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N-Carbamoyl-aspartic acid (NCA) is a critical precursor for de novo biosynthesis of pyrimidine nucleotides. To investigate the cumulative effects of maternal supplementation with NCA on the productive performance, serum metabolites and intestinal microbiota of sows, 40 pregnant sows (∼day 80) were assigned into two groups: (1) the control (CON) and (2) treatment (NCA, 50 g tResults showed that piglets from the NCA group had heavier birth weight than those in the CON group (P 0.05). In addition, maternal supplementation with NCA decreased the backfat loss of sows during lactation (P 0.05). Furthermore,16S-rRNA sequencing results revealed that maternal NCA supplementation decreased the abundance of Cellulosilyticum, Fournierella, Anaerovibrio, and Oribacterium genera of sows during late pregnancy (P 0.05). Similarly, on the 14th day of lactation, maternal supplementation with NCA reduced the diversity of fecal microbes of sows as evidenced by significantly lower observed species, Chao1, and Ace indexes, and decreased the abundance of Lachnospire, Faecalibacterium, and Anaerovorax genera, while enriched the abundance of Catenisphaera (P 0.05). Untargeted metabolomics showed that a total of 48 differentially abundant biomarkers were identified, which were mainly involved in metabolic pathways of arginine/proline metabolism, phenylalanine/tyrosine metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis, etc. CONCLUSION: Overall, the results indicated that NCA supplementation regulated intestinal microbial composition of sows and serum differential metabolites related to arginine, proline, phenylalanine, tyrosine, and fatty acids metabolism that may contribute to regulating the backfat loss of sows, and the birth weight and diarrhea rate of piglets. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Methionine and taurine are amino acids (AA) that are usually deficient when fish meal is replaced by plant proteins. In this study, three diets were tested in juvenile meagre (initial weight: 13.4 g) for 8 weeks. The D1 diet had 0.2% methionine and 1% taurine supplementation; the D2 and D3 diets had 0.6% methionine and 1% and 2% taurine supplementation, respectively. The results showed that meagre fed the D1 diet had lower specific growth rate (2.2 to 2.5), lower feed efficiency (0.9 to 1.2) and higher food conversion rate (FCR, 1.1 to 0.8) as well as a lower activity of the alanine aminotransferase (ALAT) enzyme. Furthermore, a higher recruitment of muscle fibres (46% compared to 36%) as well as a higher fibre density was observed (1019 compared to 870 fibres mm(-2)). This study shows that meagre requires a sufficient quantity of methionine in plant-based diets to avoid a reduction in fish performance. Furthermore, taurine supplementation in the D1 diet was not able to mitigate the effects of methionine deficiency. A higher taurine supplementation did not improve meagre performance. MAR02.01.01 FEAMP-0175 info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Two studies were conducted to determine the impact of the amount of high-fibre pellet (HFP) in the diet and bedding material on feed intake, eating behaviour, rumination, activity and resting behaviour, and also nutrient digestibility in bongo (Tragelaphus eurycerus). In Study 1, bongo were fed meadow hay (ad libitum), lucerne hay (0.5 kg/day), browse (0.7 kg/day) and a 'basal diet' containing 0.75 kg/day (low; LP), 1.50 kg/day (medium; MP) or 2.25 kg/day (high; HP) of HFP consisting mostly of insoluble fibre sources (dehydrated grass, dehydrated lucerne, wheat bran). In Study 2, experimental diets resembled those used in Study 1 with the main difference being that bongo were fed 1 or 2 kg of HFP/day and pens were bedded with straw (SB) or wood shavings (WB) (2 × 2 factorial design). In Study 1, dry matter (DM) intake of meadow hay decreased linearly (p 0.01) with an increasing amount of HFP in the diet but total DM intake increased (p 0.01). Eating time of basal diet (min/day) increased linearly (p = 0.01), whereas eating time of meadow hay tended to (p = 0.06) decrease linearly with an increasing amount of HFP in the diet. In Study 2, total DM intake was greater for HP treatments compared to LP treatments (p 0.01) but meadow hay DM intake did not differ between treatments. Straw was consumed by animals and its usage as a bedding material increased meadow hay DM intake and browse DM intake (p ≤ 0.02), and consequently total DM intake (p = 0.03), compared with wood shavings bedding. Feeding more HFP to bongo tended to (p = 0.07) decrease rumination time per day and increased rumination rate (g DM/min). In conclusion, an increased amount of HFP (1.5-2 kg/day/animal) rich in insoluble fibre in the diet consisting mostly of meadow hay may decrease the intake of roughages by bongo and reduce rumination time. On the other hand, the usage of straw (instead of wood shavings) as bedding unexpectedly increased the intake of roughages by bongo.

To reach the sustainable development goals on health management in Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp culture, Pediococcus pentosaceus AB01 was supplemented in shrimp diet. In this study, the control diet and three experimental diets containing P. pentosaceus AB01 (10

Egg yolk is recognized for its excellent nutritional benefit and economic value; however, egg is a perishable food, potentially losing quality if not handled properly between the time from farm production to consumption. Knowledge of the changes of yolk lipid composition under an extreme storage condition close to vitelline membrane breaking, which results in an inedible condition for shelf-eggs, remains incomplete. Considering the complexity of yolk lipids, the architectural features of yolk lipids at high-temperature storage (30°C for 10 days versus fresh) were classified through lipidomics.This strategy yielded 1508 features within the lipid database coupled with 74 significantly different lipids (P 0.05, fold change 1.2 or 0.83), mainly triglycerides, phospholipids, and sphingolipids. Most of them were decreased after storage; for example, triglycerides were assumed to play a role as a 'buffer' to maintain the system stability during storage by balancing fatty acid saturation, which strongly reduces the egg edible value for humans. Furthermore, phospholipids, especially the highly unsaturated phosphatidylcholine, decreased significantly and were suggested to be the primary cause for the variation in yolk emulsifying properties and flavor.Altogether, these results deriving from oxidation and lipolysis reactions enhance our understanding of lipid transformation and the biochemical mechanisms, at the molecular level, of the deteriorative process of the egg yolk. These findings may lay the foundation for identifying processes, including some modifications of the lipid composition of rations fed to laying hens, aiming to improve the long-term shelf-stability of shell eggs and egg products. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

Full fat soybean (FFSB) can be used in poultry diets as a source of fat and protein, without extra cost for oil extraction; however, raw FFSB contains several anti-nutritional factors.Investigating the effects of replacing dietary soybean meal (SBM) with processed (roasted or autoclaved) FFSB on the performance of laying hens and egg quality traits.A total of 324 Bovans White strain laying hens were randomly selected and distributed in 54 replicate cages. Based on a completely randomized design with a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of treatments plus a control group, nine diets in which SBM were replaced with 25%, 50%, 75% and 100℅ roasted or autoclaved FFSB, with six replicates (with six hens each), were evaluated during an 8-week trial period (60-68 weeks).Significantly increased feed intake (FI) was observed in hens fed diets including autoclaved FFSB (p 0.05). The interactions between SBM replacement level and processing on feed conversion ratio (FCR), egg production (EP) and egg mass (EM) were significant (p 0.01). Hens fed the diet with 100% roasted FFSB instead of SBM showed poor performance in terms of FCR, EP and EM during the experimental period. The main effect of SBM-replacing level on Haugh unit was significant (p 0.05). The main effect of processing on shell thickness was significant (p 0.05), so autoclaved FFSB caused higher eggshell thickness than control and roasted FFSB.Replacement of dietary SBM with autoclaved FFSB can improve laying hens' performance in terms of FCR, EP, EM and eggshell quality and yolk colour.The use of autoclaved FFSB to replace commercial SBM and its oil in the diet of laying hens is recommended. Feed factories can formulate the diets of laying hens with autoclaved FFSB without extra cost due to oil extraction soybeans.

Clubroot is one of the most important diseases for many important cruciferous vegetables and oilseed crops worldwide. Different clubroot resistance (CR) loci have been identified from only limited species in Brassica, making it difficult to compare and utilize these loci. European fodder turnip ECD04 is considered one of the most valuable resources for CR breeding. To explore the genetic and evolutionary basis of CR in ECD04, we sequenced the genome of ECD04 using de novo assembly and identified 978 candidate R genes. Subsequently, the 28 published CR loci were physically mapped to 15 loci in the ECD04 genome, including 62 candidate CR genes. Among them, two CR genes, CRA3.7.1 and CRA8.2.4, were functionally validated. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that CRA3.7.1 and CRA8.2.4 originated from a common ancestor before the whole-genome triplication (WGT) event. In clubroot susceptible Brassica species, CR-gene homologues were affected by transposable element (TE) insertion, resulting in the loss of CR function. It can be concluded that the current functional CR genes in Brassica rapa and non-functional CR genes in other Brassica species were derived from a common ancestral gene before WGT. Finally, a hypothesis for CR gene evolution is proposed for further discussion.

The aim of this research was to determine the effects of adding red seaweed meal rich in ultraviolet radiation absorbing compounds (UACs) to the diet of juvenile prawn Artemesia longinaris and its possible protective effects under stress by ultraviolet radiation (UVR). Three experimental diets were prepared: control diet (D) and two diets supplemented with red seaweed Grateloupia cf. turuturu meal at two inclusion levels (D1: 1 g/100 g; D2: 2 g/100 g). Three experiments were carried out: a) 45-day feeding, b) digestibility, and c) radiation exposure experiment. After the 45-day feeding experiment, no significant differences were found in growth and survival. Accumulation of UACs was detected only in animals fed D1 and D2, and concentration was significantly higher in animals fed D2, with concentrations (12.58 ± 3.50 OD g

Various neutral and alkaline peptidases are commercially available for use in protein hydrolysis under neutral to alkaline conditions. However, the hydrolysis of proteins under acidic conditions by applying fungal aspartic peptidases (FAPs) has not been investigated in depth so far. The aim of this study, thus, was to purify a FAP from the commercial enzyme preparation, ROHALASE® BXL, determine its biochemical characteristics, and investigate its application for the hydrolysis of food and animal feed proteins under acidic conditions.A Trichoderma reesei derived FAP, with an apparent molecular mass of 45.8 kDa (sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis; SDS-PAGE) was purified 13.8-fold with a yield of 37% from ROHALASE® BXL. The FAP was identified as an aspartate protease (UniProt ID: G0R8T0) by inhibition and nano-LC-ESI-MS/MS studies. The FAP showed the highest activity at 50°C and pH 4.0. Monovalent cations, organic solvents, and reducing agents were tolerated well by the FAP. The FAP underwent an apparent competitive product inhibition by soy protein hydrolysate and whey protein hydrolysate with apparent KOur results demonstrate the applicability of fungal aspartic endopeptidases in the food and animal feed industry. Efficient protein hydrolysis of industrially relevant substrates such as acidic whey or animal feed proteins could be conducted by applying fungal aspartic peptidases. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.

The superiority of synbiotics in terms of their biological effects depends primarily on a suitable combination of both components, pro-biotic and pre-biotic. The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of mono- and multistrain synbiotics on overall performance, caecal fermentation, intestinal health, meat and bone quality along with some blood biochemical indices in broilers. A total of 231, 1-day-old male Ross 308, broiler chicks were randomly assigned to three experimental groups using 11 replicates each and seven chicks/replicate. The dietary treatments included control group with no synbiotic supplementation, monostrain (Maflor) and multistrain (Maflor plus) synbiotic groups with 1 g/kg of added synbiotics each. Synbiotics feeding significantly improved animal performance with a clear impact on meat quality in terms of low-fat, optimum ultimate pH24, higher water holding capacity, and lower drip and cooking losses. Of the two synbiotics, multistrain seemed to have responded better in modifying small intestinal epithelia and fermentation metabolites, although both synbiotics were comparable in reducing the pathogen load. Load-bearing capacity of both leg bones (femur and tibia) was also enhanced with synbiotics supplementation, which was also reflected in their mineral profile. The blood serum biochemical analysis showed a reduction in circulating cholesterol and triglycerides levels and an increment in IgA and IgG concentrations. In conclusion, the remarkable efficacy of tested synbiotics in providing higher growth, better meat quality in tandem with the optimum gut environment, lower pathogen load, healthy epithelia, immunomodulation, hypocholesterolemic, and hypotriglyceridemic effects affirms their great potential to be used as feed additives in broiler diets. Contrary to our expectations, the effectiveness of a mono-strain in comparison to multistrain synbiotic in improving almost all the features investigated was also notable. Further evaluation under challenging conditions should be explicitly conducted to achieve more comprehensive results.

The world population is increasing, leading to competition between humans and animals for the use of farm produce. The use of non-conventional resources in poultry feed is increasingly being explored. Cassava (Manihot esculenta) have been studied in layers and broilers feed. However, there is very little information on the impact of the leaves on breeder hens.This study was conducted to determine the effect of M. esculenta leaf meal (MELM) on breeder hen performance, hatching egg quality and blood parameters.A total of 180 hens and 24 cocks Sasso breeders at 32 weeks of age were used and equally assigned into two dietary treatments having six replicates of 15 hens and two cocks each. The dietary treatments were basal diet supplemented with 0% MELM and basal diet supplemented with the MELM group (5% MELM). Data were collected on feed intake, egg production, feed conversion ratio as well as egg quality indices during the experiment. The blood samples were collected from 18 birds per treatment (three3 per replication) for the determination of total protein, uric acid, triglycerides and total cholesterol at 45th week of age.The results showed that there was no significant difference on the feed intake of the birds across the treatments. Average egg weight and egg production were higher with a lower (p0.05) feed conversion rate in the MELM group hens. Total protein, uric acids, total cholesterol and triglyceride level increased significantly (p0.05) in hens fed 5 % of MELM. The proportions of yolk, egg shell and Haugh unit showed no significant difference between the treatments, while the proportion of albumen and yolk colour increased significantly (p0.05) in the MELM group hens.It was concluded that 5% MELM can be used as feed ingredients in formulating breeder hen diets to improve productive performance.

The manureshed represents cropland needed to safely assimilate manure nutrients from an animal feeding operation. Dairy manuresheds can be contained on-farm but may need to involve additional farms that can assimilate excess nutrients. We present case studies reviewing challenges and opportunities to manureshed management in four major dairy-producing states using available information on local manuresheds. Additionally, geographic information system software was used with data from regulated Minnesota dairies to assess cropland assimilative capacities and transport needs surrounding large dairies. Manureshed requirements vary across regions, but increased import of feed and soil phosphorus accumulation constrain on-farm manure utilization across the United States. In Minnesota, a growing proportion of Jersey cattle and differences in continuous corn (Zea mays L.) vs. corn-alfafa (Medicago sativa L.) rotations contribute to the amount of land needed to absorb dairy manure nutrients. Farm-gate budgets reveal that N-based manuresheds can be contained within Idaho dairies, but P-based manuresheds extend beyond the farm. In New Mexico, relocation of surplus manure nutrients off the farm is common via informal networks, but incentives to strengthen these networks could ensure sustainable manureshed management. Evaluation of manureshed requirements in Pennsylvania is often complicated by the need for additional nutrient management planning and greater understanding of nutrient balances on the preponderance of small dairies. Nutrient imbalances with highly concentrated dairy production often lead to the need for manure transport off-farm. However, advances in herd and cropland management offer opportunities to improve on-farm nutrient efficiencies, and emerging networks and technologies promise to facilitate manure export when needed.

The significance of grasses as fodder is enormous. However, it has been observed that different fodder grasses are identified locally with the similar vernacular names. Even same species recognized with different names. This happened due to their reduced and overlapped morphological characters. Hence comprehensive taxonomic keys were required to provide authentic identification of this grass flora. Current study established microscopic identification tools on the basis of leaf transverse anatomical features. Results demonstrated a great diversity in ribs and furrows arrangement among all studied grass members. Lolium temulentum, Phalaris minor, Poa annua, Arundo donax, Aristida adscensionis, Desmostachya bipinnata, Cenchrus biflorus and Digitaria ciliaris possessed ribs and furrows only at adaxial surfaces whereas all other species possessed this feature abaxially. Generally all the species contain three types of vascular bundles i.e. small, medium and large. Therefore, this qualitative feature is valuable only at family level, however, it found insignificant in taxa identification. Diversity was observed in bundle sheath type which could be taxonomically significant. Generally bundle sheath was found complete in most of species but in Bromus japonicus Thunb., Dactylis glomerata L., Acrachne racemosa (Heyne ex Roth) Ohwi, Chrysopogon aucheri (Boiss.) Stapf, Dichanthium annulatum (Forssk.) Stapf, Heteropogon contortus (L.) P Beauv. Ex. RoemSchult. Eragrostis minor Host. and in Agrostis gigantea Roth. had incomplete type of sheath. Results reported great diversity in characters which could be taxonomically viable. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS: This research highlighted the significance of microscopic examination of leaf transverse anatomical features in field of taxonomy. Established anatomical tools would be of great importance for the identification of studied species.

The aim of this research was to investigate the influence of bamboo grass (Tiliacora triandra, Diels) pellet (BP) containing phytonutrients on rumen fermentation under various level of roughage (R) to concentrate (C) ratios. The experimental treatments were randomly assigned following a completely randomized design using a 3 × 5 factorial arrangement. The first factor was ratios of R:C at 100:0, 70:30, and 30:70 and the second factor was BP supplementation levels at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4% of dry matter substrate, respectively.The ratio of R:C significantly enhanced rumen gas production especially when increased level of concentrate. Moreover, dry matter degradability of fermentation were improved (P 0.01) by R:C and level of BP supplementation, and there was an interactive effect. The ammonia nitrogen (NHThe ratio of R:C at 30:70 with BP supplementation at 4% could enhance fermentation characteristics and reduce CH

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of administration of sodium humate (HNa) and glutamine (Gln) on growth performance, diarrhoea incidence, serum parameters, and faecal microflora of pre-weaned Holstein calves. In a 57-day experiment, 28 healthy newborn female calves were randomly allocated to four treatment groups: (1) CON (control); (2) HNa (basal diet + 5% HNa); (3) Gln (basal diet + 1% Gln); and (4) HNa + Gln (basal diet + 5% HNa + 1% Gln). The calves in the CON group were fed with basal diet. HNa and Gln were alone or together mixed with milk (Days 1-20) or milk replacer (Days 21-57) and orally administered to each calf. The results indicated that calves combined supplemented with HNa and Gln had a higher average daily gain at 0-21 days, 21-57 days, and 0-57 days, and starter intake at 21-57 days and 0-57 days (p 0.05). Compared with the CON group, calves in HNa, Gln, and HNa + Gln groups showed lower faecal scores and diarrhoea incidence at 0-21 days and 0-57 days (p 0.05). Combined administration of HNa and Gln increased the concentration of IgG and IgA, activities of glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) but decreased the concentration of diamine oxidase (DAO), D-lactic acid (D-lac), TNF-α, and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the serum of calves compared with the CON group throughout the entire period (p 0.05). Furthermore, the abundances of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were increased but the Escherichia coli was decreased in faecal grab samples of HNa + Gln group calves in comparison with the CON group (p 0.05). In conclusion, combined administration of HNa and Gln effectively improved the growth performance, antioxidant and immune status, and intestinal beneficial bacteria, and further reduced the diarrhoea incidence of the pre-weaned calves.

Improper disposal of stevia residue causes environmental pollution and waste of resources. The extract of stevia residue is rich in chlorogenic acid and isochlorogenic acids, and has a great potential in livestock and poultry breeding. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary stevia residue extract (SRE) supplementation on the performance, meat quality, antioxidative capacity and gut microbiota in growing-finishing pigs.The results showed that increasing the concentration of SRE supplementation linearly increased (P 0.05) body weight from day 1 to 35. Supplementation with SRE significantly increased (P 0.05) average daily gain (ADG) from day 1 to 75. 100 mg kgThese data indicated that dietary SRE supplementation improves the performance and antioxidative capacity of growing-finishing pigs. We recommend that the optimal supplemental level of SRE in the diet of growing-finishing pigs is 100 mg kg

Use of diets with increased concentrations of dietary fiber is thought to be beneficial in the management of dogs with large bowel diarrhea.To determine whether feeding a diet with high concentrations of soluble and insoluble fiber to dogs with acute colitis would be superior to feeding a diet with typical fiber levels.A total of 52 dogs with acute signs of large bowel diarrhea housed in an animal shelter were entered into the study; 11 dogs per diet completed the protocol.In this randomized, prospective study, dogs with a fecal score of 4, 5, 6, or 7 and signs of acute colitis were fed a high fiber diet (4.54% soluble; 15.16% insoluble fiber) or a standard diet (0.6% soluble; 5.33% insoluble fiber) and fecal scores compared over the course of the study with significance defined as P .05.All dogs fed the high fiber diet (11/11; 100%) had a fecal score5 on the day of adoption or day 9, which was statistically different (P .04) than dogs fed the standard diet (6/11 dogs; 55%; 95% CI: 23-83). The proportions of stools with a fecal score4 were greater (P = .0001) in the dogs fed the standard diet (29/48 samples; 60%; 95% CI: 45-74) compared to the high fiber diet (8/50 samples; 16%; 95% CI: 7-29).The results support feeding the high fiber diet described herein to dogs with acute large bowel diarrhea.

To reduce the reliance on fishmeal (FM), other protein sources have been evaluated on cultured animals. In a 60-days feeding trial, marrons (Cherax cainii) were fed a FM diet and five test diets containing 100% of plant-based protein sources such as soybean, lupin and valorised animal-based proteins such as poultry-by-product, black soldier fly and tuna hydrolysate. At the end of the trial, DNA samples from marron gut and rearing water were investigated through DNA-based 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Plant-based diets increased abundance for Aeromonas, Flavobacterium and Vogesella, whereas animal and insect proteins influenced diverse bacterial groups in the gut linked to various metabolic activities. Insect meal in the water favoured the growth of Firmicutes and lactic acid bacteria, beneficial for the marron health. Aeromonas richness in the gut and reared water signified the ubiquitous nature of the genus in the environment. The higher bacterial diversity in the gut and water with PBP and BSF was further supported by qPCR quantification of the bacterial single-copy gene, rpoB. The overall results suggested that PBP and BSF can exhibit positive and influential effects on the gut and water microbial communities, hence can be used as sustainable ingredients for the crayfish aquaculture.

This study evaluated the protective effect of grape seed on performance, caecal characteristics, blood metabolites and liver antioxidant status in lindane-treated rabbits. Four-week-old New Zealand White rabbits (n = 96) with an initial body weight of 0.750 ± 0.23 g were randomly divided into four groups (n = 24). One group was the control received only corn oil orally, while group L were received lindane daily via gavage in corn oil (4 mg/kg BW; 1/50 LD

It is not clearly known whether parity can affect the outcomes of starch reduction in the diet of lactating dairy cows.A 2 × 2 factorial study was conducted to evaluate the effects of reducing starch in the diets with similar protein and energy contents on lactation performance, ruminal fermentation, nutrient digestibility, behaviour and blood metabolites in primiparous (PP) and multiparous (MP) dairy cows.Twenty PP cows (DIM = 37 ± 10; 40 ± 5 kg/day of milk; mean ± SD) and 20 MP cows (DIM = 37 ± 9; 48 ± 5 kg/day of milk) were used in present study. Treatments were a factorial arrangement of two levels of starch (high vs. low) and two parity categories (PP vs. MP): (1) high-starch diet (29.2% ± 0.70) and PP cows (HS-PP); (2) low-starch diet (22.3% ± 0.52) and PP cows (LS-PP); (3) high-starch diet and MP cows (HS-MP) and (4) low-starch diet and MP cows (LS-MP). All diets were formulated to be similar in crude protein (16.1 % of dry matter) and NEL (1.60 Mcal/kg of dry matter) contents. The amount of metabolise protein was 2688 g/day in high-starch diet and 2728 g/day in low-starch diet. The experiment was conducted over two consecutive periods and included 4 weeks for adaptation and 3 weeks for data collection.Dry matter intake and the yield of milk true protein and lactose increased but milk fat: protein ratio and nutrient digestibility decreased for cows fed the HS diets compared with the LS diets. The ruminal proportion of propionate was greater but acetate, the acetate to propionate ratio and sorting against long particles (19 and 8 mm) were lower for cows fed the HS diets than the LS diets. Multiparous cows had a greater nutrient intake and milk yield, longer rumination meal length, greater BW, but lower plasma total antioxidant capacity, non-esterified fatty acids, faeces pH compared with PP cows. An interaction between parity and the dietary level of starch was detected on feed efficiency measured as FCM yield/DMI in the way that only within PP cows low-starch diet was more efficient than HS diets. We found another interaction effect of parity × starch on back fat thickens (BFT) change in the way that only within PP cows BFT change was greater for HS compared with LS diet.Overall, regardless of the benefit derived from feeding a reduced-starch diet by partially replacing grains with sugar beet pulp in the diets on nutrient digestibility, a reduced-starch diet may be used more efficiently in PP than in MP cows but at expense of body reserves (i.e. BFT) loses.

The effects of dietary supplements, including magnesium sulfate (Mg), zinc oxide (Zn) and vitamin B6 (Vit B6), on the performance of laying hens reared under normal (NC) and heat-stress (HSC) conditions were investigated.A total of 288 30-week-old Lohmann LSL-Lite laying hens were randomly divided into 48 cages and assigned to receive one of the eight diets with six replicates and six hens per replicate, based on a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Dietary supplements, including two levels (0600 mg/kg) of Mg, two levels (030 mg/kg) of Zn and two levels (08 mg/kg) of Vit B6, in normal and heat-stress conditions, were tested at 30-40 and 41-45 weeks of age, respectively.In the Vit B6 group, a decrease in feed intake (FI), egg production (EP), albumin, Zn, Fe and Mg, and an increase in triglyceride and insulin in HSC were observed, in addition to a decrease in cholesterol and an increase in egg weight (EW) in NC. Supplemental Mg decreased EP, blood triglycerides and copper in NC, and Zn, Fe and Mg in HSC as well. Feeding Zn, increased egg shape index, total protein and copper in addition to yolk index in NC and Fe in HSC. EWs were higher in hens supplemented with Vit B6+Mg in HSC. Increased insulin and decreased glutathione peroxidase activity were detected with the Vit B6+Zn compared to feeding either Vit B6 or Zn in HSC.The results indicated Vit B6 could improve EWs and suppress blood cholesterol in NC. Zn improved the egg shape index in NC.

This experiment was to investigate the effect of dietary live yeast (LY, 1 × 10A higher (P 0.05) final body weight and average daily weight gain were observed in T + LYDietary LY supplementation alleviates transport-stress-impaired meat quality of broilers through maintaining muscle energy metabolism and antioxidant status. Therefore, LY may serve as a potential protector for broilers under transport stress in the future. © 2022 The Authors. Journal of The Science of Food and Agriculture published by John WileySons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

Light management affects the health outcomes and growth performance of broiler chickens. However, the effects of different light intensities on growth performance and its association with tibia development of broilers remain unclear. In the present study, 462 Ross male broilers were divided into seven treatment groups with 6 replicates (11 birds per replicate), and then were subjected to different light intensity levels (0.5, 2, 5, 7, 9, 13 or 19 Lx) for 42 days. The results demonstrated that broilers under lower light intensity (2, 5Lx) obtained higher body weight (p 0.05) and feed conversion ratio (p 0.05). Lower light intensity exposure had no effects on the length, width, weight, breaking strength and the mineral density of the tibia (p 0.05), but led to increased ash content and phosphorus during the starter phase (p 0.05). Also, plasma levels of calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P) and alkaline phosphatase were increased in response to lower light intensity conditions (p 0.05), but decreased under higher light intensity (p 0.05), indicating dynamic mineral metabolic and depositional activity to light intensity. In addition, broilers exposed to lower intensity (0.5 Lx, 2 Lx and 5 Lx) during the starter phase had decreased hypertrophic chondrocytes (p 0.05), but did not affect resting zone chondrocytes and proliferative chondrocytes of the growth plate (p 0.05). In contrast, the light intensity did not affect the growth performance and the development of the tibia of broilers during the finishing phase. In summary, we demonstrated that lower light intensity promoted the growth performance and the bone development of broilers. Application of lower light intensity at the starter phase might be a management strategy for broiler industries.

This study evaluated the effects of starch sources on pellet-processing characteristics as well as the growth performance and caecal microflora of rabbits. Ninety-six 35-day-old rabbits were randomly allocated to four groups with 24 rabbits per group and were fed diets with different starch sources (corn, wheat, potato or pea starch). The trial lasted for 40 days. The greatest hardness and lowest powder ratio of feed pellets was associated with the use of potato starch (p 0.05). Pellet bulk density was the highest with corn starch, and the density was greater than that of pea starch by 5.91% (p0.05). The pulverisation ratio of corn starch pellets was the lowest, 43.67% lower than that of the pea starch pellets (p0.05). The average daily gain of rabbits in the corn starch group was higher than in the potato and pea starch groups, by 7.89% and 10.81%, respectively (p0.05). Rabbits in the corn starch group had the best feed conversion ratio (p0.05). The feed intake of rabbits in the potato starch group was higher than in the wheat and pea starch groups, by 4.30% and 5.16% respectively (p0.05). The dominant caecal bacteria phyla were Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia and Proteobacteria. There were 12 bacterial genera with proportions greater than 0.1%. The caecal proportion of Clostridium in the pea starch group was 1.8%, which was higher than those of the other groups (p = 0.057). There was no significant difference in caecal microbial diversity among groups (p0.05). The highest microbial clustering effect was found in the corn starch treatment. In conclusion, the best pellet quality was found using potato starch; for rabbit growth, the optimal source was corn starch.

Subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is an important nutritional disorder affecting animal welfare and economy of milk production. Definitions rely on ruminal pH but due to limitations of its measurement, indicators reflecting low pH are highly desirable. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between reticular pH and 18 on-farm indicators in milk, blood, faeces, urine and chewing behaviour in early lactating dairy cows. Ten farms were visited for 3 weeks and in total samples of 100 cows (10 per farm) were taken. The statistics and graphical visualization were performed using Pearson correlation and linear regression models on an animal individual level as well as with linear mixed models. Eight indicators (milk fat, fat-to-protein ratio, rumination time, feed intake time, rumination frequency, rumination boluses, lying time and faecal pH) were statistically significant associated with the daily animal individual reticular pH average. However, none of the models including the potential explanatory variables explained more than 5% of the pH variations. The study confirms the necessity of pH measurement to detect SARA risk animals in early lactation dairy cows.

Heat stress is one of the most critical problems confronting the poultry industry. Stinging nettle (SN) is a medicinal plant with potent antioxidant properties.The goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary SN at two different levels (2 and 4%) on the serum levels of cortisol and some selected parameters of broilers exposed to chronic heat stress.A total of 240 broiler chickens were randomly assigned to six dietary groups as follows: (1) control: fed the basal diet; (2) HS: heat-stressed broiler fed the basal diet; (3) HS-SN2: heat-stressed broiler fed 2% dietary SN; (4) HS-SN4: heat-stressed broilers fed 4% SN; (5) SN2: no heat-stressed broilers fed the basal diet supplemented with 2% SN; (6) SN4: no heat-stressed broilers fed the basal diet supplemented with 4% SN. Diet supplementation with SN was performed from days 14 to 35 and chronic heat stress was induced from days 22 to 29. The serum parameters were evaluated on days 14, 21, 29 and 35.HS had higher serum levels of cortisol, total cholesterol (TC), aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and creatine kinase (CK) compared to the other treatments. HS-SN4 had significantly lower cortisol, TC, alanine aminotransferase and CK compared to HS and HS-SN2.The inclusion of 4% SN powder in the broilers' diet alleviated the negative effects of heat stress by decreasing cortisol, TC and tissue damage indices. It seems that dietary SN could be used as a feed additive in the poultry diet for improving the health status and defence mechanisms of the birds under stressful conditions.

The reduction of antimicrobial usage in food-producing animals necessitates the intense search for novel alternatives, including new probiotic strains with more effective properties in improving growth performance and curtailing diseases in animals.This study evaluated the effects of novel mono- and multi-strain probiotics on the growth performance, intestinal microbiota and haemato-biochemical parameters of broilers.A total of 160 one-day-old Cobb 500 broilers were divided into eight treatment groups with two replicates consisting of (1) basal diet (negative control), (2) basal diet with antibiotic, colistin sulphate, (3) basal diet with commercial probiotic, PROMAX® (positive control), (4) basal diet with Pediococcus acidilactici I5, (5) basal diet with P. pentosaceus I13, (6) basal diet with Enterococcus faecium C14, (7) basal diet with Lactobacillus plantarum C16 and (8) basal diet with the combination of all the four probiotic strains. Birds were kept for 35 days and through oral gavage, 1 ml of 108 study probiotic strains administered on days 3-6, 14 and 18.Supplementation with P. pentosaceus I13, L. plantarum C16 or multi-strain probiotics significantly (p 0.05) improved the body weight gain and feed conversion ratio with decrease in feed intake and intestinal Enterobacteria counts. There was a significant (p 0.05) increase in haemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, total white blood cells, platelets counts and a lowered (p 0.05) total cholesterol and glucose levels in multi-strains probiotic supplemented birds.The supplementation with novel multi-strain probiotics improved growth, intestinal health and haemato-biochemical parameters in broilers and could be used as suitable antibiotic alternatives.

Coccidiosis is the most common enteric parasitic disease in poultry that is caused by different species of Eimeria. Some chemical drugs were utilized for the control of this infection but drug residue and resistance-induced concerns in chicken consumers.The present study was performed to evaluate the effect of pomegranate peel extract (PPEx) on the control of coccidiosis in chickens.Totally, 300 broiler chicks were divided into 10 groups and 5 groups challenged with a mixture of common Eimeria of 21 days old in Iran. Five days after the challenge, as soon as clinical signs appeared, the oocyte per gram (OPG) of faeces was measured, and chickens were treated with 100, 200 and 400 ppm PPEx (for 7 days) and toltrazuril (for 2 days) in separate groups. Another five groups were only treated with these compounds without challenge. All challenged and non-challenged have a control group. The OPG was measured in the final treatment in chickens. At 35 days of age, all chickens were euthanized and the intestinal and liver samples were collected in 10% formalin for histopathological examination. The growth indices were recorded and analysed all over the growing period, weekly.The results revealed that the addition of PPEx especially in 400 ppm can reduce the intestinal lesions and OPG but in this dose, the growth indices can influence negatively, while the administration of toltrazuril with the best effect on OPG and intestinal lesions, no effect on growth indices in challenged chickens. Also, supplementation of 400 ppm PPEx can induce injuries in the liver while the lower dose has no effect on liver tissue.It is necessary for finding effective ingredients in PPEx and preparation of serial dilution for access to optimal dose with best anti-coccidial effect and lowest negative effect on growth indices in chickens.