Charcoal Supplementation Research Articles

Mitigating pb toxicity in Sesbania sesban L. through activated charcoal supplementation: a hydroponic study on enhanced phytoremediation

BackgroundSoil contamination by heavy metals is a critical environmental challenge, with Pb being of particular concern due to its propensity to be readily absorbed and accumulated by plants, despite its lack of essential biological functions or beneficial roles in cellular metabolism. Within the scope of phytoremediation, the use of plants for the decontamination of various environmental matrices, the present study investigated the potential of activated charcoal (AC) to enhance the tolerance and mitigation capacity of S. sesban seedlings when exposed to Pb. The experiment was conducted as a factorial arrangement in a completely randomized design in hydroponic conditions. The S. sesban seedlings were subjected to a gradient of Pb concentrations (0, 0.02, 0.2, 2, and 10 mg/L) within the nutrient solution, alongside two distinct AC treatments (0 and 1% inclusion in the culture media). The study reached its conclusion after 60 days.ResultsThe seedlings exposed to Pb without AC supplementation indicated an escalation in peroxidase (POX) activity, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, signaling an increase in oxidative stress. Conversely, the incorporation of AC into the treatment regime markedly bolstered the antioxidative defense system, as evidenced by the significant elevation in antioxidant capacity and a concomitant reduction in the biomarkers of oxidative stress (POX, ROS, and MDA).ConclusionsWith AC application, a notable improvement was observed in the chlorophyll a, total chlorophyll, and plant fresh and dry biomass. These findings illuminate the role of activated charcoal as a viable adjunct in phytoremediation strategies aimed at ameliorating heavy metal stress in plants.

Activated Charcoal Affects the Bioavailability of Cyanide in Weaned Pigs: Growth Performance, Nutrient Retention and Cyanide Degradability in Various Segments of the Gastro-Intestinal Tract

Sixty-four weaned pigs (Large White-Landrace, age = 8 weeks) were assigned to eight groups with eight pigs per group, and each pig was a replicate. A set of four diets formulated, contained cassava root meal (CRM) at 0%, 25%, 50% and 75% replacing maize such that they were without activated charcoal while the next set of four diets had activated charcoal (AC) at 40g/kg diet as a supplement. Thus, making eight diets. The experiment was a 2 x 4 factorial arrangement in a completely randomised design. The result indicated that the interaction effect differs significantly (p< 0.05) for Live Weight (LW), Daily Weight Gain (DWG), Daily Feed Intake (DFI), Feed-Gain ratio (F:G) and Hydrogen Cyanide (HCN) intake. Diets with activated charcoal supplementation (ACS) differed significantly (p<0.05) for LW such that the control group had a higher value (29.06kg) which is similar to that of groups 2 (28.25kg) and 3(28.63kg). Diets with ACS (0% and 50% CRM) for DWG recorded the highest value (0.35kg/day) (p<0.05). The least F:G was observed in diet with 50% CRM with ACS. Cyanide intake increased with increasing CRM with or without AC supplementation. Apparent digestibility of CP, EE, CF, NFE and HCN were significantly affected (p<0.05) (i.e by both varying levels of CRM and activated charcoal supplementation) except for nitrogen-free-extract at 25% CRM level where charcoal supplementation had no effect. Digestibility of HCN improved significantly (<0.05) across the CRM levels. The interaction effects of CRM and ACS differ (p<0.05) for cyanide degradability in the stomach, caecum and large intestine. It can be concluded that weaned pigs fed 50% CRM with ACS had higher DWG and F:G. Diets without ACS had significantly better nutrient digestibility at 0% level (control) except for CP and ash at 50% CRM. ACS significantly (p<0.05) influenced HCN degradability but more in the stomach and caecum at 25% CRM level. For improved weight and feed conversion, 50% CRM replacement for maize with ACS is recommended.

In vitro cloning of Bambusa vulgaris Schrad. ex J. C. Wendl.: Effect of culture systems, sucrose and activated charcoal supplementation

Fast-growing forest species with multiple uses, like bamboo, have aroused interest for their silvicultural applications. Bamboo species are a valuable source of renewable raw material, and Bambusa vulgaris is an economically important species. However, there are limitations to large-scale cloning of adult-selected genotypes. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro cloning of Bambusa vulgaris in different culture systems, sucrose and activated charcoal supplementation by the inter-simple-sequence repeat (ISSR) molecular markers. In vitro bud multiplication and shoot elongation were evaluated in three cultivation systems: semi-solid and liquid culture media, and temporary immersion bioreactor (TIB). The sucrose concentrations, 0 and 30 g L−1 were evaluated in the stages. Both the culture media were supplemented with 2.0 mg L−1 benzylaminopurine (BAP) and 0.5 mg L−1 α-naphthalene acetic acid (NAA). The absence and presence of activated charcoal (100 mg L−1) were evaluated in the in vitro rooting. MS culture medium was supplemented with 2 mg L−1 indole-3-butyric acid (IBA), 1.0 mg L−1 NAA, and 0.5 mg L−1 BAP. Semi-solid culture medium supplemented with 30 g L−1 of sucrose presented superior emission of bud per explant. Liquid culture medium supplemented with 30 g L−1 of sucrose presented the most elongated shoots. Activated charcoal in the culture medium did not influence the adventitious rooting. Micropropagated plants showed genetic fidelity and were clones of the adult selected plant.

Consequences of supplementing duck's diet with charcoal on carcass criteria, meat quality, nutritional composition, and bacterial load

The influence of charcoal as feed additives on carcass and meat characteristics was studied in 144 four weeks old Muller ducks. The experimental ducklings were assigned to six groups of 24 birds (Eight per replicates each). The dietary treatments contained 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5% charcoal for G1 (C), G2 (L1), G3 (L2), G4 (L3), G5 (L4) and G6 (L5), respectively. All experimental birds were raised under similar environmental and managerial conditions. Results indicated that charcoal did not affect most carcass traits significantly except for dressing percentage was higher (P < 0.05) in 1.5 and 2 % charcoal included ducks diets compared to control ducks. Charcoal supplementation significantly affected duck meat tenderness, juiciness and water holding capacity. Moreover, charcoal altered (P < 0.05) meat components such as crude protein, calcium components, desirable fatty acids, nutritional value and some bacterial counts. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances reduced in birds fed charcoal at 1.5, 2, and 2.5%, with significant variation among treatments. No significant differences in the number of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were detected among the ducks fed with charcoal and the control group. It could be concluded that charcoal could be included in ducks' diets at 1.5 and 2% with beneficial effects on carcass parameters.

Addition of Bamboo Charcoal to Selenium (Se)-Rich Feed Improves Growth and Antioxidant Capacity of Blunt Snout Bream (Megalobrama amblycephala).

Simple SummaryIn our previous studies, we determined that juvenile blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) require a selenium (Se) dietary intake of 0.958–0.959 mg/kg based on the quadratic fitting method. Nevertheless, growth rates were significantly affected, and the expression of anti-inflammatory factors was inhibited when the feed contained excessively high Se concentrations. Given its activity as an insoluble carrier, bamboo charcoal can be used as a dietary supplement in fish feed to absorb and slowly release excess nutrients. However, these hypotheses have not been evaluated in diets containing excess Se. The present study determined that 2–3 g/kg bamboo charcoal inclusion in Se-rich feed could improve the growth performance of blunt snout bream. Dietary bamboo charcoal supplementation mobilized the antioxidant system and inhibited the inflammatory response by activating Nrf2-Keap1 signaling while suppressing NF-κB signaling.The ability of bamboo charcoal to reduce the negative effects of high dietary selenium (Se) concentrations was assessed by feeding juvenile blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala) one of five Se-rich diets (1.5 mg/kg Se; 36% protein, 8.7% lipid) containing graded levels (0–4 g/kg) of bamboo charcoal powder for eight weeks. There were four tanks (350 L) of fish (initial weight 16.0 ± 0.5 g) for each treatment, and the fish were fed to satiation four times each day. At the end of the feeding trial, all of the fish from each tank were weighed to calculate the growth performance. Blood samples were firstly obtained to collect plasma for the biochemical indexes determination. Liver tissues were then collected to determine the antioxidant enzyme activities and gene expression. Dorsal muscles were also collected to determine the nutrient composition. The results show that when the bamboo charcoal content in the Se-rich feed ranged between 0 and 3 g/kg, the weight growth rate (WGR) and specific growth rate (SGR) values increased with the higher dietary bamboo charcoal content, and the maximum WGR and SGR values were achieved when the bamboo charcoal content in the Se-rich feed was 2–3 g/kg (p < 0.05). The Se content in muscle tissues decreased significantly with the increased bamboo charcoal content (p < 0.05) in the Se-rich feed, which ranged from 0 to 4 g/kg. When the bamboo charcoal content in the Se-rich feed was 2–3 g/kg, the levels of glucose (GLU) and albumin (ALB) in plasma reached a maximum (p < 0.05), whereas the level of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) reached a minimum (p < 0.05). Additionally, the activities of catalase (CAT), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), total antioxidative capacity (T-AOC), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) were significantly enhanced (p < 0.05) when the bamboo charcoal content was 3 g/kg. In contrast, the malondialdehyde (MDA) level increased sharply when the bamboo charcoal content in the Se-rich feed was 1 g/kg, compared to the control group and the groups supplemented with 2–3 g/kg bamboo charcoal (p < 0.05). Regarding mRNA-level gene expression, the results show that dietary supplementation with 0 to 3 g/kg of bamboo charcoal increased the expression of keap1 and nrf2, whereas nfkb expression was inhibited (p < 0.05). The mRNA expression of the antioxidant enzymes cat, gpx, and mn-sod was consistently enhanced in the group fed with the 3 g/kg bamboo charcoal diet (p < 0.05). The expression of the pro-inflammatory cytokines tnfα and tgfβ was inhibited in the groups supplemented with 2–3 g/kg bamboo charcoal, whereas the expression of anti-inflammatory cytokines (il10) increased in the bamboo charcoal supplementation groups compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Generally, supplementation with 2–3 g/kg of bamboo charcoal in Se-rich feed improved the growth performance, physiological status, and antioxidant enzyme activities of blunt snout bream. Moreover, bamboo charcoal supplementation in Se-rich diets stimulated the antioxidant system and inhibited the inflammatory response by activating Nrf2-Keap1 and suppressing NF-κB.

Effects of Enriched Charcoal as Permanent 0.2% Feed-Additive in Standard and Low-Protein Diets of Male Fattening Turkeys: An On-Farm Study.

Simple SummaryImproving animal welfare, animal health and environmental issues is important in modern animal farming. In fattening of male turkeys, footpad dermatitis is a very frequent problem. Reducing faecal moisture is one way of controlling one source of footpad dermatitis. Therefore, in the present study, conducted under on-farm conditions, we added 0.2% enriched charcoal (known as a household remedy in therapy of diarrhoea and microbial imbalances) to the diet. Additionally, in a second experiment, the protein content of the diet was reduced by 1% from weeks 6–13 of life to slow down the growth rate and to reduce nitrogen in the litter. Three farms were visited four times during the fattening period to collect data on the birds. The charcoal-supplemented diet showed no effects on the performance of the birds or the examined health parameters. The protein-reduced and charcoal-supplemented diet did not influence the final bodyweight or the footpad status but reduced the mortality during the fattening period by 0.5%. In conclusion, enriched charcoal as 0.2% feed additive does not improve animal health, welfare or performance. Hence, a diet with temporarily reduced protein shows beneficial effects on the mortality rate and has no negative influence on the final body weight.Wet litter is the most important cause of footpad dermatitis in poultry, this in turn being a highly relevant animal-related welfare indicator. This field study was subdivided into two experiments. In Experiment 1, the standard diet was supplemented by 0.2% enriched charcoal, being a non-specific absorber and therefore might be promising in reducing faecal moisture. In Experiment 2, the experimental group received a reduced crude protein diet during weeks 6–13, combined with a 0.2% enriched charcoal supplementation. The trials were each conducted with two batches on three farms under on-farm conditions. The animals were observed at 6, 10, 14 and 18 weeks of age to collect data on body weight and different health parameters. The mortality and litter samples were analysed after slaughtering. In Experiment 1, performance and health were not affected despite higher dry matter content of the litter. In Experiment 2, the weight of birds receiving the protein-reduced diet was decreased significantly throughout the experiment. However, the slaughter weight did not differ. The mortality was reduced by 0.5% in the experimental group. Therefore, it was concluded that 0.2% of enriched charcoal is not a valuable feed-additive regarding animal health, while temporary protein reduction might have positive effects.

The effect of activated charcoal supplementation on digestibility of horse feed

In recent years there has been a dramatic increase in human exposure to various genotoxic agents, such as ultraviolet light, ionizing radiation, or air, water and food pollutants. Continuous impaired genomic stability is known to cause the mutations that are actively involved in many pathological processes including cancer. A wide array of phytochemicals have been reported to exert genoprotective effects that are mainly related to their antioxidant potential. This chapter discusses the antigenotoxic properties of some nonphenolic phytochemicals, such as organosulfur compounds, terpenoids, and polysaccharides. It does so in terms of study type, mechanisms of activity, structure–activity relationships, and their clinical significance.

The effect of dietary bamboo charcoal supplementation on growth and serum biochemical parameters of juvenile common carp (Cyprinus carpioL.)

The effect of dietary bamboo charcoal supplementation on growth and serum biochemical parameters of juvenile common carp (<i>Cyprinus carpio</i>L.)

A rapid and efficient in vitro regeneration system for lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.)

BackgroundSuccessful biotechnological improvement of crop plants requires a reliable and efficient in vitro regeneration system. Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), one the most important vegetable crops worldwide, is strongly genotype-dependent in terms of regeneration capacity, limiting the potential for biotechnological improvement of cultivars which show recalcitrance under currently available protocols. The effect of different nutrient sources, plant hormone combinations and activated charcoal supplementation on shoot induction efficiency was evaluated on the cultivar ‘RSL NFR’, which had previously shown poor regeneration efficiency.ResultsMultiple shoot organogenesis from cotyledon explants was recorded at the highest frequency and speed on Murashige and Skoog regeneration medium supplemented with 200 mg/l of activated charcoal, 3% sucrose, 10 mg/l benzylaminopurine and 0.5 mg/l naphthaleneacetic acid, which induced shoots through direct regeneration in 90.8 ± 7.9% of explants. High shoot induction efficiency was also observed, albeit not quantified, when using this medium on some other cultivars.ConclusionsThis activated charcoal-containing regeneration medium might offer a rapid and efficient option for direct shoot induction in some lettuce genotypes that do not respond well to common lettuce regeneration protocols. This is also the first report of the effect of activated charcoal in lettuce tissue culture.

Effect of dietary active charcoal supplementation on growth performance, biochemical and antioxidant responses, and resistance of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) to environmental heavy metals exposure

Environmental pollution adversely affects fish growth and health. Thus, the search for agents having protective role against pollutants toxicity with potential natural biological occurrence is worthwhile. An eight-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the effect of dietary active charcoal (AC) supplementation on growth performance, biochemical and antioxidants responses, body composition, and resistance of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.) to environmental heavy metals (HM) exposure. Fish (14.6±0.54g) were fed on diets enriched with 0.0, 2, 5, 10, and 20g AC/kg diet. After that, fish were exposed to synthetic mixture of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) concentrations similar to those of the natural aquatic habitat for 7days. The unionized ammonia was adversely affected by dietary AC levels where lowest ammonia concentration was observed at 20g AC/kg diet and its highest concentration was obtained at the control group. Fish performance and feed intake improved significantly with increasing AC levels up to 10g/kg diet after which fish growth declined. All biochemical and antioxidant variables are significantly affected by AC supplementation, HM exposure, and their interaction. In response to AC supplementation, antioxidant activity was significantly improved especially when fish fed 10–20g AC/kg diet. Post HM exposure, the control fish exhibited highest superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities and lowest malondialdehyde (MDA) value, meanwhile antioxidant activity of fish fed 10–20g AC/kg diet was near that of fish prior HM exposure. Additionally, no significant differences were observed in whole-fish body constituents but only crude protein content was significantly higher in AC-fed fish than the control fish. After HM exposure, total ash contents and HM residues were significantly higher but crude protein and total lipids contents were significantly lower than those of the control fish. It is also noticed that AC supplementation reduced HM concentration in fish body and subsequently their impacts on biochemical and antioxidant activities were significantly reduced especially in fish fed 10–20g AC/kg diet. The overall data of this experiment showed that AC supplementation could improve fish performance, enhance the antioxidant activity and reduce the HM bioaccumulation in fish body and the optimum dietary AC level is 7.0g/kg diet.

Effect of organic medicinal charcoal supplementation in finishing pig diets

Effect of organic medicinal charcoal supplementation in finishing pig diets

Effect of Sea Tangle (Laminaria japonica) and Charcoal Supplementation as Alternatives to Antibiotics on Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Ducks.

A total of 150 growing ducks were assigned to five dietary treatments to study the effect of sea tangle and charcoal (STC) supplementation on growth performance and meat characteristics in a completely randomized design. There were six replicates and five ducklings in each replication. The five dietary treatments were control, antibiotic, and 0.1%, 0.5%, and 1% STC supplemented diets. No significant differences were found on ADG, ADFI, and gain:feed among treatments in different weeks. The overall (0 to 3 weeks) ADFI decreased in antibiotic treatment (p<0.05) whereas the gain:feed increased significantly upon 1.0% STC supplementation compared to control (p<0.05). No significant variation was found in meat chemical composition except crude fat content which was high in 1.0% STC dietary group (p<0.05). Meat cholesterol was reduced in 0.1% STC group (p<0.05) compared to other dose levels while serum cholesterol was unaffected. High density lipoprotein (HDL) content was high in 1.0% STC (p<0.05) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) was low in 0.1% and 1.0% STC dietary groups (p = 0.06). No significant effect was found on the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) of fresh meat, whereas the TBARS value of meat preserved for 1 week was reduced significantly in STC dietary groups (p<0.05). The 0.1% STC dietary group showed an increased myristic acid (p = 0.07) content whereas, the content of eicosapentaenoic (EPA) and docosahexaenoic (DHA) acids increased in STC supplementation than antibiotic group (p<0.05). An increased concentration of omega-3 fatty acids and a reduced ratio of n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio was found upon 1.0% STC supplementation compared to antibiotic dietary group (p<0.05). Therefore, 1.0% STC dietary supplementation can be used as alternatives to antibiotics in duck production.

Utilization of unpeeled cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) root meal supplemented with or without charcoal by broiler chickens

A 42-day feeding trial was conducted using 480-day-old, male Marshall broilers to study the utilization of unpeeled cassava root meal (UCRM) supplemented with or without 6 g/kg charcoal. The experimental design was laid out in a 3 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments having three inclusion levels of UCRM (0, 100 and 200 g/kg) with or without 6 g/kg charcoal supplementation. Each treatment consisted of 80 birds replicated eight times with 10 birds per replicate. Main effect of inclusion level of UCRM and supplementation of charcoal showed reduced (p < 0.05) final live weight, weight gain, feed intake and apparent crude protein digestibility of the birds with increasing inclusion levels of UCRM. Birds fed diets supplemented with charcoal showed higher (p < 0.05) final live weight, weight gain and feed intake than birds fed diets without charcoal. Supplementation of charcoal in diet containing 100 g/kg UCRM resulted in improved (p < 0.05) weight gain when compared with birds fed similar diet but not supplemented with charcoal. Broilers fed diet containing no UCRM but supplemented with charcoal had the highest overall (p < 0.05) final live weight and weight gain, while birds fed diet containing 200 g/kg UCRM supplemented with charcoal recorded the poorest (p < 0.05) final live weight and weight gain. Serum glutamate oxaloacetate transaminase (SGOT) and serum thiocyanate concentration increased (p < 0.05) with increasing dietary inclusion levels of UCRM. Dietary supplementation of charcoal resulted in increased (p < 0.05) concentration of serum glucose and cholesterol and reduced (p < 0.05) SGOT concentration. Birds fed diets containing UCRM had high (p < 0.05) serum thiocyanate concentration irrespective of dietary supplementation or not with 6 g/kg charcoal. In conclusion, supplementation of diet containing up to 100 g/kg UCRM with 6 g/kg charcoal showed improved weight gain without any deleterious effect on serum metabolites.

스테비아와 숯이 급여된 비육돈의 사양성적, 면역력 및 도체특성

본 실험은 스테비아와 숯의 급여가 돼지의 사양성적, 면역력 및 도체특성에 미치는 영향을 구명하고자 수행하였다. 시험구는 일반기초사료 급여구(T1)를 대조구로 하여, 스테비아 0.3%(T2)와 0.6% 급여구(T3), 숯 0.3%(T4)와 0.6% 급여구(T5), 스테비아 0.3%와 숯 0.3% 혼합급여구(T6) 및 스테비아 0.6%와 숯 0.6% 혼합급여구(T7)로 하여 돼지의 사양성적 및 도체특성을 조사하였다. 스테비아와 숯을 급여한 돼지의 사양성적에 미치는 영향은 T6에서 높은 일당증체량을 나타내었고, 사료요구율은 T3에서 높은 수준을 나타내었으며, 사료효율은 T6에서 높은 수준을 나타내었다. 혈액 내 총콜레스테롤 함량은 T7에서 다소 높은 함량을 나타내었고, GOT 활성은 T2에서 높은 수준을 나타내었다. 한편, GPT 활성은 T3에서 높은 수준을 나타내었다. 숯과 스테비아를 급여한 돼지의 호르몬과 면역특성에서는 T6에서 높은 IGF-1의 수준을 나타내었으며, IgG 에서는 모든 처리구에서 유사한 수준이었다. 한편, 백혈구(WBC) 수치에서 호중구(Ne)는 T6에서 높은 수준을 나타내었고 림프구(Ly)에서는 T3에서 높은 수준이었다. 그 외백혈구 수치에서는 큰 차이를 보이지 않았다. 도체특성에서는 A등급의 출현율은 T6에서 64%로 가장 높게 나타났으며, 등지방두께는 T2에서 높게 나타났다. 그 외 도체장은 각 처리구 유사한 수준을 나타내었다. 이상의 결과에서 스테비아 0.3%와 숯 0.3%의 혼합 첨가급여구(T6)가 대조구와 다른 처리구와 비교 시 사양성적에서 우수하였으며, 도체특성에서도 우수한 결과를 나타내는 것으로 사료되었다. This study was conducted to determine the effects of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana bertoni) and charcoal supplementation on growth performance, immune response and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs. A total of 420 pigs (LYD) were randomly allocated into 7 treatments with 3 replications. Dietary treatments were 1) T1 (basal diet), 2) T2 (basal diet+0.3% stevia), 3) T3 (basal diet+0.6% stevia), 4) T4 (basal diet+0.3% charcoal), 5) T5 (basal diet+0.6% charcoal), 6) T6 (basal diet+0.3% stevia+0.3% charcoal) and 7) T7 (basal diet+0.6% stevia+0.6% charcoal). During the experimental period, average daily gain (ADG) was higher in T2 and T6 groups than the other treatments (p<0.05). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was higher in T6 group compared to the others (p<0.05). There were no significant differences in total cholesterol level and glutamic pyruvic transaminase (GPT) activity of blood among treatments. In glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (GOT) activity, T3, T5, T6 and T7 groups showed lower values (p<0.05) compared to T1. Insulin-like growth factor-1 concentration was higher in T2 and T6 groups than the others (p<0.05), but there were no significant differences in immunoglobulin G, lymphocyte, eosinophil, basophil and atypical lymph levels among treatments. In neutrophil, T6 showed higher level compared to the others (p<0.05). In the carcass characteristics, T6 showed higher level of a carcass grade compared to the other treatments. However, carcass length did not show any significant difference among treatments. As a result, dietary supplementation of 0.3% stevia and 0.3% charcoal showed higher ADG, higher FCR and better immune response resulting in better growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs.

스테비아와 숯이 급여된 비육돈의 육질 및 저장특성

본 실험은 스테비아와 숯의 급여가 돼지의 육질 및 저장특성에 미치는 영향을 구명하고자 수행하였다. 시험구는 일반기초사료 급여구(T1)를 대조구로 하여, 스테비아 0.3%(T2)와 0.6% 급여구(T3), 숯 0.3%(T4)와 0.6% 급여구(T5), 스테비아 0.3%와 숯 0.3% 홉합급여구(T6) 및 스테비아 0.6%와 숯 0.6% 혼합급여구(T7)로 하여 등심육의 제반 육질특성을 조사하였다. 일반성분은 T6에서 단백질과 지방의 함량이 다른 처리구들보다 높은 수준이었다. pH에서는 T4처리구에서 높은 수준을 나타내었으며, 보수력에서는 T6처리구에서 높은 수준을 나타내었다. 육즙손실은 T5처리구에서 높은 육즙손실량을 나타내었으며, 가열감량에서는 T1과 T6처리구에서 높은 수준을 나타내었다. 그외 전단력에서는 T2처리구에서 높은 수준을 나타내었다. 육색에서는 T2와 T6에서 다른 처리구들보다 낮은 명도값을 나타내었으며, T1, T5, T6처리구에서 높은 적색도를 나타내었고, T3처리구와 T5처리구에서 높은 황색도를 나타내었다. 근육 내 콜레스테롤 함량에서는 T7처리구에서 높은 수준을 나타내었다. 주관적 판정과 관능검사에서는 T6 처리구에서 우수한 성적을 나타내었다. 저장특성의 처리구별 비교에서는 TBA가는 T4처리구가 0 일에 높은 수준을 나타냈으며, 7일에서는 T3처리구가 높은 수준을 나타내었다. 한편 VBN 함량과 총미생물수에서는 냉장저장 기간 동안 각 처리구 모두 가식범위의 수준이었다. 이상의 결과에서 스테비아 0.3%+숯 0.3%의 혼합처리구(T6)가 대조구와 다른 처리구와 비교 시 육질특성이 우수하며 저장특성에서도 우수한 수준을 나타내는 것으로 사료되었다. This study was conducted to determine the effects of stevia (Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni) and charcoal supplementation on meat quality traits in finishing pigs. A total of 420 pigs (LYD) were randomly allocated into seven treatments with three replications. The dietary treatments were T1 (control, basal diet), T2 (basal diet+0.3% stevia), T3 (basal diet+0.6% stevia), T4 (basal diet+0.3% charcoal), T5 (basal diet+0.6% charcoal), T6 (basal diet+0.3% stevia+0.3% charcoal), and T7 (basal diet+0.6% stevia+0.6% charcoal). Pigs were slaughtered conventionally on each marketing day and chilled overnigth. At 24 h postmortem, the Longissimus muscle from left side between the 6th and 14th rib was removed for the meat quality traits. The T6 group showed a higher pH, water holding capacity (p<0.05), and lower drip loss (p<0.05) than those in the T1 group. The T6 group showed lower (p<0.05) <TEX>$L^*$</TEX> (lightness) and <TEX>$b^*$</TEX> (yellowness) values and higher <TEX>$a^*$</TEX> (redness) color value than those in the T1 group, resulting in a redder surface meat color. In the subjective evaluation, marbling and color scores improved in the T6 group compared to those in the other treatments. In the panel test, the T6 group tended to have higher tenderness and juiciness scores than those in the T1 group. In the storage characteristics, all treatments showed similar 2-thiobarbituric acid and volatile basic nitrogen values as well as total microbial counts during 7 d of cold storage. As a result, dietary supplementation with 0.3% stevia and 0.3% charcoal showed the highest meat quality traits and storage characteristics in finishing pigs.

Comparison of microplate, agar drop and well diffusion plate methods for evaluating hemolytic activity of Listeria monocytogenes

Hemolytic activity is an important characteristic for the differentiation of Listeria monocytogenes from apathogenic Listeria species within of conventional laboratory practices. We compared the efficacy of the agar well diffusion method with respect to two previously described methods such as the agar drop and microplate methods in quantifying hemolysis of L. monocytogenescultures. The hemolytic activities of 13 strains of L. monocytogenes were tested. Two culture media (Mueller Hinton blood agar and Mueller Hinton blood agar supplemented with 0.2% activated charcoal and 1 mmol/L CaCl2) were evaluated, using the agar drop and well diffusion methods as plating procedure. The agar well diffusion method was the best plating procedure for detecting the hemolysis of all strains studied after 24 and 48 h of incubation (p < 0.01). In addition, this plating procedure showed a greater sensitivity compared to microplate method at a read time of 6 h, giving positive reactions with all strains at an inoculum of 108 cfu/ml. The supplementation of charcoal on blood agar had a positive effect only when the plates were incubated after 48 h (p < 0.01). The results indicate that the agar well diffusion method can detect and quantify L. monocytogenes hemolytic activity faster and with higher sensitivity than the other two methods here studied. Key words: Listeria monocytogenes, hemolytic activity, microplate, agar drop and well diffusion methods

Root‐mediated Allelopathic Interference of Nettle‐leaved Goosefoot (Chenopodium murale) on Wheat (Triticum aestivum)

AbstractA study was conducted to determine the potential and nature of root‐mediated allelopathic interference of Chenopodium murale on wheat. Early growth of wheat reduced significantly in agar medium where C. murale seedlings were previously growing as well as in rhizosphere soil of C. murale. The reduction in wheat growth was due to the presence of inhibitory metabolites released by roots of C. murale in the growth media. Even the soil incorporation of root residues also reduced the wheat growth in terms of seedling length and seedling dry weight. Only a partial amelioration in growth inhibition occurred upon charcoal supplementation or nitrogen fertilization in these amended soils. Root residues did not reduce the available nutrients in the soil, which was rather nutrient rich. These results indicated the definite role of allelopathy of C. murale roots in retarding wheat growth. Root amended soils contained significantly higher amount of phytotoxic phenolics as the putative allelochemicals, which were ferulic acid, vanillic acid, p‐coumaric acid and benzoic acid. The study concluded that C. murale roots and their exudates exerted allelopathic effects on wheat by releasing water‐soluble phenolic acids as putative allelochemicals in soil.

Performance and Egg Quality Characteristics of Pullets Fed Activated Sheabutter Charcoal Based Diets

An experiment was conducted to investigate the growth performance, nutrient utilization, egg quality characteristics and cost-benefit values of feeding different levels activated sheabutter tree charcoal to laying pullets. Five experimental diets supplemented with activated sheabutter charcoal were formulated to contain 0.0 (control), 10.0, 20.0, 30.0 and 40.0% levels of the charcoal. A total of 150 day-old pullets were used for the study and were fed the diets till they were 22 weeks of age. The results showed no beneficial effect of feeding activated sheabutter charcoal to pullets up to 15 weeks of age as there were no significant (p>0.05) differences in the performance parameters measured up to this stage. At the laying stage, activated sheabutter charcoal significantly (p 0.05) effect of activated sheabutter charcoal was observed on the internal egg quality parameters measured. The pullets fed activated charcoal had higher economic returns than the control. The results were attributed to increased mineral intake and utilization enhanced by charcoal supplementation and also improved absorption capacity of charcoal for dietary fat.

A simple method for the differentiation of Listeria monocytogenes based on induction of lecithinase activity by charcoal

The PlcB phospholipase C, or lecithinase, is an important listerial virulence factor of potential use as a pathogenicity marker for Listeria spp. food isolates. However, wild-type strains of Listeria monocytogenes express virulence factors very poorly in vitro and their lecithinase activity is normally difficult to detect on agar plates. We recently reported that the production of listerial virulence factors is strongly induced if L. monocytogenes is grown in the presence of activated charcoal. We report here a simple method for the rapid differentiation of L. monocytogenes from other Listeria spp. based on a comparison of lecithinase reactions in egg yolk agar plates with and without charcoal supplementation. All L. monocytogenes wild-type isolates tested showed a clear induction of lecithinase activity in charcoal-supplemented medium (CEYM), while nonpathogenic Listeria spp. remained negative in CEYM. The animal pathogen L. ivanovii was easily differentiated from L. monocytogenes because it showed a strong lecithinase reaction independently of the presence or absence of charcoal in the medium.

A note on the effect of charcoal supplementation on the performance of Big 6 heavy tom turkeys

1. The use of biochar in animal feeding Hans-Peter Schmidt, Nikolas Hagemann, Kathleen Draper, Claudia Kammann PeerJ CrossRef