Main and interaction effects of extrusion temperature and usage level of full fat soybean on performance and blood metabolites of broiler chickens

The extruded full fat soybean (EFFSB) may be used in diet to satisfy the energy and protein requirements of fast growing broiler chickens. The main and interaction effects of three extrusion temperatures and two dietary levels of FFSB were studied on the performance, physiological enzymes and blood metabolites of broiler chickens from 0 to 42 days. The batches of full fat soybean (FFSB) were wet extruded at three temperatures (145, 155 and 165°C, respectively) for 15 s. 240 day-old Ross 308 male broiler chicks were divided and placed in 24 pens. Six starter, grower and finisher diets were provided in a 2 × 3 factorial design with two dietary levels of EFFSB (7.5 and 15%) and three extrusion temperatures (145, 155 and 165°C). The extrusion temperatures did not have significant effect on feed intake (FI), body weight gain (WG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of chickens during each and whole period, but the inclusion rate of EFFSB had significant (P<0.05) effect on FI and WG. The FI and WG of chickens fed diet contained 15% EFFSB was significantly (P<0.05) lower than those fed 7.5% EFFSB diet. The extrusion temperatures and inclusion rate did not significantly affect pancreas weight, creatine phosphokinase (CPK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) enzymes, indicating that the anti-nutrients residuals of FFSBs extruded at 145, 155 and 165°C did not influence liver system and pancreas size of chicks at 21 days of age. The interaction effects between dietary levels of EFFSB and extrusion temperatures on performance criteria, pancreas weight, CPK, LDH, AST and ALT enzymes of chickens were not significant (P>0.05) during each and whole period. It is concluded that blood metabolites and broiler performance were not affected (P>0.05) with extrusion temperature from 145 to 165°C, but increasing dietary levels of EFFSB from 7.5 to 15%, affected (P<0.05) negatively the growth rate of chicks.Key words: Full fat soybean extrusion, temperature, broiler performance, blood metabolites

AGRICULTURAL WATER MANAGEMENT THROUGH MAGNETIZATION OF IRRIGATION AND DRINKING WATER: A REVIEW

    Received 03 December 2017; Accepted 18 February 2018 *Corresponding Author M. Gholizadeh Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Iran Email: [email protected] ©This article is open access and licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted, use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, or format for any purpose, even commercially provided the work is properly cited. Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. Agricultural water management in arid and semi-arid countries such as Iran is of utmost importance. Alterations of water as a major component of each bio system through magnetization have been reviewed in this study. Magnetization process has been used as green technology in industry and agriculture with controversial results. Properties of water such as pH, hydrogen bonds, temperature, structure and its ions can be affected by an external magnetic field. Subsequent modifications have substantial impacts on water quality that is determined for optimum plant and animal production. There are some reports among numerous studies in agronomy, gardening and animal husbandry which claim fruitful influence of this treatment both qualitatively and quantitatively. Nevertheless, there are some controversial reports on the effects of magnetization. In conclusion, the response of organisms depends on magnetization time and intensity, water quality and plant or animal species. These variables should be taken into account for further studies regarding this mysteries process

Antioxidant status, immune system, blood metabolites and carcass characteristic of broiler chickens fed turmeric rhizome powder under heat stress

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary turmeric rhizome powder (TP) on performance, blood metabolite, immune system, antioxidant status, and relative weight of organs in pre and post heat stressed broilers. Two hundred and sixty-four (264) day-old male Arian broiler chicks were randomly allotted to three dietary treatments containing 0, 0.4 or 0.8% turmeric powder. Each diet was fed to four replicates of 22 birds each. Heat stress was applied for 5 h (33°C) from 28 to 42 days. Two birds from each replicate were randomly selected and blood samples were taken to collect the serum, plasma and whole blood. These were slaughtered to determine the relative weight of organs pre (28 days PHS) and after heat stress (42 days AHS). TP did not affect feed intake, body weight, feed conversion ratio (FCR), production index, and protein and energy efficiency ratio of broilers. Blood cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL) decreased and blood high density lipoprotein (HDL) increased when fed TP in PHS and AHS birds. TP did not affect serum triglyceride, protein, antibody production against sheep red blood cell (SRBC), IgG, IgM and Newcastle vaccination (ND) in PHS and AHS. TP suppressed the enzyme activity of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) of heat stressed birds. The enzyme activity of creatine kinase (CK) in AHS and superoxide dismutase (S OD) in PHS were not affected by TP diets. TP diets increased blood activity of glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and SOD and decreased blood thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) index. The H:L ratio, relative weight of bursa of fabircus and abdominal fat decreased in birds fed TP diets. TP diets did not alter percentage of bone Ash, and P of heat stress broilers; however, it increased bone Ca of heat stressed broilers. It can be concluded that the supplementation of TP to diets, decreased the activity of dehydrogenase enzyme, stressor index, and improved the antioxidant status without affecting performance and the immune system of heat stressed broilers.Key words: Turmeric powder, immune and antioxidant system, blood metabolite, broiler

Comparison of yolk fatty acid content, blood and egg cholesterol of hens fed diets containing palm olein oil and kilka fish oil

The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of dietary palm olein oil (POO) and Kilka fish oil (KFO) on yolk fatty acid content, ratio of fatty acids (FAs), antibody titre, and blood and yolk cholesterol of laying hens. One hundred White Hy-Line 26-wk-old (W-36) hens were allotted to 6 dietary treatments containing 0, 1.5, 3 and 4.5% POO or 2 and 4% KFO. The FAs and cholesterol content of yolk were measured at the end of three consecutive days of each period. Results reveal that the oleic acid increased and palmitic acid decreased (P<0.05) when hens were fed diets containing POO. The KFO diets reduced the blood cholesterol, yolk linoleic acid and yolk ω-6 FA (P<0.05), whereas the blood cholesterol increased by the supplementation of POO to dietary treatments. The yolk long chain polyunsaturated ω-3 FAs [Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] increased as KFO was increased in diets (P<0.001). The diets supplementation of KFO and POO thus, showed a decrease and an increase in the ratio of ω-6/ ω-3 FAs (P<0.05), respectively. It is concluded that supplementation of KFO to the dietary treatment may improve deposition of ω-3 FAs; however, the POO supplementation may improve deposition of ω-9 FAs without alteration of yolk cholesterol.Key words: Palm olein oil (POO), Kilka fish oil (KFO), hens, egg omega-9 and omega-3 fatty acid

Chemical and transcriptomic diversity do not correlate with ascending levels of social complexity in the insect order Blattodea

Eusocial insects, such as ants and termites, are characterized by high levels of coordinated social organization. This is contrasted by solitary insects that display more limited forms of collective behavior. It has been hypothesized that this gradient in sociobehavioral sophistication is positively correlated with chemical profile complexity, due to a potentially increased demand for diversity in chemical communication mechanisms in insects with higher levels of social complexity. However, this claim has rarely been assessed empirically. Here, we compare different levels of chemical and transcriptomic complexity in selected species of the order Blattodea that represent different levels of social organization, from solitary to eusocial. We primarily focus on cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) complexity, since it has repeatedly been demonstrated that CHCs are key signaling molecules conveying a wide variety of chemical information in solitary as well as eusocial insects. We assessed CHC complexity and divergence between our studied taxa of different social complexity levels as well as the differentiation of their respective repertoires of CHC biosynthesis gene transcripts. Surprisingly, we did not find any consistent pattern of chemical complexity correlating with social complexity, nor did the overall chemical divergence or transcriptomic repertoire of CHC biosynthesis genes reflect on the levels of social organization. Our results challenge the assumption that increasing social complexity is generally reflected in more complex chemical profiles and point toward the need for a more cautious and differentiated view on correlating complexity on a chemical, genetic, and social level

Effect of Rolled or Extruded Flaxseeds in Finisher Diet on Pellet Quality, Performance, and n-3 Fatty Acids in Breast and Thigh Muscles of Broiler Chickens

An experiment was conducted to compare the effect of corn-soybean meal finisher (29-42d) diets containing flaxseeds (rolled or extruded) on pellet quality, performance, n-3 fatty acids (FA) and oxidative stability of meat in broiler chickens. Seven pelleted diets were provided in a 3×2 factorial arrangement with three flaxseed levels (5, 10, and 15%) and two processing methods (rolled or extruded) and a zero flaxseed diet (control). Birds fed diet containing 15% flaxseed had significantly lower weight gain and higher feed conversion ratio compared to those fed diets contained 0, 5 and/or 10% flaxseed. The type of flaxseed processing did not influence (P > 0.05) fatty acid profile and the MDA content in muscles. Chickens fed the control diet had relatively high levels of saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids and low levels of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Feeding diets contained flaxseed markedly reduced the levels of saturated fatty acids, monounsaturated fatty acids and increased polyunsaturated fatty acids, particularly the n-3 fatty acids in meat. It is concluded that the addition of 15% flaxseeds to finisher diet can increase n-3 fatty acids and lipid peroxidation in meat, while reducing growth performance of broiler chickens. However, feeding finisher diet containing 10% flaxseed compared to 5 or 15% flaxseed is of more practical to achieve an acceptable level of Omega-3 fatty acids in breast and thigh muscles without compromising the performance of broiler chickens

Effect of High and Low Stocking Density on Age of Maturity, Egg Production, Egg Size Distribution in White and Brown Layer Hens: A Meta-analysis

Data of four layers flocks (#31-34) from North Carolina Layer Performance and Management Test of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services were used in the meta-analysis to find if an increase in space allowance can affect egg production traits in white and brown layers. Effects of space allowance of 310 and 413 cm2/bird on layers performance were compared in this study. The increase in space allowance resulted in a significant improvement in egg production, egg mass and daily feed intake in both white and brown layers throughout the first (approximately 490-d; P< 0.001) and second (approximately till 760-d; P< 0.05) cycles of egg production.Space allowance did not affect age of maturity and final body weight at the end of first egg production cycle in both types of layers. Increasing birds space allowance resulted in a reduction in the mortality rate of white layers (P< 0.001) in the first egg production cycle and in the first (P=0.015) and second (P=0.027) egg production cycles in brown layers. The increase in space allowance significantly improved egg weight (P< 0.001) in white layers in the first egg production cycle. A significant increase in egg weight was observed in the first (P=0.014) and second (P=0.050) egg production cycles in brown layers in response to increasing birds space allowance. Egg size distribution was significantly influenced by the space allowance during both egg production cycles in white and brown layers. Space allowance is a management tool that can be used to optimize egg production traits, mortality and egg size distribution in both white and brown layers. Space allowance of 413 cm2/bird could significantly improve egg production and egg size distribution in first and second egg production cycle compared to 310 cm2/bird

Effect of omega6 : omega3 fatty acid ratios on semen quality of Malaysian village roosters.

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of different dietary oil sources on qualitative and quantitative features of Malaysian village rooster’s semen. Forty five Malaysian village roosters (BA Breed) at 30 weeks of age were randomly assigned to 1 of the 3 dietary treatments with 3 oil sources (fish oil, vegetable oil and cooked oil). Semen collected from roosters 2 times a week and analyzed by computer-assisted sperm analyzer (Hamilton Thorne Motility Analyzer; IVOS, Beverly, MA). The viability (live to dead spermatozoa ratio) was measured using eosin-nigrosin smears under light microscope and semen volume was determined by reading the scale on the tube. The results showed that in comparison to either vegetable or cooked oils, the addition of fish oil as a source of omega3 fatty acids to diets, significantly (P < 0.05) increased motile spermatozoa and average smoothed path velocity (VAP) but decreased static type of spermatozoa in village rooster’s semen (P < 0.05). Conversely, the addition of cooked oil decreased motility and VAP of rooster’s semen (P < 0.05). Dietary treatments with different oil sources had no significant effect on progressive traits such as semen volume, semen concentration and live and dead spermatozoa (P > 0.05). It was concluded that the addition of polyunsaturated fatty acids may improve semen quality in hot climates

Method of Production and Assessment of anEncapsulated Choline Chloride and Its Effects on GrowthPerformanceand Serum LipidIndices in Broilers

Since, choline chloride caking causes serious operating difficulties and customer complaints, two experiments were conducted to optimize in vitro production of a novel encapsulated choline chloride (ECC) with minimum hygroscopic property and optimize delivery in gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The in vivo verification test of ECC was used to compare it with the commercial choline chloride (CC) in Ross 308 broiler chickens. Twelve factors with 3 levels including 27 formulations on ECC properties were evaluated using the Taguchi method (signal/noise ratio analysis).  The produced ECC particles showed a decrease in hygroscopic property and release rate under simulated GIT. The in vitro study showed that the encapsulation efficiency of 27 formulations were ≥ 80% and choline content in ECC particles ranged from 507 to 718 g/kg (wt/wt). The oil, wax, whey protein concentrate (WPC), and calcium stearate contents had the most influence on hygroscopic property (P < 0.05). The ECC particle gastric resistance was improved by increasing oil and wax contents as well as sonication time, pH, and carrier content (P < 0.05). Average daily gain of broiler chickens fed diet supplemented with choline chloride (CC or ECC) was increased compared to those fed negative control diet during starter period (P < 0.05). The serum concentration of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, triglyceride, and cholesterol were decreased in birds fed diet supplemented with choline chloride (CC or ECC; P < 0.05). The results showed that ECC with no hygroscopic property might be an alternative to CC without negative effect on performance of broiler chickens