Egg Quality, Sensory Attributes, and Protein Metabolites of Laying Hens Fed Whole Flaxseed, Fish Oil, and Different Sources of Trace Elements.

This study evaluated the effects of whole flaxseed (WFS), fish oil (FO), and different sources of Se, Zn, and Fe (inorganic, organic, and nano-source) on egg production, quality, sensory attributes, and serum protein metabolites in laying hens. A total of 144 hens were divided into six groups with six replicates of four hens each. Hens were fed six diets as follows: 1) control diet; 2) 7.5%WFS+1.5%FO; 3) 7.5%WFS+1.5%FO+175 mg/kg vitamin E (VE); 4) 7.5%WFS+1.5%FO+175 mg/kg VE + inorganic sources of Se, Zn, and Fe (ISeZnFe); 5) 7.5%WFS+1.5%FO+175 mg/kg VE + organic sources of Se, Zn, and Fe (OSeZnFe); 6) 7.5%WFS+1.5%FO+175 mg/kg VE + nano-source of Se, Zn, and Fe (NSeZnFe) from 40-50 weeks of age. Laying hens fed 7.5% WFS, 1.5% FO, and different sources of trace elements in their diets had no negative effects on laying rate, egg weight, egg mass, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, body weight change, or survival rate compared to that of hens fed the control diet. Dietary treatments did not negatively affect the external and internal egg characteristics or egg sensory attributes. Feeding 7.5%WFS+1.5%FO+VE+ISeZnFe positively influenced yolk color in fresh eggs. Dietary treatments had a significant impact on egg nutritional composition, with the highest levels of macronutrients found in eggs from hens fed the 7.5%WFS+1.5%FO+VE+NSeZnFe treatment. The highest plasma globulin concentrations were observed in hens fed organic and nano-source trace elements. The same diets reduced plasma uric acid levels. Based on these findings, the inclusion of organic or nano-source trace minerals in diets containing WFS and FO positively affected egg quality and hen protein metabolites.

Antioxidant Status, Lipid Metabolism, Egg Fatty Acids, and Nutritional Index of White-Egg Laying Hens Fed Flaxseed Cake.

Flaxseed cake contains high levels of phenolic compounds, which have numerous biological activities, as well as a considerable amount of omega-3 fatty acids, such as α-linolenic acid, which remains after oil extraction. In this study, we examined the effects of flaxseed cake meal (FSCM) on the antioxidative status, lipid metabolism, egg fatty acid profile, and egg health index of white-egg laying hens. A total of 63 Hisex White laying hens were divided into three experimental treatment groups and fed diets containing 0, 5, or 10% FSCM from 48 to 58 weeks of age. Feeding with 5 and 10% FSCM did not significantly (p>0.05) influence total lipid, triglyceride, total cholesterol, very low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations, or the high-/low-density lipoprotein ratio in the serum and egg yolk; however, 10% FSCM significantly (P<0.05) increased serum high-density lipoprotein. Dietary FSCM also did not affect (P>0.05) antioxidant markers in the eggs and blood plasma. Notably, dietary inclusion of FSCM significantly increased (P<0.05) total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), α-linolenic acid, docosahexaenoic acid, and eicosapentaenoic acid levels in egg yolk, whereas the n-6:n-3 PUFAs ratio was markedly (P<0.05) decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, including 5-10% FSCM improved (P<0.05) egg health indices, with 10% being the most beneficial. Together, these findings indicated that the inclusion of up to 10% FSCM in laying hen diets improved egg yolk lipid and fatty acid profiles, as well as egg quality and nutritional and metabolic indices.

Effects of supplemental vitamin A on reproduction and antioxidative status of aged laying hens, and growth, blood indices and immunity of their offspring.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the impacts of vitamin A (VA) supplementation in feed at levels of 0 (control), 2,000, 4,000, 6,000, and 8,000 IU VA/kg diet on the reproductive efficiency and antioxidative properties of aged Sinai laying hens at 52 wk of age (n = 300 females and 30 males) in 6 replicates (10 females + 1 male/replicate). As well as blood biochemical indicators, carcass characteristics, growth performance, immunity, and the antioxidative status of their chicks. Results showed that diets supplemented with 2,000 or 6,000 IU/kg of VA increased fertility rate and decreased early embryonic mortality (P < 0.05). Increasing VA from 4,000 to 6,000 IU/kg significantly boosted hatchability rates. All VA levels significantly enhanced glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and reduced malondialdehyde (MDA) and late embryonic mortality. In the shell gland, dietary supplementation of 6,000 or 8,000 IU/kg of VA enhanced actions of GPx actions, catalase (CAT), and superoxide dismutase (SOD). In hatched chicks, all VA levels boosted (P < 0.05) hemoglobin, red blood cell count, and serum concentration of total proteins and IgA while decreasing eosinophils percentage and aspartate aminotransferase activity (AST) concentration. Dietary VA supplementations from 4,000 to 8,000 IU/kg improved lymphocytes, serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC), SOD, and IgM, while decreasing heterophils, heterophils/lymphocytes ratio, and creatinine in hatched chicks. Serum triglyceride concentration was reduced by adding 6,000 or 8,000 IU/kg of VA, while globulin and high-density lipoprotein concentrations were heightened only by 8,000 IU/kg of VA. It could be concluded that the dietary supplementation of VA (6,000 IU/kg) improved reproductive efficiency and antioxidative status in the liver and the shell gland of aged laying hens and improved hemato-biochemicals parameters, antioxidative status, and immunity of their offspring.

Dietary flaxseed cake influences on performance, quality, and sensory attributes of eggs, serum, and egg trace minerals of laying hens.

Nowadays, there is a global shortage in feed supply for animal nutrition; however, there are a considerable amount of agro-industrial co- and by-products that may offer a reasonable solution. Flaxseed cake (FSC) is a by-product of flaxseed for oil extraction rich in n-3 α-linolenic acid (ALA). Thus, the dietary inclusion of FSC on laying performance, egg quality, and serum and egg trace elements (Se, Zn, and Fe) was evaluated using Hisex White hens. The hens were distributed to three equal experimental treatments and provided diets including 0%, 5%, or 10% FSC from 48 to 58 weeks of age. Findings clarified that up to 10% FSC in the laying hen diet had no detrimental effect on laying rate, egg mass, and feed utilization. It was found that FSC resulted in a valuable source of protein, energy, macro- (Ca and P), micro- (Se, Zn and Fe) elements, and essential amino acids, with arginine being the highest. Dietary FSC did not negatively influence the egg quality traits, as well as egg sensory attributes. Including 5% or 10% FSC in diet did not significantly affect serum total protein and renal function in terms of creatinine, uric acid, and uric acid-to-creatinine ratio. Different FSC levels did not influence the chemical composition of eggs and trace elements in serum and eggs. It could be concluded that FSC is a valuable feedstuff that can provide a good source of energy, protein, amino acids, and macro- and micro-elements for hens' nutrition. The inclusion of up to 10% of FSC in hens diet did not adversely influence egg laying performance, egg quality of both fresh and stored eggs, sensory attributes, and nutritional composition, as well as Se, Zn, and Fe in serum and eggs due to balanced nutrient profile of FSC.

Physiological and immunological aspects of feed restriction and its beneficial impacts in fattening rabbits' productivity-an updated review.

Two feed restriction (FR) regimens are utilized with weaned rabbits including a quantitative FR (amount-limited feed or time-restricted admission to feed) and a qualitative FR (modulation of diet content especially protein and energy). The use of post-weaning FR may help in preventing post-weaning digestive disorders, stimulating compensating growth, improving feed efficiency, and decreasing carcass fat content. Interestingly, FR may contribute to changing meat's chemical composition and its physical quality attributes by regulating the morphological and biochemical characteristics of muscle fibers. Also, FR could enhance the gastrointestinal tract development, its histomorphology, and improve feed digestibility and absorption. Furthermore, FR regimens are involved in establishing gut microbial balance and enhancing the host immunological response. It might be concluded that post-weaning FR is involved in influencing the physiological and immunological aspects of growing rabbits. It might be documented that light to mild FR (i.e., 80-90% AL), early (i.e., at the first 2 weeks post-weaning), and relatively short in duration (i.e., for 2-3 weeks) had no negative effects on live body weight, while severing FR reduced live body weight in comparison with ad libitum rabbits.

Effect of dietary supplementation of betaine and organic minerals on growth performance, serum biochemical parameters, nutrients digestibility, and growth-related genes in broilers under heat stress.

Global warming and climate changes have a detrimental impact on poultry production, causing substantial economic losses. This study investigated the effects of incorporating dietary betaine (BT) and organic minerals (OMs) on broilers' performance as well as their potential to mitigate the negative impacts of heat stress (HS). Six hundred 1-day-old Ross 308 chicks were randomly allocated to 12 experimental treatments with 5 replicates of 10 birds each (5 male + 5 female). The birds were provided with diets containing BT (0 and 2,000 ppm) and OMs (0, 250, and 500 ppm), either individually or in combination, under both thermoneutral and HS-inducing temperatures. The HS conditions involved exposing the birds to cyclic periods of elevated temperature (35°C ± 2°C) for 6 h daily, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, starting from d 10 and continuing until d 35. The exposure to HS deteriorated birds' growth performance; however, dietary BT and OMs inclusion improved the growth performance parameters bringing them close to normal levels. Carcass traits were not affected by dietary supplementation of BT, OMs, HS, or their interaction. Interestingly, while HS led to increased (P < 0.05) levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), these adverse effects were mitigated (P < 0.05) by the addition of BT and OMs. Moreover, dietary BT supplementation led to elevated serum total protein and globulin concentrations. Cyclic HS did not alter Mn, Zn, and Cu contents in the pectoral muscle. However, the incorporation of OMs at both levels increased concentrations of these minerals. Notably, the combination of 500 ppm OMs and 2,000 ppm BT improved Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe digestibility, which has been compromised under HS conditions. Cyclic HS upregulated gene expression of interleukin-1ß, heat shock protein 70, and Toll-like receptor-4 while downregulated the expression of claudin-1, uncoupling protein, growth hormone receptor, superoxide dismutase 1, glutathione peroxidase 1 and insulin-like growth factor 1. The aforementioned gene expressions were reversed by the combination of higher dietary levels of BT and OMs. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of 500 ppm OMs along with 2,000 ppm BT yielded significant improvements in growth performance and mineral digestibility among broiler chickens, regardless of thermal conditions. Moreover, this combination effectively restored the expression of growth-related genes even under heat-stress conditions.

Ramifications of Heat Stress on Rabbit Production and Role of Nutraceuticals in Alleviating Its Negative Impacts: An Updated Review.

Heat stress has become a widespread concern worldwide, which is a major environmental stress that causes substantial economic loss in the rabbit industry. Compared to other agricultural animals, rabbits are more sensitive to heat stress as they have fewer sweat glands and a thicker coat of fur, increasing the heat dissipation complexity. Thus, heat stress hurts rabbits' productivity, meat quality, reproductive performance, antioxidative properties, immune responsiveness, intestinal histomorphology, and microbiome. Nutraceuticals include vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, organic acids, fatty acids, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, enzymes, and medicinal plants due to the possible impacts on maintaining common biological situations, strengthening immune response, and preventing illness, which ultimately led to an increase in productivity. Nutraceuticals have recently attracted a lot of attention to alleviate the adverse impacts of heat stress in rabbit farms. The objective of the current review is to provide acquaintance with the recent findings about the impact of heat stress on rabbit productivity and the advantages of dietary supplementation of nutraceuticals in mitigating it.

Biological Assessment of Stevioside and Sucralose as Sucrose Substitutes for Diabetics on STZ-Induced Diabetes in Rats.

Numerous food organizations have identified excessive calorie consumption and accompanying ailments as significant health risks associated with high sugar consumption. Administering stevioside (ST), sucralose (SU), and the two synergically (SU+ST) affected normal rats' weight gain. In the current study, SU showed the highest undesired effect. Indeed, administering the three treatments to diabetic rats (DR) did not improve the rats' weight gain. Although, insulin injection synergically with the treatments improved the weight gain, as recorded after three weeks. The best-improving rate was observed in the ST group. After the administration of ST and ST+SU to the DR, the blood glucose level (GL) was positively affected, with SU having no effects on reducing the GL. A considerable reduction in serum insulin (SIL) was noted in the DR+SU group. On the contrary, ST did not negatively affect the SIL, rather an improvement was recorded. In addition, giving SU did not significantly affect the ALT level in the DR or normal rats (NR). A significant improvement in total bilirubin (TBILI) was observed when insulin was injected with ST or SU in DR groups. Further, triglycerides (TG) after administering ST, SU, or ST+SU to NR had no significant difference compared to the control group (NR). Although, the three treatments markedly but not significantly lowered TG in the DR. For total cholesterol (CHO), both DR and NR had no significant effect after the three treatments. No histopathological alterations were recorded in the NR group. Diffuse and severe atrophy of the islands of Langerhans due to depletion of their cells and mild papillary hyperplasia of the pancreatic ducts were represented by a slightly folded ductal basement membrane and newly formed ductules in STZ-DR. Simultaneous atrophy and absence of the cells of islands of Langerhans besides ductal hyperplasia were evident in DR+SU. Hyperplastic ductal epithelium and atrophic Langerhans cells were seen in DR+SU+In. Degeneration and mild atrophy were observed in the islands of Langerhans structures. There was essentially no noticeable change after utilizing ST. A slight shrinkage of the Langerhans' islets was detected in DR+ST. In DR+ST+In, no histopathological alterations in the islands of Langerhans were recorded. Congestion in the stromal blood vessels associated with degenerative and necrotic changes in the cells of the islands of Langerhans in DR+SU+ST was observed. In NR+SU, congestion of the blood vessels associated with mild atrophy in the islands of Langerhans and dilatation in stromal blood vessels was noticed. In conclusion, ST is safe, and SU should be taken cautiously, such as mixing with ST and/or taken at a very low concentration to avoid its drastic effect on the human body.

Effect of propolis supplementation and breed on growth performance, immunity, blood parameters and cecal microbiota in growing rabbits.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was conducted to investigate the potential effects of dietary supplemented propolis in two growing rabbit breeds on growth performance, immune response, blood parameters, carcass characteristics, and cecal microflora composition. METHODS: A total of 90 growing rabbits aged 6 weeks from two breeds (V-line and Jabali) were randomly allocated to 3 dietary propolis experimental treatments. The experimental treatments consisted of a 2×3 factorial arrangement with two rabbit breeds and three levels of dietary propolis supplementation (0, 250 mg/kg, and 500 mg/kg). Each sub-treatment has 15 rabbits. The experimental period lasted six weeks. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in growth performance and carcass characteristics due to propolis administration. Propolis supplementation at a high level significantly increased (linear; p<0.05) cellular-mediated immunity compared with the unsupplemented group. Furthermore, the rabbits receiving propolis exhibited a significant increase (linear and quadratic; p<0.03) in IgM immunoglobulins compared to the control. The current study provides further evidence that the dietary inclusion of propolis can significantly reduce pathogenic bacterial colonization in growing rabbits. The total count of microflora, E. coli, and Salmonella spp. was significantly lower (linear; p<0.01) in supplemented rabbit groups compared to the control group according to the microbiological analysis of cecal digesta. Based on breed effect, the results indicated that Jabali rabbits (local) performed better than V-line rabbits (foreign) in the majority of the studied traits. CONCLUSION: Dietary propolis is promising for further investigation into improving intestinal health and enhancing immunity in growing rabbits.

The potential role of feed restriction on productivity, carcass composition, meat quality, and muscle fibre properties of growing rabbits: A review.

After weaning rabbits, two post-weaning feed restriction (FR) programs are used: a quantitative FR (quantity of feed-limited or time-limited access to feed) or a qualitative FR (modification of diet composition in particularly protein, energy or fibre). Application of post-weaning FR has potential to control post-weaning digestive disorders, and early lower growth rates may be compensated for by later compensatory growth. FR strategies also have potential to enhance feed conversion ratio and reduce carcass fatness. FR may also influence meat chemical composition and physical quality characteristics via controlling the morphological and biochemical properties of muscle fibres. The purpose of this review was to shed light on recent findings regarding benefits of FR on productive performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality characteristics, and muscle fibre properties in growing rabbits.

Nutritional manipulation to combat heat stress in poultry - A comprehensive review.

Global warming and climate change adversely affect livestock and poultry production sectors under tropical and subtropical conditions. Heat stress is amongst the most significant stressors influencing poultry productivity in hot climate regions, causing substantial economic losses in poultry industry. These economic losses are speculated to increase in the coming years with the rise of global temperature. Moreover, modern poultry strains are more susceptible to high ambient temperature. Heat stress has negative effects on physiological response, growth performance and laying performance, which appeared in the form of reducing feed consumption, body weight gain, egg production, feed efficiency, meat quality, egg quality and immune response. Numerous practical procedures were used to ameliorate the negative impacts of increased temperature; among them the dietary manipulation, which gains a great concern in different regions around the world. These nutritional manipulations are feed additives (natural antioxidants, minerals, electrolytes, phytobiotics, probiotics, fat, and protein), feed restriction, feed form, drinking cold water and others. However, in the large scale of poultry industry, only a few of these strategies are commonly used. The current review article deliberates the different practical applications of useful nutritional manipulations to mitigate the heat load in poultry. The documented information will be useful to poultry producers to improve the general health status and productivity of heat-stressed birds via enhancing stress tolerance, oxidative status and immune response, and thereby provide recommendations to minimize production losses due to heat stress in particular under the growing global warming crisis.

Effect of feeding wheat middlings and calcium lignosulfonate as pellet binders on pellet quality growth performance and lipid peroxidation in broiler chickens.

Basal diets supplemented with 4 kg Ca-LS/ton of diet. Pellet quality characteristics (per cent fines, the present study was conducted to evaluate the influence of wheat middlings (WM) and calcium lignosulfonate (Ca-LS) as pellet binders on the pellet quality characteristics, growth performance, blood parameters, nutrients digestibilities, lipid peroxidation and muscle fatty acids profile in Egyptian broiler strain. A total of 3,120 broiler chicks at 1-day of age were divided randomly into three experimental treatments with eight replicates (130 each). The first treatment was fed the basal pelleted diets without any additives, the second treatment was fed diets including 50 kg WM/ton of diet and the third treatment was fed per cent pellets, and pellet durability index) were significantly improved in WM and Ca-LS treatments compared with the control. Body weight gain was significantly increased, while feed intake was significantly decreased resulting in improving of feed conversion ratio significantly in WM group in comparison with control and Ca-LS groups (p < .05). Nutrients apparent digestibility (dry matter, crude protein and crude fibre) were significantly improved by inclusion of WM compared with control and Ca-LS. Plasma total cholesterol, and uric acid concentrations were significantly decreased by dietary WM in comparison with control and Ca-LS experimental groups. Furthermore, linoleic, alpha-linolenic and arachidonic acids contents in breast muscle were significantly increased by WM and Ca-LS, while, muscle malondialdehyde concentration was significantly decreased. It could be concluded that inclusion of WM and Ca-LS can improve pellet quality characteristics, and WM (at a level of 50 kg/ton) had positive effects on growth performance, nutrients digestibilities, lipid peroxidation and fatty acids profile in Egyptian broiler strain.

A Mixture of Exogenous Emulsifiers Increased the Acceptance of Broilers to Low Energy Diets: Growth Performance, Blood Chemistry, and Fatty Acids Traits.

To investigate the influence of emulsifiers on broilers fed low-energy diets, the birds were distributed into three sets-the control was fed the basal diet, the second group was fed diets 50 kcal/kg less than control, and the third group was fed diets 50 kcal/kg less than control and supplemented with 500 g/ton of emulsifiers. The used mixture of exogenous emulsifiers contains phosphatidyl choline, lysophosphatidyl choline, and polyethylene glycol ricinoleate. Although the feed intake was not meaningfully affected by dietary low-energy level with emulsifier inclusion (P = 0.42), the weight gain and FCR were clearly enhanced (P = 0.005 and P = 0.044, respectively). Protein and lipids utilization were decreased by reducing energy level, but they were increased by emulsifier supplementation (P = 0.022 and P = 0.011, respectively). Liver thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARs) and muscle palmitic acid concentrations were decreased by reducing the energy level and emulsifier's supplementation (P = 0.014 and P = 0.042, respectively). However, muscle total lipids and α-tocopherol, oleic acid, linoleic acid, and α-linolenic acid were not affected by dietary treatments (P > 0.05). Interestingly, the plasma total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, total protein, and globulin were decreased in the low-energy group without emulsifier but they were increased by emulsifier supplementation (P = 0.008, P = 0.005, P = 0.037, and P = 0.005, respectively). It could be concluded that the mixture of emulsifier supplementation to low-energy diets enhanced fat utilization and resulted in positive effects on the growth performance, nutrient utilization, lipid peroxidation, and modified plasma lipid profiles in broilers. Getting such benefits in broilers is a necessity to reduce the feed cost and consequently the price of the product, which will lead to improved welfare of mankind.

Assessment of In Ovo Administration of Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium longum on Performance, Ileal Histomorphometry, Blood Hematological, and Biochemical Parameters of Broilers.

Bifidobacterium is one of the most promising probiotics which was recently used as an alternative growth promoter in poultry. This trial was considered to evaluate the potential effects of in ovo administration of Bifidobacterium bifidum and Bifidobacterium longum on growth performance and biochemical parameters of broilers. Three hundred broiler breeder eggs were incubated and candled individually at day 17 of embryogenesis; then, eggs that had live embryos were randomly divided into six groups. The first and second groups were of intact (without injection) and vehicle-injected (sterile distilled water) control groups, respectively. Other groups were in ovo injected with 1 × 109 and 1 × 107 CFU B. bifidum, and 1 × 109 and 1 × 107 CFU B. longum, respectively. Hatchability was significantly (P < 0.001) affected by in ovo inoculation of bifidobacteria strains. Body weight gain and feed conversion ratio were significantly improved (P = 0.014 and 0.019, respectively) in all treatment groups. Protein fractions, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase activities were not significantly altered by bifidobacteria strains in ovo injection. Regarding ileal histomorphometry parameters, a significant elevation in villus height and villus height/crypt depth ratio values were recorded while crypt depth was insignificantly affected by in ovo treatments. It could be concluded that the tested manual method of in-yolk sac injection at day 17 of incubation is more favorable in easier delivering of bifidobacteria strains which improve broiler growth performance and ileal development without any undesirable effects on blood indices and liver and renal functions.

Impact of Dietary Organic Mineral Supplementation on Reproductive Performance, Egg Quality Characteristics, Lipid Oxidation, Ovarian Follicular Development, and Immune Response in Laying Hens Under High Ambient Temperature.

The objectives of this study were to investigate the impact of dietary organic mineral mixture (manganese, zinc, and copper) supplementation on reproductive performance, egg quality characteristics, and immune response in laying hens under high ambient temperature. Hens were randomly divided into three treatments: (1) control (basal diet without organic mineral mixture (Mn, Zn, and Cu) supplementation); (2) basal diet + 0.5 g/kg of organic mineral mixture; and (3) basal diet + 1 g/kg of organic mineral mixture from 30 to 38 weeks of age. Hen-day egg production and egg mass were significantly increased by dietary supplementation of 1 g/kg of organic mineral mixture, while feed intake was not affected; therefore, feed conversion ratio (FCR) was significantly improved (P < 0.01). Egg weight, albumen width, shell weight, and shell thickness were significantly increased by the dietary treatments. Serum total cholesterol and glucose were significantly decreased by organic mineral mixture supplementation. Interestingly, yolk contents of total cholesterol and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly decreased. Yolk contents of Zn and Cu were significantly increased, while Mn was numerically increased (P > 0.05). Dietary organic mineral mixture supplementation improved the antibody titers against avian influenza H9N1 significantly (P < 0.05) and Newcastle disease virus numerically (P > 0.05) in comparison with the control diet. It might be concluded that the inclusion of organic mineral mixture (Mn, Zn, and Cu) enhanced reproductive performance, shell quality characteristics, plasma profile, yolk mineral concentration, yolk lipid oxidation, and immune response in laying hens under high ambient temperature.

Effect of dietary supplementation of Bacillus subtilis spores on growth performance, oxidative status, and digestive enzyme activities in Japanese quail birds.

The present trial investigated the feeding effect of B. subtilis spores on growth performance, blood metabolites, antioxidative status, and digestive enzyme activities in growing quails. A total of 750 1-day-old Japanese quail chicks were randomly allotted equally into five experimental groups: control (BS0) fed a maize-soybean basal diet with no additives, the others were supplemented with: B. subtilis spores with the levels of 1 × 103 (BS3), 1 × 105 (BS5), 1 × 107 (BS7), and 1 × 109 (BS9)/kg diet. Quails fed on B. subtilis diets exhibited linearly increasing live body weight and body weight gain and decreased feed-to-gain ratio compared with the control group. Daily feed intake was not significantly altered. Increasing levels of B. subtilis led to a linear increase in serum total protein and albumin levels, and a linear decrease in concentrations of glucose, creatinine, urea-N, aspartate aminotransferase, and alanine aminotransferase. Hypolipidemic impact of feeding B. subtilis spores was greatly observed and enhanced by increasing its dietary inclusion level. Triiodothyronine and thyroxine activities were significantly elevated in treated groups. Glutathione content and catalase activities were linearly increased in groups BS7, BS9, and BS5, while lipid peroxidation was decreased in all treatment groups. Duodenal proteolytic, lipolytic, and amylolytic activities as well as nutrient digestibility were linearly increased in treated groups. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of B. subtilis spores almost at all studied levels was able to promote the antioxidative status and digestive enzymes activities, while only the high concentrations (BS7 and BS9) could improve the nutrient digestion and growth performance of growing Japanese quail.

Effect of Silver Nanoparticle Administration on Productive Performance, Blood Parameters, Antioxidative Status, and Silver Residues in Growing Rabbits under Hot Climate.

The influence of subcutaneous injections of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on rabbit performance, hematological and biochemical parameters of blood, antioxidant status, and the residues of silver in meat and blood in two breeds (New Zealand White (NZW) and Jabali) of rabbits growing under high ambient temperature was evaluated. A total of 90 six-week-old rabbits (45 NZW and 45 Jabali) were randomly distributed into three equal treatment groups (control, 0.5 mg, and 1.0 mg AgNPs/kg body weight). The treated rabbits were injected twice a week for four consecutive weeks. The results revealed that AgNPs administration had no significant effect on average daily gain (ADG), feed intake, and feed conversion ratio (FCR). The NZW breed surpassed the Jabali breed in growth performance traits, carcass weight, dressing percentage, and cuts of mid parts and hind cuts. Administration of AgNPs had a significant effect on hematocrit (HCT) and platelet (PLT) values. Rabbits injected with AgNPs at a dose of 0.5 mg showed a lower plasma concentration of total cholesterol and triglycerides than that of control rabbits. The NZW breed had significantly low platelet, total cholesterol, and triglyceride values. Rabbits injected with 0.5 mg/kg BW had the lowest total antioxidant capacity and highest malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase. The Ag residues were higher in blood than those in meat in treated rabbits. The local breed (Jabali) had significantly lower residues than the imported one (NZW) either in meat or in blood. However, the amount of accumulated silver in blood plasma and meat increased with increasing dose.

Effect of dietary inclusion of cumin seed oil on the performance, egg quality, immune response and ovarian development in laying hens under high ambient temperature.

The objective of the present study was to find the effect of cumin seed oil (CSO, Cuminum cyminum L.) on the laying performance, ovarian follicular development and immune response in laying hens under high ambient temperature. A total of 162 Boven hens were randomly divided into three treatments and were fed, ad libitum, diets containing 0 (control), 250 or 500 g CSO per ton from 24 to 30 weeks of age. The experiment was done during summer season where the average temperate was 30 to 36°C. Feed intake and egg mass were recorded. Egg quality characteristics and egg-yolk cholesterol content were evaluated. Ovary and oviduct samples were immediately weighted, and ovarian follicles were classified. Plasma total protein, albumin, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol glutamic oxalacetic transaminase (GOT), and glutamate pyruvate transaminase (GPT) were measured. Yolk width, yolk weight, yolk colour, shell weight and shell thickness were increased by feeding CSO. Egg production rate was not affected. However, dietary 500 g CSO per ton had a significantly positive impact on egg weight in comparison with control. The FCR was improved by feeding 500 g CSO per ton; however, feed intake and egg mass were not affected by CSO treatments. Plasma GOT, GPT and triglycerides were significantly decreased, while, plasma HDL-cholesterol was significantly (p < .05) increased due to CSO treatments. Yolk cholesterol content was significantly decreased; however, liver malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was insignificantly decreased due to dietary treatments. Interestingly, the inclusion of CSO in laying hens' diets improved the antibody titres against Newcastle disease (ND, p < .05) and against avian influenza H9N1 (p > .05) when compared with the control diet. It could be concluded that dietary inclusion of CSO improved egg weight, FCR, yolk and shell quality characteristics and did not have a negative effect on the reproductive morphology parameters in laying hens.

Effects of Dietary Xylanase and Arabinofuranosidase Combination on the Growth Performance, Lipid Peroxidation, Blood Constituents, and Immune Response of Broilers Fed Low-Energy Diets.

The present study was conducted to examine that impact of dietary xylanase (Xyl) and arabinofuranosidase (Abf) supplementation on the performance, protein and fat digestibility, the lipid peroxidation, the plasma biochemical traits, and the immune response of broilers. A total of 480, un-sexed, and one-day-old broilers (Ross 308) were randomly divided into three treatments with eight replicates, where chicks in the first treatment were fed basal diets and served as the control, chicks in the second treatment were fed diets formulated with reductions of 90 kcal/kg, and chicks in the third treatment were fed the same formulated diets used in the second group as well as the Xyl and Abf combination (Rovabio® Advance). Feed intake was decreased by the low energy diet, leading to an enhancement in feed efficiency enzyme supplementation in the low energy diet (p < 0.015). Both protein and fat digestibility were improved (p < 0.047) due to enzyme supplementation. Moreover, enzyme supplementation increased muscle total lipids content and decreased muscle thiobarbituric acid retroactive substance content. Furthermore, diets supplemented with Xyl and Abf exhibited an increase in antibody titers against the Newcastle disease virus (p < 0.026). In addition, enzyme supplementation increased gene expression related to growth and gene expression related to fatty acid synthesis. It could be concluded that dietary Xyl and Abf supplementation had beneficial impacts on growth, nutrient digestibility, lipid peroxidation, immune response, and gene expressions related to growth and fatty acid synthesis in broiler chickens fed low-energy diets.

Assessment of Residual Feed Intake and Its Relevant Measurements in Two Varieties of Japanese Quails (Coturnixcoturnix japonica) under High Environmental Temperature.

Three hundred and ten 12-week-old laying Japanese quails (Coturnixcoturnix japonica) from gray and white varieties (155 each) were randomly selected from the initial population and kept in individual battery cages. The measurements of growth and egg production were determined to derive residual feed intake (RFI). The relationship between RFI and egg quality, blood parameters, and carcass characteristics was also determined. The results indicated that the gray quails had significantly higher egg mass and lower broken eggs compared to the white quails. A significant increase of eggshell strength and shell percentage was found in eggs produced from gray quails compared to their white counterparts, although their shell thickness means weresimilar. The results of multiple regression analysis clearly identified a significant effect of metabolic body weight and egg mass for the computation of expected feed intake, rather than body weight gain, in both varieties of Japanese quails. A strong positive correlation between RFI and feed intake in both gray and white quail varieties was found. The same trend was also observed for feed conversion ratio (FCR). Therefore, including RFI in the selection criteria of Japanese quails in order to improve FCR under high environmental temperature is highly recommended.