A Comprehensive Review of the Importance of Selected Trace Elements Present in Edible Insects.

This review is intended to provide recent published information on trace elements from edible insects from various environments. Recently, insects are gaining popularity as food proteins in developing countries and press higher demand for edible insects since they may provide similar nutritional value as meat. Insects have been part of the human diet in the world for decades and at least 1900 insect species are considered edible. Furthermore, insects play a crucial role in socioeconomic by contributing to the world's food security as well as eradicating poverty in rural communities. Generally, edible insects are considered a readily available source of proteins, carbohydrates, and chitin. They also contain considerable amounts of trace elements such as iron, zinc, copper, and manganese. It has been observed that there is a great variation between mineral contents found in insects of the same or different species. Knowledge and comprehensive understanding of trace element contents of edible insects are crucial to fully maximise their utilisation in diets and prevent mineral deficiency in human beings and animals. However, most of the research on insects has focused on the nutritional contents of insects with less attention given to other nutritional components such as minerals and trace elements. The available data on trace elements from edible insects as food is limited and makes it difficult to draw estimations for the nutrient intake of humans and animals. Therefore, this review aimed to provide comprehensive information on availability of iron, zinc, copper, and manganese from selected edible insects, functions, and deficiencies in both humans and animals.

Phenolic composition of ten plants species used as ethnoveterinary medicines in Omusati and Kunene regions of Namibia.

The therapeutic benefits of phenolic compounds found in plants are well known. The purpose of this study was to determine the phenolic content of ten plant species used as ethnoveterinary treatments in Namibia's Omusati and Kunene regions. The plants of concern were Aloe esculenta, Fockea angustifolia, Boscia albitrunca, Combretum imberbe, Acacia nilotica, Colophospermum mopane, Acacia erioloba, Ziziphus mucronata, Ximenia americana, and Salvadora persica. An LC-MS approach was used to identify the compounds. To analyse high-resolution UPLC-UV/MS, a Waters Acquity ultra-performance liquid chromatograph (UPLC) with a photodiode array detector was connected to a Waters Synapt G2 quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (MS). The current study identified a total of 29 phenolic compounds. Flavonoids (epicatechin, (-)-Epigallocatechin, and rutin,) were the most abundant, followed by 2R, 3S-Piscidic acid. Methylisocitric acid was found in all species investigated, with the highest quantities in A. esculenta and X. americana leaf extracts. There were differences in composition and quantity of phenolic compounds in aerial and ground sections between species. The overall findings of the present study would act as a standard for subsequent investigations into the pharmacological potentials of plants species utilized as ethnoveterinary remedies. Priority should be given to isolating, purifying, and defining the active compounds responsible for these plants' activity.

The nutritional use of millet grain for food and feed: a review.

Worldwide, millets are regarded as a significant grain, however, they are the least exploited. Millet grain is abundant in nutrients and health-beneficial phenolic compounds, making it suitable as food and feed. The diverse content of nutrients and phenolic compounds present in finger and pearl millet are good indicators that the variety of millet available is important when selecting it for use as food or feed. The phenolic properties found in millets compromise phenolic acids, flavonoids, and tannins, which are beneficial to human health. Moreover, finger millet has an exceptionally unique, more abundant, and diverse phenolic profile compared to pearl millet. Research has shown that millet phenolic properties have high antioxidant activity. The presence of phytochemicals in millet grains has positive effect on human health by lowering the cholesterol and phytates in the body. The frantic demands on maize and its uses in multiple industries have merited the search for alternative grains, to ease the pressure. Substitution of maize with pearl and finger millets in the diets of different animals resulted in positive impact on the performance. Including these grains in the diet may improve health and decrease the risks of diseases. Pearl millet of 50% or more can be used in broiler diets without adversely affecting broiler performance or egg production. Of late, millet grain has been incorporated in other foods and used to make traditional beverages. Thus, the core aim of this review is to provide insight and comprehension about the nutritional and phenolic status of millets and their impact on human and livestock.

Partial replacement of soybean products with canola meal in indigenous chicken diets: size of internal organs, carcass characteristics and breast meat quality.

While the use of canola meal (CM) as an alternative to soybean meal in broiler diets is well-documented, there is no information on the utility of this valuable by-product for slow-growing indigenous chickens. This study was, therefore, conducted to evaluate the effects of partially replacing soybean products in a chicken grower diet with graded levels of CM on carcass characteristics, relative organ sizes and meat quality in Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK) cockerels. A total of 175 PK cockerels (342.6 ± 15.2 g body weight, 5 wk old) were randomly allocated to 25 pens. Five isonitrogenous and isoenergetic grower diets containing 0, 3.75, 6.25, 8.75, and 17.5% of CM were then randomly allocated to the pens (experimental units). After 12 wk of feeding, chickens were slaughtered to measure carcass traits, size of internal organs and meat quality traits. There were no effects of graded levels of CM on carcass weights. Wing weight increased quadratically [y = 6.27(±0.23) + 0.23 (±0.063) x-0.009 (±0.0003) x2; R2 = 0.28] in response to incremental levels of dietary CM. Drumstick, vertebrae, liver, and small intestine weights linearly increased (P < 0.05) in response to incremental levels of dietary CM. Redness (a*), initial meat pH (pHo), and shear force linearly increased (P < 0.05) but lightness (L*) and water holding capacity decreased with an increase in CM inclusion levels. However, there were no significant linear and quadratic trends for yellowness (b*), ultimate pH (pHu), drip loss, and cooking loss in response to incremental levels of CM. There were also significant quadratic trends for mineral contents of the meat with the exception of iron (Fe). It can be concluded that inclusion of CM in place of soybean products had no negative impact on carcass traits, organ size and meat quality traits of indigenous PK chickens.

Growth performance, blood parameters, carcass characteristics and meat quality traits in Potchefstroom Koekoek chickens fed Lippia javanica leaf meal.

Lippia javanica leaves may have nutraceutical bioactivity and thus could be a viable alternative to antibiotic growth promoters in poultry diets. To test this hypothesis, a feeding trial was carried out to determine the effects of dietary inclusion of Lippia javanica leaf meal (LJ) on growth performance, blood parameters, carcass characteristics and meat quality of indigenous Potchefstroom Koekoek (PK) chickens. The leaf meal was used to dilute a commercial chicken grower diet at a rate of 25 or 50 g/kg diet. Two additional experimental diets, a positive control (commercial chicken grower diet with antibiotics, CON+) and a negative control (commercial chicken grower diet without antibiotics, CON-), were also formulated. Feed intake and growth performance were measured over a period of 13 weeks before slaughtering for carcass and meat quality measurements. Blood was collected in week 11 to determine haematological and serum biochemical parameters. Diet had no effect on overall FCE but significantly (P < 0.05) affected bilirubin, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate transaminase (AST), sodium, potassium, cholesterol and magnesium levels in blood. When included at 50 g/kg, LJ increased carcass weight (P < 0.05). Meat from CON- (6.07) and LJ50 (6.08) chickens had a higher pH than from CON+ (5.9) and LJ25 (5.8) chickens. Breast muscle in CON- chickens had higher (P < 0.05) lightness (L*) value (53.2) compared to chickens fed on other diets. It was observed that meat from LJ25 chickens had the highest for redness value (2.3). It was concluded that L. javanica leaf meal can be included up to 50 g/kg in Potchefstroom koekoek chicken diets without causing negative effects on the birds' feed intake, utilisation and weight gain. Diet-induced changes observed in blood parameters and meat quality fell within the expected normal ranges for indigenous chickens.