Replacement of soybean oil by Hermetia illucens fat in turkey nutrition: effect on performance,digestibility, microbial community,immune and physiological status and final product quality

ABSTRACT

1. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of partial (50%) or total replacement of soybean oil (SO) by black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) fat on the growth performance, coefficients of apparent nutrient digestibility, selected internal organ weights and length, pancreatic enzyme activity and gastrointestinal tract (GIT) microecology modulation, as well as microbiota activity, physiological and immunological responses in young turkey poults.

2. A total of 216, seven day old female turkeys (B.U.T 6) were randomly distributed to three dietary treatments using six replicate pens per group with 12 birds per pen. The following design of the trial was applied: SO 100% soybean oil; BSFL50 a 50/50 combination of SO and BSFL fat; or 100% BSFL fat (total replacement of SO).

3. The use of BSFL fat did not affect the growth performance, nutrient digestibility, GIT morphology, or quality of the breast and thigh muscles. However, reduced trypsin activity was noticed in the BSFL100 group, but this had no effect on digestibility. Total replacement of SO reduced proliferation of potentially pathogenic bacteria, i.e., Enterobacteriaceae spp., as well as decreasing levels of IL-6, while partial substitution lowered the TNF-α concentration.

4. The replacement of commonly used SO by BSFL fat can be successfully applied in young turkey poult nutrition. BSFL fat may be considered an antimicrobial agent and support immune responses.     

Observed and modelled soil carbon and nitrogen changes after planting a Pinus radiata stand onto former pasture

After reforesting pasture land, it is often observed that soil carbon stocks decrease. The present work reports findings from a site near Canberra, Australia, where a pine forest (Pinus radiata) was planted onto a former unimproved pasture site. We report a number of detailed observations seeking to understand the basis of the decline in soil C stocks. This is supported by simulations using the whole-ecosystem carbon and nitrogen cycling model CenW 3.1. The model indicated that over the first 18 years after forest establishment, the site lost about 5.5 t C ha^?1 and 588 kgN ha^?1 from the soil. The C:N ratio of soil organic matter did not change in a systematic manner over the observational period. Carbon and nitrogen stocks contained in the biomass of the 18-year old pine stand exceeded that of the pasture by 88 t C ha^?1 and 393 kgN ha^?1. An additional 6.1 t C ha^?1 and 110 kgN ha^?1 accumulated in above-ground litter. These changes, together with the vertical distribution of carbon and nitrogen in the soil, agreed well with the observation at the site. It was assumed that over 18 years, there was also a loss of 86 kgN ha^?1 from the ecosystem because of normal gaseous losses during nitrogen turn-over and a small amount of nitrogen leaching. Those losses could not be replenished in the pine system without symbiotic biological nitrogen fixation, and there were no fertiliser additions. A simple mass balance approach indicated that the amount of nitrogen accumulating in plant biomass and the litter layer plus the assumed nitrogen loss from the site matched the amount of nitrogen lost from the soil organic nitrogen pool. This reduction in soil nitrogen, together with an unchanged C:N ratio, provided a simple and internally consistent explanation for the observed reduction of soil carbon after reforestation. It supports the general notion that trends in soil carbon upon land-use change can often be controlled by the possible fates of available soil nitrogen.     

The penetration of topically applied ointment containing hyaluronic acid in rabbit tissues

The properties of hyaluronic acid used for treatment of acute and chronic joint disease are known for many years and this compound is widely used both in humans and animals. To obtain a therapeutic effect of a certain drug, the appropriate concentration in the target organ or tissue is important. The application of labeled compounds is one of the frequently applied techniques to estimate drug penetration into the skin and other body tissues or organs. The aim of the study was to evaluate the penetration of hyaluronic acid labeled with I-131 through the skin and its distribution within the knee joint and other internal organs in rabbits after a topical application of an ointment containing hyaluronic acid. The experiment was performed on 22 albino rabbits divided into control and examined groups. Fifteen rabbits were exposed to the multicomponent ointment containing hyaluronic acid labeled with I-131. Time of exposure was 48 hours. Hyaluronate penetrated to a high degree into the examined tissues. No significant differences in terms of leg tissue activity were observed between a leg tissue exposed to labeled ointment and that unexposed, suggesting that after topical administration, the active component of the ointment is delivered to the joint via the blood stream. Hyaluronate applied topically penetrates through the skin into the rabbit tissues and organs and into the joint fluid of both legs (exposed and not exposed). This route of administration seems to be useful for this drug delivery and allows to avoid unnecessary side effects.     

Elimination of Salmonella spp. by lactic acid

The aim of the present study was to determine the elimination of Salmonella by different lactic acid concentrations in microbiological media and on turkey carcass elements. The average bacteria counts in the control samples without lactic acid were: 1.8 x 10(8), 1.1 x 10(8) and 2.3 x 10(8), for S. Enteritidis, S. Anatum and S. Typhimurium, respectively. The concentration of lactic acid of 0.1% in the agar media completely inhibited the growth of all Salmonella strains. At 0.05% lactic acid concentration, the bacteria count was 2 log cycles lower and at a 0.03% solution it was 1 log cycle lower than that in the respective control samples. However, the examined bacteria developed in the presence of 0.02% and 0.01% lactic acid concentrations and their counts fell into the same log brackets. An analysis of the experimental results obtained from turkey carcass elements immersed in the lactic acid solution showed that the Salmonella identification rate was determined by the bacteria inoculum spread over the turkey carcass surface. The contamination of 10(1) CFU of Salmonella spread onto the turkey carcass was completely eliminated by immersing the carcasses in 1% or 2% lactic acid solutions. The contamination of turkey carcass elements with 10(2) CFU of S. Enteritidis and their immersion in 2% lactic acid solution for 15 min resulted in the reduction of the number of samples with Salmonella compared to the number of control samples with Salmonella. At contaminations of 10(3) CFU on the carcass surfaces, the immersions in 1% and 2% lactic acid solutions did not reduce Salmonella counts.     

The effect of coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E on the regeneration of skeletal muscles in pigs

The aim of the study was to observe the effect of coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E supplementation on the course of the regeneration process of the longissimus lumborum muscle after bupivacaine-induced myonecrosis as well as to determine the correlation between the level of those substances in plasma and their levels in damaged and non-damaged muscular tissue in pigs. The obtained results indicate that the course of regeneration of a damaged muscle is affected to a higher extent by coenzyme Q10 than by vitamin E. The administration of coenzyme Q10 and vitamin E has a significant impact on the increase in the level of those substances in damaged muscles and plasma of animals.     

Adsorption of Sodium Dodecylbenzenesulphonate (SDBS) on Candida maltosa EH 15 Strain: Influence on Cell Surface Hydrophobicity and n-alkanes Biodegradation

Water, Air, & Soil Pollution - The effect of exogenously added sodium dodecylbenzenesulphonate (SDBS) surfactant on biodegradation of a mixture of straight-chain aliphatic hydrocarbons...     

Functional and Structural Characterization of FAU Gene/Protein from Marine Sponge Suberites domuncula

Finkel-Biskis-Reilly murine sarcoma virus (FBR-MuSV) ubiquitously expressed (FAU) gene is down-regulated in human prostate, breast and ovarian cancers. Moreover, its dysregulation is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer. Sponges (Porifera) are animals without tissues which branched off first from the common ancestor of all metazoans. A large majority of genes implicated in human cancers have their homologues in the sponge genome. Our study suggests that FAU gene from the sponge Suberites domuncula reflects characteristics of the FAU gene from the metazoan ancestor, which have changed only slightly during the course of animal evolution. We found pro-apoptotic activity of sponge FAU protein. The same as its human homologue, sponge FAU increases apoptosis in human HEK293T cells. This indicates that the biological functions of FAU, usually associated with “higher” metazoans, particularly in cancer etiology, possess a biochemical background established early in metazoan evolution. The ancestor of all animals possibly possessed FAU protein with the structure and function similar to evolutionarily more recent versions of the protein, even before the appearance of true tissues and the origin of tumors and metastasis. It provides an opportunity to use pre-bilaterian animals as a simpler model for studying complex interactions in human cancerogenesis.     

Water-soluble nanocomposite sodium alginate fibres

An investigation was made of how the conditions of formation affect the porous structure, sorption properties and strength properties of nanocomposite sodium alginate fibres. It was found that the sorption properties of these fibres are determined by the hydrophilic nature of the material. The strength properties, given low deformability at the stretching stage, depend mainly on the value of the as-spun draw ratio. In SEM+EDS testing the presence of the natural hydroxyapatite (HAp) or SiO₂ nanoadditives which had been added to the fibres was detected.     

New generation butyric-acetate copolymer of chitin (BOC) fibres with ceramic HAp and TCP nanoadditives for the manufacture of fibrous composite materials

An investigation was made of the effect of basic spinning process parameters on the structure and properties of butyric-acetate copolymer of chitin (BOC) fibres. It was found that, considering the resulting tenacity of 20.3 cN/tex simultaneously with high water sorption and retention properties, it is favourable for the BOC fibre spinning process to be carried out with 1 % HAp or TCP nanoadditive. Furthermore, when 3 % of the HAp or TCP nanoadditive is incorporated into the BOC fibre material, no significant changes in the crystal structure occur compared with fibres without the nanoadditives, formed in similar conditions. Analysis of the porous structure and the properties of the surface of BOC fibres with HAp or TCP nanoadditive shows that the parameters are favourable for their medical application.     

Influence of breeding technology of helminth fauna of geese (Anser anser f. domestica)

Two hundred goose broilers originating from farms with different housing facilities were examined for helminth parasites. The farm of the first technological type consisted of halls with deep liter without a run and that of the second type had grass runs neighbouring with a sheet of water. The geese from the first farm harboured A. galli, H. gallinarum and C. obsignata; those from the second farm, D. lanceolata, H. dispar, A. anseris and C. obsignata. In the first case, the geese were infected by helminths from chickens. The incidence and intensity of infection, frequency of single and mixed infections and relation between the incidence and intensity of infection and the age of broilers were evaluated. The influence of breeding technology on the formation of helminth fauna and the significance of individual helminth species in goose breeding are discussed.