Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition最新文献

This study evaluated the effects of enzyme supplementation and microbial fermentation of guar meal (GM) on broiler performance, nutrient digestibility, bone characteristics, blood biochemistry, and gut health. A total of 900 1-day-old male Hubbard broiler chicks were randomly assigned to nine finisher-phase dietary treatments in a 3 × 3 factorial design, including untreated (UG), enzyme-treated (EG), and fermented (FG) GM at 3%, 6% and 9% inclusion levels. Results revealed that fermentation significantly high feed intake, weight gain, and feed conversion ratio (FCR), with the FG3 group showing the best performance. Apparent ileal digestibility of crude protein, fibre, calcium, and phosphorus was significantly enhanced in EG and FG groups, especially at 3% inclusion, compared to untreated diets. Bone weight and tibio-tarsal index improved with processing, indicating enhanced skeletal development, while robusticity index was highest in the 9% UG group, suggesting altered bone remodelling under anti-nutritional stress. Serum HDL levels increased and LDL levels decreased significantly in birds fed processed GM, indicating higher lipid metabolism. Furthermore, processed GM diets enhanced apparent metabolisable energy and reduced intestinal viscosity. Overall, dietary inclusion of 3% fermented or enzyme-treated guar meal improved broiler growth, nutrient utilisation, and health parameters, offering a promising strategy to optimise alternative protein use in poultry nutrition.

This study investigated the effects of replacing soybean meal (SBM) with black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) in powdered and pelleted forms at varying levels in ruminant diets on in vitro gas production kinetics, rumen-abomasum degradability, and fermentation characteristics using the Ankom DaisyII incubator. A 2 × 4 + 1 factorial arrangement within a completely randomised design was used, comprising two physical forms of BSFL (powdered and pelleted) and four levels of SBM replacement in the concentrate (25%, 50%, 75% and 100%), in addition to a control group without BSFL. Compared to BSFL, SBM exhibited higher in vitro dry matter degradability and rumen degradable protein, but lower rumen undegradable protein, than either BSFL form. Gas kinetics and cumulative gas volume after 96 h were significantly influenced (p < 0.01), with the highest gas production from the immediately soluble fraction observed at 100% pelleted BSFL. At 25%-50% replacement with pelleted BSFL, gas production potential and total gas volume were reduced compared to the control. Ammonia-nitrogen concentrations peaked at 18.7 and 24.4 mg/dL after 24 and 48 h, respectively, with 100% pelleted BSFL. In vitro dry matter degradability was lowest with 75% powdered BSFL (35.0% dry matter) and 100% pelleted BSFL after 48 h. The highest abomasal degradability occurred at 25% BSFL inclusion. Both forms of BSFL significantly reduced acetic acid and increased propionic acid concentrations (p < 0.01). The greatest reductions in methane production were observed with 50% powdered BSFL and 75%-100% pelleted BSFL inclusion levels. In conclusion, replacing SBM with BSFL in ruminant diets enhanced fermentation efficiency and reduced methane production, with the pelleted form offering more favourable results across key parameters.

Animal fibre consists of the nitrogen-rich molecules in the non-digestible fraction of body tissues of prey animals, for example, in fur and bones. Animal fibre has a health effect on carnivores and; therefore, its quantification is important for nutrition research in carnivores as well as in omnivores. Traditional fibre analyses were developed to quantify the carbohydrate-based molecules of plant fibre and currently no method exists to quantify animal fibre. This study adapted the filter bag technique of the amylase-treated neutral detergent fibre method by adding a protease step to remove digestible protein from the residue to measure animal fibre. Sodium sulphite was omitted, similar to the neutral detergent residue (NDR) method, as it removes keratinaceous residues of animal origin. The amylase-treated neutral detergent residue including animal fibre (aNDRa) values were compared to the total dietary fibre (TDF) method. Test materials were lignocellulose, beet pulp, pea, barley, beef, horse meat with skin and coat, day-old chicks, rat, hair, cat faeces, faeces from bears fed a fruit-based diet and faeces from bears fed a rabbit-based diet. Several experiments preceded the validation of aNDRa with results as follows: pre-extraction of fat was sufficient when F57 bags, each containing 0.5 g of sample, were placed in a Soxhlet extractor for 1 h; grinding samples over a 2.0 instead of 1.0 mm screen in a centrifugal mill resulted in less sample loss in the F57 bags; pre-extraction of protein was sufficient when refluxed for 90 min with 5 mg protease per 0.5 g sample. The TDF concentration in beef and prey samples showed highly variable results with the TDF concentration in beef being too high showing that the TDF analysis is inaccurate to quantify animal fibre. In contrast, the aNDRa method was capable of quantifying animal fibre and plant fibre in a diverse range of samples.

This study was conducted to investigate the impacts of a low crude protein diet on laying performance, intestinal morphology, and tight junction protein gene expression in laying hens challenged with Salmonella enteritidis (S. enteritidis). A total of 144 56-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were randomly allocated into two groups a nonchallenged group (CON) and an S. enteritidis-challenged chicken group (SE, orally administrated 3 ml/hen, 10⁹ CFU S. enteritidis). After 7 days, the SE-infected chickens were subjected to two dietary treatments. The experimental groups included a nonchallenged group fed a diet based on corn-soybean meal (CON, 16.5% crude protein), an SE group fed a diet based on low crude protein (LCP, 13% crude protein) and an SE group fed a normal crude protein diet (NCP, 16.5% crude protein). The results showed that challenge with SE increased the plasma concentrations of lipopolysaccharide (p < 0.05), decreased the relative mRNA expression of ZO-1 (p < 0.05) in the jejunum. In addition, compared with CON, feeding a low-protein diet significantly increased yolk colour, but there was no significant difference in Laying Performance, Plasma Immunoglobulin Levels, Plasma LPS Concentration and Jejunal Morphology and mRNA Expression of Intestinal Barrier Function. Sequencing data of 16S rDNA indicated that there was a tendency for the reduction of bacteroidetes after SE infection (p = 0.06). Compared with the Con group, the Chao1 (p = 0.08), Observed-OTUs (p = 0.08) and faith_pd (p = 0.07) showed a decreasing trend in the LCP group. These results suggest that S. enteritidis infection of laying hens can cause intestinal mucosal damage, LCP can maintain the normal physiological function of laying hens, as well as the NCP group, which helps to save the use of protein feed raw materials.

Manganese (Mn) is an essential trace mineral hat plays a vital role in fish growth, metabolism, and antioxidant defense, yet its precise dietary requirement for Catla catla remains unclear. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the manganese (Mn) requirement and its impacts on the growth and health of Catla catla juveniles. Six experimental diets were formed by supplementing Mn from MnSO₄.H₂O at levels of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 mg/kg, and the actual Mn values were analyzed 1.41, 6.35, 11.22, 16.31, 21.15 and 26.12 mg/kg, respectively. Fifteen juveniles (initial weight 13.84 ± 0.02 g) in 70 L capacity tank were fed each diet twice daily upto satiation for 60 days. The growth performance, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and biometric indices were increased significantly (p < 0.05) with Mn level up to 16.31 mg/kg and then plateaued. However, feed intake (FI) increased (p < 0.05) continuously with increasing Mn supplementation in the diet. Fish fed Mn supplemented diets (6.35-16.31 mg/kg) showed significantly higher (p < 0.05) dry matter, protein and fat contents in whole body. Moreover, a linear increase (p < 0.05) in the Mn absorption and Mn contents in vertebrae and whole-body was observed with Mn concentration up to 26.12 mg/kg, whereas the Mn content in the muscles, scales and kidneys peaked at 16.31 mg/kg. Antioxidant enzymes and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activities were increased significantly (p < 0.05) with Mn level of 16.31 mg/kg in the diet, followed by stabilization. However, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) decreased continuously (p < 0.05) in response to Mn levels. The optimum Mn level was estimated to be 14.22-16.31 mg/kg for C. catla fingerlings. In conclusion, Mn supplementation improved growth, biometric indices, whole-body proximate composition, Mn absorption, Mn content in tissues, antioxidant enzyme activities and ALP activities in C. catla juveniles.

This study investigated the nutritional potential of Zanthoxylum acanthopodium seed supplementation in enhancing growth, immunity, and disease resistance of Neolissochilus hexagonolepis (chocolate mahseer) against Saprolegnia parasitica infection. Juvenile fish (10.5 ± 0.3 g) were randomly distributed into 12 tanks representing four treatment groups in triplicate: control (basal diet) and three experimental groups fed diets supplemented with 0.5%, 1% or 2% Z. acanthopodium seed powder. The experiment comprised a 60-day feeding trial with sampling conducted at Days 0, 15, 30 and 60, followed by a 14-day pathogen challenge with sampling at Says 7 and 14 post-challenge. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post hoc test and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis. Nutritional analysis revealed Z. acanthopodium seeds contained significant bioactive compounds including alkaloids (3.45 ± 0.28 mg/g), flavonoids (2.87 ± 0.19 mg/g), and terpenoids (4.12 ± 0.31 mg/g). The 1% supplementation level demonstrated optimal effects, significantly enhancing lysozyme activity (65.2% higher, p < 0.05), respiratory burst activity (84.2% higher, p < 0.05) and serum immunoglobulin levels (72.3% higher, p < 0.05) compared to control. Growth performance showed highest weight gain (241.0 ± 9.4%, p < 0.05) and specific growth rate (2.0 ± 0.1%/day, p < 0.05) in this group. Following S. parasitica challenge, the 1% group exhibited superior disease resistance with 86.67 ± 3.3% survival compared to 58.33 ± 4.4% in control (p < 0.05), while sham-challenged fish maintained 100% survival across all treatments. Molecular analysis confirmed significantly lower fungal loads in treated groups, with 1% treatment showing minimum fungal DNA copies (1.5 × 10⁶ copies/mg tissue) versus control (4.8 × 10⁶ copies/mg tissue, p < 0.05). These results establish Z. acanthopodium seed's efficacy as a sustainable nutritional supplement for improving fish health and productivity while reducing synthetic antimicrobial dependency in aquaculture.

Intensive broiler production may lead to perturbations of gut function and health. The maintenance of intestinal homeostasis in broilers through the use of dietary phytogenic components such as isoquinoline alkaloids (IQs) is an emerging topic of scientific investigations. In this respect, IQs effects on the underlying mechanisms involved in gut antioxidant capacity, barrier integrity and inflammatory response still remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary administration of an IQs blend on the expression of genes relevant for gut antioxidant response, barrier function, and inflammatory status, along the intestine of 35-days-old broilers. One hundred eighty-two one-day-old Ross 308 broilers were randomly distributed into 2 experimental treatments with 7 replicates of 13 broilers each for 35 d, namely: control treatment (NC) with no IQ addition in the diet and treatment (M) with dietary supplementation at 200 mg/kg diet of an IQs standardized blend. Broiler performance responses did not differ (p > 0.05) among the two treatments. The results showed that M birds had significantly higher (p < 0.05) expression levels for antioxidant capacity, barrier integrity and inflammation-related genes, at the duodenum compared to NC. Furthermore, at the cecal level, treatment M showed significant (p < 0.05) downregulation of TLR (Toll-like receptors) signaling and the subsequent inflammation components, compared to NC. Overall, under the optimal conditions of the trial, there were no significant growth performance benefits of IQs blend dietary addition in broilers diets. Nevertheless, IQs blend promoted gut homeostasis in 35-days-old broilers via the beneficial modulation of antioxidant and inflammatory responses, primarily at the duodenal level. The latter, under stress challenge conditions, may prove beneficial also for performance that needs to be specifically studied.

Oxidative stress is known to affect the behaviour, performance and well-being of cattle. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of industrial hemp (IH) supplementation on rumination behaviour, stress biomarkers and antioxidant enzymes in Angus cattle. A total of 20 black Angus heifers were completely randomized into either control (CON) (receiving commercial concentrates) or IH (150 g of IH/kg of commercial concentrates) in a trial that lasted for 35 days with IH supplementation for 21 days and 14 days post-supplementation. Rumination behaviour (rumination time, ruminal pH, temperature and water intake) was recorded with smaXtec bolus, plasma antioxidants (total antioxidant activity [TAA], superoxide dismutase [SOD], glutathione peroxidase [Gpx], catalase [CAT], nitric oxide [NO], malondialdehyde [MDA]) and stress biomarkers (cortisol and heat shock proteins) were analyzed. Results showed that IH supplementation decreased water intake with an average consumption of 51.39 L/day in the IH group and 55.09 L/day in the CON. No significant (p = 0.67) difference was observed in the ruminal pH and rumination time (p = 0.58) of the animals. The TAA increased from 7.26 to 17.95 U/mL in the IH group during supplementation but decreased to 11.48 U/mL post-supplementation. GPx was significantly (p = 0.0023) higher in IH (46.47 mmol/L) than in CON (44.01 mmol/L) group. Similar results were observed with NO. MDA was significantly (p < 0.05) higher in the CON compared to the IH group. Cortisol was significantly (p = 0.03) lower in the IH group (97.54 ng/mL) than CON (122.23 ng/mL). No significant (p < 0.05) difference was observed for heat shock proteins 70 and 72. Conclusively, IH improved rumination behaviour in cattle by maintaining optimum rumen pH. Furthermore, IH increased the antioxidant status as well as the reduction of oxidative stress biomarkers, suggesting that IH supplementation could improve the health and welfare of Angus cattle.