Effect of stevioside and steviol on the developing broiler embryos

At day 7 of incubation, fertile broiler eggs were injected with different amounts of stevioside and steviol of 0.08, 0.8, or 4 mg stevioside/egg and 0.025, 0.25, or 1.25 mg steviol/egg. At hatch (day 21) and 1 week later, not any influence of the different treatments could be found on embryonic mortality, body weight of the hatchlings, deformations (e.g., bone, beak, and head malformations, abnormal feathering, open vent), or abnormal development of the gonads. No stevioside or steviol could be detected in the blood of the hatchlings. The hatchlings developed normally. It is concluded that prenatal exposure to stevioside and steviol is not toxic for the chicken embryo.     

Carryover of maduramicin from feed containing cross-contamination levels into eggs of laying hens

Maduramicin is a coccidiostat authorized as feed additive in the European Union for chickens and turkeys for fattening but not for laying hens, considering the risk of residues in eggs. The unavoidable cross-contamination of non-target feed with coccidiostats is regulated by Commission Directive 2009/8/EC and resulting carry-over in food by Commission Regulation (EC) No. 124/2009. To verify the compliance of the maximum levels for maduramicin in feed (50 μg/kg) and eggs (2 μg/kg), the carry-over from feed into eggs was investigated. Diets containing 10, 30, and 50 μg of maduramicin/kg of feed were fed to laying hens. Feed, egg white, and yolk were analyzed by LC-MS/MS. Maduramicin residues were only detected in in egg yolk. Feeding the 10 μg/kg maduramicin diet resulted in maduramicin concentrations up to 2.5 μg/kg in whole eggs, already exceeding the maximum level. A carry-over rate of 8% maduramicin from feed into eggs was calculated.     

Effect of dietary daidzein on egg production, shell quality, and gene expression of ER-alpha, GH-R, and IGF-IR in shell glands of laying hens

Our previous studies demonstrated that dietary daidzein improves egg production in ducks during the late period of the laying cycle. The present study was aimed to investigate the effect of daidzein in laying hens, with more focus on eggshell quality. The expression of ER-alpha, GH-R, and IGF-IR mRNA in shell glands was determined to identify the target genes of daidzein action and to reveal the relationship between shell quality and profiles of gene expression in shell glands of laying hens. 1000 ISA hens, at 445 days of age, were allotted at random to two groups and given the basal diet with or without 10 mg of daidzein per kg diet for 9 weeks. Daidzein supplement significantly increased the egg laying rate and the feed conversion ratio. The eggshell thickness increased, while the percentage of cracked eggs decreased in daidzein-treated hens. Serum E2 and phosphate concentrations were not altered, but the level of serum Ca2+ and the tibia bone mineral density were significantly increased in the daidzein-treated group compared with their control counterparts. In parallel with the significant increase of oviduct weight, significant down-regulation of GH-R and IGF-IR mRNA and a trend of decrease in ERalpha mRNA expression in shell glands were observed in daidzein-treated hens. The results indicate that dietary daidzein improves egg laying performance and eggshell quality during the late (postpeak) laying stage of hens, which is associated with modulations in gene expression in the shell gland.     

放养条件下密度和补饲量对蛋鸡生产性能及蛋黄胆固醇含量的影响

选择45周龄体重接近的健康本地鸡441只,随机分为7组,在山西省太谷县生态养鸡场进行2(补饲量)×3(密度)两因子放养试验,研究林下种植苜蓿不同放养密度与补饲量对蛋鸡生产性能和蛋黄胆固醇含量的影响。补饲量设自由采食量50%、70%两个处理,密度为每667m2 100只、250只、400只3个处理,以笼养全程自由采食为对照,每组3个重复,每重复3个小区用于轮牧,小区面积为62 m2;预试期7 d,正试期70 d。结果表明:补饲量和放养密度互作对平均产蛋率影响极显著(P0.01),对蛋重和料蛋比影响不显著(P0.05)。笼养+自由采食组(CK)与补饲量70%、100只·667m-2组蛋重、平均产蛋率及料蛋比差异不显著(P0.05),但产蛋率显著高于其他各组(P0.05),蛋重显著高于补饲量50%、100只·667m-2组(P0.05),料蛋比显著低于补饲量50%组(P0.05)。补饲量和放养密度互作对蛋黄重、蛋黄胆固醇含量和全蛋胆固醇含量影响不显著(P0.05);放养密度对全蛋胆固醇含量影响极显著(P0.01)。笼养+自由采食组蛋黄重极显著高于补饲量50%、100只·667m-2组(P0.01),蛋黄胆固醇含量和全蛋胆固醇含量显著高于100只·667m-2组(P0.05)。补饲量70%下,100只·667m-2放养密度对牧草的破坏性小于其他放养密度。结合产蛋性能、蛋黄胆固醇含量以及草地保护,以70%补饲量+100只·667m-2组养殖模式较好,效果较佳。     

Residues of veterinary drugs in eggs and their distribution between yolk and white

Veterinary drugs and feed additives (especially some coccidiostats) can be absorbed by the digestive tract of laying hens and transferred to the egg. Physicochemical characteristics of these compounds determine their pharmacokinetic behavior and distribution to and within the egg. Traditionally the quite lipid soluble drugs and additives are expected to yield residues only in the fat-rich yolk. However, the quite lipid soluble drug doxycycline--as well as many other drugs--showed during long-term administration higher residues in white than in yolk. In a model study with 11 sulfonamides differing in pK(a) value and lipid solubility, their distribution in vivo between yolk and white was determined. Neither differences in pK(a) values nor those in lipid solubility could explain the distributions found. Binding to egg white macromolecules in vivo as an explanatory factor was tested with five sulfonamides, and no correlation between binding and the distribution of sulfonamides between white and yolk was found. Literature data on the distribution of drugs between egg white and yolk showed a reasonable consistency within drugs and a large variability among drugs (as could be expected). This larger database also did not provide a clue as to what factor determines the distribution of a drug between egg white and yolk when given to laying hens.     

Metabolism of stevioside and rebaudioside A from Stevia rebaudiana extracts by human microflora

Stevia rebaudiana standardized extracts (SSEs) are used as natural sweeteners or dietary supplements in different countries for their content of stevioside or rebaudioside A. These compounds possess up to 250 times the sweetness intensity of sucrose, and they are noncaloric and noncariogenic sweeteners. The aim of this study was to investigate the in vitro transformation of stevioside and rebaudioside A after incubation with human microflora, the influence of these sweeteners on human microbial fecal community and which specific groups metabolize preferentially stevioside and rebaudioside A. The experiments were carried out under strict anaerobic conditions in batch cultures inoculated with mixed fecal bacteria from volunteers. The hydrolysis was monitored by HPLC coupled to photodiode array and mass spectrometric detectors. Isolated bacterial strains from fecal materials incubated in selective broths were added to stevioside and rebaudioside A. These sweeteners were completely hydrolyzed to their aglycon steviol in 10 and 24 h, respectively. Interestingly, the human intestinal microflora was not able to degrade steviol. Furthermore, stevioside and rebaudioside A did not significantly influence the composition of fecal cultures; among the selected intestinal groups, bacteroides were the most efficient in hydrolyzing Stevia sweeteners to steviol.     

Effect of selenium-enriched probiotics on laying performance, egg quality, egg selenium content, and egg glutathione peroxidase activity

A 35-day experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of selenium-enriched probiotics (SP) on laying performance, egg quality, egg selenium (Se) content, and egg glutathione peroxidase (GPX) activity. Five hundred 58-week-old Rohman laying hens were randomly allotted to 5 dietary treatments of 100 each. Each treatment had 5 replicates, and each replicate had 5 cages with 4 hens per cage. The SP was supplemented to a corn-soybean-meal basal diet at 3 different levels that supplied total Se at 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 mg/kg. The basal diet served as a blank control, while the basal diet with supplemental probiotics served as a probiotics control. The results showed that dietary SP supplementation not only increased (p < 0.05) the rate of egg laying, day egg weight, mean egg weight, egg Se content, and egg GPX activity but also decreased (p < 0.05) the feed:egg ratio and egg cholesterol content. The egg Se content was gradually increased (p < 0.05) along with the increasing level of dietary Se. The SP supplementation also slowed down (p < 0.05) the drop of Haugh units (HU) of eggs stored at room temperature. The egg GPX activity had a positive correlation (p < 0.01) with egg Se content and a negative correlation (p < 0.01) with egg HU drop. These results suggested that Se contents, GPX activity, and HU of eggs were affected by the dietary Se level, whereas the egg-laying performance and egg cholesterol content were affected by the dietary probiotics. It was concluded that this SP is an effective feed additive that combines the organic Se benefit for hen and human health with the probiotics benefit for laying hen production performance. It was also suggested that the eggs from hens fed this SP can serve as a nutraceutical food with high Se and low cholesterol contents for both healthy people and patients with hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, or cardiovascular disease.     

Specific immunomodulatory and secretory activities of stevioside and steviol in intestinal cells

Stevioside, isolated from Stevia rebaudiana, is a commercial sweetener. It was previously demonstrated that stevioside attenuates NF-kappaB-dependent TNF-alpha and IL-1beta synthesis in LPS-stimulated monocytes. The present study examined the effects of stevioside and its metabolite, steviol, on human colon carcinoma cell lines. High concentrations of stevioside (2-5 mM) and steviol (0.2-0.8 mM) decreased cell viability in T84, Caco-2, and HT29 cells. Stevioside (2 mM) potentiated TNF-alpha-mediated IL-8 release in T84 cells. However, steviol (0.01-0.2 mM) significantly suppressed TNF-alpha-induced IL-8 release in all three cell lines. In T84 cells, steviol attenuated TNF-alpha-stimulated IkappaB --> NF-kappaB signaling. Chloride transport was stimulated by steviol (0.1 mM) > stevioside (1 mM) at 30 min. Two biological effects of steviol in the colon are demonstrated for the first time: stimulation of Cl(-) secretion and attenuation of TNF-alpha-stimulated IL-8 production. The immunomodulatory effects of steviol appear to involve NF-kappaB signaling. In contrast, at nontoxic concentrations stevioside affects only Cl(-) secretion.     

蛋鸡个体生产性能参数监测装置设计与试验

为了方便、准确记录不同环境下蛋鸡个体生产性能参数,解决手动测定误差大,对鸡造成应激等问题,设计了蛋鸡个体生产性能参数自动记录系统。通过传感器、光电传感器获取蛋鸡个体采食量、饮水量、排泄量、产蛋时间、蛋质量等生产性能参数,借助于C#程序进行数据处理,实现了蛋鸡个体生产性能参数的实时连续记录。试验结果表明:系统运行稳定,采食量相对误差为0.32%;饮水量相对误差为0.24%;排泄量相对误差为0.48%;蛋质量相对误差为0.17%,产蛋时间记录精度可以满足个体蛋鸡产蛋时间记录要求。该研究可为蛋鸡个体生产性能参数自动监测提供参考。     

Distribution of total 14C residue in egg yolk, albumen, and tissues following oral [14C]sulfamethazine administration to hens

The distribution of total 14C residues was studied in egg yolk and albumen after administration of either single or multiple oral dosages of [14C]sulfamethazine (SMZ). One day after a single dose of [14C]SMZ (121 mg of sulfamethazine, 2.42 x 10(7) dpm), the 14C residue concentration peaked in egg albumen and egg yolk with the concentration in the former >4-fold greater than in the latter. Three days postdose, the 14C residue concentration in the yolk was approximately 7-fold higher than in the egg albumen. A multiple dose of [14C]SMZ containing sulfamethazine mass equivalent of an average therapeutic dose (282 mg, 2.9 x 10(7) dpm) for chickens was also administered orally for six consecutive days to hens. A significantly reduced level of egg production was observed during the medication, and most of the hens stopped laying eggs after the last dose. The 14C residue concentrations peaked on the last day (sixth) of medication in egg albumen and yolk. The 14C residue concentrations were also measured in liver, muscle, blood, and plasma of chickens sacrificed at 1, 24, 48, and 72 h after the last dose. Highest concentrations of 14C residue were accumulated in liver followed by, in decreasing order, blood, plasma, and muscle.     

Liquid chromatographic determination of fluoroquinolones in egg albumen and egg yolk of laying hens using fluorometric detection

A liquid chromatographic method was developed for the determination of ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, and sarafloxacin at 10-200 ppb in both egg yolk and egg albumen of laying hens. Egg yolk or albumen was acidified with 1 M phosphoric acid followed by deproteination with acetonitrile and centrifugation. The supernate was pipetted out, and the remaining protein pellet was extracted three times with acetonitrile. The supernates were combined and concentrated at 50 degrees C to <0.7 mL. The final volume was adjusted to 2 mL with 0.02 M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 2.5. Separation of the analytes was achieved using reversed-phase HPLC with fluorometric detection. The recoveries were >80% and coefficients of variation <20%. After validation, the method was applied for use in a national survey for fluoroquinolones in table eggs. Of the 276 eggs assayed, none was found positive for fluoroquinolones. The findings suggest that illegal use of fluoroquinolones in laying hens is not widespread.     

Assessment of egg nutrient compositional changes and residue in eggs,tissues, and excreta following oral administration of atorvastatin to laying hens

Laying hens were fed a control diet alone or with 0.06 g of atorvastatin, a synthetic 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, per 100 g of diet for 20 days. Compared to controls, egg yolks from treated hens contained greater amounts of amino acids and reduced levels of total fatty acids and cholesterol. In contrast, egg albumen amino acid contents were unaffected by dietary treatments. In a residue study, seven hens each received a single oral dose of approximately 20 microCi of [(14)C]atorvastatin. Approximately 71% of the radioactivity was recovered in the excreta and liver, whereas virtually no radioactivity was detected in kidney, heart, muscle, bile, plasma, or egg albumen at 15 days postdosing. Yolk radioactivity peaked at 4 days postdosing in six of the seven birds and was absent in eggs laid after day 10. Reminiscent of that of certain antibiotic drugs, the atorvastatin egg residue pattern appeared to coincide with the physiological pattern of daily yolk accretion within the ovary.     

低剂量γ辐射对鸡产蛋性能的影响

1985—1990年间,用~(60)Coγ源辐照滨白鸡种蛋,结果表明,辐照促进受精蛋胚胎发育,孵化率提高6.86％,健雏率提高5.52％,雏鸡增重5—6％,提高辐照当代母鸡产蛋率8.03％,辐照二代(商品代)母鸡开产日龄提前6—7周,拉长产蛋期,72周龄产蛋量提高10.48％。     

蛋鸡生产参数自动监测系统设计与实现

为了在蛋鸡自然状态下,实现对其采食量、饮水量、排泄量、产蛋时间、蛋质量等生产参数的长期自动采集,克服人工采集工作量大,鸡应激反应造成误差大等问题,设计并实现了基于传感器网络的蛋鸡生产参数自动监测系统。该装置运用人机工程学的设计方法,将传统鸡笼与传感器有机结合,实现了对蛋鸡生产参数无干扰远程监测。该文重点分析了鸡笼的机械结构设计、传感器通信原理、数据采集与分析利用问题。试验结果表明,系统运行稳定,采食量、饮水量、排泄量、蛋质量平均相对误差均小于0.2%。该研究提高了监测数据的精确性,为蛋鸡养殖中科研数据收集、分析和利用提供了新方法和手段,为进一步研究蛋鸡生长过程中生产参数的无干扰自动采集技术提供了参考。     

Verification of organic feed identity by fatty acid fingerprinting

The origin and authenticity of feed for laying hens is an important and fraud-susceptible aspect in the production of organic eggs. Chemical fingerprinting in combination with chemometric methods is increasingly used in conjunction with administrative controls to verify and safeguard the authenticity of food commodities. On the basis of fatty acid fingerprinting data of 36 organic and 60 conventional feeds, we have developed a chemometric classification model to discriminate between organic and conventional chicken feed. A two-factor partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model was developed using 70% of the original data. External validation of the model with the remaining 30% of the data showed that all of the organic feeds and 90% of the conventional feeds (18 of 20) were correctly identified by the model. These results indicate that the PLS-DA model developed in this study could be routinely used to verify the identity of unknown or suspicious feed for laying hens.     

Effect of short-term UVB exposure on vitamin D concentration of eggs and vitamin D status of laying hens

Vitamin D deficiency in humans is widespread, and only a few food items are important natural sources of vitamin D. This study investigated the effect of UVB exposure of laying hens on the vitamin D content in egg yolk. In a two-factorial design, hens fed a vitamin D-deficient (-D) or -adequate (+D) diet were nonexposed or exposed to UVB light over a period of 4 weeks. UVB exposure of the -D group caused nearly normal egg production rate and egg shell quality; exposure of the +D group did not further improve these parameters. UVB exposure tended to improve the concentration of plasma 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D(3)), but had no effect on 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol in plasma or on cholecalciferol and 25(OH)D(3) in egg yolk. The present study shows that a short-term exposure of laying hens to UVB light is not an appropriate way to improve the vitamin D content of egg yolk.     

Enrichment of poultry products with omega3 fatty acids by dietary supplementation with the alga Nannochloropsis and mantur oil

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the efficiency of the microalga Nannochloropsis sp. (Nanno.), as a supplement to laying hens' diet, for the production of enriched eggs and meat with omega3 fatty acids (FA). Nanno. has a unique FA composition, namely, the occurrence of a high concentration of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5 omega3) and the absence of other omega3 FA. The effect of supplementing diets with Nanno. on omega3 FA levels in eggs, plasma, liver, and thigh muscle was compared to that of mantur oil, high in alpha-linolenic acid (LNA; 18:3 omega3). Nanno. is rich also in carotenoids, which may be useful for egg yolk pigmentation. The observed effect of Nanno. supplementation on yolk pigmentation was dose responsive, in both the rate of coloration and the color intensity. Addition of enzyme preparations (glucanase plus cellulase or glucanase plus pectinase) slightly elevated the yolk color score. The most prominent changes in the level of omega3 FA in egg yolk were evident when the diets were supplemented with 1% Nanno. or mantur lipid extracts. Levels of dietary algal meal (0.1-1.0%) had low and inconsistent effects on the level of yolk omega3 FA. Algal EPA is not accumulated in the liver or in the egg yolk; it is apparently converted and deposited as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). LNA from mantur oil was partially converted to DHA, and both DHA and LNA were deposited in egg yolks and livers. It is suggested that the absence of DHA and EPA from thigh muscle is due to the small amount of dietary omega3 FA used in this work, compared to other studies, and to the possibility that in laying hens the egg yolk has a priority on dietary FA over that of muscles.     

Deposition and depletion of five anticoccidials in eggs

Anticoccidials are compounds that are widely used as feed additives to prevent and treat coccidiosis. They are licensed for use in a prescribed concentration and during a certain time interval for broilers and pullets but not for laying hens. It was shown in the past that carry-over at the feeding mill is found to be the main reason for the presence of residues in eggs. An animal experiment was set up to investigate the effect of carry-over at the feeding mill on the presence of residues of anticoccidials in eggs. For the compounds diclazuril, robenidine, halofuginone and nicarbazin in combination with narasin, two concentration levels were tested: the maximum allowed concentration for broilers (100%) and a concentration corresponding to 5% carry-over during feed preparation. Also dimetridazole was included in the experiment but only at one concentration level. Eggs were sampled during treatment (14 days) and for a period of 30 days after withdrawal of the anticoccidial-containing feed. Residues were determined, and deposition and depletion curves were generated. Analyses were performed by ELISA and LC-MS/MS. For all compounds, substantial residues could be found in the 5% groups, which points out the risk of carry-over at the feeding mill. The distribution of the residues between egg yolk and white was determined by analyzing both fractions.     

华北地区蛋鸡养殖产业碳排放核算

华北地区是中国蛋鸡养殖的主要区域,摸清华北地区蛋鸡养殖产业碳排放清单,开展科学规范的蛋鸡养殖产业碳排放核算,可为中国畜牧业碳减排技术筛选和政策制定提供依据。该研究利用混合生命周期评价和联合国政府间气候变化专门委员会（intergovernmental panel on climate change,IPCC）国家温室气体清单指南的相关核算方法,结合实地调研数据、GABI 软件中Ecoinvent 数据库和中国蛋鸡养殖业文献Meta分析数据,对华北地区蛋鸡养殖产业碳排放因子进行完善,构建出“饲料种植-蛋鸡饲养-鸡蛋包装-粪污存储-粪污处理”全生命周期的蛋鸡养殖产业碳排放核算方法。并将该方法用在华北某区域362家蛋鸡养殖场,综合分析蛋鸡养殖产业链各环节碳排放量,找到目前存在的碳排放问题,并提出碳减排建议。结果表明：1）大规模养殖场每羽蛋鸡1 a的碳排放量（以二氧化碳当量计,CO2-eq）为23.0 kg,较小规模养殖场的25.6 kg和中等规模养殖场的24.4 kg少10.1%和5.7%。2）对每羽蛋鸡不同养殖环节1 a的碳排情况进行分析,发现饲料种植、蛋鸡肠道发酵、鸡蛋包装和粪便存储处理为主要排放源,排放量分别为13.0、2.2、2.2和1.2 kg 。3）建议通过精准饲养,提高饲料利用率、提升畜禽粪污的处理水平、打破蛋鸡养殖固化模式等方式减少蛋鸡养殖碳排放。该研究可为蛋鸡养殖产业碳排放核算提供方法,并为制定碳减排政策提供科学依据。