Ostrich Eggs Research Articles

Basket use, raw materials and arguments on early and Middle Holocene mobility in the Fayum, Egypt

The Fayum Neolithic is well-known because the earliest evidence to date for domesticated wheat and barley in Egypt is found in the Fayum depression, north of present day Lake Qarun. Here, in 1924 and 1925, Gertrud Caton-Thompson and Elinor Gardner identified two Neolithic settlements, which they named Kom K and Kom W. The evidence for early agriculture did not derive from these two settlements, however, but from a series of storage pits which Gardner found quite by accident on a high ridge, north of Kom K. What is less well-known is that apart from domesticated wheat and barley this area also yielded evidence for a well-developed basketry technology. Recent fieldwork by the URU Fayum Project (University of California, Los Angeles; Rijksuniversiteit Groningen; University of Auckland) has provided a wealth of new information on the material remains of the Fayum Neolithic including the plant fibre objects. While animal bones and ostrich egg shell have been preserved both on the surface and in stratified deposits, no animal fibre was found. The well-preserved basketry lined storage pits and their content have been used to argue that the Middle Holocene occupation in the Fayum was characterized by a sedentary society. Recent field work has shown that the basket-lined pits were sealed off in a manner that could have enabled long-term caching. This, as well as more recent insights that long term storage does not equal sedentism, leaves the question open the nature of mobility in which Fayum Neolithic society was involved. The question whether the type of materials, basketry techniques and employment can be used as indicators of a way of life, is addressed in conjunction with the results of the interdisciplinary research team as a whole.

Metabolic Activity of Boar Semen Stored in Different Extenders Supplemented with Ostrich Egg Yolk Lipoproteins.

IntroductionThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of lipoprotein fraction isolated from ostrich egg yolk (LPFo) on the metabolic activity of boar spermatozoa following liquid semen storage in different extenders and temperatures.Material and MethodsBoar ejaculates were extended in Androhep, Beltsville thawing solution (BTS), and Martín-Rillo and Alias (MR-A) without (control) or with the addition of LPFo and stored for three days at either 5°C or 16°C. The analysed sperm parameters included total motility (TMOT), plasma membrane integrity (PMI), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), oxygen consumption, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production.ResultsThe sperm metabolic activity seemed to be higher in the LPFo-based extenders following storage for three days, irrespective of the storage temperature. Compared with the LPFo-free extenders, significantly higher (P < 0.05) sperm PMI and MMP were observed in BTS and MR-A extenders supplemented with LPFo during storage for three days at 5°C. Spermatozoa stored in the BTS-LPFo extender exhibited higher (P < 0.05) TMOT and oxygen consumption, whereas higher (P < 0.05) PMI was observed in spermatozoa stored in Androhep-LPFo and MR-A-LPFo for three days at 16°C. No significant differences (P > 0.05) in ATP content were observed between the LPFo-free and LPFo-based extenders during storage.ConclusionsSupplementation of LPFo to semen extenders had varying effects on the metabolic activity of boar spermatozoa stored at different temperatures. It can be suggested that the interactions of various components of the extenders and seminal plasma with LPFo exert beneficial effects on the sperm metabolic activity during liquid storage of boar semen.

A Survey of Enterobacteriaceae and Resistance of Greater Rhea (Rhea Americana) Eggs to Experimental Contamination by Salmonella Enteritidis

Eggs have protective structures against possible contamination by bacteria and fungi. Pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella spp. are therefore rarely found in adequate sanitary conditions. Few studies about the contamination of ratite eggs have been reported, and although some studies have focused on ostrich eggs, there is no information about Greater Rhea ( Rhea americana) eggs. The microorganisms that contaminate ratite eggs do not differ from those that affect other bird species. The purpose of this study was to characterise contamination in 16 eggs, supplied by a commercial breeding facility, by Enterobacteriaceae contamination and to assess the in vitro resistance to experimental contamination by Salmonella Enteritidis using analytical tests following the guidelines of the Georgia Poultry Laboratory. These elements are critical to the storage period, quality and physicochemical parameters. The results revealed the presence of the genera Proteus, Klebsiella, Citrobacter and Enterobacter related to the location of nests. Greater Rhea eggs were also found to be highly resistant to experimental infection by Salmonella Enteritidis.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus) embryonic development from 7 to 42 days of incubation

ABSTRACT1. Hatching success of ostrich eggs is poor (50–60% of fertile eggs). The current study was designed to identify the timing of key stages in the development of the ostrich embryo.2. Growth of both embryo and wing length during 42 d of incubation was comparable and approximately linear, with a more or less weekly doubling in size up to 35 d of incubation.3. The embryo eye size increased more rapidly than beak length and reached a maximum of ~16.2 mm by 28 d of incubation, whereas beak length increased continuously until hatching at 42 d.4. Linear regression equations were derived from morphometric measurements of embryos between 7 and 42 d.5. Information stemming from these results can be used to estimate the age of dead-in-shell embryos in an attempt to identify timing of incubation problems that potentially result in low hatchability of fertile eggs.

Nature's technical ceramic: the avian eggshell.

Avian eggshells may break easily when impacted at a localized point; however, they exhibit impressive resistance when subjected to a well-distributed compressive load. For example, a common demonstration of material strength is firmly squeezing a chicken egg along its major axis between one's hands without breaking it. This research provides insight into the underlying mechanics by evaluating both macroscopic and microstructural features. Eggs of different size, varying from quail (30 mm) to ostrich (150 mm), are investigated. Compression experiments were conducted along the major axis of the egg using force-distributing rubber cushions between steel plates and the egg. The force at failure increases with egg size, reaching loads upwards of 5000 N for ostrich eggs. The corresponding strength, however, decreases with increasing shell thickness (intimately related to egg size); this is rationalized by a micro-defects model. Failure occurs by axial splitting parallel to the loading direction-the result of hoop tensile stresses due to the applied compressive load. Finite-element analysis is successfully employed to correlate the applied compressive force to tensile breaking strength for the eggs, and the influence of geometric ratio and microstructural heterogeneities on the shell's strength and fracture toughness is established.

Role of His101 in the Protein Folding/Unfolding of a Goose-Type Lysozyme from Ostrich (Struthio camelus) Egg White.

To understand the role of His101 in protein structure stabilization of goose-type (G-type) lysozyme, we conducted thermal unfolding/refolding experiments using native G-type lysozyme from ostrich egg white (nOEL), the recombinant G-type lysozyme (rOEL), and the mutant lysozyme, in which His101 is mutated to alanine (H101A-OEL). Thermal stability on lytic activity and in-gel refolding experiments provided similar profiles for all three OELs. Circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy was used to determine the secondary structure of three OELs as a function of temperature. Unfolding/refolding experiments (30-90°C) monitored by CD spectroscopy revealed an unfolding transition at 65-67°C and a complete refolding at almost the same temperature. Notably, a slightly lower thermal stability was observed for H101A-OEL, corresponding to the calculated difference in transition free energy of thermal unfolding (∆∆G m) between rOEL and H101A-OEL of -0.63kcal/mol. To assess the effects of H101A mutation on the electrostatic behavior, we examined the pH-activity profile of the three OELs. nOEL and rOEL exhibit bimodal relationship between pH and lytic activity showing optima at pH 3.0 and 7.0, while optima for H101A-OEL activity were pH 4.0 and 6.0. Electrostatic environment surrounding His101 was affected by the H101A mutation resulting in the slightly lower thermal stability.

External and internal characteristics of ostrich eggs from Dibete Ostrich farm.

30Sep 2016 External and internal characteristics of ostrich eggs from Dibete Ostrich farm. John Cassius Moreki , Gadzikanani Kgosana Majuta and James Buti Machete. Department of Animal Science and Production, Botswana University of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Private Bag 0027, Gaborone, Botswana.

Bioactive and ACE binding properties of three synthetic peptides assessed by various spectroscopy techniques

Abstract Peptides play an important role in metabolic regulation. In this study, one primary peptide derived from ostrich egg white protein hydrolysate and its truncated fragment and analogue were chemically synthesized. Peptide sequences were as follows: LTEQESGVPVMK (1317.54 Da, P1) with truncated fragment TEQESGVPVM (1076.187 Da, P2), and analogue TEQESGV H VM (1116.22 Da, P3). The antioxidant, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory, hemolytic activities and cytotoxicity of these peptides were investigated in vitro. The results showed that P3 has a potent antioxidant activity. The analogue peptide (P2) showed high efficiency for the inhibition of ACE (73% with IC 50 = 97 μg/mL). Fluorescence spectroscopic study of the interaction between the peptide and ACE showed that P2 had more affinity to ACE than P1 and P3. The results of circular dichroism (CD) showed that the significant conformation changes of ACE were related to P2 (unordered coil from 7.94 to 21.24%). Moreover, the synthetic peptides showed virtually no hemolytic activity and cytotoxicity against human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Our results suggested that truncate and a proline-to-histidine substitution in the sequence could be useful to increase the efficiency of bioactive peptide.

Effects of exposing ostrich eggs to doses of gamma radiation on hatchability, growth performance, and some blood biochemicals of hatched chicks.

Effects of radiating ostrich eggs before incubation on hatchability, growth performance, and some blood components of ostrich chicks were studied. 72 ostrich eggs were randomly distributed into four groups. The first group was kept without exposure to gamma radiation (control). The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th groups were exposed to 0.8, 1.6, and 3.2Gy, respectively, of 60Co gamma rays just before incubation. Total bacterial counts (×103CFU) were significantly increased with the increase in gamma radiation levels before incubation. Feed conversion was lower (P≤0.01) in the control group than those irradiated. Embryonic mortality rate (%), hatchability (%) and chick weight at hatch, body weight, daily body weight gain, feed consumption, and all of hematology parameters studied were insignificantly fluctuated with the doses of gamma rays used. Serum concentrations of total protein, albumen, globulin, glucose, and triiodothyronin of the chicks from eggs of the control and the 1st group were significantly the highest. Chicks of the control group had significantly the lowest values of serum concentrations of uric acid, creatinine, triglyceride, total cholesterol, ALT, and AST when compared with the other groups. In conclusion, radiation of ostrich eggs before incubation with a dose of 0.8Gy gamma has a stimulative effect upon the metabolism of hatched chicks.

Animal Exploitation and Behaviour of the Latest Middle Stone Age Societies in the Middle Nile Valley: Archaeozoological and Taphonomic Analysis of Late Pleistocene Fauna from the Affad Basin, Sudan

With the research on the issue in its initial phases, the behaviour and hunting strategies of MSA communities inhabiting the Nile Valley in the Late and Terminal Pleistocene have been fragmentarily recognised thus far. Osteological materials from the area of the Affad Basin in the Middle Nile Valley, recorded in archaeological contexts and dated to the sixteenth millennium BP using OSL methods, have significantly enhanced our knowledge in this regard. It is the first time that an opportunity has occurred to construct a reliable model of the environment exploitation and the behaviour of human groups producing lithic tools using Levallois methods in the Terminal Pleistocene. Archaeozoological analyses have allowed the identification of taxa, species and anatomical origin of remains and enabled the establishment of a database of osteometric measurements. The animals hunted in the Sudanese Nile Valley during the Terminal Pleistocene have been classified with a view to refer the data to the results of analogous studies on MSA in South Africa. The behaviour of the communities occupying the Affad Basin 15,000 years ago was connected to the environment of the tree-covered, swampy savannah and extensive backwaters. Medium-sized antelope (kobus) was hunted most often. People hunted also, albeit less frequently, for large ruminants (buffalo), guenons and large rodents. Remains of fish and mega-fauna (hippopotamus and elephant) have been found in isolated concentrations, away from the camp sites. Remains of molluscs or ostrich eggs have not been registered. The condition of the osteological materials, notably their anatomical distribution, is shown to have been largely affected by wetland environment, rich in iron and manganese.

Automatic Reassembly of Three-Dimensional Jigsaw Puzzles

In this paper, we present an effective algorithm for reassembling three-dimensional apictorial jigsaw puzzles obtained by dividing a curved surface into a finite number of interlocking pieces. As such, our algorithm does not make use of any picture or design that may be painted on the surface; nor does it require a priori knowledge of the overall shape of the original surface. A motivating example is the problem of virtually reconstructing a broken ostrich egg shell. In order to develop and test the algorithm, we also devise a method for constructing synthetic three-dimensional puzzles by randomly distributing points on a compact surface with respect to surface area measure, then determining the induced Voronoi tessellation, and finally curving the Voronoi edges by using Bezier curves with selected control points. Our edge-matching algorithm relies on the method of Euclidean signature curves. The edges of the puzzle pieces are divided into bivertex arcs, whose signatures are directly compared. The algorithm has been programmed in Matlab and is able to successfully reassemble a broad range of artificial puzzles, including those subjected to a reasonable amount of noise. Moreover, significant progress has been made on reassembly of the real-world ostrich egg data.

Biochemical characterization of a novel antioxidant and angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptide from Struthio camelus egg white protein hydrolysis

A peptide from ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg white protein hydrolysate (OEWPH) was purified, characterized, and its antioxidant and enzyme inhibitory properties were evaluated. The OEWPH was prepared using pepsin and pancreatin, and then fractionated using reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. The antioxidant activity of the WG-9 peptide was investigated based on its scavenging capacity for 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, 2,20-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), superoxide (O2•−), hydroxyl (OH•−), and lipid peroxidation inhibition. The angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity and kinetic parameters of the peptide were determined using N-[3-(2-Furyl)acryloyl]-L-phenylalanyl-glycyl-glycine (FAPGG) as a substrate. Tandem mass spectrometry analysis of the purified peptide revealed a sequence of WESLSRLLG (MW: 1060 Da; WG-9). This peptide inhibited linoleic acid oxidation and acted as a DPPH (IC50 = 15 ± 0.4 μg/mL), ABTS (IC50 = 130 ± 4.5 μg/mL), superoxide (IC50 = 160 ± 6.4 μg/mL), and hydroxyl (IC50 = 150 ± 6.7 μg/mL) radical scavenger. The ACE-inhibitory activity and kinetic parameters of the WG-9 peptide were determined, showing an ACE inhibitory activity with IC50 of 46.7 ± 1.4 μg/mL. The parameters of peptide/ACE interactions were investigated by molecule docking. Furthermore, viability assays showed that the identified peptide had no cytotoxicity against an HFLF-PI-5 cell line. In conclusion, the WG-9 peptide showed potent antioxidant and ACE-inhibitory activity.

A goose-type lysozyme from ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg white: multiple roles of His101 in its enzymatic reaction.

A goose-type lysozyme from ostrich egg white (OEL) was produced by Escherichia coli expression system, and the role of His101 of OEL in the enzymatic reaction was investigated by NMR spectroscopy, thermal unfolding, and theoretical modeling of the enzymatic hydrolysis of hexa-N-acetylchitohexaose, (GlcNAc)6. Although the binding of tri-N-acetylchitotriose, (GlcNAc)3, to OEL perturbed several backbone resonances in the (1)H-(15)N HSQC spectrum, the chemical shift of the backbone resonance of His101 was not significantly affected. However, apparent pKa values of His101 and Lys102 determined from the pH titration curves of the backbone chemical shifts were markedly shifted by (GlcNAc)3 binding. Thermal unfolding experiments and modeling study of (GlcNAc)6 hydrolysis using a His101-mutated OEL (H101A-OEL) revealed that the His101 mutation affected not only sugar residue affinities at subsites -3 and -2 but also the rate constant for bond cleavage. His101 appears to play multiple roles in the substrate binding and the catalytic reaction.

D’Alasia à Tartessos. Ivoires et autres matières dures d’origine animale

Antoine Hermary’s career throughout the Mediterranean inspired the authors to confront their point of view from Cyprus and Iberia, over a durée extending from the Late Bronze Age to the Archaic period, taking the case of ivory to highlight differences and similarities. The East and the West shared a marked taste for ivory and other related materials such as sea shells or ostrich eggs, to produce a large range of artefacts : pieces of furniture, chests and boxes, figurines, cosmetic instruments, elements of horse fittings and weapons. Debitage and decorative technique are compared, and the evidence for the existence of workshops is examined. The way a number of artefacts were “ translated” from one material to another, and produced in different materials of matching or opposed colours may account for the large geographic distribution of the so-called international style of the 2nd Millennium and the Orientalising period. The conclusion touches the question of the visual connexion between the decoration of small, portable artefacts and the ornaments of monumental architecture.

Ostrich (Struthio camelus ) Egg Embryonic Death During Artificial Incubation

Intensification of ostrich farming revealed that egg hatchability was remarkably lower than the wild. This review considers the factors leading to, as pertaining to the ostrich, egg and incubator. Ostrich genotype, age, season and congenital problems affect clutch and egg sizes and egg quality- fertility to lead a successful hatch. Egg treatment prior incubation can later reduce hatchability, affected by storage conditions and duration. Most detrimental factors lie in the incubator and hatcher management. Egg correct positioning and turning in the appropriate incubator humidity and temperature are likely to yield high hatch. Variability in egg size, shell quality, pore sizes and numbers govern the water loss and exchange of gases. The hatcher management is important when chicks need intervention. Dead-in-shell embryos, early or late were likely to be affected by all of the above factors plus egg microbial contamination or be merely nutritional.Int J Appl Sci Biotechnol, Vol 3(4): 566-578

An identified antioxidant peptide obtained from ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg white protein hydrolysate shows wound healing properties

Context: Ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg possesses a high amount of food proteins and thus plays an important role in nutrition.Objective: Ostrich egg white proteins were hydrolyzed with pepsin and pancreatin to examine its antioxidant properties and further characterized the most active peptide.Materials and methods: Ostrich egg white protein hydrolysate (OEWPH) was fractionized using reversed phase high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). The antioxidant activity of OEWPH and its HPLC fraction were investigated based on their scavenging capacity1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical, 2,2′-azinobis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) diammonium salt (ABTS), superoxide (), hydroxyl (OH•−) radicals, and Cu+2 chelating. In a wound healing assay, paravertebral excision (1 cm diameter) was made on the skin and the percentage of wound closure was measured at defined intervals (0, 3, 7, and 14 d).Results: A potent antioxidant peptide named DG-10 with the sequence DAESLSRLLG (MW: 1060.18 ± 0.5 Da) was identified from OEWPH. The peptide DG-10 showed DPPH (IC50 = 0.0085 mg/ml), ABTS•+ (IC50 = 0.56 mg/ml), superoxide (IC50 = 0.36 mg/ml), and hydroxyl (IC50 = 0.4 mg/ml) radical scavenger and copper chelating activity (IC50 = 0.28 mg/ml). In vitro cultured HFLF-pI 5, the cell model, also revealed that DG-10 could protect HFLF-pI 5 cells against H2O2-treated necrosis. Ointment composed of DG-10 peptide exhibited wound-healing properties on adult rats (Wistar strain). The percentage of wound closure in peptide-treated group was 98% by day 14.Discussion and conclusion: Our results suggested that DG-10 is a natural agent obtained from ostrich egg possessing considerable antioxidant and wound-healing properties.

Inscribed Ostrich Eggs at Berenike and Materiality in Ritual Performance

Inscribed Ostrich Eggs at Berenike and Materiality in Ritual Performance

America’s Birth Certificate: The Oldest Globular World Map: c. 1507

In 2012, a woodcut print for a c. 11 centimeter globe was discovered in an ancient volume in the University Library in Munich. This pivotal 1 million US$ globular world map, which only differs marginally from four other extant woodcut copies, attracted worldwide media attention. This discovery ignited the search for the date and the origin of an enigma in the form of an intricate secretive small Renaissance map. The aforementioned had been acquired inserted in a French adapted and unauthorised copy of the Introduction to Cosmography dated 1507 and printed in Lyon. The son of a Dutch American immigrant from Flusching, H. C. Kalbfleisch bought it in Paris in 1881 and brought it to New York. The author offers key evidence that this secretive map is an important misinterpreted and misdated cultural historical prototype which antedates five later woodcut copies: gores in Munich UB, Minnesota-Hauslab, Christie’s, SL Munich and Offenburg. He proves that its size and scale are inspired by a calculation of Leonardo da Vinci as described in one of his Codices, and applied on the 1504 Ostrich Egg globe discovered in London 2012. The research methodology used is stemmatics as developed by the German scholar K. Lachmann applied on ancient maps and the evaluation of the scientific aspects and architectural, historical and artistic design. Evidence was offered that the Introduction to Cosmography printed in France in which the engraved map was loosely inserted, together with two additional copper engravings, was printed prior to March 1508. The map research leads to the Benedictine monk and German cartographer, globe constructor and astrologist Donnus Nicolaus Germanus. The latter was the first who constructed a terrestrial and a celestial globe for the library of the Pope Pius IV. The two additional copper engravings lead to the Dutch born medical doctor and astrologer Guillelmus de Wissekerke, supplier of astrological instruments for French kings and the Duke of Milan. The artistic decorator for these copper engravings L. Boulengier was from the city of Albi in France, a possible key stepping-stone to the Papacy in Rome. The cathedral in Albi stood as an architectural symbol against the Cathars. Boulengier drew his inspiration from the Gothic flamboyant style of that world heritage cathedral in his home town Albi. He decorated these engravings on behalf of the powerful and art-loving Florimond de Robertet, Secretary of State for three subsequent French kings including King Francis I, 1515. Robertet was a client of Leonardo da Vinci. A date on two of the three artistic prints is a key date for the royalty of France. The French king Louis XII lost the succession of his House Valois-Orleans to the House of Valois-Angouleme after failing to produce a male heir to the throne. The author concludes that the small globular map naming America is America’s oldest Birth Certificate. A printed letter—early 1508—by Martin Waldseemuller provides the date. The small map precedes by more than eight years the large woodcut world map discovered in 1903 in Castle Wolfegg (Baden-Wurttemberg) by the Austrian Jesuit priest Dr. J. Fischer and which was sold to the Library of Congress, in 2001 for US $10 million. This research is a reappraisal. It is also a rebuttal of a misdirection in the history of science and a misleading error of 133 years ago. It combines medical, geographical, and cultural history of science. It leads the reader through Italian and French Renaissance and concentrates on aspects of architecture, map design, Leonardo da Vinci, French Royalty, and the early discovery of America. It offers a surprising ending leading to the city of New York, named Nouvelle-Angouleme in 1524.

Caracterização físico-química e microscópica de ovos desidratados de avestruz

Aproximadamente 20% dos ovos de avestruz são inférteis, podendo ser consumidos na alimentação humana. No entanto, seu elevado volume e perecebilidade indicam a necessidade de um processamento tecnológico adequado. Nesse sentido, objetivou-se determinar a composição química de ovos de avestruz in natura, bem como os parâmetros físicos, químicos e microscópicos dos ovoprodutos de avestruz, após desidratação. Determinou-se a composição química de ovos in natura de avestruz e de galinha. As claras, gemas e ovos integrais de avestruz foram fermentados e desidratados em mini spray-dryer. Após a desidratação, determinou-se o rendimento, composição e diâmetro de partículas dos ovoprodutos coletados em ciclone e na câmara do spray-dryer. A gema e a clara de ovos in natura de avestruz apresentaram maior teor proteico (respectivamente 15,21% e 11,54%) e lipídico (respectivamente 38,48% e 0,34%), em comparação aos ovos de galinha. As amostras coletadas do ciclone apresentaram menor percentual de umidade e melhor uniformidade no diâmetro de partículas. Os ovoprodutos de avestruz apresentaram rendimento, uniformidade e valor nutricional satisfatórios, demonstrando que a secagem por spray-dryer é mais uma alternativa para a conservação e aproveitamento desse alimento na alimentação humana.

The Influence of Biogenic and Synthetic Starting Materials on the Properties of Porous Hydroxyapatite Bioceramics

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of biogenic and synthetic starting materials on properties of porous hydroxyapatite (HAp) bioceramics. HAp powders were synthesized by modified precipitation method using biogenic calcium carbonates (ostrich (Struthio camelus) egg shells, hen (Gallus gallus domesticus) egg shells, snail (Viviparus contectus) shells) and synthetic calcium oxides (Sigma-Aldrich and Fluka). Specific surface area, molecular structure and morphology of obtained powders were determined. As-synthesized HAp powders had a varied specific surface area with a wide range from 83 to 150 m2g-1 depending on CaO source. Porous bodies of HAp were prepared by in situ viscous mass foaming with NH4HCO3 as pore forming agent. Foamed and dried green bodies were sintered at 1100 °C. The obtained bioceramics were investigated using Archimedes method, field emission scanning electron microscopy and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller method. There are considerable differences between porous HAp bioceramics structures prepared from different sources of CaO. The choice of starting material substantially affects the macro-and microstructure of prepared porous bioceramics.