The effects of different dietary energy concentrations on ostrich production variables were examined in two separate trials. The first trial tracked changes in production variables from the pre-starter phase through the starter phase and grower phase. The second trial was based on the finisher phase per se. In both trials, the influence of dietary energy on feed intake, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and growth variables was investigated. Additionally, basic abattoir weights were recorded, and measurements of the feathers and skin were performed.
In both trials, three diets with different concentrations of dietary energy were given during each phase where the low-, medium- and high-energy concentrations for each phase were as follows: 13.5, 14.5 and 15.5 MJ ME/kg feed pre-starter; 12.5, 13.5 and 14.5 MJ ME/kg feed starter; 10.5, 11.5 and 12.5 MJ ME/kg feed grower and 9.5, 10.5 and 11.5 MJ ME/kg feed finisher. Feed and water were available ad libitum in both trials.
Overall, it was found that the best performance for growth, FCR, skin size and grade, live weight, carcass weight and thigh weight were obtained on the medium-energy diet during the pre-starter, starter and grower phases.
During the finisher phase, improved growth rate and tanned skin size was found in birds given the diet with the highest energy concentration (11.5 MJ ME/kg feed). Carcass weight, growth rate and certain feather variables were also significantly influenced by gender.
The effects of high dose of microbial phytase and an emulsifier on the performance, apparent metabolisable energy (AME) and nitrogen (N) retention in broilers fed on diets containing different fat sources were examined in a 5-week trial. Two fat sources (soy oil and tallow), two inclusion levels of E. coli phytase (500 or 1000 phytase units (FTU)/kg diet) and two inclusion levels of lysolecithin emulsifier (0 or 3.5 g/kg of diet) were evaluated in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments.
Throughout the 5-week trial, soy oil supplementation improved weight gain and feed per gain compared with tallow, but had no effect on feed intake.
The high dose of phytase increased the weight gain and feed intake and lowered the feed per gain during d 1–21, but had no effect on performance parameters over the whole trial period.
An effect of emulsifier was observed for feed intake during d 1–21 and over the whole trial period. Addition of emulsifier increased feed intake compared with diets without emulsifier.
During weeks 1, 2, 3 and 5, birds fed on soy oil–based diets had higher nitrogen-corrected AME (AMEN) compared with those fed on tallow-based diets. During weeks 2, 3 and 5, the effect of phytase was significant for AMEN, with the high dose increasing the AMEN. During week 2, AMEN was increased with emulsifier addition.
During weeks 1, 2, 3 and 5, birds fed on soy oil–based diets had higher fat retention compared with those fed on tallow-based diets. The high dose of phytase improved the retention of fat during week 5 and the addition of emulsifier resulted in higher fat retention during week 1.
During weeks 2, 3 and 5, an interaction between fat source × phytase × emulsifier was observed for N retention. In soy oil–based diets, emulsifier plus 1000 FTU/kg phytase increased N retention compared with other groups, while in tallow-based diets, emulsifier addition increased N retention in diets with 500 FTU/kg, but not in 1000 FTU/kg diet.
Overall, the present data suggest that the dietary fat source influenced performance, AMEN and fat retention in broiler chickens. There is opportunity to improve bird performance during d 1–21, AMEN and fat retention with higher doses of microbial phytase. Addition of the emulsifier increased the AMEN during week 2 and tract retention of fat during week 1, but this effect was not translated into improvements in performance.
A study was conducted with breeding ostriches over two consecutive breeding seasons to determine their response to different concentrations of a well-balanced dietary protein.
Five concentrations of protein were fed to both females and males at an intake of 2.5 kg/bird d. The respective diets contained 75, 91, 108, 123 and 140 g protein/kg feed with energy held constant at 9.2 MJ metabolisable energy/kg feed.
Egg production (mean ± SE, 39.1 ± 3.6 eggs/female/season) was unaffected by dietary protein concentration. Similarly, no significant trends were found for the number of unfertilised eggs (9.1 ± 1.8), dead-in-shell chicks (8.2 ± 1.3), the number of chicks hatched (19.5 ± 2.5) and change in the mass of females (?16.3 ± 10.2 kg). Egg weight decreased linearly as dietary protein content increased.
Age of the ostrich female had a highly significant effect on the number of eggs laid, the number of chicks hatched, the number of dead-in-shell and infertile eggs produced per hen, as well as the mass change of female breeding birds, but did not affect the response of any of these variables to dietary protein content.
It was concluded that ostriches do not benefit from dietary protein contents greater than about 75 g/kg when this is fed at a daily total feed intake rate of 2.5 kg/bird during the breeding season.
Two experiments were carried out in parallel with male Ross 308 broilers over 37 d. An experiment with a total of 736 broilers was performed to study the effect of dietary inclusion of crimped kernel maize silage (CKMS) on broiler production and meat quality. Another study with 32 broilers was carried out from 21 to 25 d to investigate the inclusion of CKMS on nutrient digestibility.
In both trials, 4 dietary treatments were used: wheat-based feed (WBF), maize-based feed (MBF), maize-based feed supplemented with 15% CKMS (CKMS-15) and maize-based feed supplemented with 30% CKMS (CKMS-30).
Compared with MBF, the dry matter (DM) intakes of broilers receiving CKMS-15 and CKMS-30, respectively, were numerically 7.5 and 6.2% higher and feed conversion ratio 6 and 12% poorer (significant for 30% CKMS), although there were no significant differences in AME content between the three diets. At 37 d, the body weight of birds receiving 15% CKMS was similar to birds fed with MBF. However, the inclusion of 30% CKMS decreased broiler growth. Dietary supplementation with CKMS significantly reduced the apparent digestibility of phosphorus. The fat digestibility was significantly lower for CKMS-30 than for the other three diets.
Broiler mortality decreased significantly when CKMS was added to the diet.
The consumption of drinking water was significantly lower in all maize-based diets as compared to WBF and was lowest in broilers fed with CKMS-30.
An improved litter quality in terms of DM content and a lower frequency of foot pad lesions was observed with broilers supplemented with both dietary levels of CKMS.
The addition of CKMS to maize-based diets increased juiciness, tenderness and crumbliness of the meat.
In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of 15% CKMS had no negative effect on broiler growth and positively influenced bird welfare in terms of mortality and foot pad health. Therefore, the addition of 15% CKMS to maize-based diets is considered an advantageous feeding strategy in broiler production.
The aim of the study was to evaluate the feasibility of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with Tenebrio molitor larvae (TML) meal in broiler diets.
A total of 80 30-d-old male Shaver brown broilers were divided into two groups fed on two isoproteic and isoenergetic diets differing for protein source (SBM vs. TML).
Up to 62 d of age, body weight and feed intake were recorded weekly and body weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER) and European efficiency factor (EEF) were calculated. At 62 d, blood samples were collected from 16 birds/group for evaluation of blood profiles.
Feed intake was not different between groups considering the entire period of the trial. The FCR was more favourable in the TML than SBM group from 46 d of age and in the entire period of the trial (4.13 vs. 3.62). The PER was higher in the SBM than in the TML group (1.92 vs. 1.37) while the EEF was higher in broilers fed on the TML diet (132.6 vs. 156.2).
Albumin-to-globulin ratio was higher in broilers fed on SBM than in the other group (0.44 vs. 0.30). aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase were higher in TML than SBM (195.1 vs. 178.6 U/l and 82.07 vs. 46.71 U/l, respectively). Uric acid was higher in broilers fed on SBM than TML (5.40 vs. 4.16 mg/dl).
TML did not affect feed intake and growth rate of broilers from 30 to 62 d of age when compared to an isoproteic and isoenergetic SBM diet, but FCR of the TML group was more favourable than that of the SBM group. The lowest albumin-to-globulin ratio in broilers fed on TML suggests a higher immune response, probably due to the prebiotic effects of chitin.
This study aimed to evaluate the influence of an organic acid (OA) and essential oil (EO) blends, individually or in combination, on growth performance, carcass parameters, apparent digestibility, intestinal microflora and intestinal morphology of broilers.
A total of 480 one-d-old male Ross 308 chicks were randomly assigned to 4 treatments consisting of 4 replicates each (n = 30 birds in each replicate). Dietary treatments consisted of a basal diet (control), and basal diet supplemented with 2 g/kg OA blend (OAB), 300 mg/kg EO blend (EOB), or with 2 g/kg OA and 300 mg/kg EO blend (OAB–EOB) for 42 d.
The dietary supplementation with EO blend or in combination with OA blend increased body weight gain and improved feed efficiency as compared to control. Dietary treatments had no significant effects on feed consumption or relative organ weights of broilers.
The OAB diet increased carcass yield compared to the control diet but the lowest carcass yield occurred with the OAB–EOB combination. Birds fed on EOB and OAB–EOB diets had lower ileum Escherichia coli counts than birds fed on the control diet.
There was no significant effect of treatments on apparent digestibility at 16–21 d but the EOB and OAB–EOB diets increased apparent digestibility of dry matter and crude protein during the finisher period (d 37–42) compared to the control diet.
Birds fed on the EOB and OAB–EOB diets had greater villus height in the ileum at 21 and 42 d of age and had lower crypt depth in the ileum at 42 d of age than birds given the control diet.
In conclusion, beneficial effects of the use of EO blend individually or in combination with the OA blend were observed but the OA blend alone was ineffective. Furthermore, the use of the combination of OA and EO was more effective, in some respects, than their individual use.
Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the applicability of the Taguchi method (TM) and optimisation algorithms to optimise the branch chain amino acids (BCAA) requirements in 0 to 7 d broiler chicks.
In the first experiment, the standardised digestible (SID) amino acids and apparent metabolisable energy (AME) values of maize, wheat and soya bean meal were evaluated.
In the second experiment, three factors including leucine (Leu), isoleucine (Ile) and valine (Val), each at 4 levels, were selected, and an orthogonal array layout of L16 (43) using TM was performed. After data collection, optimisation of average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were obtained using TM. The multiobjective genetic algorithm (MOGA) and random search algorithm (RSA) were also applied to predict the optimal combination of BCAA for broiler performance.
In the third experiment, a growth study was conducted to evaluate the applicability of obtained optimum BCAA requirements data by TM, MOGA and RSA, and results were compared with those of birds fed with a diet formulated according to Ross 308 recommendations.
In the second experiment, the TM resulted in 13.45 g/kg SID Leu, 8.5 g/kg SID Ile and 10.45 g/kg SID Val as optimum level for maximum ADG (21.57 g/bird/d) and minimum FCR (1.11 g feed/g gain) in 0- to 7-d-old broiler chickens. MOGA predicted the following combinations: SID Leu = 14.8, SID Ile = 9.1 and SID Val = 10.3 for maximum ADG (22.05) and minimum FCR (1.11). The optimisation using RSA predicted Leu = 16.0, Ile = 9.5 and Val = 10.2 for maximum ADG (22.67), and Leu = 15.5, Ile = 9.0 and Val = 10.4 to achieve minimum FCR (1.08).
The validation experiment confirmed that TM, MOGA and RSA yielded optimum determination of dietary amino acid requirements and improved ADG and FCR as compared to Aviagen recommendations. However, based on the live animal validation trial, MOGA and RSA overpredicted the optimum requirement as compared to TM. In general, the results of these studies showed that the TM may be used to optimise nutrient requirements for poultry.
Typical poultry feed formulation models have been developed for meeting the minimum specifications of the essential amino acids (EAAs), ignoring the importance of providing precise levels of the non-essential amino acids (NEAAs) that are required for maximum performance. Including true protein (TP) values in these models in relation to EAAs can most accurately account for the requirements of all amino acids (AAs) in the ration (essential, non-essential and excess EAAs).
Data from recent research reports on the digestible lysine (dLys) requirements for maximum weight gain and minimum feed conversion ratio (FCR) were compiled from the literature. dLys requirements and the TP contents of the feeds were recalculated based on common ingredient composition values. Broken-line linear (BLL) and broken-line quadratic (BLQ) models were fitted to the data and compared.
The dLys requirements of broilers (g/kg diet) for body weight gain (BWG) and FCR were found to increase linearly as a function of the true and crude protein contents of the diet. These relationships were not affected by either age or sex. As chickens aged, the dLys requirements decreased. However, the dLys requirement to TP ratio did not change with age for BWG or FCR.
For maximum BWG and minimum FCR, the dLys requirements were estimated from the prediction models to be 4.92% ± 0.51 and 5.58% ± 0.70 of the TP level of the diet, using the BLL models, respectively.
The good linear relationship between the dLys requirement and TP level allows the prediction of the variables from each other for use in feed formulation to represent the requirements of both EAAs and NEAAs.
The dietary dLys requirements were estimated to be lower using the BLL vs. the BLQ models.
TP was a better predictor of dLys requirements than crude protein (higher R2 values).
The effects of dietary electrolyte balance (DEB) and electrolyte–betaine (El-Be) supplements on heat-stressed broiler performance, acid–base balance and water retention were evaluated during the period 31–40 d of age in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of treatments.
A total of 240 broilers were assigned to 6 treatment groups each with 8 replicates of 5 birds per cage and were exposed to cyclic high temperature (32 – 24 ± 1°C). Birds were provided with diets having DEB of either 180 or 220 mEq/kg. El-Be supplements were either added to the diet, water or not added to either of them to complete the array of 6 treatment groups.
An additional 80 birds were kept at thermoneutral temperature (20 ± 1°C) and were provided with tap water and diets with DEB of either 180 or 220 mEq/kg to serve as negative controls.
Exposure to high temperature depressed growth performance, increased rectal temperature and decreased potassium (K+) retention. In high-temperature room, birds fed on diets with DEB of 220 mEq/kg tended to increase BW from 35–40 d of age. However, at thermoneutral temperature, broilers fed on diets with DEB of 220 mEq/kg increased K+ retention.
Adding El-Be supplements in feed or water improved feed conversion ratio (FCR), enhanced water consumption and increased K+ and sodium (Na+) retention.
Interactions between DEB and El-Be supplements tended to affect body weight gain and FCR during the periods 35–40 and 31–40 d of age, respectively. It is suggested that when using a diet with DEB of 180 mEq/kg, adding the El-Be supplements in drinking water was more beneficial than in feed. Adding the supplements in feed or water was equally useful when using DEB of 220 mEq/kg.
A total of 360 fertile eggs from a broiler breeder strain (Ross 308) were used for in ovo feeding (IOF) of 0, 100 and 200 mg/kg Silybum marianum water extract at 17.5 d of incubation.
After hatching, 240 chicks were transferred to the experimental cages. The diets consisted of two types; one of them without extract and the other one containing 100 mg/kg of Silybum marianum extract. Then chicks were exposed to elevated temperatures 4°C above optimum from 7 to 28 d of age for 4 h per d and after 28 d they were kept at optimum temperature. The chicks were divided into 6 treatments with 4 replicates as a completely randomised 2 × 3 factorial design.
There was no effect of IOF of Silybum marianum extract on hatchability, body weight (BW) of hatched chicks or hatched chick BW/initial egg weight ratio. Chickens fed on the diet containing the extract had the highest feed intake, daily weight gains (DWGs), final BW and lowest feed conversion ratio.
At 28 d, the weights of heart, spleen and bursa of birds in the treatment groups given extract were higher, but abdominal fat weights were lower. At 42 d in those fed extract in the diet, the weights of spleen and bursa were higher and abdominal fat weights were lower than the other groups.
No differences were observed between groups in body temperature before application of the higher temperature but at 21 d and 28 d the body temperature of chicks given the Silybum marianum extract was lower than the other treatments during the elevated temperatures.
In birds fed on the extract in the diet, HDL and cholesterol concentrations were lowest at 28 d, whereas blood glucose levels were higher in the other treatments. At 42 d the cholesterol concentration was significantly lower in birds given extract in their diet.
These results indicated that dietary feeding of Silybum marianum extract resulted in an improvement in performance, immunity and carcass characteristics and decreased the adverse effects of the higher temperatures, specifically in reducing blood fat reduction, but IOF of the extract did not have an effect.
The aim of the study was to determine the effects of dietary supplementation with sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide (NO) exogenous donor, and NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME), a NO inhibitor, on growth performance, some biochemical parameters and ovarian primordial and primary follicles of quail.
A total of 480 Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica), one-day-old, including both males and females, were randomly allocated into one control group and 4 treatment groups each consisting of 96 birds. The control group was fed on the basal diet, whereas the experimental groups were fed on the basal diet supplemented with 50 mg SNP/kg, 200 mg SNP/kg, 50 mg l-NAME/kg or 200 mg l-NAME/kg.
In the group receiving 200 mg SNP/kg, BW was lower on d 28 and d 42 compared to the control group and body weight gain (BWG) was lower between weeks 2 and 4 compared to the control group. In the same group, BWG and feed consumption were lower compared with the control group. In the group receiving 200 mg l-NAME/kg, BW on d 42 and BWG were lower, whereas feed consumption and FCR was higher than in the control group.
In the groups supplemented with SNP at 50 and 200 mg/kg, serum total protein and albumin were higher than the control group; however, serum lipid profile, and liver and kidney enzymes were not affected by supplementation with SNP or l-NAME.
The numbers of ovarian primordial and primary follicles were greater in the group fed on the diet supplemented with 200 mg SNP/kg compared with the control group. Supplementation at 200 mg l-NAME/kg diet reduced the number of primary follicles compared to the controls, whereas the diameter of primordial and primary follicles increased.
In conclusion, supplementation with SNP and l-NAME depressed quail growth. Furthermore, the increase in NO following dietary supplementation with the NO-donor SNP delayed the growth process from primordial to primary and primary to secondary follicle transition in quail.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of white lupin (Lupinus albus) meal (WLM) addition on the intestinal viscosity, bird performance, nutrient utilisation and villi morphology of growing broiler chicks.
The experiment was conducted with 480 broiler chicks divided into 6 dietary treatments, including a maize-soybean meal control diet (CON) and 5 experimental diets containing 100, 150, 200, 250 and 300 g/kg WLM.
During the period from d 0 to 35, birds fed on 200 or higher WLM/kg were characterised by lower body weight gain and feed intake than CON. The use of 150 g of WLM/kg increased feed conversion ratio (FCR) compared to CON treatment. Apparent metabolisable energy corrected to zero N balance (AMEN) and apparent ileal digestibility of dry matter, ether extract, crude protein and starch, linearly decreased as WLM increased from 0 to 300 g/kg.
There was a quadratic effect of WLM dose on sialic acid excretion. A strong negative linear correlation was found between the excretion of sialic acid and AMEN. The viscosity of ileal digesta was linearly increased as WLM increased. The effect of WLM dose on ileum villus height (VH) was linear, while that on ileum villus area (VA) was quadratic. Both parameters decreased as WLM increased from 0 to 300 g/kg.
In conclusion, the use of over 150 g/kg of WLM in broiler diets depressed performance results. However, depression of nutrient utilisation was only observed when 250 or 300 g/kg of WLM was used.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of green tea (Camellia sinensis) catechins in quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica).
Quail were fed with a basal diet, and the treatment groups were fed on the basal diet with 1.25 or 2.50 g/kg catechin supplementation for 30 d.
Fattening performance and meat quality of the quail were estimated. Serum total antioxidant status (TAS), plasma and liver malondialdehyde (MDA) and some serum biochemical parameters were measured.
The results showed that catechin supplementation did not affect live weight, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, carcass weight, carcass dressing or the nutrient composition of breast and thigh meats. The water holding capacity (WHC) of breast meat was increased in the 2.50 g/kg catechin treatment. Catechin supplementation increased the serum TAS, but decreased plasma MDA and liver MDA concentration as well as serum glucose and total cholesterol levels. Serum triglyceride and total protein levels were not affected by catechin supplementation.
In conclusion, catechins have effective antioxidant hypoglycaemic and hypocholesterolaemic properties, as well as having the potential to increase meat quality in fattening quail. On the other hand, catechin supplementation did not have any negative effect on the fattening performance, meat nutrient composition and fattening costs in fattening quail.
The main dietary challenge in organic laying hen production is to fulfil the digestible methionine (MET) requirement in a diet consisting of ingredients of organic origin only.
The aim of the present experiment was to determine the response of organic housed laying hens (26–34 weeks of age) to dietary energy and MET during a summer and winter trial. Per trial, a total of 128 17-week-old Brown Nick hens were allotted to 16 pens, which were connected to an outdoor run. Each experiment comprised 8 dietary treatments according to a 4 × 2 factorial design. The factors were AFD MET level (2.3, 2.7, 3.1 and 3.5 g/kg) and energy content (10.9 and 12.1 MJ).
Dietary energy content did not affect energy intake (1361 kJ/d) in summer, whereas energy intake in winter was increased in hens that were fed on the 12.1-MJ diets (1514 vs. 1421 kJ/d). Maximal egg mass in summer was achieved if a diet with 3.5 g/kg MET was given, corresponding to a digestible MET intake of 421 mg/d. During winter, maximal egg mass was achieved with a digestible MET intake of 360 mg/d, which was already realised with a MET content of 2.7 g/kg.
Because digestible MET content for maximal egg performance differed between the summer and winter trial, dietary energy to MET ratio might be adjusted to seasonal conditions.
This study evaluated the growth performance and meat characteristics of grower geese whose diets included garlic scape meal (GSM), a by-product of garlic production. Scape is the leaf-less flower stem of garlic.
Garlic scape (GS) extracts contained 84.7 ± 3.8 μg/g dry weight (DW), 81.4 ± 8.2 μg/g DW, 0.78 ± 0.05 mg gallic acid equivalent/g DW and 31.67 ± 2.25 μg/g DW of allicin, alliin, total phenolics and flavonoid contents, respectively.
In total, 120 White Roman geese aged 5 weeks were randomly distributed among 12 pens and fed on a grower diet ad libitum during the growth period. Employing a completely random design, 5 males and 5 females were placed in each pen.
Each treatment was applied to three pens (in total 30 birds) and the treatments comprised the following: 1) control (maize–soybean meal), 2) 5% of maize replaced with 5% of GSM (5% GSM), 3) 10% of maize replaced with 10% of GSM (10% GSM) and 4) 15% of maize replaced with 15% of GSM (15% GSM). Each group of 30 birds was treated for 8 weeks.
The results revealed that the 15% GSM group was characterised by a lower feed conversion ratio than the control group; however, these groups did not differ significantly in their body weights (BWs). In addition, the 10% GSM group did not differ in both the feed conversion ratio and consumption.
The flavour intensity score of meats in the 10% GSM group was significantly lower than those of meats in the 5% GSM and control groups. The general acceptability scores of meats in the 5% GSM and control groups were higher than those of meat in the 10% GSM group.
The study concluded that 5% dietary GSM in the feed did not adversely affect the growth performance, meat characteristics or sensory evaluation of grower geese. Hence, the environment can be protected by including agricultural waste in goose diets.
An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of dietary supplementation of thymol, synbiotic (Biomin, IMBO) and their combination in laying hen diets on laying performance, egg quality and serum metabolic profile from 24 to 36 weeks of age.
Treatment groups were fed on a control diet, the control diet supplemented with thymol (250 mg/kg), the control diet supplemented with synbiotic (250 mg/kg) or the control diet supplemented with a combination of thymol (250 mg/kg) and synbiotic (250 mg/kg).
Supplementation of thymol and synbiotic, separately as well as combined, improved egg weight, egg production, egg mass and feed conversion ratio from 24 to 36 weeks of age. The eggs obtained from thymol, synbiotic or their combination treatments displayed higher values of shell thickness, Haugh unit and shell percentage compared to the control.
Serum cholesterol significantly decreased in the single or combined form of thymol and synbiotic supplementation treatments.
Micronutrients, especially zinc, have an important role in normal metabolism and growth of broilers. Using novel technologies helps to synthesise novel zinc complexes to deliver this micronutrient more efficiently.
In the present study, the effects of different zinc complexes and nano complexes on broiler performance were compared. Broilers in 6 groups were given basal diet (without zinc) and basal diet supplemented with zinc-sulphate, zinc-methionine, zinc-nano-sulphate, zinc-nano-methionine and zinc-nano-max (that was synthesised based on nanochelating technology) at a concentration of 80 mg/kg of diet.
At 1–42 d of age, dietary zinc-nano-sulphate supplementation decreased weight gain and feed intake. However, feed conversion ratio was not influenced by treatments. Carcass yield (%) of birds in the zinc-nano-sulphate and control groups were dramatically reduced at 42 d of age and abdominal fat (%) increased in these groups.
Relative to the control group, the antibody titre, spleen and bursa of Fabricius (%) were significantly higher in groups supplemented with zinc. Heterophil (%) was also significantly higher in the zinc-nano-methionine group in blood on d 42 compared to the control, zinc-sulphate and zinc-nano-sulphate.
Compared to the controls, the mean malondialdehyde content in thigh tissue was significantly reduced in groups supplemented with zinc at the time 0, 50, 100 and 150 min after oxidation.
Tibia zinc concentration in nanoparticle zinc samples was significantly higher relative to the control and zinc-sulphate groups.
Taken together, our data indicate that delivery of zinc in the structure of zinc-nano-methionine and zinc-nano-max at concentrations of 80 mg/kg of diet improves growth performance. However, dietary zinc-nano-sulphate decreased growth performance in broilers.
The present study was conducted to determine the effects of acetylated wood powder (AW) as a new feed additive on performance, liver and muscle metabolism of amino acids and fatty acids and nucleotide-related substances of meat in broiler chickens. It was hypothesised that acetic acid desorbed from AW during intestinal digestion affects tissue metabolism.
Two-week-old broiler chicks were divided into four groups and fed on diets supplemented with wood powder (30 g/kg) less than 106 µm in diameter, except for controls. The AW was added to diets at 0, 10 and 30 g/kg to replace the non-acetylated wood powder (NAW) for 26 d. Plasma, liver tissue and breast muscle were taken from half of birds at 40 d of age under the fed condition. After the remaining chickens were fasted for 14 h, breast muscle was taken and refrigerated for 24 h.
Consumption of wood powder with or without acetyl groups had no effect on growth performance including tissue weights of abdominal fat and breast muscle and plasma metabolites.
Feeding AW decreased total free amino acid concentrations in the liver compared to the group only fed on the NAW. This response was dependent mainly on reduced non-essential and glucogenic amino acid concentrations. However, in breast muscle, alterations of free amino acid concentrations were observed only for histidine and tryptophan. In addition, the fatty acid composition of liver and breast muscle was not affected by feeding AW.
In breast meat obtained from fasted chickens, the higher level of AW increased the concentration of inosine 5′-monophosphate, a taste-active compound, and in contrast, decreased the subsequent catabolites (inosine and hypoxanthine). However, the concentration of glutamic acid, a taste-active compound, was lowered at this level of AW ingestion.
Therefore, this study suggested that feeding AW as a new feed additive regulates ante-mortem amino acid utilisation in the liver and contributes to retard post-mortem degradation of inosine 5′-monophosphate as a taste-active compound in chicken meat.
The aim of this study was to determine the mineral and lipid profiles in ostrich, turkey and broiler chicken livers.
The highest concentrations of phosphorus, potassium and magnesium were found in turkey livers, at 3751.50, 2153.05 and 363.98 mg/kg fresh weight (FW), respectively, whereas ostrich livers were the richest in calcium (82.77 mg/kg FW).
Ostrich liver was the richest source of iron, calcium, zinc and silicon, at 947.8, 82.77, 47.50, 36.69 mg/kg FW, respectively.
Ostrich livers proved to be the richest source of long-chain fatty acids (5.18% C20:4n+6, 0.48% EPA and 1.08% DHA)
Three experiments with a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement were conducted to evaluate maize-based diets for broilers containing different lipid sources [soybean oil (S) or beef tallow (T)] supplemented with or without lysophospholipids and organic acids on nutrient balance (Experiment I, evaluation period of 10–14 d), on liver concentration of fat-soluble vitamins, on jejunal microbiota (Experiment II, sampling at d 14) and on performance (Experiment III, accumulated periods of 1–14, 1–21 and 1–42 d).
A total of 1344 male chicks were used. In each experiment, the birds were allotted in a completely randomised design with 8 replications. The lysophospholipids were mainly composed of lysolecithins and the organic acids blend was constituted by lactic (40%), acetic (7%) and butyric acids (1%).
An interaction between lipid sources and lysophospholipids was observed on faecal apparent digestibility of lipid (ADL), which improved with lysophospholipids addition in T diets. Broilers fed on S had higher ADL and faecal apparent digestibility of nitrogen-corrected gross energy (ADGEN).
It was not possible to demonstrate a significant treatment effect on the liver concentration of vitamins A and E, even with the differences in fatty acid profile between S and T.
Enterobacteria values were below the detection threshold. Lysophospholipid supplementation reduced gram-positive cocci in T-fed birds. S diets promoted lower total anaerobe counts compared with T diets, independent of additives.
S diets increased BW gain and feed:gain ratio in all evaluation periods. Lysophospholipids and organic acids improved feed:gain ratio at 1–21 d in T diets. Furthermore, main effects were observed for lysophospholipids and organic acids at 1–42 d, which increased BW gain and improved feed:gain ratio, respectively.
No positive interactions between additives were found.