Changes in Faecal and Plasma Amino Acid Profile in Dogs with Food-Responsive Enteropathy as Indicators of Gut Homeostasis Disruption: A Pilot Study.

Dogs suffering from food-responsive enteropathy (FRE) respond to an elimination diet based on hydrolysed protein or novel protein; however, studies regarding the amino acid profile in FRE dogs are lacking. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate whether the plasma and faecal amino acid profiles differed between control and FRE dogs and whether these could serve as indicators of severity of illness. Blood, faecal samples, body condition score, and severity of clinical signs based on the canine inflammatory bowel disease activity index were collected before starting the elimination diet. FRE dogs had lower proportions of plasma Asparagine, Histidine, Glycine, Cystine, Leucine, and branched-chain/aromatic amino acids; however, Phenylalanine increased. In faecal samples, Cystine was greater whereas Phenylalanine was lesser in sick dogs compared to control. Leucine correlated negatively with faecal humidity (r = -0.66), and Leucine and Phenylalanine with faecal fat (r = -0.57 and r = -0.62, respectively). Faecal Phenylalanine (r = 0.80), Isoleucine (r = 0.75), and Leucine (r = 0.92) also correlated positively with total short-chain fatty acids, whereas a negative correlation was found with Glycine (r = -0.85) and Cystine (r = -0.61). This study demonstrates the importance of Leucine and Phenylalanine amino acids as indicators of the disease severity in FRE dogs.

Changes in the Nutrient Composition of Barley Grain (Hordeum vulgare L.) and of Morphological Fractions of Sprouts.

The objectives of the current study were (1) to evaluate the effect of sprouting on protein, amino acids, fats, fatty acids, starch, total soluble carbohydrates, and ß-D-glucan content of barley grains and (2) to know the content of these nutrients in the morphological fractions of sprouts: green shoot, residual structure of sprouted grain (RSSG), residual structure of sprouted grain plus unsprouted grain (RSSG plus UG), and root fractions and to determine the proportion of each of these fractions (on fresh and dry basis) in the sprout biomass. Barley grain was sprouted in a commercial germination chamber for a period of 6 days. Raw grain was used as a control. Results showed that crude protein, ether extract, total soluble carbohydrates, and cellulose content increased, whereas starch and ß-D-glucan content decreased in sprouted when compared with the control grain. Amino acid and fatty acid profiles were also affected. Thus, aspartic acid, threonine, alanine, valine, isoleucine, lysine, and tryptophan content increased and only that of glutamic acid decreased after sprouting. Regarding fatty acids, an increase in the relative concentration of C18 : 0 and C18:3n-3 and a decrease in that of C18:1n-9 were detected. Partitioning of sprouted barley into three morphological component fractions showed that the residual structures of sprouted grains plus unsprouted grain fraction made up 82.9% and 93.6% of sprout biomass, on fresh and DM basis, respectively, and the remainder was provided by the root fraction, 10.3% and 3.2%, respectively, and by the green shoot fraction, 6.8% and 3.1%, respectively. The three morphological fractions differed in the content of the most analyzed nutrients.

Short-Term Spirulina (Spirulina platensis) Supplementation and Laying Hen Strain Effects on Eggs' Lipid Profile and Stability.

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of short-term dietary spirulina supplementation (1% and 3%) and the strain of laying hens (White Leghorn: WL and Rhode Island Red: RIR) on color, nutritional value, and stability of yolk. Egg weight was not affected by any of the studied effects. Yolks from 3%-spirulina supplemented hens had higher retinol and lower α-tocopherol content (p = 0.0001) when compared to control. The supplementation with 1%-spirulina markedly decreased luminosity and increased redness (p = 0.0001) and yellowness (p = 0.0103). Short-term spirulina supplementation slightly modified the fatty acid composition of yolk. The C16-desaturase index increased with the algae, whereas other egg quality indices (hypocholesterolemic, thrombombogenic, n-6/n-3) were not modified. Hen strain mainly affected to the lipid profile. The RIR hens accumulated greater yolk retinol with supplementation doses of 3% (p < 0.05), while the WL hardly suffered changes in the accumulation. Also, yolks from RIR hens had lower C16:0 (p = 0.0001), C18:0 (p = 0.0001), saturated (SAT) (p = 0.0001), and thrombogenic index (p = 0.0001), C20:3n-6 (p = 0.0001), n-6/n-3 ratio (p = 0.003), Δ-6+5-desaturase (p = 0.0005), total elongase indices (p = 0.0001) when compared to WL. Moreover, RIR had higher monounsaturated (MUFA), Δ-9-desaturase and hypocholesterolemic indices (p < 0.05) than WL. A different response to spirulina supplementation was observed for C18:1n-9, MUFA, Δ-9-desaturase and thiesterase indices (p < 0.05) according to hen strain. Yolks from RIR had higher MUFA and Δ-9-desaturase indices than WL at 1%-spirulina supplementation, whereas these parameters were less affected in RIR supplemented with 3%. SAT and Δ-9-desaturase were significantly correlated (r = -0.38 and 0.47, respectively) with retinol content according to a linear adjustment (p < 0.05). Lipid oxidation of yolk was slightly modified by the dietary treatment or hen strain. It was detected a relationship between TBARS and α-tocopherol, C22:5n-3 or C22:6n-3 (p < 0.05). L* and a* were also inversely or positively related with yolk retinol content according to a linear response (p < 0.05). The administration of 1% of spirulina in diets of red hens would be an interesting alternative to get healthier eggs from the nutritional point of view, obtaining an adequate color and without modifications in other yolk quality traits.

Dietary inulin supplementation modifies significantly the liver transcriptomic profile of broiler chickens.

Inclusion of prebiotics in the diet is known to be advantageous, with positive influences both on health and growth. The current study investigated the differences in the hepatic transcriptome profiles between chickens supplemented with inulin (a storage carbohydrate found in many plants) and controls. Liver is a major metabolic organ and has been previously reported to be involved in the modification of the lipid metabolism in chickens fed with inulin. A nutrigenomic approach through the analysis of liver RNA hybridized to the Affymetrix GeneChip Chicken Genome Array identified 148 differentially expressed genes among both groups: 104 up-regulated (≥ 1.4-fold) and 44 down-regulated (≤ 0.6-fold). Quantitative real-time PCR analysis validated the microarray expression results for five out of seven genes tested. The functional annotation analyses revealed a number of genes, processes and pathways with putative involvement in chicken growth and performance, while reinforcing the immune status of animals, and fostering the production of long chain fatty acids in broilers supplemented with 5 g of inulin kg(-1) diet. As far as we are aware, this is the first report of a microarray based gene expression study on the effect of dietary inulin supplementation, supporting further research on the use of this prebiotic on chicken diets as a useful alternative to antibiotics for improving performance and general immunity in poultry farming, along with a healthier meat lipid profile.

Wheat- and barley-based diets with or without additives influence broiler chicken performance, nutrient digestibility and intestinal microflora.

BACKGROUND: To our knowledge, there is scant literature on comparative broiler response to cereal diets high in soluble non-starch polysaccharides without or with enzyme, prebiotic, probiotic or synbiotic supplementation. In the present study, the effects of a wheat- and barley-based diet with or without supplemental xylanase plus ß-glucanase, inulin, Enterococcus faecium or inulin plus Enterococcus faecium, on bird performance, digesta viscosity, nutrient digestibility and intestinal microflora were compared to a maize-based diet. RESULTS: In comparison to a maize-based diet, the wheat- and barley-based diet reduced (P < 0.05) body weight gain and feed intake, but did not affect to the feed-to-gain ratio. Apparent digestibility of crude fat and various fatty acids were decreased (P < 0.05) as well as apparent metabolisable energy corrected to zero nitrogen retention content. There was an increase (P < 0.05) in the viscosity of jejunal digesta and in the caecal numbers of Escherichia coli and lactobacilli, and a decrease in the ileal numbers of E. coli and lactobacilli. Performance parameters and nutrient digestibility were not affected (P > 0.05) by dietary inclusion of the additives used, with the exception that exogenous enzyme improved (P < 0.05) the apparent digestibility of crude fat and decreased the viscosity of jejunal digesta. Enzyme and Enterococcus faecium supplementation increased intestinal lactic acid bacteria, whereas inulin addition reduced the number of E. coli (P < 0.05). Addition of inulin-Enterococcus faecium decreased E. coli and increased bifidobacteria numbers in the caeca. CONCLUSION: Enzyme supplementation to a wheat- and barley-based diet significantly improved the apparent digestibility of dietary fat. All four additives had a beneficial effect on the intestinal microflora of broilers.