Dietary carob fruit (Ceratonia siliqua L.) supplementation improves spermatogenesis, semen quality and embryonic death via antioxidant effect in aging broiler breeder roosters.

Rooster semen contains high content of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids; therefore, spermatozoa are very susceptible to lipid peroxidation. Carob fruit (CF) contains abundant amounts of flavonoid known as natural antioxidants and semen enhancers. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of CF on semen characters, blood parameters, immune response, testicular histology, and reproductive performance of aging broiler breeder roosters. Thirty-two 47-week-old Ross-308 breeder roosters were randomly assigned to either control or supplemented (CF, 0 or 1 g/kg diet) dietary treatment for 14 continuous weeks. Semen, blood and testis samples were collected at the end of trial. Furthermore, the rate of fertility and hatchability were evaluated using 440 natural mated hens. The sperm kinematic values and progression ratios, seminal antioxidant enzymes (superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase) activity, and total antioxidant capacity of semen and blood were increased, and malondialdehyde concentration in semen and blood were decreased by dietary CF supplementation (P < 0.01). The treatment had no effect on the seminal sperm concentration, blood parameters and immune response to Newcastle disease virus vaccine. The testes weight, seminal tubes spermatozoids number, spermiogenesis index and repopulation index, were improved by dietary supplementation (P < 0.05). Fertility and hatchability rate of roosters in the CF group were insignificant. In conclusion, CF supplementation in aging roosters' diet enhanced the sperm motility, seminal and blood antioxidant capacity, and testicular spermatogenenic indexes.

Impact of Ginger Root Powder Dietary Supplement on Productive Performance, Egg Quality, Antioxidant Status and Blood Parameters in Laying Japanese Quails.

Medicinal plants with antibacterial effects have been used by humans for centuries. In the recent decade, due to the development of antibiotic resistant strains, many studies have focused on the use of natural compounds as feed additives in livestock. Ginger, among all, have repetitively shown numerous biological activities, antibacterial, and antibiotic properties. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of ginger root powder (GP) on the performance, egg quality, and blood parameters of Japanese quail. A total of 240 10-weeks old female quails were used in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments, 4 replicates, and 15 birds per replicate. Dietary treatment were basal diet (control) and basal diet containing 0.5, 1, and 1.5 g/kg of ginger root powder. Growth performance and exterior and interior quality of egg were measured biweekly over eight-week period. At the end of experiment blood parameters were evaluated. The results showed that diet supplementation with different levels of GP had no significant effect on egg production, egg mass weight, and egg weight (p > 0.05). However, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were significantly lower in the treatment group than the control in the whole period (p < 0.05). Egg Quality traits (shape index, albumen index, the percentage of albumen, yolk and shell, yolk pH, and shell thickness and strength) were not affected by the supplements in the whole trial period. Addition of GP significantly increased the albumen height, Haugh unit, and albumen pH in comparison with the control treatment (p < 0.05). GP reduced blood triglyceride level yet was ineffective on blood total antioxidant capacity and malondialdehyde. In conclusion, dietary supplementation with GP, could improve productive performance and the egg quality of Japanese quails. Nonetheless a comprehensive study needs to be performed in order to evaluate the impact of quail dietary ginger supplementation on productive performance and egg quality and their stability during storage time for commercial use.

The Effect of Dietary Supplementation with Inorganic or Organic Selenium on the Nutritional Quality and Shelf Life of Goose Meat and Liver.

Ninety-six male goslings were allocated and assigned to treatment using a completely randomized design. Dietary treatments included a basal diet consisting of corn, wheat, and soybean meal with either no additional selenium (CON), 0.3 mg/kg of inorganic selenium (I-Se; sodium selenite), or 0.3 mg/kg of organic selenium (O-Se; selenium-enriched yeast). After a 56-day feeding period, geese were slaughtered on a common ending day and two geese per pen (n = 24) were used for the analyses conducted in this study. Meat (equal portions of the breast and thigh meat) and liver were collected and evaluated for proximate composition, fatty acid profile, pH, phenolic content, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), and total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB-N) over a 9-day storage period at 4 °C. The meat and liver samples from geese supplemented I-Se or O-Se had greater (p < 0.01) lipid content compared with geese not supplemented with additional selenium. At the conclusion of the 9-day storage period, meat and liver samples from geese supplemented I-Se or O-Se had lower (p < 0.05) pH values, greater (p < 0.05) phenolic content, lower (p < 0.05) TBARS values, and lower (p < 0.05) TVB-N compared with geese not supplemented with additional selenium (CON).

Assessment of Dietary Selenium and Vitamin E on Laying Performance and Quality Parameters of Fresh and Stored Eggs in Japanese Quails.

The effect of dietary supplementation with VE and Se on the laying productive performance, immunity, and the quality parameters of fresh and stored eggs was assessed. For this study, five treatments, namely control (basal diet), control plus 30 mg of VE and 0.4 mg kg-1 sodium selenite (VE30SS), control plus 30 mg of VE and 0.4 mg kg-1 of Sel-Plex® (VE30SP), control plus 120 mg VE and 0.4 mg kg-1 Sodium selenite (VE120SS), and control plus 120 mg VE and 0.4 mg kg-1 Sel-Plex (VE120SP), were examined. There was no huge impact of VE and Se on feed consumption, FCR and egg yield rate. Quality parameters of fresh egg including egg surface area, eggshell thickness, yolk selenium concentration, albumen height, and Haugh unit were significantly increased following VE and Se supplementation (p < 0.05). For stored eggs, VE and Se significantly increased egg yolk color intensity (p < 0.05). Regardless of storage temperature, eggs from birds fed with VE and Se had less weight loss during 30 days of storage. Albumen height was significantly higher in VE and Se fed birds in eggs stored at 5 °C for 15 and 30 days. The combination of Sel-Plex with either levels of VE had significantly higher blood total antioxidant capacity. Dietary VE and Selenium, notably Sel-Plex, improved the antioxidant potential of blood and egg quality of laying quails.

Improving the Quality Characteristics and Shelf Life of Meat and Growth Performance in Goose Fed Diets Supplemented with Vitamin E.

The present study was carried out to investigate the effect of dietary vitamin E on growth performance, cellular immunity, carcass characteristics, and meat quality in geese. Sixty-four one-day-old male geese were selected from 1200 goose chicks with the same average body weight (92.5 ± 2.5 g) and subjected to two treatments (basal diet or control and basal diet plus 120 mg/kg vitamin E supplement) with 4 replicates (8 geese per replicate) for 8 weeks. After slaughter, goose meat was aerobically packed in polyethylene packages and stored at 4 °C for 9 days. The results showed that vitamin E supplementation improved the growth performance, carcass yield percentage, and immune response of goose (P < 0.05). The addition of vitamin E in the diet significantly increased the protein and fat content of goose meat but decreased the moisture and ash content with respect to those obtained from the control diet. During storage, meat from the vitamin E treatment showed higher phenolic content and lower thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARSs) and total volatile nitrogen (TVB-N) values than those from the control treatment. Vitamin E supplementation increased the saturated fatty acids (SFAs), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs), and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) in goose meat. However, goose meat supplemented with vitamin E displayed a significantly (P < 0.05) higher PUFA/SFA ratio than those of the control group. Based on the results, it was concluded that vitamin E could be used to improve the growth performance of goose, the meat composition in terms of the protein and fat content, the nutritional value in terms of the fatty acid composition, and the shelf life.