Xylanase and xylo- oligosaccharide prebiotic improve the growth performance and concentration of potentially prebiotic oligosaccharides in the ileum of broiler chickens

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of supplementing broiler diets with xylanase or xylo- oligosaccharide (XOS) on growth performance, the concentration of non-starch polysaccharide (NSP) hydrolysis products in the ileum and concentration of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the caeca of broiler chickens. In total, 500 male Ross 308 broilers were used in this 29-day (d) study. The treatments were organised into a 2×2 plus 1 factorial arrangement consisting of two additives (xylanase or XOS) at two levels (low or high) plus a control treatment with no additives. This gave five treatments with 100 bird in each treatment group. The diets were slightly deficient in protein by 20 g/kg and energy by 1 MJ/kg. On d 14 and 28, two birds per pen were euthanised, the caeca content collected and analysed for short chain fatty acid (SCFA) concentration. On d 29, six birds per pen were euthanised and ileal digesta were collected and analysed for the concentration of NSP fractions. On d 14, caecal acetic acid, iso-butyric acid, iso-valeric acid, n-valeric acid and total SCFA concentrations were significantly greater (P≤0.05) when diets were supplemented with XOS compared with xylanase. Ileal concentration of arabinose, galactose and glucuronic acid (GlucA2) were significantly greater (P≤0.05) in the insoluble NSP fraction when diets were supplemented with a high level of xylanase, compared with the control treatment. Ileal concentration of fructose was significantly greater (P≤0.05) in the water soluble NSP when a high level of xylanase or low level of XOS were included in the diet compared with the control. It was concluded that xylanase and XOS had similar effects on NSP concentration and SCFA in the caeca, although there was little effect on performance. This observation demonstrated further benefits of xylanase supplementation in wheat-based broiler diets beyond digesta viscosity reduction and the release of extra nutrients

Occurrence of malaria and utilization of antimalaria preventive measures amongst pregnant women attending Ajeromi- Ifelodun General Hospital, Lagos State, Nigeria

Malaria in Pregnancy poses a serious health problem both for the mother and her unborn baby and this can be prevented with the use of Intermittent Preventive Treatment with sulphadoxine pyrimethamine (IPTp-SP), Long Lasting Insecticidetreated Nets (LLIN) and other preventive measures. This cross-sectional survey was carried out among pregnant women attending Ajeromi Ifelodun General Hospital between August 2013 and February 2014. A total of 414 pregnant women (with mean age of 29±8.7) in their first (84), second (124) and third (206) trimesters were recruited for this study. Blood samples for making both thin and thick smears were collected and semi-structured questionnaires administered to the respondents. The questionnaire probed into their knowledge on cause of malaria, the preventive measures taken against mosquito bite, use of IPTp-SP, possession and use of LLIN. The overall prevalence of malaria due to Plasmodium falciparum is 24 (5.8%) out of which 13 were primigravid, 5 were secundi-gravid, and 6 were multigravida with no significant difference (P>0.05) amongst them. Two hundred and eighty-six (69.1%) pregnant women had good knowledge of the cause of malaria. 164 (39.6%) of the sampled population had a tertiary education while 182 (44.0%) had secondary education, 124 (30.4%) were traders and 80(19.6%) were civil servants. Preventive measures claimed to be adopted by the respondents in avoiding mosquito bites include the use of LLIN (62.6%), insecticides sprays (36.2%), and locally adopted measures (1.5%). The number of respondents who had not availed themselves of IPTp-SP was significantly higher 258 (62.3%) compared to those who had (P<0.05). It was observed that educational status had no significant effect on the knowledge of the cause of malaria in sample population (p>0.05). The findings of this study reveal that there is a good knowledge on the cause of malaria among pregnant women but low use of IPTp-SP. In order to meet the new target of reaching an elimination stage set by the World Health Organization, factors responsible for the low use of these preventive measures should be investigated and quickly addressed so as to reduce both maternal and child morbidity/mortality resulting from malaria infection.Keywords: Malaria, Pregnant women, Prevention, Intermitent preventive treatment, Sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, Longlasting Insecticide treated ne

The influence of oil extraction process of different rapeseed varieties on the ileal digestibility of crude protein and amino acids in broiler chickens

The current study assessed the effect of rapeseed variety and oil extraction process on the apparent and standardised ileal digestibility (AID, SID) of crude protein (CP) and amino acids (AA) in rapeseed co-products in broiler chickens. PR46W21 and DK Cabernet rapeseed varieties were de-oiled by soft and standard hexane extraction, producing soft rapeseed meal (SRSM) and rapeseed meal (RSM), respectively. The soft, non-standard hexane extraction method was designed to reduce heat treatment that occurs prior to hexane extraction in order to maximise potential genetic differences in digestibility values of rapeseed co-products. The test meals were incorporated into semi-synthetic diets at a level of 500 g/kg; diets were fed to 14-day old paired chickens (n = 6 pairs) for ten days, when ileal digesta was collected post-slaughter from Meckel’s diverticulum to the ileal-caecal junction. The AID and SID of CP and AA were determined using titanium dioxide as inert dietary marker. The variety PR46W21 showed a greater AID and SID of CP, arginine, leucine, methionine, cysteine, phenylalanine, valine and lysine in RSM compared to the DK Cabernet RSM (p < 0.05). The soft processing increased AID and SID of CP, histidine and lysine in SRSM of PR46W21 and DK Cabernet compared to their RSM counterparts (p < 0.05). An interaction between variety and processing was only observed for AID and SID of tryptophan (p < 0.001), as only in PR46W21 standard processing reduced the tryptophan SID compared to its soft processed counterpart. The data support the view that the selection of rapeseed variety and modification of thermal treatment during the oil extraction might improve nutritional value of rapeseed meals

Effects of rapeseed variety and oil extraction method on the content and ileal digestibility of crude protein and amino acids in rapeseed cake and softly processed rapeseed meal fed to broiler chickens

We examined the effects of rapeseed variety and oil extraction method on crude protein (CP) and amino acid (AA) content in rapeseed co-products, and determined their coefficient of apparent (AID) and standardised ileal digestibility (SID) in broiler chickens. Sixteen rapeseed samples were de-oiled; four were cold-pressed producing rapeseed cake (RSC) and twelve were mild processed and hexane-extracted producing soft rapeseed meal (SRSM). One batch of the variety Compass, grown on the same farm, was processed using both methods obtaining Compass RSC and Compass SRSM. DK Cabernet rapeseed variety, grown on three different farms, was used to produce two SRSM batches and one RSC batch. All rapeseed co-products were ground through a 4 mm screen and mixed into semi-synthetic diets at a level of 500 g/kg. Day-old Ross 308 male broilers were fed a commercial diet for 14 days. A total of 96 pairs of birds were then allotted to 1 of 16 dietary treatments (n = 6) and fed a test diet for 8 days. Birds were then culled allowing removal of ileal digesta from Meckel’s diverticulum to the ileal-caecal junction. Digestibility of CP and AA was determined using titanium dioxide as an inert marker. The SRSM samples had an increased content of CP (419–560 g/kg DM) compared to RSC samples (293–340 g/kg DM). Both AID and SID of lysine, and SID of arginine, histidine and threonine were greater in Compass RSC compared to its SRSM counterpart (P 0.05). The SID of lysine was on average 0.03 units greater (P < 0.001) in RSC than in SRSM. The SRSM produced from variety PR46W21 showed similar or greater AID and SID of individual AA than the RSC from four other rapeseed varieties. It is concluded that selection of rapeseed varieties, and extraction method have a potential to deliver high-protein dietary ingredients with a good digestibility value

Carbohydrases and Prebiotics Influenced Retention without Affecting Growth of Broilers

No abstract available

The Use of Additives to Improve Gut Health as a Tool to Promote Overall Bird Health in the Future

No abstract available