Positive Control Diet Research Articles

Effects of reduced-protein diets with protease supplementation on growth, carcass yield, intestinal morphology, organ development, nutrient digestibility, and blood biochemical of broiler chickens.

This study was conducted to evaluate growth performance, carcass yield, intestinal morphology, organ development, nutrient digestibility, and blood biochemical parameters of broiler fed 1% reduced-protein diets with/without protease supplementation. A total of 1,120 one-day-old male broiler chickens with average initial body weight (BW), 46.45 ± 0.49 g, were divided into five groups with seven replications and 32 birds per replication. The treatment varied according to the protein and protease enzyme levels: positive control (PC), negative control (NC, PC with reduction of 1% protein), PC supplemented with 50 g/t protease (PC + 50), NC supplemented with 50 g/t protease (NC + 50), and NC supplemented with 100 g/t protease (NC + 100). The results showed that there was no significant effect of 1% reduced-protein diets, with or without protease on feed intake, final BW, average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, and nutrient digestibility. The changes in dietary protein level and supplementation of protease did not affect carcass yield, but significantly affected abdominal fat content, PC + 50 group had significantly lower abdominal fat content than NC-based diet including NC, NC + 50, NC + 100. Reduced-protein with protease supplementation strongly affected organ weight, especially on day 21: the pancreas was heavier in PC and NC + 50 group than other groups, spleen was heaver in NC group than in NC + 100 group, thymus was heavier in NC + 50 group than in PC, NC and NC + 100 group, small intestine was heavier in NC + 50 and NC + 100 group than in PC group, and large intestine was also heavier in NC + 50 group than in NC group. Villus height sampled at 35-d was significantly increased with protease supplement, and which was significantly higher in NC + 100 group than NC group. Regarding on blood metabolites, only urea and uric acid were affected by the reduction of dietary protein, broiler fed PC diet had higher urea and uric acid content than fed NC diet. In conclusion, supplementation of 50 g/t protease in 1% reduced-protein diets does not negatively affect on growth, nutrient digestibility, carcass yield, organ development, and blood metabolites. Moreover, supplementation of protease in low-protein diet could effectively promote organ development and benefit intestine morphology.

INFLUENCE OF DIETARY MORINGA OLEIFERA LEAF EXTRACT ON GROWTH PERFORMANCE, BLOOD PROFILE AND IMMUNE STATUS OF AFRICAN CATFISH (CLARIAS GARIEPINUS)

This study investigated the effects of Moringa oleifera leaf (MOL) extract on the performance and immune response of Clarias gariepinus challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila. Five diets containing 0 (positive control), 0.5, 1.0 or 2.0g MOL extract and 0.5g synthetic (negative control) / kg basal diets were formulated and fish were fed the formulated diets to apparent satiation twice daily for 56 days. Thereafter, fish were challenged with A. hydrophila through intraperitoneal injection. Blood samples were collected from the experimental fish before and after fish challenge for analyses of haematological, and biochemical parameters. The data obtained were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance at P < 0.05. Fish fed with 2.0 MOL g/kg diet had significantly higher weight gain, specific growth rate, and lower feed conversion ratio, compared to those fed the 2 control and other MOL-fortified diets. The red blood cell, white blood cell and lymphocyte counts were boosted significantly with increasing levels of MOL extract in the diet. The albumin in fish fed MOL-fortified and synthetic-based diets were significantly higher than the fish fed positive control diet, while alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase reduced in fish fed MOL-based diets. The fish fed diets fortified with 1.0 and 2.0g MOL showed enhanced respiratory burst, phagocytic activities and post-challenge survival than those fed the control diets. In conclusion, dietary MOL extract at 2.0g/kg inclusion significantly enhanced growth performance, the physiological status, and protection against A. hydrophila infection in C. gariepinus and hence the concentration is recommended for its production.
 Keywords: Blood profile, Clarias gariepinus, growth performance, immune response, Moringa oleifera extract.

Bioavailability of a novel rumen protected methionine supplement and its effect on milk production and body composition in dairy cows

Our objective was to evaluate the bioavailability of a rumen-protected Met product (EMT 3.4) using milk selenium (Se) marker method and its impact on milk production and body composition in dairy cows. Twelve multiparous Holstein cows (82 ± 27 days in milk, 38.7 ± 3.4 kg/d of milk; mean ± SD) were used in a replicated 3 × 3 Latin-square design with 21 d periods. Prior to the study, cows were fed Se-yeast for 2 wk to reach stable milk Se concentration. Treatments were 1; a negative control diet (NCT) providing 100% of the metabolizable protein (MP) requirement and 90% of the metabolizable Lys and Met requirements, 2; a positive control diet (PCT) providing 101% of the MP, and 110% of the Met and Lys requirements (Met supplied by Smartamine M, Adisseo), and 3; an experimental Met treatment (EMT; Met supplied by EMT 3.4, Ajinomoto Inc.) that was formulated to provide 101% of the MP, and 110% of the metabolizable Met and Lys requirements (AMTS.Cattle.Professional utilizing CNCPS 6.5.5 models). The NCT cows were not supplemented with additional Met or Lys, whereas supplemental Lys for both the EMT and PCT diets was supplied by Aji-Pro L (Ajinomoto). The PCT and EMT treatments decreased milk Se-to-N ratio (i.e. bioavailability; Se:N), by 11% and 9.5% respectively compared with NCT (P < 0.05). The PCT increased DMI and tended to increase milk yield compared to NCT and EMT. The PCT treatment increased yields of milk protein, solids, lactose, and milk lactose concentration compared to NCT and EMT treatments. The EMT treatment increased milk urea nitrogen (MUN) concentration compared with NCT and PCT. However, the potential for milk Se to be inconsistently diluted due to differences in MUN and DMI poses challenges with interpretation. The lack of measurable production responses when supplementing EMT compared to NCT, may indicate less bioavailable Met than the bioavailability calculation assumes.

A Novel Bacterial 6-Phytase Improves Growth Performance, Tibia Mineralization and Precaecal Digestibility of Phosphorus in Broilers: Data from Four Independent Performance Trials

A series of four broiler performance studies were conducted in different facilities to investigate the efficacy of a novel bacterial 6-phytase added at 500 FTU/kg diet on growth performance, bone mineralization and precaecal digestibility of phosphorus (pcdP) in broilers fed diets deficient in available P (avP) and calcium (Ca). The experimental design was the same for all studies, with each having three treatments: positive control (PC) diet formulated to meet or exceed the requirements of birds, negative control (NC) diet similarly reduced by 0.15% points in avP and Ca compared to the PC diet, and the NC diet supplemented with phytase (PHY) at 500 FTU/kg diet from 1 to 35 days of age. Body weight (BW) and feed intake were measured at 21 and 35 days of age, and average daily gain (ADG), average daily feed intake (ADFI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), BW gain-corrected-FCR (cFCR), mortality and European performance efficiency factor (EPEF) were calculated. Tibia dry matter, tibia ash content and pcd of P were measured at 21 days of age in all experiments. The analysis of the data from the four experiments showed that compared with birds fed the adequate-nutrient diet, birds fed the NC diet resulted in a decrease (p &lt; 0.05) in BW, ADG, ADFI and EPEF by 6.4, 6.3, 5.9 and 7.1%, respectively, and an increase in (p = 0.02) cFCR by 2.0%. The tibia dry matter and tibia ash content of these birds were also reduced (p &lt; 0.001) by 3.8 and 4.0% points, respectively. PHY diets improved (p &lt; 0.05) BW, ADG, ADFI, EPEF and cFCR by 8.0, 8.3, 7.3, 10.6 and 2.8%, respectively. Phytase addition at 500 FTU/kg diet also increased (p &lt; 0.001) the tibia dry matter and tibia ash content by 3.5 and 4.2% points, respectively. The pcd of P was improved (p &lt; 0.001) by 11.1 and 11.3% points, in comparison with NC and PC diets, respectively, when phytase was added. These performance parameters and tibia mineralization obtained with a diet supplemented with phytase were comparable to or better than the PC diet. The results demonstrated that avP and Ca could be lowered similarly by 0.15% points in broilers diets by using the new bacterial 6-phytase at 500 FTU/kg diet.

Effect of bocaiuva pulp oil supplementation of broiler chicken diets on growth performance and quality and oxidative stability of meat

We evaluated inclusion levels of bocaiuva (Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd.) pulp oil (BPO) in the diets of broiler chickens on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and quality and oxidative stability of meat. Broiler chickens (1,176) were randomly allocated to 7 treatments: a positive control (PC) with antibiotic (avilamycin); a negative control (NC) without performance enhancer; and 5 inclusion levels of BPO (100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 ppm) added to the NC diet, with 7 replications and 24 broiler chickens each. From 0 to 7 d, broiler chickens fed the PC diet (P = 0.013) and those that received the BPO-containing diets (P = 0.006), had greater weight gain compared to NC. From 0 to 42 d, broiler chickens that received BPO had worse feed conversion ratio compared to the PC diet (P = 0.033). There was a quadratic effect of the inclusion levels of BPO on wing yield, with a lower percentage predicted at the level of 217 ppm of BPO (P = 0.008). Broiler chickens that received diets containing BPO had lower breast yield when compared to the PC and NC (P = 0.033). The variable lightness (L*) at 15 min postmortem was influenced by BPO inclusion levels, with an increasing linear effect (P = 0.048). The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances content was higher in the meat samples analyzed after 20 d of storage, regardless of the inclusion level of BPO (P = 0.001). Bocaiuva pulp oil inclusion in broiler chicken diets increases body weight gain up to 7d. During the other rearing periods, the inclusion of BPO had little or no effect on growth performance. According to meat quality and lipid oxidation analyses, the antioxidant effect of BPO was not observed. In summary, bocaiuva pulp oil can be used in broiler chicken diets to replace performance enhancers up to d 7.

Effects of Different Doses of Multienzyme Supplementation on Growth Performance, Duodenal pH and Morphology, and Carcass Traits in Broilers Fed Diets with an Increasing Reduction in Energy.

This study evaluated the effects of supplementing different doses of a multienzyme (KZP) consisting of carbohydrases and a protease on growth performance, duodenal pH and morphology, and carcass traits in broilers fed diets with increasing reductions in energy. One thousand two hundred one-day-old broiler chicks were allocated to five dietary treatments with eight replicates of 30 birds each: a positive control diet formulated to meet Arbor Acres' nutritional requirements (PC); a negative control diet reformulated to 80 kcal/kg less than the apparent metabolizable energy (AME) of the PC (NC1); a negative control diet reformulated to 120 kcal/kg less than the AME of the PC (NC2); an NC1 diet supplemented with 300 g/t of KZP (NC1 + KZP300); and an NC2 supplemented with 500 g/t of KZP (NC2 + KZP500). Growth performance was measured throughout the study. At 35 days, 10 birds per treatment were randomly selected and euthanized for a carcass trait evaluation, and samples of the duodenum were collected for morphological examination and pH level determination. The final average body weight and feed conversion ratio were better (p < 0.05) for the broilers in the NC1 + KZP300 group compared to those in NC1, NC2 and NC2 + KZP500 groups and were similar to those of the PC birds (p > 0.05). Birds from the NC1 + KZP500 group showed a better (p < 0.05) final body weight and feed efficiency compared to the NC1 and NC2 groups. The villus height was greater (p < 0.05) for the PC and NC1 + KZP300 groups compared to the rest of the treatments. The crypt depth was longer (p < 0.05) for the NC1 and NC2 groups compared to the NC1 + KZP300 group. The supplementation of KZP to both the NC1 and NC2 diets reduced (p < 0.05) the abdominal fat %. This study demonstrates that supplementing energy-reduced diets with KZP improved performance in broiler chickens.

Winery by-products as a feed source with functional properties: dose–response effect of grape pomace, grape seed meal, and grape seed extract on rumen microbial community and their fermentation activity in RUSITEC

BackgroundGrape and winery by-products have nutritional values for cattle and also contain functional compounds like phenols, which not only bind to protein but can also directly affect microbiota and their function in the rumen. We characterized the nutritional and functional effects of grape seed meal and grape pomace as well as an effective dosage of grape phenols on ruminal microbiota and fermentation characteristics using a rumen simulation technique.ResultsSix diets (each n = 8) were compared including a control diet (CON, no by-product), a positive control diet (EXT, CON + 3.7% grape seed extract on a dry matter (DM) basis), two diets with grape seed meal at 5% (GS-low) and 10% (GS-high), and two diets with grape pomace: at 10% (GP-low) and 20% (GP-high), on a DM basis. The inclusion of the by-product supplied total phenols at 3.4%, 0.7%, 1.4%, 1.3%, and 2.7% of diet DM for EXT, GS-low, GS-high, GP-low, and GP-high, respectively. Diets were tested in four experimental runs. All treatments decreased ammonia concentrations and the disappearances of DM and OM (P < 0.05) compared to CON. EXT and GP-high lowered butyrate and odd- and branch-chain short-chain fatty acids while increased acetate compared to CON (P < 0.05). Treatments did not affect methane formation. EXT decreased the abundance of many bacterial genera including those belonging to the core microbiota. GP-high and EXT consistently decreased Olsenella and Anaerotipes while increased Ruminobacter abundances.ConclusionThe data suggest that the inclusion of winery by-products or grape seed extract could be an option for reducing excessive ammonia production. Exposure to grape phenols at a high dosage in an extract form can alter the rumen microbial community. This, however, does not necessarily alter the effect of grape phenols on the microbial community function compared to feeding high levels of winery by-products. This suggests the dominant role of dosage over the form or source of the grape phenols in affecting ruminal microbial activity. In conclusion, supplementing grape phenols at about 3% of diet DM is an effective dosage tolerable to ruminal microbiota.

Impact of Phytase Supplementation on Meat Quality of Heat-Stressed Broilers.

Heat stress (HS) is one of the most challenging stressors to poultry production sustainability. The adverse effects of HS range from feed intake and growth depression to alteration of meat quality and safety. As phytase supplementation is known to improve nutrient utilization and consequently growth, we undertook the present study to evaluate the effects of dietary phytase on growth and meat quality in heat-stressed broilers. A total of 720 day-old hatch Cobb 500 chicks were assigned to 24 pens within controlled environmental chambers and fed three diets: Negative Control (NC), Positive Control (PC), and NC diet supplemented with 2000 phytase units (FTU)/kg) of quantum blue (QB). On day 29, birds were exposed to two environmental conditions: thermoneutral (TN, 25 °C) or cyclic heat stress (HS, 35 °C, 8 h/d from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) in a 3 × 2 factorial design. Feed intake (FI), water consumption (WI), body weight (BW), and mortality were recorded. On day 42, birds were processed, carcass parts were weighed, and meat quality was assessed. Breast tissues were collected for determining the expression of target genes by real-time quantitative PCR using the 2-ΔΔCt method. HS significantly increased core body temperature, reduced feed intake and BW, increased water intake (WI), elevated blood parameters (pH, SO2, and iCa), and decreased blood pCO2. HS reduced the incidence of woody breast (WB) and white striping (WS), significantly decreased drip loss, and increased both 4- and 24-h postmortem pH. Instrumental L* and b* values were reduced (p < 0.05) by the environmental temperature at both 4- and 24-h postmortem. QB supplementation reduced birds' core body temperature induced by HS and improved the FCR and water conversion ratio (WCR) by 1- and 0.5-point, respectively, compared to PC under HS. QB increased blood SO2 and reduced the severity of WB and WS under TN conditions, but it increased it under an HS environment. The abovementioned effects were probably mediated through the modulation of monocarboxylate transporter 1, heat shock protein 70, mitogen-activated protein kinase, and/or glutathione peroxidase 1 gene expression, however, further mechanistic studies are warranted. In summary, QB supplementation improved growth performance and reduced muscle myopathy incidence under TN conditions. Under HS conditions, however, QB improved growth performance but increased the incidence of muscle myopathies. Therefore, further QB titration studies are needed.

In-feed Salmonella-specific phages alter the physiology, intestinal histomorphology, and carcass and meat quality parameters in broiler chickens

The use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGP) in broiler production leads to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens. To mitigate this challenge, biocontrol agents such as phages are being investigated as sustainable alternatives to AGP in commercial broiler production systems. This study aims to investigate the effect of different levels of an in-feed encapsulated Salmonella-specific phage cocktail (SPC) on various parameters, including growth performance, blood indices, carcass characteristics, intestinal histomorphology, and meat quality traits in broiler chickens. A total of 400-day-old Ross 308 male chicks (49.84 ± 1.03 g live weight) were reared on five experimental diets. The diets were formulated as follows: 1) a negative control diet without zinc bacitracin and SPC (NC), 2) a positive control diet with 0.5 g/kg zinc bacitracin but without SPC (PC), and 3) NC with 0.075 (SP75), 0.1 (SP100), and 0.175 g/kg SPC (SP175). During the feeding trial, phages were added on days 1 – 2; 11 – 12; 21 – 22; and 29 – 30 for the SPC treatments. Feed intake, bird weight, and blood parameters were determined during the feeding trial. Birds were slaughtered at the end of the feeding trial (5 weeks) to evaluate carcass characteristics, intestinal histomorphology, and meat quality traits. Five-week-old birds reared on SP100 had lower weight gains (555.7 g/bird) than those reared in the other treatment groups (p < 0.05). The inclusion of SPC in diets induced positive quadratic effects on overall feed intake (R2 = 0.169; p = 0.048) and meat chroma (R2 = 0.184; p = 0.024) but resulted in negative quadratic effects for breast weight (R2 = 0.418; p = 0.046) and linear effects for meat pH 1-h post-mortem (R2 = 0.161; p = 0.040) and proventriculus weight (R2 = 0.195; p = 0.024). A positive quadratic effect was noted for duodenal villus height (R2 = 0.935; p = 0.003), width (R2 = 0.882; p = 0.009), and area (R2 = 0.929; p = 0.001); jejunal villus height (R2 = 0.914; p = 0.001), width (R2 = 0.917; p = 0.002), area (R2 = 0.903; p = 0.001), and muscle thickness (R2 = 0.970; p = 0.001); ileal villus width (R2 = 0.747; p = 0.006), and crypt depth (R2 = 0.916; p = 0.001). Compared to the negative control, SPC induced positive changes in the jejunal and ileal villus height and VH:CD, however, this did not improve growth performance of broiler chickens. It can be concluded that periodic SPC inclusion has the potential to replace subtherapeutic antibiotic use in poultry production.

Effects of carbohydrase and phytase enzymes supplementation within low energy diets on performance and energy utilization of broiler chickens

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of different enzymes on the performance and gut morphology of broilers fed reduced energy diets, metabolizable energy values of reduced energy level diets. In experiment I - 1,120 male Cobb broilers, aged 1 to 42 days old, were used to evaluate performance parameters and gut morphology. Broilers were distributed into 7 treatments with 8 replicates of 20 broilers each. The treatments consisted of: T1 - positive control (PC) diet with 3050 kcal ME/kg; T2 - negative control (NC) diet with a reduction of 200 kcal ME/kg; T3 - NC + Carbohydrase I (100 g/ton endo-1,4-beta-mannanase); T4 - NC + Carbohydrase II (100 g/ton endo-1,4-beta-xylanase and endo-1,4-beta-glucanase); T5 - NC + phytase (50 g/ton phytase-6); T6 - NC + Carbohydrase II + phytase; T7 - NC + Carbohydrase I + Carbohydrase II + phytase. The evaluated variables were body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), villus height (VH), crypt depth (CD), and villus height: crypt depth ratio (VH: CD). In experiment II – 360 14-day-old broilers were distributed into six treatments with ten replicates of` six broilers each, to determine the apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and corrected for nitrogen balance (AMEn) of the diets. The same diets were used as treatments, excluding the PC. Comparing the treatments with the NC group, birds fed diets containing enzymes showed better BWG and FCR from 1 to 21 days old (P ≤ 0.05), and better FCR from 1 to 42 days (P ≤ 0.05). Additionally, the addition of Carbohydrase II and phytase promoted an increase in AME and AMEn of feed (P ≤ 0.05). Broilers fed with phytase showed higher VH when compared with the other treatments (P ≤ 0.05), whereas the treatments with phytase and Carbohydrases I, II, and phytase combination showed a better VH:CD (P ≤ 0.05). The inclusion of enzymes (carbohydrases and phytase) in broiler diets makes it possible to reduce feed energy levels without affecting performance parameters, AME corrected for nitrogen, and morphometry characteristics of the jejunum.

Effects of choline on the growth performance, antioxidant function and lipid metabolism in juvenile largemouth bass fed with high-fat diet

This study carried out an 8-week feeding experiment to evaluate the influence of dietary choline supplementation on the growth performance, antioxidant function and lipid metabolism in juvenile largemouth bass fed with high-fat diet. Accordingly, five experimental diets included the positive control diet (PC, 10% fat without choline supplementation), negative control diet (NC, 15% fat without choline supplementation) and high-fat diet (15% fat) supplemented with 0.3% (NC+CH0.3), 0.6% (NC+CH0.6) and 1.2% (NC+CH1.2) choline. The analyzed choline contents in experimental diets were 2.56, 2.61, 4.25, 6.58 and 9.89 g/kg, respectively. Accordingly, each experiment diet was randomly divided into 3 replicates containing 25 fish with 6.84 ± 0.01 g initial weight. Results showed that compared with the PC group, NC group decreased growth performance and increased viscerosomatic index and intraperitioneal fat ratio (P<0.05). Liver superoxide dismutase activity and serum total antioxidant capacity were decreased while serum malondialdehyde content was increased in NC group (P<0.05). NC group significantly increased lipid deposition, which was identified by increased lipid contents in the whole body especially back muscle and liver, liver fatty acids composition (16:1n-7, 18:1n-9, 20:1n-9,18:3n-3), hematological parameters (total cholesterol, triacylglycerol). Compared with NC group, dietary choline supplementation increased (P<0.05) growth performance and 6.58 mg/kg choline supplementation reached highest value. Liver n-3/n-6 PUFA, DHA/EPA contents and superoxide dismutase capacity were increased (P<0.05) while serum malondialdehyde content was decreased (P<0.05). 9.89 mg/kg choline supplementation increased expression levels of fatty acid synthase, acetyl-CoA carboxylase, elongase of very long-chain fatty acid 5 (elovl 5), Δ6 fatty acyl desaturase genes, while diet supplemented with 6.58 mg/kg choline increased levels of elovl 5 and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase genes (P<0.05). Our results concluded: (1) 8-week high-fat feeding induced growth suppression, lipid accumulation and oxidative damage in juvenile largemouth bass; (2): Appropriate choline supplementation could alleviate the growth suppression, oxidative damage and lipid accumulation induced by high fat diet, and recommended choline dosage in largemouth bass compound feed was 6.58 g/kg.

Supplementation of a Multi-Carbohydrase and Phytase Complex in Diets Regardless of Nutritional Levels, Improved Nutrients Digestibility, Growth Performance, and Bone Mineralization of Growing-Finishing Pigs.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary multi-enzyme (multi-carbohydrase and phytase complex, MCPC) supplementation on digestibility, growth performance, bone mineralization, and carcass yield and traits in growing-finishing pigs fed diets with adequate or deficient net energy (NE), amino acids (AA), calcium (Ca) and phosphorus (P) levels. A total of 576 crossbred [Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire)] barrows (~25 kg) were fed one of the six diets till live weight approached 130 kg. Basal diets included a positive control (PC), negative control 1 (NC1) and 2 (NC2), while another three diets were prepared by adding MCPC to the three basal diets. The final body weight was lower (p < 0.05) in NC2 than in NC1 and PC treatments, while overall feed intake and feed-gain ratio were higher (p < 0.05) in NC1 and NC2 than in PC treatment. The NC2 treatment showed lower (p < 0.05) carcass weight but higher (p < 0.05) lean meat percentage than the PC treatment. The apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of gross energy (GE), crude protein (CP) and AA was decreased (p < 0.05) or tended (p < 0.10) to decrease in NC1 and/or NC2 diets compared with a PC diet. MCPC supplementation improved (p < 0.05) AID of Ca, P and AA (Lys, Leu, Val, Phe, Gly, Tyr and Pro), apparent total-tract digestibility (ATTD) of GE, CP, bone strength, Ca, and P retention. In conclusion, MCPC supplementation improved nutrient digestibility, bone mineralization, and growth performance of fattening pigs, regardless of the nutritional level of the basal diet.

Effect of exogenus protease on performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal histomorphometric, meat quality characteristics, carcass yield in broilers fed low protein diets

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of increasing doses of protease on broilers from 1 to 42 days of age. A total of 1290 Ross AP broilers were used, distributed among five treatments: positive control diet, negative control diet (NC), NC + 50 ppm of protease, NC + 100 ppm of protease, and NC + 200 ppm of protease. Each treatment contained six replicates of 43 animals each. The inclusion of proteases in the diet had effects (P < 0.05) on body weight, feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion in the 12 to 21 day period; body weight, weight gain, and feed intake in the 29 to 42 day period; nutrient digestibility (energy metabolizability coefficient and crude protein at 28 days); and intestinal parameters (crypt and muscle width of jejunum and ileum at 28 days and villus length, crypt length, and jejunum thickness muscle layer at 42 days). These results indicate that the inclusion of protease in broiler feed can improve production parameters when the amount of crude protein in the diet is reduced.

Effect of Bacterial Phytase on Growth Performance, Nutrient Utilization, and Bone Mineralization in Broilers Fed Pelleted Diets.

The influence of a bacterial 6-phytase on growth performance, coefficient of apparent ileal digestibility (CAID) of nutrients, blood parameters, and bone mineralization in broilers was evaluated. A total of 630 one-day-old male broilers were allocated to 7 dietary treatments, including positive control (PC) diet containing dicalcium phosphate, the PC marginally reduced in available P (avP) by 0.1% and calcium (Ca) by 0.2% vs. PC (NC1) or moderately reduced by 0.15 and 0.3% vs. PC (NC2), respectively, and four further diets comprising the NC1 and NC2 supplemented with 500 or 1000 FTU/kg of phytase in starter and finisher phases. A constant Ca to avP ratio was maintained across all diets. The body weight gain (BWG) and feed per unit gain (FCR) of birds fed NC1 and NC2 diets supplemented with phytase (500 and 1000 U/kg) was equivalent to that of birds fed the PC diet at 35 days. Phytase supplementation in the NC1 diet linearly increased the CAID of nitrogen (N) (p < 0.01), phosphorus (P) (p < 0.01), and Ca (p < 0.05). Additionally, phytase reduced (p < 0.01) excreta P concentration by approximately 27%, improved (p < 0.001) toe ash, and tended to increase tibia ash (p = 0.08), comparable with the PC. In conclusion, the addition of bacterial 6-phytase dosed in the range of 500-1000 FTU/kg was effective in replacing 1.5 g/kg avP and 3 g/kg Ca in broilers fed pelleted diets, using bone quality, BWG, and FCR as outcome measures.

Ganoderma lingzhi culture enhance growth performance via improvement of antioxidant activity and gut probiotic proliferation in Sanhuang broilers.

The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Ganoderma lingzhi culture (GLC) as a fermented feed on growth performance, serum biochemical profile, meat quality, and intestinal morphology and microbiota in Sanhuang broilers. In addition, the association between gut bacteria and metabolites was investigated via untargeted metabolomic analysis. A total of 192 Sanhuang broilers (112 days old) with an initial body weight of 1.62 ± 0.19 kg were randomly allocated to four treatments, six replicate pens per treatment with 8 broilers per pen. The four treatments contain a control diet (corn-soybean meal basal diet, CON), a positive control diet (basal diet + 75 mg/kg chlortetracycline, PCON), and the experimental diets supplemented with 1.5 and 3% of GLC, respectively. The trial includes phase 1 (day 1-28) and phase 2 (day 29-56). The results showed that broilers in PCON and GLC-added treatments showed a lower FCR (P < 0.05) in phase 2 and overall period and a higher ADG (P < 0.05) in phase 2. On day 56, the concentrations of serum SOD (P < 0.05), and HDL (P < 0.05) and cecal SCFA contents (P < 0.05) were increased in broilers fed GLC diets. Broilers fed GLC also showed a higher microbiota diversity and an elevated abundance of SCFA-related bacteria in the caecum. The association between intestinal bacteria and metabolites was investigated via correlation analysis. The differential metabolites in the caecum, such as L-beta-aspartyl-L-aspartic acid and nicotinamide riboside, were identified. In summary, dietary GCL supplementation could increase growth performance to some extent. Moreover, GLC might benefit broilers' health by improving serum HDL content, antioxidant status, SCFAs contents, bacterial diversity, and probiotic proliferation in the caecum.

Performance and meat quality of broiler chickens fed diets containing hydroethanolic extract of guavira seed or peel

The dietary inclusion of hydroethanolic extract of guavira seed or peel was evaluated on broiler performance, intestinal morphometry, carcass yield, and meat quality. A total of 1,680 male chicks, one day old, were distributed in a 2×5+2 factorial design (hydroethanolic extract of guavira seed (HEGS) or hydroethanolic extract of guavira peel (HEGP); 100; 200; 300; 400 and 500 mg/kg of inclusion and a positive control (PC) with antibiotics and negative control (NC) without growth promoter), with seven replicates and 20 birds each. A better feed conversion ratio (FCR) was observed from days 1–7 and days 1–21 on the PC diet than on the NC diet. FCR from 1–7d of broilers on PC was better than those on HEGS or HEGP, and this better FCR was maintained until 21 d for the HEGS treatment. The HEGP diet showed lower average feed intake and better FCR for the total period compared to NC diets. Higher carcass yield and a higher L15 value for breast meat was observed in the HEGP group compared to HEGS. Broilers fed the PC diet showed a higher a* value 15 min and 24 h postmortem, higher water retention capacity in breast meat compared to birds fed HEGS, and a higher value of a* 24 h postmortem than those receiving NC. The inclusion of 100 to 500 mg/kg of HEGP or HEGS did not improve performance, intestinal morphometry, and carcass characteristics when compared to the performance-enhancing antibiotic. However, the HEGP diet provided better performance of broilers than the non-use of growth promoter additives in the diet.

Asteraceae Seeds as Alternative Ingredients in a Fibre-Rich Diet: Protein Quality and Metabolic Effects in Rats.

We verified whether milk thistle seeds and pot marigold seeds provided valuable components for a fibre-rich diet and how their addition affected body composition, nitrogen balance and lipid metabolism in rats. Growing rats were fed a control diet (5% fibre) or three fibre-rich diets (24% fibre), which contained cellulose as the sole source of fibre (24%; positive control), milk thistle seeds (32%) or pot marigold seeds (39%). All diets were balanced in macronutrients, including total protein content (9%), which was half of the amount recommended for rats to maximise protein absorption and utilisation, and the ratio of plant protein to animal protein (approx. 1:1). After 4 weeks, dietary pot marigold seeds reduced body weight gain, which translated into lower gains of body fat and lean mass in rats (all at p ≤ 0.05). Protein digestibility differed among individual fibre-rich diets (p ≤ 0.05), with the lowest result having been recorded for dietary pot marigold seeds (73%), followed by dietary milk thistle seeds (78%), and the highest result having been recorded for dietary soybean protein isolate (control protein source, 89%). Nitrogen retention was higher with dietary soybean protein isolate (53%) and dietary milk thistle seeds (47%) than with dietary pot marigold seeds (38%) (p ≤ 0.05). In the caecal digesta, the concentrations of the major short-chain fatty acids were almost or >2-fold higher after dietary milk thistle seeds and pot marigold seeds than after the positive control diet (all at p ≤ 0.05). Dietary pot marigold seeds enlarged the liver and increased the plasma activities of liver enzymes but reduced hepatic lipid contents (all at p ≤ 0.05). Certain Asteraceae seeds provide components of varied nutritional quality, with milk thistle seeds being a relatively good source of protein and both types of seeds being a source of fermentable fibre. Pot marigold seeds have potential anti-obesogenic effects, but with the risk of damaging internal organs.

Passion fruit peel and its zymolyte enhance gut function in Sanhuang broilers by improving antioxidation and short-chain fatty acids and decreasing inflammatory cytokines

The passion fruit peel (PFP) is the by-product of juice processing and is rich in phenolic compounds and dietary fibers. As the high ADF content in PFP (34.20%), we proceeded to treat PFP with cellulase. The ADF decreased to 16.70% after enzymatic processing, and we supposed that enzymolytic passion fruit peel (EPF) should have a greater growth performance than PFP to broilers. Two trials were conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary PFP or EPF supplementation on growth performance, serum biochemical indices, meat quality, and cecal short-chain fatty acids, microbiota, and metabolites in broilers. In Exp. 1, 180 1-day-old Sanhuang broilers (male, 36.17 ± 2.47 g) were randomly allocated into 3 treatments, with 6 replicates in each treatment. The 3 experimental diets included 1 basal diet (control) and 2 PFP-added diets supplemented with 1 and 2% PFP, respectively. The trial lasted for 42 d. In Exp. 2, 144 Sanhuang broilers (male, 112-day-old, 1.62 ± 0.21 kg) were randomly allocated to 3 treatments. Each treatment was distributed among 6 pens, and each pen contained 8 broilers. The 3 treatment diets included: a control diet, a positive control diet supplementing 75 mg/kg chlortetracycline, and the experimental diet supplementing 3% EPF. The trial lasted for 56 d. Results showed that dietary 1 and 2% PFP addition did not affect growth performance in Exp. 1, and the 3% EPF supplementation had a negative effect on ADFI (P < 0.05) in Exp. 2. A decreased serum triglyceride (P < 0.05) in broilers was observed in Exp. 1. Broilers fed EPF had a higher glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) (P < 0.05), and lower levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) (P < 0.05) and glucose (P < 0.05) in Exp. 2. We also found that broilers from PFP or EPF-treated treatments had an increased butyrate content and higher microbial diversity in the cecum. The effects of antioxidation, anti-inflammatory function, and elevated SCFAs were confirmed after the microbe and untargeted metabolomic analysis. Dietary EPF supplementation significantly increased the SCFA-generating bacteria, anti-inflammatory-related bacteria, the antioxidant-related and anti-inflammatory-related metabolites. Moreover, dietary 3% EPF addition positively affects the biosynthesis of phenylpropanoids, which strongly correlate with the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. In conclusion, the proper addition level did not affect the growth performance, and the PFP and EPF could improve the antioxidation state, anti-inflammatory activity, and intestinal functions of Sanhuang broilers to some extent.

Effects of supplemental octanoate on hepatic lipid metabolism, serum biochemical indexes, antioxidant capacity and inflammation-related genes expression of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) fed with high soybean oil diet.

Dietary high soybean oil (SO) levels might cause hepatic lipid deposition, induce oxidative stress and inflammatory response in aquatic animals, while octanoate (OCT) is beneficial to metabolism and health in mammals. However, the effect of OCT has been studied rarely in aquatic animals. In this study, a 10-week feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effect of supplemental OCT on hepatic lipid metabolism, serum biochemical indexes, antioxidant capacity and inflammatory response of large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) fed with high SO levels diet. The negative control diet contained 7% fish oil (FO), while the positive control diet contained 7% SO. The other four experimental diets were supplemented with 0.7, 2.1, 6.3 and 18.9 g/kg sodium octanoate (OCT) based on the positive control diet. Results showed that OCT supplementation effectively reduced the hepatic crude lipid, triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and non-esterified free fatty acids contents, and alleviated lipid accumulation caused by the SO diet. Meanwhile, OCT supplementation decreased the serum TG, TC, alanine transaminase, aspartate transaminase and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, increased the serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level, improved the serum lipid profiles and alleviated hepatic injury. Furthermore, with the supplementation of OCT, the mRNA expression of genes related to lipogenesis (acc1, scd1, fas, srebp1, dgat1 and cebpα) and fatty acid (FA) transport (fabp3, fatp and cd36) were down-regulated, while the mRNA expression of genes related to lipolysis (atgl, hsl and lpl) and FA β-oxidation (cpt1 and mcad) were up-regulated. Besides that, dietary OCT increased the total antioxidant capacity, activities of peroxidase, catalase and superoxide dismutase and the content of reduced glutathione, decreased the content of 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine and malondialdehyde and relieved hepatic oxidative stress. Supplementation of 0.7 and 2.1 g/kg OCT down-regulated the mRNA expression of genes related to pro-inflammatory cytokines (tnfα, il1β and ifnγ), and suppressed hepatic inflammatory response. In conclusion, supplementation with 0.7-2.1 g/kg OCT could reduce hepatic lipid accumulation, relieve oxidative stress and regulate inflammatory response in large yellow croaker fed the diet with high SO levels, providing a new way to alleviate the hepatic fat deposition in aquatic animals.

Individual and Combined Effects of a Direct-Fed Microbial and Calcium Butyrate on Growth Performance, Intestinal Histology and Gut Microbiota of Broiler Chickens

This study evaluated the effects of a Bacillus direct-fed microbial and microencapsulated calcium butyrate fed individually and in combination, as compared to an antibiotic growth promoter, on growth performance, processing characteristics, intestinal morphology, and intestinal microbiota of Ross 708 broilers reared from 0 to 47 d post-hatch. Dietary treatments included: (1) a negative control with no antimicrobial (NC), (2) a positive control diet containing bacitracin methylene disalicylate (PC), (3) a diet containing a Bacillus direct-fed microbial (CS), (4) a diet containing microencapsulated calcium butyrate (BP), and (5) a diet containing both CS and BP. Treatments were replicated with 10 pens of 20 birds each. From 0 to 15 d post-hatch, the FCR of broilers fed the PC, CS, BP, and CS + BP diets were lower (p &lt; 0.05) than those fed the NC diet, but treatment effects (p &gt; 0.05) were not observed on subsequent performance. BP supplementation improved (p &lt; 0.05) total breast meat weight and yield at processing. Intestinal histology was not influenced (p &gt; 0.05) by the treatment. Analysis of the jejunal microbiota collected at 15 d post-hatch revealed that the genus SMB53 was significantly lower for the CS group, and Sporanaerobacter was lower in the CS and CS + BP groups compared with the NC (p &lt; 0.05). The jejunal microbiota from broilers in the CS + BP group had higher (p &lt; 0.05) alpha and beta diversities compared with broilers fed the NC and CS diets. The results reflected synergistic effects between CS and BP in modulating the jejunal microbiota at 15 d that may have been related to enhanced feed efficiency (i.e., lower FCR) observed during this period.