 'S' gene was found to be a paralog of fibroblast growth factor receptor 1, fgfr1a1, while the second gene called 'N' has not yet been identified. We re-visited the original model of Kirpichnikov that proposed four major scale pattern types and observed a high degree of variation within the so-called scattered phenotype due to which this group was divided into two sub-types: classical mirror and irregular. We also analyzed the survival rates of offspring groups and found a distinct difference between Asian and European crosses. Whereas nude × nude crosses involving at least one parent of Asian origin or hybrid with Asian parent(s) showed the 25% early lethality predicted by Kirpichnikov (due to the lethality of the NN genotype), those with two Hungarian nude parents did not. We further extended Kirpichnikov's work by correlating changes in phenotype (scale-pattern) to the deformations of fins and losses of pharyngeal teeth. We observed phenotypic changes which were not restricted to nudes, as described by Kirpichnikov, but were also present in mirrors (and presumably in linears as well; not analyzed in detail here). We propose that the gradation of phenotypes observed within the scattered group is caused by a gradually decreasing level of signaling (a dose-dependent effect) probably due to a concerted action of multiple pathways involved in scale formation.