Effect of chestnut tannin in the diet of lactating ewes on milk and cheese quality

A commercial product consisting of pure soluble tannins extracted from chestnut wood was introduced into the diet of lactating ewes at pasture, at the level of 20 g / head / day in the concentrate mixed feed. The supplementation with tannins did not exert any influence on milk yield and on lactose and fat content of milk, but induced an increase in milk protein yield, apparently in heat coagulable proteins. This is maybe due to an increase of the rumen undegradable fraction of dietary proteins. The somatic cells count and the bacterial load of milk were not affected as well. Further studies are needed to confirm these important results, in order to optimize the nitrogen metabolic balance of ruminant animals, among the other advantages

Influence of CLA supplementation on the lipid quality of rabbit meat

Lately, animal science researchers are getting more and more interested in natural nutraceuticals in feeds because of their beneficial effect both to the animal and to the consumer. Conjugated Linoleic Acid (CLA) consists of a pool of geometrical and positional isomers, acknowledged as a potent anti-carcinogenic, anti-atherogenic, anti-obesity, anti-diabetes and immune stimulating factor (Parodi, 1999). Food products from ruminant animals,milk in particular, are naturally more or less rich in CLA, depending on feeding. CLA may be increased by dietary means. Aim of the present study was an attempt to upgrade the lipid quality of rabbit meat by supplementing the diet with CLA

Use of a citrus by-product in broilers diets

The European Union is about to ban antibiotics as growth promoters in animal feeds. Organic products have been recently revalued and the animal science research showed a great interest in the study of alternative natural nutraceutical products in animal feeding. Flavonoids are plant pigments able to inhibit or kill many bacterial strains, to destroy some pathogenic protozoa and to scavenge free radicals

Polyphenols and organic acids as alternatives to antimicrobials in poultry rearing: a review.

For decades antibiotics have been used in poultry rearing to support high levels of production. Nevertheless, several problems have arisen because of the misuse of antibiotics (i.e., antibiotic resistance, residues in animal products, environmental pollution). Thus, the European Union (EU) as well as the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) promote action plans to diminish the use of antibiotics in animal production. Alternatives to antibiotics have been studied. Polyphenols (PPs) or organic acids (OAs) seem to be two accredited solutions. Phenolic compounds, such as phenols, flavonoids, and tannins exert their antimicrobial effect with specific mechanisms. In contrast, short chain fatty acids (SCFAs) and medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs), the OAs mainly used as antibiotics alternative, act on the pathogens depending on the pKa value. This review aims to collect the literature reporting the effects of these substances applied as antimicrobial molecules or growth promoter in poultry feeding (both for broilers and laying hens). Organic acids and PPs can be used individually or in blends, exploiting the properties of each component. Collected data highlighted that further research needs to focus on OAs in laying hens’ feeding and also determine the right combination in blends with PPs

Mixtures of mono-, di- and tri-glycerides as energy supplements to broilers' diets

Mixtures of mono-, di- and tri-glycerides from olive oil (MDT) were added to: palm oil (PO), olive oil (OO), soybean oil (SO), free fatty acids from palm oil (PFA), free fatty acids from olive oil (OFA). The compound mixtures were used as energy supplements in the diets of broiler chickens in comparison with plain SO and plain animal fat (AF). Two hundred and ten birds were randomly allotted to 7 dietary treatments with the diverse oil sources: 6 birds per cage, 5 cages per treatment. The effects of the treatments on growth rates, feed/gain ratios and acidic composition of abdominal fat of hybrid Ross 308 female chickens were studied. The animals were slaughtered at the end of the trial, at day 35. The breast meat quality was then evaluated by a panel of 15 trained members and analysed for shelf life duration. The AF treat- ment gave the highest weight gain, but only in the first week. MDT + OO (50/50) resulted the best combination, with slight, non significant, better performances and a decidedly better quality in terms of acidic composition of abdominal fat, taste and juiciness of breast meat and shelf life

Milk and conjugated linoleic acid a review of the effects on human health

Dairy products and milk play an important role in a healthy diet as they contribute to the intake of essential nutrients, high-quality proteins, and fats. Despite the large number of existing studies on the possible association between dairy products and chronic degenerative diseases, studies examining the effects of dairy products and milk on the risk of common causes of mortality such as cardiovascular and neoplastic diseases are scarce and conflicting. Some studies have reported an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases for individuals who consume large amounts of cheese, whereas others have shown no relationship between these products and atherosclerotic biomarkers

NNLO QCD×EW corrections to Z production in the q q channel

We present the first results for the O(ααs) corrections to the total partonic cross section of the process qq→Z+X, with the complete set of contributions, that include photonic and massive weak gauge boson effects. The results are relevant for the precise determination of the hadronic Z boson production cross section. Virtual and real corrections are calculated analytically using the reduction to the master integrals and their evaluation through differential equations. Real corrections are dealt with using the reverse-unitarity method. They require the evaluation of a new set of two-loop master integrals, with up to three internal massive lines. In particular, three of them are expressed in terms of elliptic integrals. We verify the absence, at this perturbative order, of initial-state mass singularities proportional to a weak massive virtual correction to the quark-gluon splitting

Mixture of mono- di- and tri-glycerides as energy supplements to broilers diets.

Mixtures of mono-, di- and tri-glycerides from olive oil (MDT) were added to: palm oil (PO), olive oil (OO), soybean oil (SO), free fatty acids from palm oil (PFA), free fatty acids from olive oil (OFA). The compound mixtures were used as energy supplements in the diets of broiler chickens in comparison with plain SO and plain animal fat (AF). Two hundred and ten birds were randomly allotted to 7 dietary treatments with the diverse oil sources: 6 birds per cage, 5 cages per treatment. The effects of the treatments on growth rates, feed/gain ratios and acidic composition of abdominal fat of hybrid Ross 308 female chickens were studied. The animals were slaughtered at the end of the trial, at day 35. The breast meat quality was then evaluated by a panel of 15 trained members and analysed for shelf life duration. The AF treatment gave the highest weight gain, but only in the first week. MDT + OO (50/50) resulted the best combination, with slight, non significant, better performances and a decidedly better quality in terms of acidic composition of abdominal fat, taste and juiciness of breast meat and shelf lif

Oral administration of chestnut tannins to reduce the duration of neonatal calf diarrhea

Background: Neonatal calf diarrhea is generally caused by infectious agents and is a very common disease in bovine practice, leading to substantial economic losses. Tannins are known for their astringent and anti- inflammatory properties in the gastro-enteric tract. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the oral administration of chestnut tannins (Castanea sativa Mill.) in order to reduce the duration of calf neonatal diarrhea. Twenty-four Italian Friesian calves affected by neonatal diarrhea were included. The duration of the diarrheic episode (DDE) was recorded and the animals were divided into a control group (C), which received Effydral® in 2 l of warm water, and a tannin-treated group (T), which received Effydral® in 2 l of warm water plus 10 g of extract of chestnut tannins powder. A Mann-Whitney test was performed to verify differences for the DDE values between the two groups. Results: The DDE was significantly higher in group C than in group T (p = 0.02), resulting in 10.1 ± 3.2 and 6.6 ± 3. 8 days, respectively. Conclusions: Phytotherapic treatments for various diseases have become more common both in human and in veterinary medicine, in order to reduce the presence of antibiotic molecules in the food chain and in the environment. Administration of tannins in calves with diarrhea seemed to shorten the DDE in T by almost 4 days compared to C, suggesting an effective astringent action of chestnut tannins in the calf, as already reported in humans. The use of chestnut tannins in calves could represent an effective, low-impact treatment for neonatal diarrhea

Butyric acid glycerides in the diet of broiler chickens: effects on gut histology and carcass composition

Aim of the study was to verify the effects of butyric acid glycerides, as a supplemental ingredient in the diet, on live performance of broiler chickens and on the morphology of their small intestine, since short chain fatty acids are known as selective protection factors against intestinal microbial parasites, potent growth promoters of the gut wall tissues, also in terms of immune modulation response. An experiment was carried out on 150 Ross 308 female chickens, allotted to 5 treatments, over a 35 d ays period: the control, with soybean oil as the energy supplement, and 4 treatments with increasing amounts (0.2, 0.35, 0.5, 1% mixed feed) of a mixture of butyric acid glycerides (mono-, di- and tri- glycerides). Treated animals showed a higher live weight at slaughtering (P<0.05) with a better feed conversion rate. The carcase characteristics were not influenced, but the small intestine wall resulted slightly modified with shorter villi, longer microvilli (P<0.01) and larger crypts depth in jejunum (P<0.01), only with lowest concentration of the supplement (0.2%). It is concluded that butyric acid glycerides are an efficient supplement to broilers' diets, deserving particular attention as a possible alternative to antimicrobial drugs, which have been banned in Europe