Effects of honeycomb extract on the growth performance, carcass traits, immunity, antioxidant function and intestinal microorganisms of yellow bantam broilers.

Although many studies have already described the physiological effects of bee products, such as honey, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly, on livestock farming, the health benefits of the honeycomb are still not fully understood. The problem of drug residues and bacterial resistance caused by the abuse of antibiotics is becoming increasingly serious. For this reason, a safe, green substitute has to be sought. We conducted a comparative study of honeycomb extract (HE) and an antibiotic on growth performance, carcass traits, immunity, antioxidant function and intestinal microorganisms of yellow bantam broilers. A total of four hundred eighty 21-day-old female yellow bantam broilers were randomly divided into 5 groups of 6 replicates of 16 birds each. The 5 groups were as follows, with birds receiving a basal diet supplemented with 150 ppm (mg/kg) of chlortetracycline (CTE), a basal diet without HE (control group), and a basal diet with 0.1%, 0.15%, or 0.2% HE for 60 days. The results showed that HE addition significantly increased average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), decrease feed gain ratio (F/G) from 21 to 80 and 51 to 80 days of age compared to the control group, with all 3 HE addition groups having statistically identical values to the antibiotic group. HE implementation dramatically increased spleen index, serum immunoglobulin A (IgA), immunoglobulin M (IgM,), glutathione peroxide (GSH-Px), superoxide dismutase (SOD), total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), and total cecum bacteria and Lactobacillus compared to the control group, numerically at the same level as, or even better than, the antibiotic group. HE and CTE both markly reduced serum malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration compared to the control group, with higher concentrations of HE reducing the effect more dramatically than antibiotics. Both HE and CTE significantly raised dressed yield compared to the control group. In summary, HE, as a potential antibiotic alternative, improved growth performance, carcass traits, immune function, serum antioxidant capacity and intestinal microorganisms in yellow bantam broilers. According to the cubic regression analyses, the recommended supplemental dose of HE was calculated to be 0.15 to 0.17% for female yellow bantam broilers between 21 and 80 d of age.

[Evidential research on the system of sacrifice the Three Sovereigns during Jiajing period].

History of Ming: Court rituals has two errors in the record of sacrifice to Three Sovereigns of Jiajing period of Ming Dynasty.First, the ritual time should be at middle winter (November) instead of middle fall (September). The correct construction process should be divided into two periods. One was to build Shengji palace for sacrificing to Three Sovereigns in 1536 according to the ancestral system of the Hongwu period. Then the old temple where the Three Sovereigns were sacrificed in Imperial Academy of Medicine was in ruins, so Emperor Jiajing ordered to rebuild and expand it in 1542. It was completed in July 1543, and named Jinghui palace, in which sacrificed to Three Sovereigns, too.

Effects of dietary oligosaccharide supplementation on growth performance, concentrations of the major odor-causing compounds in excreta, and the cecal microflora of broilers.

This study investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with 4 types of oligosaccharides on the growth performance, concentrations of the major odor-causing compounds in excreta and cecal microflora of broilers. Three hundred 21-day-old Archer Abor broilers with an average initial live weight of 702.3 g were randomly divided into 5 dietary treatments: basal diet, basal diet + 5 g/kg of mannan-oligosaccharide (MOS), basal diet + 1.2 g/kg of inulin, basal diet + 1.5 g/kg of fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS), and basal diet +1.25 g/kg of soybean oligosaccharide (SBOS), respectively. Each diet was fed to 6 replicates of 10 birds from d 21 to 42, and body weight and feed intake were recorded. Fresh excreta were sampled from each replicate on d 40, 41, and 42 and stored at -20 °C until further analysis. On d 42, the ceca of killed birds were aseptically removed, and the cecal contents were collected into sterile containers and stored at -80 °C until further analysis. Results showed that feeding inulin, FOS, and SBOS diets resulted in an improvement in daily gain (P < 0.05). Broilers fed the SBOS diet showed lower feed:gain ratio (1.84g:g) than the other groups (P > 0.05). Broilers fed the FOS diet showed the lowest volatile basic nitrogen, pH value, and indole and skatole contents in excreta, and broilers fed the SBOS diet had higher total volatile fatty acids concentrations than control (P < 0.05). The cecal microbial community was measured using the PCR-DGGE, which indicated that the cecal microflora Shannon-wiener index and richness of SBOS-fed broilers were significantly higher than that of the control (P < 0.05). The lowest evenness was recorded in the FOS group, which was significantly lower than the other groups (P < 0.05) except the SBOS group. Based on the sequences of the corresponding 16S rDNA of the DGGE bands, in combination with the contents of the major odor-causing compounds in excreta, it is suggested that uncultured Lachnospiraceae bacterium and Bacteroides sp. were associated with the production of major odor-causing compounds in excreta.

Effects of flavones of sea buckthorn fruits on growth performance, carcass quality, fat deposition and lipometabolism for broilers.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different levels of flavones of sea buckthorn fruits (FSBF) on growth performance, carcass quality, fat deposition, and lipometabolism for broilers. 240 one-day-old Arbor Acres male broilers were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments (0, 0.05%, 0.10%, and 0.15% FSBF) with 6 replicates of 10 birds. Broilers were reared for 42 d. Results showed FSBF quadratically improved average daily feed intake (ADFI), average daily gain (ADG), and final body weight (BW) (P = 0.002, P = 0.019 and P = 0.018, respectively). The abdominal fat percentage in 0.05%, 0.10%, and 0.15% FSBF supplementation groups was decreased by 21.08%, 19.12%, and 19.61% with respect to the control group, respectively (P < 0.05). The intramuscular fat (IMF) content in the breast muscle of the broilers was increased by 7.21%, 23.42% and 6.30% in 0.05%, 0.10% and 0.15% FSBF groups, and that in the thigh meat was raised by 4.43%, 24.63% and 12.32%, compared with the control group, respectively (P < 0.05). FSBF had a quadratic effect on the abdominal fat percentage and IMF in the breast muscle (P < 0.05). Dietary FSBF also modified fatty acids of muscular tissues, resulting in a higher ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids (P < 0.05). Supplementing FSBF in the diet greatly decreased the levels of triglyceride, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.05). Moreover, the quadratic responses were also observed in the levels of insulin and adiponectin in serum (P = 0.020 and P = 0.037, respectively). Abdominal fat percentage was correlated negatively with insulin and positively with adiponectin (P < 0.05). IMF content in the breast and thigh muscles were correlated positively with insulin, and negatively with adiponectin (P < 0.05). A positive correlation existed between breast muscle, IMF, and leptin (P < 0.05). In conclusion, adding FSBF into the diets affected growth performance and fat deposition of broilers by regulating lipometabolism. Fat deposition and distribution of broilers were closely associated with concentrations of insulin and adiponectin. The optimal level of FSBF supplemented in diet was 0.05 to 0.10% in this study.

Attempts to increase inosinic acid in broiler meat by using feed additives.

To explore regulation of inosinic acid content in chicken meat as a result of feed additives, 576 one-day-old male Arbor Acres broilers were randomly allotted into 8 dietary treatments including control, purine nucleotide (P), betaine (B), soybean isoflavone (S), purine nucleotide + betaine (PB), purine nucleotide + soybean isoflavone (PS), betaine +soybean isoflavone (BS), and purine nucleotide + betaine + soybean isoflavone (PBS) by a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. At d 42 of age, broilers were slaughtered, and growth performance, carcass characteristics, inosinic acid content, and activities of enzyme closely related to inosinic acid metabolism of broilers were measured. The results revealed that these feed additives did not affect ADG and ADFI of the broilers (P > 0.05). However, supplementing purine nucleotides lowered feed/gain of broilers in PS and PBS groups (P < 0.05). There was a significant interaction on feed/gain of broilers between purine nucleotides and soybean isoflavone (P < 0.05). The abdominal fat percentages in groups B, S, BS, and PBS were lower than the control group, respectively (P < 0.05). The thigh muscle percentages of groups P and B were higher than that of group PB (P < 0.05). There were certain interactions on the percentage of thigh muscle (P = 0.05) and abdominal fat (P < 0.05) between P, B, and S groups. Compared with the control group, inosinic acid content in broiler breast meat was improved by using feed additives (P < 0.05). Supplementing purine nucleotides, betaine, soybean isoflavone, and their combinations increased alkaline phosphatase activity in breast meat of broilers (P < 0.05). Purine nucleotides improved the activity of adenosine deaminase, but decreased the activity of 5'-nucleotidase. Soybean isoflavone lowered the activity of alkaline phosphatase. There were no significant interactions on activities of creatine kinase, adenosine deaminase, alkaline phosphatase, and 5'-nucleotidase between these additives (P > 0.05). The umami rating of broiler breast meat increased in conjunction with supplementing these additives. In conclusion, supplementing standard feed with the additives investigated in this study could improve inosinic acid content in chicken meat by increasing synthase activity or inhibiting degradation enzyme activity without inferior growth performance and carcass quality.

Pollen limitation and Allee effect related to population size and sex ratio in the endangered Ottelia acuminata (Hydrocharitaceae): implications for conservation and reintroduction.

Small populations may suffer more severe pollen limitation and result in Allee effects. Sex ratio may also affect pollination and reproduction success in dioecious species, which is always overlooked when performing conservation and reintroduction tasks. In this study, we investigated whether and how population size and sex ratio affected pollen limitation and reproduction in the endangered Ottelia acuminata, a dioecious submerged species. We established experimental plots with increasing population size and male sex ratio. We observed insect visitation, estimated pollen limitation by hand-pollinations and counted fruit set and seed production per fruit. Fruit set and seed production decreased significantly in small populations due to pollinator scarcity and thus suffered more severe pollen limitation. Although frequently visited, female-biased larger populations also suffered severe pollen limitation due to few effective visits and insufficient pollen availability. Rising male ratio enhanced pollination service and hence reproduction. Unexpectedly, pollinator preferences did not cause reduced reproduction in male-biased populations because of high pollen availability. However, reproductive outputs showed more variability in severe male-biased populations. Our results revealed two component Allee effects in fruit set and seed production, mediated by pollen limitation in O. acuminata. Moreover, reproduction decreased significantly in larger female-biased populations, increasing the risk of an Allee effect.

Efficacy of phytases on egg production and nutrient digestibility in layers fed reduced phosphorus diets.

The effects of phytases on the performance of layers and the ileal nutrient digestibility of corn-, soybean-, and by-product meal-based diets were assessed with 320 Hy-Line brown layers from 23 to 28 wk of age. Layers were grouped randomly into 5 treatments, with 8 replicates per treatment and 8 layers per replicate. The 5 diets consisted of a positive control diet with adequate Ca (3.30%), total P (0.50%), and nonphytate P (NPP; 0.28%), and a negative control diet with Ca reduced by 0.12%, total P reduced by 0.14%, NPP reduced by 0.13%, and 3 phytases (phytase A derived from Aspergillus niger, and phytases B and C derived from Escherichia coli) supplemented at 300 phytase units/kg of feed, respectively. Egg production and feed intake were recorded daily, and eggshell quality and ileal nutrient digestibility were measured at the end of a 6-wk feeding period. The results revealed that the reduction of Ca and P from the positive control diet significantly depressed feed intake, egg mass, eggshell hardness, and the digestibility of N, Ca, P, and amino acids (P < 0.05). Phytase supplementation in the negative control diet improved the digestibility of P and Ca by 11.08 and 9.81% (P < 0.05), respectively, whereas it improved the digestibility of amino acids by 2 to 8% (P < 0.05). However, the digestibility of most amino acids was not restored to the levels of the positive control diet by the application of phytases. Supplementing phytases in the negative control diet improved the rate of lay, egg mass, and egshell quality to the levels of birds fed the positive control diet. These results suggest that supplementing phytases can improve the digestibility not only of Ca and P, but also of amino acids in layers fed a corn-, soybean-, and by-product-based diet.