Poultry Science最新文献

{"title":"Effect of dietary mint leaf powder (Mentha piperita) supplementation on growth, intestinal integrity and molecular responses in broilers under heat stress","authors":"Yantao Lv ,&nbsp;Abdelmotaleb Elokil ,&nbsp;Beiyi Feng ,&nbsp;Mohamed Elsharkawy ,&nbsp;Shuang Wang ,&nbsp;Yanan Zhang ,&nbsp;Weiguang Xia ,&nbsp;Shenglin Wang ,&nbsp;Khaled Abouelezz ,&nbsp;Haoyun Wang ,&nbsp;Chuntian Zheng ,&nbsp;Wei Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106520","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Heat stress (HS) has a significant negative effect on production and affects growth performance and intestinal health in broilers. The current study assessed the effectiveness of adding increased dietary levels of mint leaf powder (MLP) as a feed additive on growth performance, physiological indicators of stress, intestinal morphology and molecular indicators of stress in broilers subjected to HS. A total of 192 male Cobb broiler chicks from day 14 to 42 were randomized in a 2 × 4 factorial design with the treatment being two ambient temperature regimens (thermo-neutral: 25°C vs HS: 35°C) and four levels of MLP (0%, 0.6%, 1.2% and 1.8%). HS decreased final body weight by 13.60% (P &lt; 0.01), feed intake by 15.4% (P &lt; 0.01), and increased breathing frequency by 77.50% (P &lt; 0.001). Supplementation with 1.8% MLP improved body weight (3.4%; P &lt; 0.02), breathing frequency (-25%; P &lt; 0.001), and body temperature (P &lt; 0.044) while experiencing HS groups. HS also decreased ileal villus height area and villus width (P &lt; 0.01); whereas 1.8% MLP supplementation preserved intestinal morphology. Changes at the molecular level showed that HS markedly upregulated of ileal heat shock protein 70 (HSP70) of 3.83-fold in the MLP groups over in the control group (0.96-fold, P &lt; 0.001) and HSP90 (1.73-fold, P &lt; 0.001). MLP supplementation modulated HSP expression; HSF3 decreased (P &lt; 0.012), and had significant degrees of suppression of inflammatory cytokines, specifically tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) expression by 68% under HS (P &lt; 0.001). Results concluded that using 1.8% MLP as a continuous phytogenic additive is effective in mitigating HS by mechanisms involving multi-level amelioration of HS, improved thermoregulation, intact intestine morphology, regulated molecular responses to stress, and powerful anti-inflammatory properties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106520"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Addressing therapeutic challenges in poultry production, with particular emphasis on free-range and organic systems: The potential of controlled-release delivery systems (CRDS)","authors":"Prabhat Bhusal ,&nbsp;Ghulam Asghar Sajid ,&nbsp;Surya Paudel","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106503","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106503","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The global human population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, placing an unprecedented burden on food systems and amplifying the need for sustainable poultry production. Free-range and organic poultry farming are gaining popularity due to consumer demand for animal welfare and environmental sustainability. However, these systems present unique challenges with regard to therapeutic strategies, bioactive environmental exposure and their degradation. Long-acting therapeutic strategies are needed to minimize chicken handling and stress, while also ensuring therapeutic efficiency in open environments. Controlled-release delivery systems (CRDS) offer significant potential to address these challenges by prolonging therapeutic activity, protecting bioactive from environmental degradation, and reducing labor and animal stress. CRDS can enable efficient delivery of drugs, vaccines, botanicals and probiotics. Despite these advantages, implementing controlled-release technologies in free-range and organic settings is a complex process and presents many challenges. We investigated the current state of CRDS for small molecules, vaccines, plant botanicals, and probiotics, highlighting key challenges and future prospects for their application in the evolving poultry industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106503"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080946","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antibiotic-free Wenchang chickens may promote blood levels of B vitamins by modulating the gut microbiota: An integrated analysis of cecal content metagenomics and serum metabolomics","authors":"Shifan Deng ,&nbsp;Xinli Zheng ,&nbsp;Han Chu ,&nbsp;Liang Hong ,&nbsp;Jianbin Zhang ,&nbsp;Hua Yang ,&nbsp;Lihong Gu ,&nbsp;Lei Pu","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106506","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106506","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Through the selective breeding of superior strains, livestock and poultry can achieve enhanced disease resistance and production performance, thereby improving farming efficiency and increasing chicken meat yield. This study analyzed the expression of gut health-related genes, cecal microbiota, and untargeted serum metabolomics in Wenchang chickens from the <strong>NS</strong> strain (Normal strain) and the <strong>AFS</strong> strain (Antibiotic-free strain), and explored the relationships between their cecal microbiota and serum metabolites. Our results show that in the ileum, antioxidant-related indicators T-AOC (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), T-SOD (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), and GSH-PX (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) were significantly higher in the AFS strain than in the NS strain, while MDA (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) was significantly lower in the AFS strain than in the NS strain. The mRNA expression level of <em>RORγt</em>/<em>FoxP3</em>, which is related to immune regulation, was significantly lower in the AFS strain than in the NS strain (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). The differential microorganisms in the cecum primarily included <em>Muribaculum, Cryptobacteroides, Blautia, Enterocloster, Lachnoclostridium, Hydrogenoanaerobacterium, Ruminococcus, Subdoligranulum, Clostridioides</em>, and <em>Evtepia</em>. The main differential metabolites in serum included folinic acid, biotin, lysophosphatidic acid (LPA), 3-hydroxy-3-methylbutanoic acid, 3-hydroxybutyric acid, and others. The differential metabolites are primarily enriched in the following metabolic pathways: gap junction, glycolipid metabolism, and fatty acid biosynthesis. In addition, the Pearson correlation analysis between the gut microbiota and serum metabolites showed that <em>Blautia</em> was positively correlated with folinic acid (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) and biotin (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05); <em>Lachnoclostridium</em> was positively correlated with biotin (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.01); and <em>Ruminococcus</em> was positively correlated with 3-hydroxybutyric acid (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). This study mainly elucidates the metabolic characteristics of the antibiotic-free Wenchang chicken strain by analyzing gut microbiota and serum metabolites.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106506"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080526","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research note: Structural identification of glycopeptides from chicken egg yolk protein.","authors":"Xinyu Liu, Hong He, Jinqiu Wang, Yuting Wang, Putri Widyanti Harlina, Zhipeng Yu, Yiding Yu, Fang Geng","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.106516","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The structural characterization of glycopeptides is essential for elucidating their functional activity. In this study, the glycopeptide structures of chicken egg yolk proteins were identified comprehensively. Glycopeptides were obtained from egg yolk via trypsin digestion followed by hydrophilic interaction chromatography enrichment. Intact N- and O-glycopeptide structures of egg yolk proteins were analyzed using glycoproteomics techniques, and their potential functional activities were subsequently investigated. A total of 424 N-glycopeptides and 306 O-glycopeptides were identified, corresponding to 48 N-glycosites on 37 N-glycoproteins and 39 O-glycosites on 25 O-glycoproteins, respectively, demonstrating the extensive heterogeneity of glycosylation modifications. Twenty-two egg yolk glycoproteins were concurrently modified by N- and O-glycosylation. The identified glycopeptides exhibited diverse oligosaccharide chain compositions, demonstrating macro- and micro-heterogeneity. Apolipoprotein B yielded the most abundant glycopeptide structures, comprising 130 N-glycopeptides and 62 O-glycopeptides. N-glycoproteins were significantly enriched in immune-related signaling pathways, such as lysosome and regulation of actin cytoskeleton, whereas O-glycoproteins were significantly enriched in the spliceosome signaling pathway. These findings elucidated the structural characteristics of glycopeptides derived from egg yolk proteins and provided a theoretical basis for investigating their functional activities and potential applications as functional food ingredients.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"106516"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146137623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research on cutting keypoint detection of chicken carcasses based on improved YOLO11-Pose.","authors":"Yan Chen, Yiming Lu, Chenchen Xu, Zhengwei Zhu, Ke Wen, Dandan Fu, Zhigang Hu, Zhaoxia Liu, Hui Ai","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106517","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106517","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Research on automated poultry processing systems is crucial to improve the productivity and ensure product consistency of industrial-scale production. In this study, a method for predicting chicken carcass cutting points, based on an improved YOLO11-Pose, was proposed to minimize segmentation errors and obtain precise cutting coordinates for guiding mechanical cutting devices, accommodating the size variations across different chickens. Initially, the SimAM attention mechanism was incorporated to improve the extraction of critical features from chicken carcass images without introducing additional parameters, thereby enriching feature representation for accurate cutting-point prediction. Subsequently, the C2PSA_BSAM channel-spatial attention synergy module was employed to perform dual-dimensional feature extraction, enhancing the ability of model to capture detailed features across diverse carcass conditions and morphological variations. Furthermore, the SPPF_Global module was further integrated to strengthen cutting-point detection by expanding the receptive field through multi-scale pooling, enabling more effective capture of global contextual information. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed method outperformed the baseline model, with improvements of 6.6% and 5.2% in mAP50-pose and mAP50-95-pose, achieving values of 99.5% and 83.7%, respectively, for key anatomical locations. The accuracy of the visual system in identifying critical cutting points was further validated by the box_loss and pose_loss values, recorded at 0.27057 and 0.07895. Thus, the proposed methodology could provide precise technical support for automated chicken carcass cutting, enabling accurate, contact-free coordinate acquisition for key cutting locations across chickens of varying sizes.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"106517"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12887164/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146113964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Research note: Application and validation of RP-HPLC for quantifying ovomucoid, lysozyme, ovotransferrin, and ovalbumin in commercial pasteurized egg white","authors":"Ingrid Sousa,&nbsp;Elena Visentin,&nbsp;Silvia Sabbadin,&nbsp;Marta Pozza,&nbsp;Marco Birolo,&nbsp;Massimo De Marchi,&nbsp;Giovanni Niero","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106519","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106519","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pasteurized egg white is widely used in the food industry for its high microbiological safety, ease of handling, and versatile technological properties. However, heat-induced protein denaturation during pasteurization can affect its foaming, gelling, and emulsifying functionality. The present study aimed to validate a reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography method for the simultaneous quantification of four major egg white proteins in commercial pasteurized samples, including ovomucoid, lysozyme, ovotransferrin, and ovalbumin. Ten cartons of commercial pasteurized egg white from different brands underwent chromatographic testing, with multiple aliquots analyzed over five consecutive days. The method demonstrated excellent repeatability and reproducibility across all proteins, with ovotransferrin and ovalbumin showing the best performances. Recovery rates ranged from 90.67% for lysozyme to 114.10% for ovomucoid, both at the medium spiking level. Method linearity was assessed using ten serial dilutions of pasteurized egg white in water (1:20 to 1:100). Linear regression of peak areas versus nominal protein concentrations yielded correlation coefficients above 0.99 for all target proteins, confirming a strong proportional response. Concentration of ovomucoid, lysozyme, ovotransferrin, and ovalbumin averaged 15.23, 2.23, 13.50, and 71.80 mg/mL (respectively), which suggests minimal impact of pasteurization on the egg white protein composition. The chromatographic method validated in the present study provides a reliable and practical tool for both research and industrial applications, enabling accurate monitoring of protein composition in commercial pasteurized egg white.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106519"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080499","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A meta-analysis of broiler chicken meat quality: Comparative evidence of halal slaughter and electrical stunning","authors":"Utibe Mfon Okon ,&nbsp;Muhammad Nizam Hayat ,&nbsp;Emmanuel Nuamah ,&nbsp;Mohd Amran Mohd Radzi ,&nbsp;Azalea Hani Othman ,&nbsp;Awis Qurni Sazili","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106518","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106518","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pre-slaughter handling and slaughter practices are crucial in determining broiler chicken meat’s quality and market value. Despite the widespread adoption of stunning in commercial poultry production, its influence on meat quality remains contentious, particularly from the perspective of consumer preference and halal compliance. This meta-analysis quantitatively evaluated the effects of electrical stunning and halal slaughter on the meat quality of broiler chickens. Studies published between 2010 and 2024 were systematically searched across five databases. Eight of the 1,018 identified studies met the inclusion criteria and were subjected to meta-analysis. Standardized mean difference (SMD) and corresponding 95% CI were calculated using a random effects model. Detected heterogeneity was assessed by subgroup and meta-regression analyses. The meta-analysis revealed that electrical stunning significantly improved early pH (≤4 h), ultimate pH (24 h), water holding capacity (WHC), yellowness, and fat content, while halal slaughter resulted in higher redness. Among strains, Cobb 500 showed greater responsiveness in early pH, WHC, and yellowness, suggesting genetic influence on stunning tolerance. Water bath electrical stunning (WBES) significantly increased early pH, indicating more stable postmortem metabolism. Lower electrical current intensity significantly increased early pH, ultimate pH, and yellowness of broiler breast muscle. Furthermore, longer stunning durations were positively correlated with higher early pH (Estimate = 1.5959; R² = 82.65), and fat content (Estimate = 0.6284; R² = 91.73), but decreased redness (Estimate = -0.2871; R² = 30.74). Slaughter age explained all between-study variation observed in yellowness (Estimate = 0.1581; R² = 100%), with older birds producing more yellowish meat due to increased fat deposition. In summary, electrical stunning effectively enhanced key meat quality traits in broiler breast muscle; however, its impact is moderated by strain, stunning method, electrical current intensity, slaughter age, and stunning duration. This provides useful guidance on the application of electrical stunning on commercial broiler chickens for improved meat quality and increased consumer acceptability.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106518"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080529","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Soybean genotype amino acid selection and processing method effects on broiler performance","authors":"S.C. Wells ,&nbsp;K.B. Nelson ,&nbsp;M.F. Costa ,&nbsp;B.L. Angel ,&nbsp;V.G. Slick ,&nbsp;B.W. Parsons ,&nbsp;A. Acuna-Galindo ,&nbsp;M.T. Kidd","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106514","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106514","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study consisted of two experiments to assess soybean meal (<strong>SBM</strong>) with improved traits fed to Cobb 500 male broilers. In Experiment 1, 3 dietary treatments replicated 10 times (540 broilers) varying in SBM source were tested (0 to 45 d-of-age): conventional soybeans processed using solvent extraction (<strong>ConvSE</strong>), conventional soybeans processed using extrusion and expeller pressing (<strong>ConvEE</strong>), and an experimental line of soybeans selected for increased amino acid composition (i.e., less limiting amino acids) processed using extrusion and expeller pressing (<strong>ExpEE</strong>). In Experiment 2, the ConvEE and ExpEE dietary treatments were replicated 10 times and fed to chicks (240 broilers) from d 0 to 13. In Experiment 1, the treatment design allowed for all treatments being equal in the first five limiting amino acids (i. e., varying levels of SBM) and iso-caloric, and in Experiment 2 the treatment design represented direct substitution of soybean meal source. In Experiment 1, 45-d broiler performance and processed yields (i.e., BW gain, feed intake, feed:gain, intestinal tight junction integrity, and processed yields and myopathies) did not differ among dietary treatments (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). In Experiment 2, 13-d chick BW gain, feed intake, and feed:gain were not affected by dietary treatments. However, the ExpEE compared to the ConvEE contained higher (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05) digestible amounts of Lys, Thr, Ser, Val, Ile, Leu, Arg, Trp, Phe, and Tyr. In conclusion, although ExpEE diets contained 1.30-1.80 % less SBM than the other treatments, broilers fed ExpEE treatments exhibited similar performance to broilers fed higher inclusions of SBM, which can be explained by ExpEE having soybeans selected for increased amino acid composition that were found to be more digestible in Thr, Ser, Val, Iso, Leu, Tyr, Phe, Lys, Arg, and Trp (P&lt;0.05).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106514"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146132809","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bacterial xylanase supplementation improves nutrient utilization, gut integrity, and microbial metabolism in broilers fed energy-reduced diets","authors":"Benjaphorn Phusathian ,&nbsp;Koonphol Pongmanee ,&nbsp;Yongyuth Theapparat ,&nbsp;Nanthawath Saikhwan ,&nbsp;Tassanee Trairatapiwan ,&nbsp;Chanporn Chaosap ,&nbsp;Akaradet Seemacharoensri ,&nbsp;Glenmer Bathan Tactacan ,&nbsp;Li-Yen Wong ,&nbsp;Yuwares Ruangpanit","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study evaluated the effects of bacterial xylanase supplementation on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, intestinal integrity, and microbial metabolic function in broilers fed energy-reduced diets. A total of 1,050 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were randomly assigned to three dietary treatments, each comprising 14 replicates of 25 birds: a positive control (CON; standard corn–soybean meal diet), a negative control with reduced energy (NC; −85 kcal/kg), and an energy-reduced diet supplemented with bacterial xylanase (NCX; 100 g/ton Belfeed Xylanase™). During the starter phase, broilers fed the NC diet exhibited higher feed intake and FCR compared with those fed the CON and NCX diets (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), with no significant difference between the CON and NCX diets. Apparent digestibility of dry matter, crude protein, and fat did not differ among dietary treatments (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). However, broilers fed the NCX diet showed higher (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05) digestibility of crude fiber, NDF, and ADF than those fed the CON or NC diets. Apparent metabolizable energy was higher in broilers fed the CON and NCX diets compared with the NC diet. Furthermore, broilers receiving the CON and NCX diets exhibited significantly lower serum fluorescein isothiocyanate–dextran concentrations than those fed the NC diet, indicating improved intestinal barrier integrity. Bacterial xylanase supplementation increased microbial alpha diversity and altered beta diversity clustering, with enrichment of beneficial taxa such as Bifidobacteriaceae and Lactobacillaceae. Functional metagenomic prediction suggested greater representation of carbohydrate metabolism and energy production pathways in the NCX diet, whereas the NC diet was associated with enrichment of stress-related and xenobiotic degradation pathways. Overall, bacterial xylanase supplementation mitigated the adverse effects of dietary energy reduction by improving fiber utilization, maintaining gut integrity, and modulating the cecal microbiota toward a more favorable metabolic profile.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106515"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080864","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of encapsulated Lavandula angustifolia essential oil in alginate hydrogel capsules as feed additives to enhance the performance and health of broiler chickens and its in vitro antibacterial activity against multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli strains","authors":"Michalina Adaszyńska-Skwirzyńska ,&nbsp;Sławomir Zych ,&nbsp;Marta Grabowska ,&nbsp;Mateusz Bucław ,&nbsp;Danuta Majewska ,&nbsp;Danuta Szczerbińska ,&nbsp;Adam Lepczyński ,&nbsp;Paweł Konieczka","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106510","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.106510","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The study aimed to evaluate the <em>in vivo</em> effects of the addition of lavender essential oil (<strong>LEO</strong>) immobilized in alginate hydrogel administered during the first period of rearing on production performance, selected blood parameters, gut microflora, and jejunum morphology in broiler chickens, as well as to assess its <em>in vitro</em> antibacterial activity against clinical <em>Escherichia coli</em> strains with varying drug resistance isolated from 1-day-old chicks. The experiment was conducted on a commercial farm using 300 unsexed Ross 308 broilers. One-day-old chicks were assigned to three experimental groups of 100 birds each, with five replicates of 20 birds per group. In the control group (<strong>CON</strong>), the chicks received feed without essential oil supplementation throughout the rearing period. In the experimental groups hydrogel (<strong>H</strong>) and hydrogel with LEO (<strong>HE</strong>), 2 % (w/w; relative to the other feed components) of alginate hydrogel capsules were added to the starter feed mixture (days 1–10). During the experiment, body weight (<strong>BW</strong>), feed intake (<strong>FI</strong>), water intake (<strong>WI</strong>), and mortality of the chicks were recorded. At the end of the starter feed period (day 10), blood and jejunum samples were collected from the chicks for analysis of selected biochemical, microbiological, and morphological parameters.</div><div>The results demonstrated that supplementation with hydrogel containing immobilized LEO positively affected the feed conversion ratio (<strong>FCR)</strong> (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05), while no differences were observed between the groups in FI, mortality, or blood biochemical parameters (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). It was shown that supplementation with hydrogel capsules containing immobilized LEO reduced the counts of <em>E. coli</em> and coliforms in intestinal samples (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.05). No differences were observed in the counts of lactic acid bacteria (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05), and no relevant morphological changes were detected in the liver or jejunum. LEO was effective in inhibiting the growth of all <em>E. coli</em> strains, with minimal inhibitory concentration (<strong>MIC</strong>) values ranging from 1.0 to 4.0 % (v/v).</div></div>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 4","pages":"Article 106510"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2,"publicationDate":"2026-01-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146080943","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}