Genetic analysis of post-weaning growth traits in a simple crossbreeding experiment between Gabali and Hyplus line rabbits.

A simple crossbreeding experiment between Gabali (G) bucks and Hyplus (H) does was performed to estimate crossbreeding effects for post-weaning growth traits (body weight at 5 (BW5), 7 (BW7), 9 (BW9), 11 (BW11), and 13 (BW13) weeks of age and daily weight gains (DG) during (DG5-7), (DG7-9), (DG9-11), (DG11-13) and (DG5-13), weeks of age). Estimates of heritability were mostly low or moderate for growth traits and ranged from 0.12 to 0.35 for body weights and 0.05 to 0.66 for daily weight gains. The percentages of direct additive genetic effects on body weights favored (p ≤ 0.01) the Gabali breed by 22.1, 31.2, 32.8, 31.1, and 25.2% at 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 weeks and by 35.4, 38.1, 21.9, 3.7, and 27% for DG5-7, DG7-9, DG9-11, DG11-13, and DG5-13, respectively. The percentages of maternal effects ranged from 22 to 34.8% for body weights and ranged from 4.7 to 43.4% for daily weight gains. The percentages of direct heterosis were significantly positive by 11, 19.1, 20.3, 19.7, and 16.5% for body weights at 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 weeks and by 25.6, 27.2, 17.3, 3.5, and 17.9% for DG5-7, DG7-9, DG9-11, DG11-13, and DG5-13, respectively. These results suggest that the Gabali breed could be used as a sire-group and the Hyplus line could be used as a dam-group to create new high growth rabbit lines in Egypt.

Growth, carcass characteristics, meat quality, and microbial aspects of growing quail fed diets enriched with two different types of probiotics (Bacillus toyonensis and Bifidobacterium bifidum).

The present investigation aimed to explore the impact of dietary graded levels of 2 types of probiotic bacteria (Bacillus toyonensis [BT] and Bifidobacterium bifidum [BB]) on growth, carcass traits, meat quality, and bacteriology of growing Japanese quail reared under the cage system. One thousand three hundred sixty Japanese quail day-old chicks were randomly divided into 10 groups (8 replicates each). Birds were fed a basal diet (control, T1) and the basal diet plus 0.05, 0.075, 0.10, and 0.125% BT (T2, T3, T4, and T5, respectively), 0.10% BB (T6), and the same previous doses of BT plus 0.05% BB (T7, T8, T9, and T10, respectively). Results showed a significant (P < 0.001) increase in final BW and weight gain because of probiotic supplementation (except T2 for weight gain). Both feed intake and feed conversion ratio did not differ during the overall experimental period (1-42 D of age) except feed intake that was reduced in T2 and increased in T5 and T9 groups. All carcass traits studied were significantly (P < 0.01) affected by probiotics, and the combination between BT and BB in group T8 increased all studied parameters as compared with the other treatment groups. The quail meat color of redness a∗ and L∗ values, thiobarbituric content, cooking loss, proteolysis, and total coliform were decreased (P < 0.001) by probiotic treatment. In general, supplementing BT, BB, or their combination to the basal diet delayed the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria in the diet and intestine. Using BT and BB as feed supplements enhanced growth performance and meat quality of quails as well as diminished pathogenic bacteria proliferation in their diet and intestine. As per our results, we can recommend the application of T5 and T8 to T10 levels for the best performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of growing quails.

Improving productive performance and mitigating harmful emissions from laying hen excreta via feeding on graded levels of corn DDGS with or without Bacillus subtilis probiotic.

An experiment that included some inclusions of corn distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) with or without supplementation of probiotic bacteria to Hi-sex Brown laying hen diets was conducted to evaluate the impacts on performance, egg quality, blood metabolites and nitrogen and phosphorus excretion in the manure. A total of 216 twenty-two-week-old Hi-sex Brown laying hens were randomly divided into eight treatment groups in a factorial design (4 × 2) experiment, which included four levels of DDGS (0, 50, 100 and 150 g/kg diet) plus two levels of Bacillus subtilis probiotic (0 or 1000 mg/kg diet, with a concentration of 1.5 × 108 CFU/g of dried product). The experimental period extended from 22 to 34 weeks of age. The results showed that linear increase in DDGS level up to 150 g/kg improved (p ≤ 0.01) the values of feed consumption, egg shape index and yolk colour compared to the control and other treatment groups. Inclusion of dietary DDGS up to 150 g/kg in layer diets led to a significant decrease in egg mass and a significant increase in Haugh unit score compared to other groups. In the bacillus group, the values of feed conversion, egg weight and egg mass enhanced by 6.45, 3.27 and 7.60% respectively compared with the control diet. Total protein, albumin, triglycerides, cholesterol, calcium and ammonia in serum were significantly (p ≤ 0.01) influenced by DDGS inclusion. The excreted nitrogen decreased by 8.62 and 4.31% in hens fed 50 or 100 g/kg of DDGS respectively, while excreted phosphorous decreased by 3.33, 7.22 and 10.56% in hens fed 50, 100 or 150 g/kg of DDGS respectively as compared to the control group. It could be concluded that increasing DDGS inclusion level in the diet up to 10% and the supplementation of probiotic bacteria improved the productive performance of laying hens and mitigated the harmful emissions from chicken manure; this means better production within environmentally friendly conditions.

Development of a floating drug delivery system with superior buoyancy in gastric fluid using hot-melt extrusion coupled with pressurized CO2.

The present study aimed to develop a continuous single-step manufacturing platform to prepare a porous, low-density, and floating multi-particulate system (mini-tablet, 4 mm size). This process involves injecting inert, non-toxic pressurized CO2gas (P-CO2) in zone 4 of a 16-mm hot-melt extruder (HME) to continuously generate pores throughout the carrier matrix. Unlike conventional methods for preparing floating drug delivery systems, additional chemical excipients and additives are not needed in this approach to create minute openings on the surface of the matrices. The buoyancy efficiency of the prepared floating system (injection of P-CO2) in terms of lag time (0 s) significantly improved (P < 0.05), compared to the formulation prepared by adding the excipient sodium bicarbonate (lag time 120 s). The main advantages of this novel manufacturing technique include: (i) no additional chemical excipients need to be incorporated in the formulation, (ii) few manufacturing steps are required, (iii) high buoyancy efficiency is attained, and (iv) the extrudate is free of toxic solvent residues. Floating mini-tablets containing acetaminophen (APAP) as a model drug within the matrix-forming carrier (Eudragit® RL PO) have been successfully processed via this combined technique (P-CO2/HME). Desired controlled release profile of APAP from the polymer Eudragit® RL PO is attained in the optimized formulation, which remains buoyant on the surface of gastric fluids prior to gastric emptying time (average each 4 h).