Walnut meal improves meat quality by modulating intestinal microbes in white feather broilers.

Improving the number of amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids in the diet is a good way to raise the quality of the meat. Currently, most research on the quality of broiler meat focuses on genetic traits; nevertheless, it is unclear how meat quality is regulated. This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different supplemental levels of walnut meal (WM) on growth performance, amino acid and fatty acid composition, microbial composition, and meat quality of white feather broilers. 1 week old white feather broilers (n = 120; Body weight 83.76 ± 2.32 g), were randomly divided into 3 treatments and 4 replicates. Walnut meal of basic diet (CK), 5 %(WM-L) and 10 %(WM-H) were added to the diets of white feather broilers, respectively. The results showed that walnut meal could increase L* 24 h (24 h brightness) of breast muscle of white feathered broilers (p < 0.05). The amount of essential amino acids (e.g., isoleucine, methionine, leucine, tryptophan, and phenylalanine), umami amino taste acids (glutamic acid), and PUFA/SFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) (n-3PUFA and n-6 PUFA) in breast muscle increased as the dose was increased. Furthermore, walnut meal regulated amino acid flavour metabolism by increasing the relative abundance of Bacteroides, bifidobacterium, and enterococcus faecalis, according to 16S rRNA sequencing and functional prediction analysis. The correlation showed that amino acid and fatty acid composition was one of the key factors affecting pH value, meat color and tenderness of chicken. In conclusion, dietary addition of walnut meal can increase the content of essential amino acids and unsaturated fatty acids and the relative abundance of beneficial bacteria of broilers, which is of great significance for improving meat quality of white feather broilers.

Exploring possible benefits of Litsea cubeba Pers. extract on growth, meat quality, and gut flora in white-feather broilers.

White-feather broiler chickens are the dominant species in global poultry meat production. Yet there is growing concern about their health, quality, and growth efficiency. While feed additives, often antibiotics or synthetic chemicals, are used to maintain the health of the animals, drug resistance limits their use. Litsea cubeba (Lour.) Pers., a traditional Chinese herb with antibiotic-like benefits but without the risk of drug resistance, has not yet been explored as an additive to broiler diets. In the present study, broilers of the AA+ hybrid strain were randomly divided into three groups of 16: a control group (regular feed), a low-dose group (1.25 g/kg added L. cubeba extract), and a high-dose group (2.50 g/kg added L. cubeba extract). After 35 days, we found that the extract had no effect on growth. However, gut flora analysis revealed that both doses of the extract had a positive influence on amino acid content and minor unsaturated fatty acids, thus improving the flavor and nutritional value of the meat. These findings suggest that L. cubeba extract, at either dose, could serve as a sustainable alternative to antibiotics, thus reducing the risk of drug resistance while improving meat quality, nutrition, and flavor.

Moringa oleifera leaf improves meat quality by modulating intestinal microbes in white feather broilers.

Moringa oleifera addition to animal diets can improve the growth performance, intestinal health, and immunity of animals, without adverse effects. We investigated the effects of Moringa oleifera on the growth performance, meat quality, and intestinal health of broilers. Moringa oleifera and fermented Moringa oleifera could improve the flesh color and breast muscle tenderness of broilers (p < 0.05). The contents of essential amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, ΣMUFA, P/S and n-3 ratio in breast muscle of broilers were dose-increased, and the effect of fermented Moringa oleifera was better. Moringa oleifera and fermented Moringa oleifera regulated chicken flavor metabolism by increasing the relative abundance and Short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) contents of Bacteroides, Spirillum, and lactic acid bacteria. Overall, supplementation with 1 % fermented Moringa oleifera can significantly increase essential amino acid and unsaturated fatty acid contents in broilers and participate in the synthesis and transformation of amino acids and fatty acids regulated by beneficial bacteria.

Solar Boosting Pollutant Removal plus Hydrogen Production by Lifting-Heat and Lowering-Potential Chemical Synergy.

Solar-boosted oxidation plus hydrogen production for pollutant removal in wastewater, driven by a high thermal and low-potential electrochemical combination, is facilitated and demonstrated from theory to experiments. One sun fully offers both thermal and electrical energy powered thermo- and electrochemistry for pollutant oxidation. Solar thermal action provides high temperatures for the activation of the pollutant molecules to gear up for solar-driven electrochemical oxidation. Taking wastewater containing phenol as an example, the cyclic voltammetry (CV) curves display two redox processes at less than 100 °C, while only one redox process of single oxidation of phenol appears at more than 100 °C. The oxidation of phenol is accompanied by an efficient evolution of hydrogen, in which the yield of 0.627 mL at 30 °C is increased to 2.294 mL at 210 °C. The phenol removal is enhanced to 80.50% at 210 °C. Tracking the reaction progress shows that small molecular organic acids are detected as the only intermediate at the high temperatures, which suggests the easy realization of full mineralization. The kinetic reaction of the phenol oxidation is fitted to the first order with an increase of the rate constant of 10 times compared with that at low temperatures. Solar engineering of oxidation of organic pollutants not only solves the issue of energy demand for the tough wastewater treatment but also realizes fast and efficient oxidation of organic pollutants. This study opens up new avenues to achieve solar wastewater treatment and simultaneous hydrogen production.