Dietary Carob Pods on Growth Performance and Meat Quality of Fattening Pigs

In this experiment the effect of dietary carob pods in the growth performance of fattening pigs and their meat quality, including steak chemical composition and fatty acid profile, were examined. A total of 160 weaning piglets, 30 days old, were allocated into four equal groups with 4 subgroups of 5 female and 5 males each. The animals were fed with isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets, containing either 0 or 75 or 100 or 125 g of carob pods per kg of feed. At the end of the experiment, on the 180 day of age, carcass subcutaneous fat thickness, steak chemical composition and steak fatty acid profile were determined. The results of the experiment showed that the dietary addition of 75 or 100 g/kg carob pods increased body weight at slaughter and carcass weight. No significant effect was noticed on the other examined carcass parameters. Consequently, carob pods could be suggested as a potential feed for fattening pigs without any adverse effect on their meat quality

Evaluation of in-field efficacy of dietary ferric tyrosine on performance, intestinal health and meat quality of broiler chickens exposed to natural Campylobacter jejuni challenge

Campylobacter is an important pathogen commonly found in chickens that can cause severe acute gastroenteritis in humans. Despite intensive efforts to inhibit food-borne transmission of Campylobacter no effective strategy exists to reduce Campylobacter loads in farmed broilers. This study examined the capacity of a novel feed additive to lower Campylobacter jejuni populations and to improve growth efficiency of broiler chickens. A total of 384 male one-day-old broiler chicks were used in a 42-day trial. Birds were randomly allocated into four treatments with six replicates of sixteen chicks per pen. Three groups were fed the basal diets further supplemented with TYPLEX™ chelate (ferric tyrosine) at various concentrations (0.02, 0.05 and 0.20 g/kg, groups T2-T4, respectively). Control group (T1) was fed basal diets in mash form that did not contain added ferric tyrosine. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. At 20 days of age, broilers were exposed to natural C. jejuni challenge by introducing contaminated litter from a commercial farm. At day 25, pen litter samples analysed positive for C. jejuni, and the infection intensity was homogeneous among pens. At the end of the study C. jejuni counts in bird caeca were significantly reduced, by 2 log10 in the T4 group, compared to the T1 Control and T3 groups (p = 0.004). During this study, a natural infection with Eimeria tenella occurred at days 26-29. For animal welfare reasons all birds were treated with an anti-coccidial drug as recommended, for two consecutive days. At day 42, diarrhoea was observed on the litter in only 1 of 6 pens in the T4 group, but in 5 of 6 pens in the T1 Control group. In addition, autopsies showed that the T4 group had the highest percentage of birds with normal intestinal tracts. The T1 group had the lowest percentage of birds with infection-free tracts, and higher incidence of coccidiosis and bloody diarrhoea. At 42 days of age all birds were slaughtered and samples collected for further analysis. Birds in the T4 group tended to exhibit improved weight gain and feed efficiency, a result that warrants further investigation. Collectively, our data suggest that addition of ferric tyrosine at 0.20 g/kg exerts a protective effect against C. jejuni and coccidiosis

Sex difference and intra-operative tidal volume: Insights from the LAS VEGAS study

BACKGROUND: One key element of lung-protective ventilation is the use of a low tidal volume (VT). A sex difference in use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) has been described in critically ill ICU patients.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a sex difference in use of LTVV also exists in operating room patients, and if present what factors drive this difference.DESIGN, PATIENTS AND SETTING: This is a posthoc analysis of LAS VEGAS, a 1-week worldwide observational study in adults requiring intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals in 29 countries.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women and men were compared with respect to use of LTVV, defined as VT of 8 ml kg-1 or less predicted bodyweight (PBW). A VT was deemed 'default' if the set VT was a round number. A mediation analysis assessed which factors may explain the sex difference in use of LTVV during intra-operative ventilation.RESULTS: This analysis includes 9864 patients, of whom 5425 (55%) were women. A default VT was often set, both in women and men; mode VT was 500 ml. Median [IQR] VT was higher in women than in men (8.6 [7.7 to 9.6] vs. 7.6 [6.8 to 8.4] ml kg-1 PBW, P < 0.001). Compared with men, women were twice as likely not to receive LTVV [68.8 vs. 36.0%; relative risk ratio 2.1 (95% CI 1.9 to 2.1), P < 0.001]. In the mediation analysis, patients' height and actual body weight (ABW) explained 81 and 18% of the sex difference in use of LTVV, respectively; it was not explained by the use of a default VT.CONCLUSION: In this worldwide cohort of patients receiving intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery, women received a higher VT than men during intra-operative ventilation. The risk for a female not to receive LTVV during surgery was double that of males. Height and ABW were the two mediators of the sex difference in use of LTVV.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01601223

L' EMPLOI DES RESIDUS DU PROCESSUS INDUSTRIAL DE TOMATE EN ALIMENTATION DES CAILLES

THE AIM OF THE PRESENT STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE USE OF THE INDUSTRIAL TOMATO WASTES IN THE FEEDING OF THE QUAILS, WHEN ADDED TO THEIR USUAL RATION IN PERCENTAGES OF 3,5%, 5% AND 6,5%. TWO EXPERIMENTS TOOK PLACE FOR THE REALIZATION OFTHIS STUDY; EACH OF THEM CONCERNED BOTH THE GROWTH-FATTENING PERIOD OF THE QUAILS AND THEIR LAYING PERIOD. THE PARAMETERS THAT WERE DETERMINED: A) FOR THE GROWTH-FATTENING PERIOD WERE: GROWTH, FEED CONVERSION, MORTALITY, QUALITY OF THE BIRD'S MEAT, B) FOR THE LAYING PERIOD WERE: BODY WEIGHT, EGG PRODUCTION, HATCHABILITY (EGG WEIGHT, SPECIFIC GRAVITY AND SHAPE INDEX OF EGGS AND MORTALITY). THE CONCLUSION OF THIS STUDY IS THAT THE USE OF TOMATO WASTES FOR THE FEEDING OF THE QUAILS MUST BE RECOMMENDED WITHOUT ANY RESERVATION . IN SPITE OF THAT, IN EVERY USE, AN EXACT DETERMINATION OF ITS CONTENT, AS FAR AS FIBER IS CONCERNED IS NECESSARY BECAUSE THAT CONSTITUTES A LIMITING FACTOR FOR THE DEFINITION OF THE PERCENTAGES OF THIS FEED IN THE RATION OF THE QUAILS.Η ΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ ΑΥΤΗ ΕΙΧΕ ΩΣ ΣΚΟΠΟ ΤΗ ΔΙΕΡΕΥΝΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΔΥΝΑΤΟΤΗΤΑΣ ΧΡΗΣΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΥΠΟΛΕΙΜΜΑΤΩΝ ΤΗΣ ΒΙΟΜΗΧΑΝΙΚΗΣ ΕΠΕΞΕΡΓΑΣΙΑΣ ΤΗΣ ΝΤΟΜΑΤΑΣ (ΝΤΟΜΑΤΟΠΙΤΑ) ΣΤΗ ΔΙΑΤΡΟΦΗ ΤΩΝ ΕΚΤΡΕΦΟΜΕΝΩΝ ΟΡΤΥΚΙΩΝ, ΠΡΟΣΘΕΤΟΝΤΑΣ ΤΑ ΣΕ ΠΟΣΟΣΤΑ 3,5%, 5% ΚΑΙ 6,5% ΣΕ ΣΥΓΚΕΚΡΙΜΕΝΗΣ ΣΥΣΤΑΣΗΣ ΣΥΝΗΘΙΣΜΕΝΟ ΣΙΤΗΡΕΣΙΟ (ΜΑΡΤΥΡΕΣ). ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΠΡΑΓΜΑΤΟΠΟΙΗΣΗ ΤΗΣ ΔΙΕΝΕΡΓΗΘΗΚΑΝ ΔΥΟ ΠΕΙΡΑΜΑΤΙΣΜΟΙ ΠΟΥ Ο ΚΑΘΕΝΑΣ ΑΦΟΡΟΥΣΕ ΤΟΣΟ ΤΗΝ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΟ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗΣ-ΠΑΧΥΝΣΗΣ ΤΩΝ ΟΡΤΥΚΙΩΝ ΟΣΟ ΚΑΙ ΕΚΕΙΝΗ ΤΗΣ ΩΟΤΟΚΙΑΣ ΤΟΥΣ. ΤΑ ΚΥΡΙΟΤΕΡΑ ΣΥΜΠΕΡΑΣΜΑΤΑ ΠΟΥ ΠΡΟΕΚΥΨΑΝ ΕΙΝΑΙ: Α) ΔΕ ΣΥΝΕΠΑΓΕΤΑΙ ΣΤΑΤΙΣΤΙΚΑ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΗ ΕΠΙΔΡΑΣΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΑΥΞΗΣΗ ΤΟΥ ΣΩΜΑΤΙΚΟΥ ΒΑΡΟΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΟΡΤΥΚΙΩΝ, ΣΤΗΝ ΗΜΕΡΗΣΙΑ ΚΑΤΑΝΑΛΩΣΗ ΤΡΟΦΗΣ, ΣΤΟ ΔΕΙΚΤΗ ΜΕΤΑΤΡΕΨΙΜΟΤΗΤΑ ΤΡΟΦΗΣ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΟ ΠΟΣΟΣΤΟ ΘΝΗΣΙΜΟΤΗΤΑΣ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΟ ΑΝΑΠΤΥΞΗΣ-ΠΑΧΥΝΣΗΣ ΚΑΘΩΣ ΚΑΙ ΣΤΟ ΣΩΜΑΤΙΚΟ ΒΑΡΟΣ, ΤΟ ΠΟΣΟΣΤΟ ΚΑΤΟΙΚΙΑΣ, ΤΟ ΒΑΡΟΣ ΑΥΓΟΥ,ΤΟ ΕΙΔΙΚΟ ΒΑΡΟΣ ΑΥΓΟΥ, ΤΟ ΔΕΙΚΤΗ ΣΧΗΜΑΤΟΣ ΑΥΓΟΥ ΓΙΑ ΤΗΝ ΠΕΡΙΟΔΟ ΚΑΤΟΙΚΙΑΣ, Β) ΔΕΝ ΕΠΗΡΕΑΖΕΙ ΣΕ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΟ ΒΑΘΜΟ ΤΗΝ ΑΠΟΔΟΣΗ ΤΟΥΣ ΣΕ ΣΦΑΓΙΟ ΟΥΤΕ ΕΠΙΣΗΣ ΤΟ ΒΑΡΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΣΥΚΩΤΙΟΥ, ΚΑΡΔΙΑΣ, ΜΥΩΔΟΥΣ ΣΤΟΜΑΧΟΥ, ΛΑΙΜΟΥ, ΡΑΧΙΑΙΟΥ ΠΛΑΤΑΡΙΟΥ, ΦΤΕΡΟΥΓΩΝ, "ΣΤΗΘΟΥΣ", "ΠΟΔΙΩΝ", ΚΕΦΑΛΙΟΥ, ΜΕΤΑΤΑΡΣΙΩΝ, ΠΕΠΤΙΚΟΥ ΣΩΛΗΝΑ ΚΑΙ ΦΤΕΡΩΝ, Γ) ΕΧΕΙ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΗ ΘΕΤΙΚΗ ΕΠΙΔΡΑΣΗ ΣΤΗΝ ΠΕΡΙΕΚΤΙΚΟΤΗΤΑ ΤΟΥ ΣΦΑΓΙΟΥ (ΤΗΝ 42Η ΗΜΕΡΑ) ΣΕ ΛΙΠΑΡΕΣ ΟΥΣΙΕΣ, ΥΓΡΑΣΙΑ ΚΑΙ ΤΕΦΡΑ, ΕΝΩ ΔΕΝ ΕΠΗΡΕΑΖΕΙ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΑ ΤΗΝ ΠΕΡΙΕΚΤΙΚΟΤΗΤΑ ΤΟΥ ΣΕ ΟΛΙΚΕΣ ΑΖΩΤΟΥΧΕΣ ΟΥΣΙΕΣ ΚΑΙ Δ) ΣΥΝΕΠΑΓΕΤΑΙ ΣΗΜΑΝΤΙΚΑ ΜΕΓΑΛΥΤΕΡΟ-ΚΑΤΑ 11,30%- ΠΟΣΟΣΤΟ ΠΡΑΚΤΙΚΗΣ ΕΚΚΟΛΑΠΤΙΚΟΤΗΤΑΣ ΑΥΓΩΝ ΑΝ ΠΡΟΣΘΕΤΕΤΑΙ ΣΤΟ ΣΙΤΗΡΕΣΙΟΤΩΝ ΟΡΤΥΚΙΩΝ ΣΕ ΠΟΣΟΣΤΟ 6,5%

Aromatic Plants as a Source of Bioactive Compounds

Aromatic plants, also known as herbs and spices, have been used since antiquity as folk medicine and as preservatives in foods. The best known aromatic plants, such as oregano, rosemary, sage, anise, basil, etc., originate from the Mediterranean area. They contain many biologically active compounds, mainly polyphenolics, which have been found to possess antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antiprotozoal, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. Currently, the demand for these plants and their derivatives has increased because they are natural, eco-friendly and generally recognized as safe products. Therefore, aromatic plants and their extracts have the potential to become new generation substances for human and animal nutrition and health. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the literature surrounding the in vivo and in vitro use of aromatic plants

Aromatic Plants as a Source of Bioactive Compounds

Aromatic plants, also known as herbs and spices, have been used since antiquity as folk medicine and as preservatives in foods. The best known aromatic plants, such as oregano, rosemary, sage, anise, basil, etc., originate from the Mediterranean area. They contain many biologically active compounds, mainly polyphenolics, which have been found to possess antimicrobial, antioxidant, antiparasitic, antiprotozoal, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties. Currently, the demand for these plants and their derivatives has increased because they are natural, eco-friendly and generally recognized as safe products. Therefore, aromatic plants and their extracts have the potential to become new generation substances for human and animal nutrition and health. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the literature surrounding the in vivo and in vitro use of aromatic plants

Effect of a mixture of herbal extracts on broiler chickens infected with Eimeria tenella

The effect of dietary supplementation with Apacox (Apa-CT, s.r.l. Italy), a commercial preparation of herbal extracts, on the performance of broiler chickens experimentally infected with 6 × 104 sporulated oocysts of Eimeria tenella at 14 days of age, was evaluated. A total of 150 day-old Cobb-500 chicks separated into 5 equal groups with three replicates each, were used. Two of the groups, one challenged with E. tenella oocysts and the other not, were given a basal diet and served as controls. The remaining groups that were also challenged with E. tenella were administered a basal diet supplemented with Apacox at levels of 0.5 or 1.0 g·kg–1 or the anticoccidial lasalocid at 75 mg·kg–1. Throughout the experimental period from day 1 to day 35, performance parameters including body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, mortality, caecal lesion score, bloody diarrhoea and oocyst output were recorded. Dietary supplementation with Apacox attained higher body weight gain and lower feed conversion ratio values than the non-supplemented challenged control group. The lasalocid and the non-challenged control groups exhibited body weight gain and feed conversion ratio values that did not significantly differ from each other, and were better than in the Apacox groups. Bloody diarrhoea was observed in all challenged groups except for the Apacox group at the dose of 1.0 g·kg–1 diet, where it was milder and the lasalocid group where it was very weak. The mortality in the challenged control group was 23.4% whereas in the Apacox group at the dose of 1.0 g·kg–1, 13.4%. The caecal lesion scores of the Apacox groups were not significantly different from that of the challenged control group. The numbers of oocysts per bird in the Apacox groups were lower than that in the challenged control group but higher than that in the lasalocid group. These results indicate that Apacox exerted a coccidiostatic effect against E. tenella. This effect was, however, significantly lower than that exhibited by lasalocid.Effet d’un mélange d’extraits d’herbes incorporé dans l’aliment de poulets de chair, sur le développement d’une coccidiose due à Eimeria tenella. Dans ce travail, nous avons étudié l’effet de l’incorporation dans l’aliment d’une préparation commerciale, contenant un mélange d’extraits d’herbes (Apacox), sur le développement d’une coccidiose expérimentale due à Eimeria tenella (6 × 104 oocystes) réalisée à 14 jours d’âge chez des poulets de chair. Dans ce but, 150 poussins Cobb 500 d’un jour ont été séparés en 5 groupes de 30 poussins chacun avec 3 répliques de 10 oiseaux. Deux groupes témoins, dont l’un a été infecté avec des oocystes d’E. tenella et l’autre pas, ont consommé l’aliment de base. Les trois autres groupes ont été infectés avec E. tenella ; l’un a consommé l’aliment de base supplémenté avec l’Apacox à la dose de 0,5 g·kg–1, l’autre à la dose de 1,0 g·kg–1 et le troisième avec un anticoccidien (75 mg·kg–1 de lasalocide de sodium). Au cours de la période expérimentale, de 1 à 35 jours d’âge, le gain de poids des poulets, la consommation d’aliment, et l’efficacité alimentaire étaient estimés chaque semaine. Après infection, la mortalité, les diarrhées sanglantes et l’excrétion d’oocystes, ainsi que le score lésionnel au niveau du caecum ont été déterminées. L’incorporation d’Apacox a conduit à un poids vif et un indice de consommation supérieurs à ceux du groupe témoin infecté, mais inférieurs à ceux du groupe recevant le lasalocide et à ceux du groupe témoin non-infecté. Ces deux derniers groupes n’ont pas différé. Des diarrhées sanglantes ont été observées dans tous les groupes infectés, excepté dans le groupe recevant l’Apacox à 1 g·kg–1 qui a conduit à des diarrhées plus faibles et le groupe lasolacide qui a eu de très faibles diarrhées. La mortalité dans le groupe témoin infecté a été de 23,4 % alors que pour le groupe Apacox à la dose de 1 g·kg–1, elle s’est élevée à 13,4 %. Bien que numériquement plus faibles, les lésions caecales des groupes Apacox n’ont pas été différentes de celles observées dans le groupe témoin infecté. Le nombre d’oocystes excrété dans les groupes Apacox a été plus faible que dans le groupe témoin infecté, mais plus élevé que dans le groupe lasalocide. Ces résultats indiquent que l’Apacox a un effet coccidiostatique modéré contre E. tenella, mais significativement inférieur à celui du lasalocide

Effect of Feeding Rosemary and α-Tocopheryl Acetate on Hen Performance and Egg Quality

The goal of this study was to determine the effect of feeding rosemary and α-tocopheryl acetate on hen performance and egg quality. Ninety-six Lohmann laying hens, 32-week-old, were allocated into four groups. One of the groups was given a control diet (CONT), two groups were given diets supplemented with ground rosemary at 5 and 10g/kg (ROS-5 and ROS-10, respectively), whereas the other group a diet supplemented with 200mg/kg α-tocopheryl acetate (VIT-E). Following 60 days feeding, hen performance and some egg quality characteristics were determined, whereas the oxidative stability of the refrigerated stored eggs and liquid yolks was also examined. Results showed that there were no significant (P>0.05) differences in egg production, feed consumption, feed conversion ratio, egg weight and shape, yolk diameter, height and color, Haugh units, and shell thickness, among the dietary treatments. The extent of lipid oxidation in eggs differed (P<0.05) between the dietary treatments, but did not change with the storage time. In liquid yolks, lipid oxidation was lower (P<0.05) in the ROS-5 group compared to the CONT group. The ROS-10 group, in turn, exhibited lower (P<0.05) oxidation rate than the ROS-5 group, a finding suggesting that rosemary exerted a dose dependent antioxidative activity. The VIT-E group presented lower (P<0.05) lipid oxidation rate compared to all other groups