Dietary supplementation of Agaricus bisporus stalk meal on growth performance, carcass and organ traits, meat quality, cecum mesophilic aerobic bacteria counts and intestinal histology in broiler chickens

ABSTRACT: Effects of dietary Agaricus bisporus mixture or stalk or cap on growth performance, carcass components and some meat quality parameters, mesophilic aerobic bacterial counts, and intestinal histomorphology in broiler chickens were investigated. Two hundred and forty one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chickens were divided into 4 experimental groups with 4 replicates, each including 15 birds. Chickens were fed with basal diet (C), mushroom mixture (MM, 10 g stalk+10 g cap/kg diet), mushroom stalk (MS, 20 g/kg diet) and mushroom cap (MC, 20 g/kg diet). Feed conversion ratio (FCR) was improved (P < 0.01) by dietary MS while feed intake (FI) decreased (P < 0.01) in all treatment groups compared to control. However, body weight gain (BWG) was decreased (P < 0.01) by MC inclusion. Mushroom supplemented groups had higher (P < 0.05) mesophilic aerobic bacteria in the cecum. MS inclusion increased villus height to crypt depth ratio in the jejunum (P < 0.01) and villus height in the ileum (P < 0.01) and jejunum (P < 0.05). MC increased (P < 0.01) crypt depth in the jejunum. There were no statistical differences among groups for carcass components (P > 0.05). The L* values were decreased (P < 0.01) in thigh meat but increased (P < 0.01) in breast meat by mushroom inclusion. The a* values were decreased (P < 0.01) and b* values were increased (P < 0.05) in both thigh and breast meat with mushroom addition to diet. The obtained results indicated that A. bisporus stalk meal at an inclusion level of 20 g/kg of diet had favourable effects on growth performance with higher feed efficiency, improved intestinal morphology with higher villus height and increased meat quality of broiler chickens.

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Effect of Heat Stress and Stocking Density on Growth Performance, Breast Meat Quality, and Intestinal Barrier Function in Broiler Chickens

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani9030107 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (3) ◽

pp. 107 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Doyun Goo ◽

Jong Hyuk Kim ◽

Geun Hyeon Park ◽

Jomari Badillo Delos Reyes ◽

Dong Yong Kil

Keyword(s):

Heat Stress ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Body Weight Gain ◽

Stocking Density ◽

Intestinal Barrier ◽

Intestinal Barrier Function ◽

Breast Meat ◽

Ambient Temperatures

The present experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of heat stress (HS) andstocking density (SD) on growth performance, breast meat quality, and intestinal barrier functionin broiler chickens. Experimental treatments included two different ambient temperatures (20 °C:thermoneutral conditions, or 27.8 °C: HS conditions) and two different SD (low: 9 birds/m2 andhigh: 18 birds/m2) in a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement. A total of 1140 21-day-old broiler chickens wereallotted 1 of 4 treatments with five replicates. At the end of the experiment (35 days of age), twobirds per replicate were euthanized for sample collections. The results indicated no interactionsbetween HS and SD for all measurements. For main effects, HS decreased (p < 0.05) the growthperformance of broiler chickens. Similarly, high SD also decreased (p < 0.05) body weight gain andfeed intake. HS decreased (p < 0.01) jejunal trans-epithelial electric resistance (TER), whereas highSD did not affect TER. Neither HS nor high SD affected jejunal tight junction-related geneexpressions; however, high SD reduced (p < 0.05) occludin expression. In conclusion, HS and highSD are key environmental factors decreasing broiler performance; however, the interactive effectsof HS and high SD are not significant under the current conditions.

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Dietary Supplementation With Didancao (Elephantopus scaber L.) Improves Meat Quality and Intestinal Development in Jiaji Ducks

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.753546 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Chengjun Hu ◽

Lihong Gu ◽

Mao Li ◽

Fengjie Ji ◽

Weiping Sun ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Growth Performance ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Intestinal Development ◽

Microbiota Composition ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Elephantopus Scaber

Didancao (Elephantopus scaber L.) has been used as a traditional herbal medicine and has exhibited a beneficial role in animal health. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary supplementation with E. scaber on growth performance, meat quality, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition in ducks. A total of 480 Jiaji ducks (42 days old, male:female ratio = 1:1) were randomly assigned to one of four treatments. There were six replicates per treatment, with 20 ducks per replicate. The ducks in the control group (Con) were fed a basal diet; the three experimental groups were fed a basal diet supplementation with 30 (T1), 80 (T2), and 130 mg/kg (T3) of E. scaber. After a 48-day period of supplementation, growth performance, meat quality, intestinal morphology, and microbiota composition were evaluated. The results showed that no differences were observed in the final body weight, average daily feed intake, and average daily gain among the four groups. Compared with that in the Con group, the feed conversion in the T1 and T2 groups was increased significantly; the T2 group was shown to decrease the concentration of alanine aminotransferase in serum; the T3 group was lower than the Con group in the concentration of aspartate aminotransferase and was higher than the Con group in the concentration of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. The highest concentration of creatinine was observed in the T1 group. The T2 group was higher than the Con group in the contents of Phe, Ala, Gly, Glu, Arg, Lys, Tyr, Leu, Ser, Thr, Asp, and total amino acids in the breast muscle. Moreover, the T2 group was higher than the Con group in the contents of meat C18:2n−6 and polyunsaturated fatty acid. The concentration of inosinic acid in the T1, T2, and T3 groups was significantly higher than that in the Con group. However, the Con group was higher than the T2 or T3 group in the Zn content. The T2 group was lower than the Con group in the jejunal crypt depth. The T3 group was higher than the Con group in the ileal villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth. In addition, the T3 group had a trend to significantly increase the abundance of Fusobacteria. Compared with the Con group, the T1 and T2 groups displayed a higher abundance of Subdoligranulum. Collectively, dietary supplementation with 80 mg/kg of E. scaber improves meat quality and intestinal development in ducks.

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Effects of Dietary Ginsenoside Rg1 Supplementation on Growth Performance, Gut Health, and Serum Immunity in Broiler Chickens

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.705279 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Zehe Song ◽

Kaihuan Xie ◽

Yunlu Zhang ◽

Qian Xie ◽

Xi He ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Ginsenoside Rg1 ◽

Gut Health ◽

Villus Height ◽

Final Body Weight ◽

Crypt Depth

The restriction and banning of antibiotics in farm animal feed has led to a search for promising substitutes for antibiotics to promote growth and maintain health for livestock and poultry. Ginsenoside Rg1, which is one of the most effective bioactive components in ginseng, has been reported to have great potential to improve the anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative status of animals. In this study, 360 Chinese indigenous broiler chickens with close initial body weight were divided into 5 groups. Each group contained 6 replicates and each replicate had 12 birds. The experimental groups were: the control group, fed with the basal diet; the antibiotic group, fed basal diet + 300 mg/kg 15% chlortetracycline; and three Rg1 supplementation groups, fed with basal diet + 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg ginsenoside Rg1, respectively. The growth performance, immune function, and intestinal health of birds were examined at early (day 1–28) and late (day 29–51) stages. Our results showed that dietary supplementation of 300 mg/kg ginsenoside Rg1 significantly improved the growth performance for broilers, particularly at the late stage, including an increase in final body weight and decrease of feed conversion ratio (P < 0.05). Additionally, the integrity of intestinal morphology (Villus height, Crypt depth, and Villus height/Crypt depth) and tight junction (ZO-1 and Occludin), and the secretion of sIgA in the intestine were enhanced by the supplementation of Rg1 in chicken diet (P < 0.05). The immune organ index showed that the weight of the thymus, spleen, and bursa was significantly increased at the early stage in ginsenoside Rg1 supplementation groups (P < 0.05). Our findings might demonstrate that ginsenoside Rg1 could serve as a promising antibiotic alternative to improve the growth performance and gut health for broiler chickens mainly through its amelioration of inflammatory and oxidative activities.

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Effects of Rhamnolipids on Growth Performance, Immune Function, and Cecal Microflora in Linnan Yellow Broilers Challenged with Lipopolysaccharides

Antibiotics ◽

10.3390/antibiotics10080905 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 905

Author(s):

Haoran Zhang ◽

Xiaorong Yu ◽

Qing Li ◽

Guangtian Cao ◽

Jie Feng ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Function ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Normal Saline ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Fatty Acid Content ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Immunological Stress

This present study aimed to investigate the effects of rhamnolipids (RLS) on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, immune function, short-chain fatty acid content, and microflora community in broiler chickens challenged with lipopolysaccharides (LPS). A total of 450 broiler chickens were randomly allocated into three groups: basal diet with no supplement (NCO), basal diet with bacitracin (ANT), and basal diet with rhamnolipids (RLS). After 56 d of feeding, 20 healthy broilers were selected from each group, with half being intraperitoneally injected with lipopolysaccharides (LPS) and the other half with normal saline. Treatments with LPS were labelled LPS-NCO, LPS-ANT, and LPS-RLS, whereas treatments with normal saline were labelled NS-NCO, NS-ANT, and NS-RLS. LPS-challenged birds had lower jejunal villus height and higher crypt depth than unchallenged birds. LPS-RLS broilers had increased jejunal villus height and villus height/crypt depth ratio (V/C) but lower crypt depth than LPS-NCO. Dietary supplementation with RLS reduced the LPS-induced immunological stress. Compared with LPS-NCO, birds in LPS-RLS had lower concentrations of IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α. In LPS-challenged broilers, RLS and ANT increased the concentrations of IgA, IgM, and IgY compared with LPS-NCO. In LPS treatments, RLS enhanced the contents of acetic acid, butyrate, isobutyric acid, isovalerate, and valerate more than LPS-NCO birds. High-throughput sequencing indicated that RLS supplementation led to changes in the cecal microbial community of broilers. At the species level, Clostridium-sp-Marseille-p3244 and Slakia_eqcsolifaciens were more abundant in NS-RLS than in NS-NCO broilers. In summary, RLS improved the growth performance and relative abundance of cecal microbiota and reduced the LPS-induced immunological stress in broiler chickens.

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Dietary Enteromorpha Polysaccharide Enhances Intestinal Immune Response, Integrity, and Caecal Microbial Activity of Broiler Chickens

Frontiers in Nutrition ◽

10.3389/fnut.2021.783819 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Teketay Wassie ◽

Zhuang Lu ◽

Xinyi Duan ◽

Chunyan Xie ◽

Kefyalew Gebeyew ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Immune Response ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Marine Algae ◽

Basal Diet ◽

Control Group ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Caecal Microbiota

Marine algae polysaccharides have been shown to regulate various biological activities, such as immune modulation, antioxidant, antidiabetic, and hypolipidemic. However, litter is known about the interaction of these polysaccharides with the gut microbiota. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of marine algae Enteromorpha (Ulva) prolifera polysaccharide (EP) supplementation on growth performance, immune response, and caecal microbiota of broiler chickens. A total of 200 1-day-old Ross-308 broiler chickens were randomly divided into two treatment groups with ten replications of ten chickens in each replication. The dietary treatments consisted of the control group (fed basal diet), and EP group (received diet supplemented with 400 mg EP/kg diet). Results showed that chickens fed EP exhibited significantly higher (P < 0.05) body weight and average daily gain than the chicken-fed basal diet. In addition, significantly longer villus height, shorter crypt depth, and higher villus height to crypt depth ratio were observed in the jejunal and ileal tissues of chickens fed EP. EP supplementation upregulated the mRNA expression of NF-κB, TLR4, MyD88, IL-2, IFN-α, and IL-1β in the ileal and jejunal tissues (P < 0.05). Besides, we observed significantly higher (P < 0.05) short-chain volatile fatty acids (SCFAs) levels in the caecal contents of the EP group than in the control group. Furthermore, 16S-rRNA analysis revealed that EP supplementation altered gut microbiota and caused an abundance shift at the phylum and genus level in broiler chicken. Interestingly, we observed an association between microbiota and SCFAs production. Overall, this study demonstrated that supplementation of diet with EP promotes growth performance, improves intestinal immune response and integrity, and modulates the caecal microbiota of broiler chickens. This study highlighted the application of marine algae polysaccharides as an antibiotic alternative for chickens. Furthermore, it provides insight to develop marine algae polysaccharide-based functional food and therapeutic agent.

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Effect of Antimicrobial Peptide Microcin J25 on Growth Performance, Immune Regulation, and Intestinal Microbiota in Broiler Chickens Challenged with Escherichia coli and Salmonella

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10020345 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (2) ◽

pp. 345 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Gang Wang ◽

Qinglong Song ◽

Shuo Huang ◽

Yuming Wang ◽

Shuang Cai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Antimicrobial Peptide ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Immune Regulation ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Body Weight Gain ◽

The Body ◽

Villus Height ◽

Microcin J25 ◽

Challenge Group

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of antimicrobial peptide microcin J25 (MccJ25) on growth performance, immune regulation, and intestinal microbiota in broilers. A total of 3120 one-day-old male Arbor Acres (AA) broilers were randomly allocated to five groups (12 replicates, 52 chickens per replicate). The treatments were control, challenge (0 mg/kg MccJ25), different dosages of antimicrobial peptide (AMP) (0.5 and 1mg/kg MccJ25), and antibiotic groups (20 mg/kg colistin sulfate). The MccJ25 groups increased the body weight gain (starter and overall) that was reduced in the challenge group. The overall (day 1 to day 42) feed-to-gain ratio (G:F) was significantly decreased in AMP groups compared with the challenge group. Birds fed AMP had a decreased population of total anaerobic bacteria (day 21 and day 42) and E. coli (day 21 and day 42) in feces, as well as a lower Salmonella infection rate (day 21 and day 42) compared with birds in the challenge group. The villus height of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum, as well as the villus height/crypt depth of the duodenum and jejunum were greater in AMP groups than birds in the challenge group. Moreover, MccJ25 linearly improved the villus height of the duodenum and jejunum. The addition of MccJ25 decreased the concentration of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 compared with challenge group. At d 21, MccJ25 linearly reduced the level of IL-6. In conclusion, dietary supplemented MccJ25 eﬀectively improved performance, systematic inﬂammation, and improved fecal microbiota composition of the broilers.

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Effects of dietary supplementation of guanidino acetic acid on growth performance, thigh meat quality and development of small intestine in Partridge-Shank broilers

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859618001156 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 156 (9) ◽

pp. 1130-1137 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Q. C. Ren ◽

J. J. Xuan ◽

X. C. Yan ◽

Z. Z. Hu ◽

F. Wang

Keyword(s):

Acetic Acid ◽

Small Intestine ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Meat Quality ◽

Feed Intake ◽

Dietary Supplementation ◽

Thigh Muscle ◽

Feed Ratio ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth

AbstractThe current experiment aimed at assessing the effects of dietary supplementation of guanidino acetic acid (GAA) on growth performance, thigh meat quality and development of small intestine in broilers. A total of 360 1-day-old female broiler chicks were distributed randomly to four groups of 90 birds each, and each group received GAA dosages of 0, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.2 g/kg of feed dry matter. During the whole experiment of 60 days, broilers hadad libitumaccess to water and feed and the feed intake was recorded daily. All broilers were weighed before and after the experiment, and 30 broilers of each group were selected randomly to slaughter at the end. Increasing dietary supplementation of GAA increased final live weight and daily body weight gain, gain-to-feed ratio, thigh muscle pH value and fibre diameter of broilers, but decreased daily feed intake, drip loss, cooking loss, shear force value, hardness, gumminess and chewiness of thigh meat. In addition, increasing supplementation of GAA quadratically increased duodenal, jejunal and ileal villus height and width and ratio of villus height to crypt depth, but decreased crypt depth. The results indicated that GAA as a feed additive may support better development of small intestine, thereby resulting in improvement of growth performance and meat quality of broilers.

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Dietary chitosan-Cu chelate affects growth performance and small intestinal morphology and apoptosis in weaned piglets.

Czech Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.17221/85/2015-cjas ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 62 (No. 1) ◽

pp. 15-21

Author(s):

X. Yue ◽

L. Hu ◽

X. Fu ◽

M. Lv ◽

X. Han

Keyword(s):

Epithelial Cell ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Cell Apoptosis ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Weaned Piglets ◽

Villus Height ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

Epithelial Cell Apoptosis ◽

Diarrhea Incidence ◽

Small Intestinal

The effects of dietary chitosan-copper chelate (CS-Cu) on growth performance, diarrhea, intestinal morphology and epithelial cell apoptosis in weaned piglets was investigated. One hundred and sixty Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire weanling barrows with an average body weight of 7.75 kg were randomly assigned to one of the following dietary treatments: (1) control, (2) 100 mg Cu/kg diet from CuSO4, (3) 100 mg Cu/kg diet from CuSO4 mixed with chitosan (CuSO4+CS), (4) 100 mg Cu/kg diet from CS-Cu. The feeding trial lasted for 30 days. The results showed that the pigs receiving a diet containing CS-Cu had higher average daily gain and lower diarrhea incidence than the pigs receiving dietary CuSO4 and CuSO4+CS. Villus height and the ratio of villus height/crypt depth in duodenum, jejunum, and ileum were higher and crypt depth was lower in CS-Cu treated pigs than in pigs fed dietary CuSO4 or CuSO4+CS. An apparent decrease of ileal epithelial cell apoptosis in pigs fed CS-Cu diet was found. The activities of antioxidant enzymes were higher in pigs fed dietary CS-Cu than in those fed other diets. The results indicated that dietary CS-Cu showed better biological and physiological function in improving small intestinal morphology and reducing diarrhea incidence.

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Drinking water supplemented with wood vinegar on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and gut microbial of broiler chickens

Veterinary World ◽

10.14202/vetworld.2021.92-96 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 92-96

Author(s):

Kornkamon Hanchai ◽

Tassanee Trairatapiwan ◽

Rachakris Lertpatarakomol

Keyword(s):

Drinking Water ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Body Weight Gain ◽

Intestinal Morphology ◽

Control Group ◽

Broiler Chicks ◽

Plant Materials ◽

Wood Vinegar ◽

Significant Difference

Background and Aim: Wood vinegar is a product generated from the combustion and distillation of wood and other plant materials. It has been shown to suppress bacteria, resulting in healthier livestock and increased yields. This study aimed to determine the efficacy of drinking water supplemented with wood vinegar on growth performance, intestinal health, and gut microbial of broilers. Materials and Methods: A total of 120 Ross 308 1-day-old male broiler chicks were randomly distributed in a completely randomized experimental design. The study consisted of three treatments containing four replicates, with 10 birds in each. Treatments were given 0.5% and 1.0% (V/V) wood vinegar supplemented in drinking water, while no supplementation was given to the control group. The animals were raised in an open-house system. All groups were provided with a commercial diet and drinking water ad libitum. Analysis of variance was conducted using the general linear model procedure to compare the levels of wood vinegar supplementation in drinking water on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and gut microbial. Results: No significant differences (p>0.05) were found for body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, and water consumption between groups during the starter (1-21 days old), grower (22-35 days old), and whole (1-35 days old) growth periods. Moreover, no significant differences in villi height and crypt depth (p>0.05) at 21 and 35 days of age were found. In addition, no significant difference in terms of lactic acid bacteria and Escherichia coli was found between the different treatments. Conclusion: Drinking water supplemented with wood vinegar was not found to have an effect on the growth performance and gut microbial of broiler chickens in the present study. However, the supplementation of wood vinegar in drinking water could improve intestinal morphology.

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The effects of in ovo feeding of glutamine in broiler breeder eggs on hatchability, development of the gastrointestinal tract, growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens

Archives Animal Breeding ◽

10.5194/aab-59-235-2016 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 59 (2) ◽

pp. 235-242 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Mehdi Salmanzadeh ◽

Yahya Ebrahimnezhad ◽

Habib Aghdam Shahryar ◽

Jamshid Ghiasi Ghaleh-Kandi

Keyword(s):

Gastrointestinal Tract ◽

Growth Performance ◽

Broiler Chickens ◽

Carcass Characteristics ◽

Abdominal Fat ◽

Control Group ◽

Villus Height ◽

In Ovo ◽

Crypt Depth ◽

In Ovo Feeding

Abstract. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of in ovo feeding (IOF) of glutamine on hatchability, development of the gastrointestinal tract, growth performance and carcass characteristics of broiler chickens. Fertilized eggs were subjected to injections with glutamine (Gln) (10, 20, 30, 40 or 50 mg dissolved in 0.5 mL of dionized water) on day 7 of incubation. Hatchability, growth performance, carcass characteristics (carcass weight and relative weights of breast, thigh, heart, liver, gizzard, abdominal fat, intestine, pancreas and spleen) and jejunal morphometry (measurement of villus height and width and crypt depth) were determined during the experiment. The weight of newly hatched chickens was significantly greater in groups with Gln injection than in control and sham groups. But IOF caused lower hatchability than in the control group (non-injected eggs) (p < 0.05). Chickens from IOF of Gln showed better weight gain and feed conversion ratio (0–42 days of age), when compared to chickens hatched from control and sham groups. The IOF of Gln significantly increased villus height, villus width and crypt depth at hatch period and villus height at 42 days of age. In addition, carcass weights and relative weights of breast, thigh and gizzard were also markedly increased in chickens treated in ovo with Gln; whereas heart, liver, abdominal fat, intestine, pancreas and spleen were not significantly altered at the end of the experimental period. These data suggest that the IOF of Gln may improve jejunum development, leading to an increased nutrient assimilation and consequently to greater performance in broiler chickens.

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