Due to the continuous increase in animal feed prices, and the presence of competition between humans and animals on food materials, it is imperative to identify other non-food plant resources to ...assist the animal feed industry and improve livestock productivity. Plant wastes may cause air, soil, and water pollution. However, if judiciously managed, they would be important resources. Plant wastes are used as feedstuffs and fertilizers. However, their use as animal feed is more useful than fertilizers. Because of the high content of fiber and non-protein N, these wastes are more valuable for feeding ruminants than poultry. The use of the plant wastes as feedstuffs could improve the environmental quality and profits for feed producers. Paulownias are fast-growing trees initially cultivated for wood production. However, due to their good nutritive value, their leaves have been used for ruminants, non-ruminants animals and poultry feeding. Furthermore, they are well-known for its medicinal and antibacterial properties. However, little is still known about its characteristics. This review aimed at providing detailed information about the nature, nutritional value, phytochemicals, and uses of Paulownia as a promising feedstuff in the fields of ruminants, non-ruminants, and poultry nutrition.
Bioactive peptides (BPs) are specific protein fragments formed by amino acids joined by covalent bonds known as amide or peptide bonds that exert various beneficial effects on human bodies and ...ultimately influence health, reckoning on their structural properties and aminoalkanoic acid composition and sequences. These peptides can be obtained from plants, animals, microorganisms, and fermented food and may be consumed as nutraceuticals. Most BPs display one or more specific biofunctional features. BPs are the new generation of biologically active regulators; they can prevent oxidation and microbial decomposition in foods as well as improve the treatment of various diseases and disorders, thus increasing the quality of life. Also, the animal food proteins are currently considered as the crucial source of a variety of bioactive peptides and have gained special attention because they may probably influence many physiological responses along with maintenance of good health condition. This review focused on bioactive peptides as useful food preservatives and on reviewing their potential pharmaceutical role, due to their antioxidant and/or antimicrobial effects.
The study aimed to investigate the effect of various doses of betaine supplemented dietary on Japanese quail performance, carcass characteristics, and blood chemistry. Therefore, 400 seven days old ...Japanese quails were classified randomly into four equal groups. Each group was subdivided into five replicates of 20 birds each. Four rations were formulated using four different betaine levels (0, 0.75, 1.5 and 2.25 g/kg, respectively) for five successive weeks. All groups received feed and clean water ad-libitum. The results of this trial indicated that the feed intake was lowered in groups fed with betaine (p ≤ 0.05) when compared with the control one. The highest weight gain (p ≤ 0.05) was noticed in groups fed diets BS4 (betaine supplementation at the rate of 2.25 g/kg). No difference among groups was observed in body length, shank length, shank diameter, and keel bone length or breast width. Also, the carcass weight and breast yield were highest (p ≤ 0.05) in the group reared on the BS4 diet. In addition, intestinal length and weight were significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in groups fed betaine with a concentration of 2.25 g/kg. Fat weight was lower in the group fed BS4 than in the untreated group. Significantly higher values of high-density lipoprotein (p ≤ 0.05) were observed in the group fed BS4. All groups fed a ration containing betaine showed lower levels of liver enzymes such as alanine amino transferase, alkaline phosphatase, and aspartate amino transferase (p ≤ 0.05) and lowered low-density lipoprotein level. The quails fed BS4 had the greatest growth hormones and insulin (p ≤ 0.05) and the lowest thyroxin level. We concluded that dietary betaine supplementation positively impacts Japanese quail growth performance, carcass traits, and blood chemistry.
The effect of dietary orange peel (OPE) and tomato pomace extract (TPE) supplementations on growth performance, plasma biochemicals, carcass characteristics and antioxidant status of growing male ...rabbits were investigated. A total of 96 rabbits (5 weeks old) were distributed into four groups. The first group received untreated pelleted diet (control). The second group was fed a diet containing ascorbic acid (AA; 1.0 g/kg diet), while the third and fourth groups consumed diets supplemented with 200 gm of OPE or (TPE, respectively. Our results indicated that OPE and TPE contained 59, 14.03 mg ascorbic acid/100 g DM, respectively. Growth performance, except feed conversion ratio, and carcass weight were improved by dietary supplementations. Dietary supplementations decreased kidneys, abdominal, back fats and ether extract of meat. Plasma protein and globulin levels were high in rabbits fed AA and TPE-supplemented diets. Low plasma total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol concentrations were observed in rabbits fed the supplemented diets. Plasma AA was increased in rabbits fed AA and OPE-supplemented diets. Rabbits fed OPE and TPE-supplemented diets had great SOD activity. The best economic efficiency was recorded by rabbits fed the supplemented diets. Dietary supplementations of OPE and TPE could effectively improve growth performance, antioxidative status, modulate AA level in plasma and meat and lower plasma total cholesterol and LDL.
An experiment was conducted to investigate the continuous and intermittent lighting program effects on terms of the productive performance, carcass traits, blood biochemical parameters, innate immune ...and oxidative status in broiler chicks.
A total of 600 Cobb-500 one day old chicks were randomly allocated into six equal groups (100 chicks per treated group with five replicates of 20 chicks each) based on lighting program; 22 continuous lighting (22 C), 11 h lighting+1 darkness twice daily (11 L/1 D), 20 h continuous lighting (20 C), 5 h lighting+1 darkness four times daily (5 L/1 D), 18 h continuous lighting (18 C) and the final group subjected for 3 h lighting+1 h darkness six times daily (3 L/1 D). The experimental period lasted 42 days.
Compared with those under the intermittent light program, broiler chicks exposed to continuous lighting for 22 h had significant improvement in live body weight and carcass (dressing and breast percentage) measured traits. Though reducing lighting hours significantly reduced feed intake and feed conversion ratio values. Different lighting programs revealed no significant effect on all blood biochemical parameters. Oxidative stress and innate immunity parameters significantly enhance by reducing lighting hours (3L/1D).
The findings suggest that reducing lighting hours up to 3L/1D would be more useful in enhancing feed efficiency, innate immunity, and oxidative status compared with continuous lighting programs on broilers.
To avoid the depletion and degradation of natural resources and to maintain long-term environmental quality and sustainability, the present study investigated the impacts of Moringa oleifera foliage ...(MF) as a replacement for concentrate feed on growth performance, blood hematology, serum metabolites, and serum mineral profile in growing goats. A total of 30 growing local goats (4 months old ± 7 days, with an average weight of 15.80 kg ± 147 g), were randomly allotted to five treatment groups comprising 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% of MF replacing the concentrate feed as daily feed. The MF75 and MF100 percent diets decreased (p < 0.05) final body weight (FBW), average daily gain (ADG), and crude protein (CP) of the diet. Moreover, MF up to 75% improved acid detergent fiber (ADF) digestibility. Feeding MF at different levels did not have any deleterious effects on blood chemistry parameters. Urea, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) values were depressed (p < 0.05), due to increasing the MF (MF50, MF75, and MF100) level in the diet of growing goats kept in an arid region, when compared to the control group. Both of MF75 and MF100 led to a decrease (p < 0.05) in phosphorous (P) level, compared with the other groups. The results were interpreted that feeding MF to replace 25% DM of the concentrate feed had no adverse effects on growth performance, feed utilization, serum metabolites, and serum minerals in growing goats reared under arid conditions. The increasing of MF level up to 50% or more significantly altered ADG and blood levels of creatinine, urea and ALP.
The reproductive performance of ruminants is economically significant, and its improvement is a primary goal of the livestock industry to ensure its sustainability. Several approaches have been ...developed to use phytogenics as feed additives for several proposes, such as reducing methane emissions, and as an alternative to antibiotics. Phytogenics have potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and metabolism-regulatory properties, and they are present at high levels in animal feeds. This current review considers the potential use of medicinal herbs on the reproductive performance of animals. The influence of diet on the fertility complications commonly noted in ruminants is of global interest. Although the effects of phytogenics on ruminant digestion and absorption are well-explored, their impact on reproductive performance remains poorly investigated. This review focuses on the influence of phytogenics on semen quality, hormonal profiles, and hematobiochemical indices in male ruminants. Based on available data, phytogenics are perceived to improve oocyte quality, reproductive performance, and pregnancy. However, further more comprehensive research on the benefits and potential hazards of the use of phytogenics is required to improve reproductive performance in ruminants.
Royal jelly (RJ) is one of the furthermost valuable curative products mentioned by natural medicine scientists due to its promising medical and nutritional purposes. It possesses many impacts, ...including antioxidants, antimicrobial, antitumor, anti‐inflammatory and immunomodulatory functions in human and animal that benefit their health and welfare, resulting in its widespread use in medical and commercial products and healthy food. Recently, favourable functions of RJ on male fertility have been reported in different animals. According to earlier literatures, the level of RJ supplementation in animal diet ranged from 100 to 200 mg/kg. Oral exposure to RJ has been reported to have oestrogenic influences in the adult female rats. Also, RJ may be influential in improvement of pregnancy and lambing rates of ewes. Oral administration of RJ at 100 mg/kg diet before sexual maturity enhanced sexual behaviour and semen quality of male rabbits. Moreover, RJ administration (up to 400 mg/kg diet once weekly) for male rabbits exposed to heat stress can counteract “summer infertility” and improve physiological responses. Furthermore, supplementation of freezing extender media with 0.1 or 3% RJ had a protective influence on cryopreserved and chilled spermatozoa of buffalo and ram respectively. However, the high dose of RJ oral administration (800 mg/kg) by pubescent male rats for 1 month had an undesirable effect on the reproductive system; however, the somewhat unfavourable influences were mitigated by the discontinuation of the administration. This review shows the chemical composition, favourable applications and health benefits of RJ and its effects on reproductive aspects, semen quality and in vitro fertilization outcomes which are advantageous for scientists, researchers, nutritionists, physiologists, embryologists, pharmacists, veterinarians, pharmaceutical industries and animal's breeders.