A cyclophosphamide-induced immunosuppression Swiss Albino mouse model unveils a potential role for cow urine distillate as a feed additive.

BACKGROUND: Traditional and natural immunomodulators are increasingly used as supplements in animal feeds and as interventions in the prevention and treatment of disease in animals. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine the immunomodulatory characteristics of distilled cow urine in vivo using two mouse models, a normal mouse model and an immunosuppressive mouse model. METHODOLOGY: We divided 144 Swiss Albino mice weighing between 15 g and 30 g, aged between two and three months, into two groups of 72 mice each. In the first group, we subdivided the animals into six subgroups of 12 each. In this group paramerters such as, body weight, organ weights of liver and kidney, haemagglutination titre, Jerne plaque-forming assay, and bone marrow cellularity were measured. We divided the second group into six subgroups for the assessment of delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH). RESULTS: As compared to normal control mice, immunocompetent and immunosuppressed mice (given cow urine distillate) had significant increases in body weight, spleen weight, liver weight, total leucocyte count, lymphocyte count, serum protein, and globulin contents. In the treatment groups, the titre of antibodies, the number of antibody- producing cells, the cellularity of bone marrow, and foot pad thickness also increased. In the treatment group, both humoral and cellular immunity were altered compared to the control group, suggesting cow urine distillate to be a potential animal feed ingredient for immunoregulation. CONCLUSION: This study was able to demonstrate the experimental validity of natural compounds as immunomodulators that can be used in feed supplements for animals. Various compounds could be tested for immunomodulatory effects using this technique in experimental animals.

Immunomodulatory Effects of Natural Feed Additives for Meat Chickens.

Broiler chickens are increasingly kept in large numbers in intensive housing conditions that are stressful, potentially depleting the immune system. With the prohibition of the use of antibiotics in poultry feed spreading worldwide, it is necessary to consider the role of natural feed additives and antibiotic alternatives to stimulate the chickens' immune systems. We review the literature to describe phytogenic feed additives that have immunomodulatory benefits in broilers. We initially review the major active ingredients from plants, particularly flavonoids, resveratrol and humic acid, and then describe the major herbs, spices, and other plants and their byproducts that have immunomodulatory effects. The research reviewed demonstrates the effectiveness of many natural feed additives in improving the avian immune system and therefore broiler health. However, some, and perhaps all, additives have the potential to reduce immunocompetence if given in excessive amounts. Sometimes additives are more effective when given in combination. There is an urgent need to determine tolerance levels and optimum doses for additives deemed most suitable to replace antibiotics in the diet of broiler chickens. Effective replacement is most likely with readily available additives, such as olive oil byproducts, olive leaves and alfalfa. It is concluded that effective replacement of antibiotic function with plant-derived additives will be possible, but that further research is necessary to determine optimum doses.

Exploring possible benefits of Litsea cubeba Pers. extract on growth, meat quality, and gut flora in white-feather broilers.

White-feather broiler chickens are the dominant species in global poultry meat production. Yet there is growing concern about their health, quality, and growth efficiency. While feed additives, often antibiotics or synthetic chemicals, are used to maintain the health of the animals, drug resistance limits their use. Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers., a traditional Chinese herb with antibiotic-like benefits but without the risk of drug resistance, has not yet been explored as an additive to broiler diets. In the present study, broilers of the AA+ hybrid strain were randomly divided into three groups of 16: a control group (regular feed), a low-dose group (1.25 g/kg added L. cubeba extract), and a high-dose group (2.50 g/kg added L. cubeba extract). After 35 days, we found that the extract had no effect on growth. However, gut flora analysis revealed that both doses of the extract had a positive influence on amino acid content and minor unsaturated fatty acids, thus improving the flavor and nutritional value of the meat. These findings suggest that L. cubeba extract, at either dose, could serve as a sustainable alternative to antibiotics, thus reducing the risk of drug resistance while improving meat quality, nutrition, and flavor.

The effect of spices Coriandrum sativum L., Trigonella foenum-graecum L., Pimpinella anisum L., and their combinations on growth performance, carcass trait, and hematobiochemical parameters in broiler chicken.

Background and Aim: The incorporation of herbs and species has been shown to enrich the food with antioxidants and bioactive antimicrobial compounds, thereby preserving the safety and productivity of broiler chicken production. This study aimed to determine the effects of three phytogenic feed additives (PHT) on certain zootechnical and hematobiochemical parameters in broiler chickens. Coriandrum sativum L. (coriander), Pimpinella anisum L. (green anise), and Trigonella foenum-graecum L. (fenugreek) were used to formulate the PHT. Materials and Methods: A total of 360 1-day-old Cobb broilers for 42 days were randomly assigned to four dietary treatment groups: A control group (CTLG) and three groups fed a basal diet supplemented with 3% of coriander (PHT1G), 3% of a combination 50% coriander-50% fenugreek (PHT2G), and finally, 3% of a combination 50% coriander-50% green anise (PHT3G), respectively, and each experimental group included three repetitions of 30 birds. Zootechnical parameters, carcass productivity, and hematobiochemical properties were measured. Results: The birds in the PHT3G had the greatest body weight and organ weight (p < 0.05). However, the weight of abdominal fat remained unchanged. The same group of broilers had a significantly (p < 0.05) higher lymphocyte level of 120.103/µL, followed by the PHT2G, which had 80.103/µL. The levels of monocytes in the PHT2G and PHT3G were 66.103/µL and 60.103/µL, respectively. Regarding granulocytes, we observed 200.103/µL in the PHT2 group and 102.103/µL in the PHT3G. There was a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) between the uric acid levels of the PHT1G, PHT2G, and PHT3G, with 50.4 mg/L, 59.84 mg/L, and 47.29 mg/L, respectively. All experimental groups had significantly lower uric acid concentrations than the control group (84.36 mg/L). Conclusion: The use of phytogenic feed additives may positively affect both weight gain and hematobiochemical parameters in broiler chicken, particularly the levels of various white blood cell subtypes and the uric acid rate.

Cinnamon: A Natural Feed Additive for Poultry Health and Production-A Review.

The increased bacterial resistance to synthetic antibiotics and consumer awareness about the health and food safety concerns have triggered the ban on the use of antibiotic growth promotors (AGPs) in the poultry industry. This situation encouraged the poultry sector and industry to explore safe alternatives to AGPs and focus on developing more sustainable feed management strategies to improve the intestinal health and growth performance of poultry. Consequently, phytogenic feed additives (PFAs) have emerged as natural alternatives to AGPs and have great potential in the poultry industry. In recent years, cinnamon (one of the most widely used spices) has attracted attention from researchers as a natural product with numerous health benefits for poultry. The essential oils in cinnamon, in particular, are of interest because of their antioxidant, anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and hypocholesterolaemic effects, in addition to their ability to stimulate digestive enzymes in the gut. This review mainly emphasizes the potential impact of cinnamon as a natural feed additive on overall gut health, nutrient digestibility, blood biochemical profile, gene expression, gut microbiota and immune response.

Effect of novel natural feed additive containing Averrhoa bilimbi L. fruit filtrate, wheat bran, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on growth performance and meat characteristics of broilers.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In the post-antibiotic era, consumer demand for healthy and safe meats has prompted poultry producers to seek alternative effective feed additives. This study aimed to investigate the effects of a novel natural feed additive based on a mixture of Averrhoa bilimbi L. fruit filtrate, wheat bran, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae on the growth rate, internal organ weight, and breast meat characteristics of broilers. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 280 1-day-old chicks were divided into one control (CNTRL; feed without additives) and three treatment groups: NOV25, feed with 2.5 g/kg novel additive; NOV50, feed with 5.0 g/kg novel additive; and NOV100, feed with 10 g/kg novel additive. The body weight (BW), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured weekly. On day 35, the chickens from each group were slaughtered, and their internal organs and breast meat samples were collected. RESULTS: The BW of broilers in NOV100 was greater (p=0.016) than that in the other groups. The FCRs in the treatments groups were lower (p<0.001) than that in the control group. Elevated levels of the novel additive increased (p=0.051) the relative weight of the duodenum. The pH values in the breast meat of broilers receiving the novel additive were higher (p<0.001) than that in control. The C20:3n-6 of the NOV100 breast meat was lower (p=0.012) than that of NOV25 and NOV50, but it did not differ from that of the control. The unsaturated fatty acid-to-saturated fatty acid ratio in the breast meats of the treatments was higher (p=0.032) than that in control. The L-tyrosine content in NOV50 breast meat was higher (p=0.036) than that in CNTRL and NOV100 but did not differ from that in NOV25. CONCLUSION: The proposed feed additive improved the live BW and FCR of broilers and the physical and nutritional qualities of broiler breast meat.

Effects of dietary hop (Humulus lupulus L.) ß-acids on quality attributes, composition and oxidative stability of pork meat.

BACKGROUND: The effects of dietary levels of hop ß-acids on physical attributes, lipid oxidation and chemical composition of pork meat were evaluated. Thirty-two castrated male pigs obtained from a complete block design feeding experiment (6.23 ± 0.42 kg initial body weight (BW) to 20.45 ± 0.95 kg final BW) and fed diets supplemented with 0, 120, 240 or 360 mg kg-1 hop ß-acids during 35 days were slaughtered to sample longissimus dorsi muscle for meat analysis. RESULTS: No effects (P > 0.05) of dietary hop ß-acids were observed on meat physical attributes. Quadratic effects (P < 0.05) of hop ß-acids were observed on lipid and protein contents and on thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) values of meatballs, whose equations allowed the estimation of dietary hop ß-acid levels of 176, 169 and 181 mg kg-1 to provide up to 16.20% lipid reduction, 1.95% protein accretion and 23.31% TBARS reduction respectively. CONCLUSION: Dietary hop ß-acids fed to pigs might reduce lipid, increase protein and reduce lipid oxidation without affecting physical attributes of the pork meat. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Dietary Brazilian red pepper essential oil on pork meat quality and lipid oxidation / Óleo essencial de aroeira na qualidade da carne suína e oxidação lipídica

ABSTRACT: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding pigs with diets containing increasing levels of Brazilian red pepper essential oil ( Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) on the physical attributes, fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of precooked meat. Seventy-two weanling pigs (5.7±0.8kg) were allotted in a completely randomized block design experiment with four treatments, six replicates per treatment, and three animals per experimental unit (pen). Animals were fed with a basal diet supplemented with 0, 500, 1,000, or 1,500mg kg-1 Brazilian red pepper essential oil during the 35-d experimental period. At the end of the experiment, one animal per experimental unit (16.4±2.2kg) was slaughtered to sample Longissimus dorsi muscle for analysis. Dietary supplementation of Brazilian red pepper had no effect (P>0.05) on pork meat color, pH, cooking loss and shear force. Inclusion of essential oil in the diet provided a linear increase (P<0.05) of the saturated fatty acids content of L. dorsi, especially myristic (C14:0) and stearic (C18:0) fatty acids. Utilization of essential oil in pig diets reduced significantly the production of secondary lipid oxidation compounds measured as TBARS in raw pork meat (P<0.001) and immediately after cooking (P<0.001). However, during 8-d storage assay, the addition of essential oil in the diet did not protect pork meat lipids from oxidation. Therefore, Brazilian red pepper added to pig diets increased the saturated fatty acids content and reduced lipid oxidation in fresh meat and short-term heat treatment without affecting pork meat physical attributes.

RESUMO: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar os efeitos da adição do óleo essencial de aroeira ( Schinus terebinthifolius Raddi) na dieta de suínos sobre as características físicas, composição química e oxidação lipídica da carne. Setenta e dois leitões recém-desmamados (5,7±0,8kg) foram utilizados em um experimento em blocos completos casualizados com quatro tratamentos, seis repetições por tratamento e três animais por unidade experimental (baia). Os animais foram alimentados com uma dieta basal suplementada com 0, 500, 1,000 ou 1,500mg kg-1 de óleo essencial de aroeira durante 35 dias. Ao final do experimento, um animal por unidade experimental (16,4±2,2kg) foi abatido para coleta do músculo Longissimus dorsi para fim de análises. Não houve efeito (P>0,05) do óleo essencial de aroeira sobre cor, pH, perda de peso por cozimento e força de cisalhamento. A inclusão de níveis crescentes do óleo essencial de aroeira na dieta aumentou linearmente (P<0,05) o conteúdo de ácidos graxos saturados do músculo dos suínos, principalmente, as concentrações de mirístico (C14:0) e esteárico (C18:0). Para as análises de TBARS, a inclusão de óleo essencial de aroeira reduziu, significativamente, a produção de compostos secundários da oxidação lipídica nas amostras de carne crua (P<0,001) e imediatamente após o cozimento (P<0,001). Entretanto, durante oito dias de armazenamento refrigerado, a adição do óleo essencial de aroeira não protegeu eficientemente (P>0,05) os lipídios da oxidação. Portanto, o óleo essencial de aroeira, adicionado às dietas para suínos, aumentou o conteúdo de ácidos graxos saturados e reduziu a oxidação lipídica na carne fresca e logo após cozimento, sem ocorrer efeitos sobre os parâmetros físicos da carne.