Sustainable feed resources for optimizing broiler performance in tropical countries

Soybean meal and grain corn are feedstuffs that normally used as the main ingredients in poultry feeds as a source of protein and energy in tropical countries. The availability of these feedstuffs for broiler nutrition nowadays is becoming more competitive. Thus, food security, especially in the developing countries, would be susceptible. Currently, efforts are being made to use alternative feedstuffs as a sustainable feed resources to substitute portion of soybean meal and grain corn in poultry diets due to their high price since both of the raw material were imported. In Malaysia, usage of PKC is common in ruminant diets, but limited in the non-ruminant diets especially in poultry diets due to the high fiber content of PKC. Several works have been conducted to increase the nutritional contents of PKC as one of the measures to reduce and/or eliminate the constraints of utilizing PKC in poultry diets. The method used to achieve this target is either through physical, chemical, biological or combination of these treatments. This paper discusses the use of PKC as the sustainable feed resources that can be incorporated in the poultry feeds. Hence, emphasis should be given to improve nutritional values of PKC in order to reduce feeding cost of poultry.

Quality Traits and Nutritional Value of Pork and Poultry Meat from Animals Fed with Seaweeds

Seaweeds have caught the attention of the scientific community in recent years. Their production can mitigate the negative impact of anthropogenic activity and their use in animal nutrition reduces the dependency on conventional crops such as maize and soybean meal. In the context of monogastric animals, novel approaches have made it possible to optimise their use in feed, namely polysaccharide extraction, biomass fermentation, enzymatic processing, and feed supplementation with carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). Their bioactive properties make them putative candidates as feed ingredients that enhance meat quality traits, such as lipid oxidation, shelf-life, and meat colour. Indeed, they are excellent sources of essential amino acids, polyunsaturated fatty acids, minerals, and pigments that can be transferred to the meat of monogastric animals. However, their nutritional composition is highly variable, depending on species, harvesting region, local pollution, and harvesting season, among other factors. In this review, we assess the current use and challenges of using seaweeds in pig and poultry diets, envisaging to improve meat quality and its nutritional value.

Effect of different additives on growth performance and reproductive traits of growing pullets fed diets from two varieties of cassava root meal

Cassava is higher in supply of carbohydrates than maize and can potentially replace maize as a veritable energy source in poultry diets. A five-week experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation of two varieties of cassava root meal (CRM) with various additives on growth performance and reproductive traits of pullets. Two hundred and forty 16-weeks old point of lay birdswere allotted to eight dietary treatments in a 2x4 factorial arrangement of white (TME 419) and yellow (ITA/IBD/1368) CRM supplemented with no additive, amino acids (methionine and lysine), enzyme and amino acids+enzyme (A.A+Enz). Growth measurements were recorded from 17 weeks till the start of lay at 21 weeks old and data on reproductive traits were also recorded in each treatment. Variety effect showed improved (p<0.05) live weight gain at a reduced cost in growing pullets fed with diets containing white cassava than yellow. Supplementing white cassava root meal (WCRM) and yellow cassava root meal (YCRM) with additives did not promote growth of the pullets. Pullets fed with diet containing WCRM supplemented with A.A laid the first egg at an earlier age with lower (p<0.05) body weight.In conclusion, feeding white cassava root meal with no additive to growing pullets improved live weight at a reduced cost, although supplementing white cassava root meal with amino acids resulted in the birds coming to lay earlier. Le manioc est plus riche en glucides que le maïs et peut potentiellement remplacer le maïs en tant que véritable source d'énergie dans l'alimentation des volailles. Une expérience de cinq semaines a été menée pour étudier l'effet de la supplémentation alimentaire de deux variétés de farine de racine de manioc (CRM) avec divers additifs sur les performances de croissance et les caractéristiques de reproduction des poulettes. Deux cent quarante oiseaux de point de ponte âgés de 16 semaines ont été répartis en huit traitements diététiques dans un arrangement factoriel 2x4 de CRM blanc (TME 419) et jaune (ITA/IBD/1368) supplémenté sans additif, d'acides aminés (méthionine et lysine ), enzyme et acides aminés+enzyme (A.A+Enz). Les mesures de croissance ont été enregistrées à partir de 17 semaines jusqu'au début de la ponte à 21 semaines et des données sur les traits de reproduction ont également été enregistrées dans chaque traitement. L'effet de variété a montré une amélioration (p<0,05) du gain de poids vif à un coût réduit chez les poulettes en croissance nourries avec des régimes contenant du manioc blanc plutôt que du jaune. La supplémentation de farine de racine de manioc blanche (WCRM) et de farine de racine de manioc jaune (YCRM) avec des additifs n'a pas favorisé la croissance des poulettes. Les poulettes nourries avec un régime contenant du WCRM supplémenté en AAont pondu le premier œuf à un âge plus précoce avec un poids corporel inférieur (p<0,05). l'ajout d'acides aminés à la farine de racine de manioc blanc a permis aux oiseaux de pondre plus tôt

The possibilities of alternative protein use in animal nutrition

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) predicts there will not be enough food for human and animal nutrition until 2050. Global demand for animal protein for human consumption is increasing, and this consequently increases the price of these ingredients. This will open several challenges to provide enough animal feed. In the European Union, the use of processed animal proteins in pig and poultry diets is prohibited due to the bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) legislation, while globally, the land availability for soy cultivation is limited. The European food market is dependent on huge import of soybean, which is the main source of valuable proteins and one of the main ingredients in feeds. Feed ingredients must not contain antinutritive factors that would adversely affect animal production and must have an acceptable price. Some of the alternative plant sources of protein are fava beans, peas, lentils, hemp, different grain seeds, etc. To find alternative sources of protein of animal origin scientists are increasingly investigating the use of worm, snail or grasshopper meals and also marine organisms, usually algae, shells or starfish. Single cell proteins are a specific kind of protein from different microbial sources, including microalgae, yeast, fungi, and bacteria.

The effect of Spirulina inclusion in broiler feed on meat quality: recent trends in sustainable production

This review covers the current situation of the use of Spirulina in poultry diets and discusses its benefits and challenges with particular emphasis on the effect of Spirulina supplementation on production performances and meat quality. Feed enriched with Spirulina influences broilers’ health by improving their immune response and gut function and increasing PUFA and pigment content in the meat. However, despite numerous studies, the effect of Spirulina on broiler performance remains unclear.

Meat quality of poultry fed with diets supplemented with insects: A review

The development of sustainable feed ingredients for monogastric livestock is now also considering insect products. Although the regulation on the use of insect products differs among countries, resulting in restrictions on use in poultry diets, global research is exploring all the strengths and weaknesses of their inclusion. The scientific literature has extensively studied the relationship between insect-containing diet and effects on ante-mortem factors in fish and poultry, however the relationship between insect-containing diet and meat quality has only recently been considered. This review aims to collect the results of the studies that have related the dietary use of some insect species, such as the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) and the silkworm (Bombyx mori), on the physicochemical and sensory traits of poultry meat. The insect source in poultry diets rarely changed the related physicochemical variables or the sensory profile of the meat, whereas the fatty acid (FA) profile was the variable that was most affected, and inclusion of black soldier fly always resulted in meats with a more saturated FA profile, yellow mealworm in a more monounsaturated FA profile, whereas silkworm produced meat with a more unsaturated FA profile, rich in valuable omega-3 FA.

Utilising yellow mealworm larvae reared on deoxynivalenol-contaminated wheat as a feed ingredient for poultry diets

This study determined if yellow mealworm larvae (YML) grown on deoxynivalenol (DON) contaminated wheat would affect broiler chicken performance. The YML were reared on wheat with low (LDW; 630 μg/kg) or high (HDW; 30,730 μg/kg) DON concentrations. The DON concentrations in the dried insect meals were 0 or 17.5 μg/kg for YML grown on LDW and HDW, respectively. Seventy-five male Ross 708 broilers were randomly placed into 15 cages and reared on one of three diets from day 1-35 (five replications/treatment). On day 14, broiler numbers were reduced to four per cage. The diets consisted of a control containing no YML meal (CD) and two diets containing 5% YML meal produced on either LDW (LMD) or HDW (HMD). Feed intake and body weight (BW) were measured over the duration of the experiment to calculate feed to gain ratio (F:G). On day 35, all birds were slaughtered and dissected to collect weights of the breasts, thighs, drums, wings, abdominal fat pads, and organs. Crude protein retention was higher in birds fed the LMD and HMD treatments compared to CD (P=0.0091). Dry matter retention was higher in the HMD diet compared to the CD and LMD diets (P=0.0046). Feed intake was lower in birds fed HMD compared to CD and LMD (P=0.0031) although final BW was not reduced. In conclusion, dietary inclusion of YML did not affect the growth, meat yield or organ weights of the birds. The YML reared on DON-contaminated wheat (up to 30,730 ug/kg) and included in broiler diets at 5% could be an effective means of converting salvage wheat into a safe and sustainable source of protein.

Effects of Probiotics and Wheat Bran Supplementation of Broiler Diets on the Ammonia Emission from Excreta

Ammonia emission is a concern for the poultry industry from both environmental and animal welfare points of view. The objective of this research was to determine whether probiotics or wheat bran supplementation of broiler diets can modify the N composition of the excreta and the dynamics of ammonia volatilisation emission from the manure. A total of 120-day-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were fed six different diets. The treatments included a corn and soybean meal-based control diet (C) and diets containing wheat bran (WB). Both diets were fed alone and with supplementation of a lactic acid (Lactobacillus farciminis, LAB) and a butyric acid (Clostridium butyricum, BAB) producing bacterial strain. Treatment BAB had a significant effect on the dry matter content of the excreta and both probiotics decreased the amount of excreted uric acid. Treatment WB resulted in a significantly lower NH+4-N concentration of excreta and a tendency toward reduced uric acid content. Treatment LAB reduced the urinary N ratio of excreta. Among dietary treatments, WB resulted in the highest urease producing cell numbers in the excreta, but this difference was not significant. Based on our results, similar to pigs, the soluble fibre fraction of poultry diets can also modify the urinary to faecal N ratio of the excreta.

The Influence of Different Seeding Application Rates and Sowing Time on Maize Hybrids’ Productivity in the Conditions of the Republic of Bashkortostan’s Southern Forest-Steppe Zone

Maize takes the leading place in yield and is one of the most common crops in the world. Selection of the optimal seeding application rate and time is among the central issues in maize cultivation technology and is highly relevant. The research made in 2018–2020 aimed at improving the maize technology block for grain (seeding application rate and sowing time, southern forest-steppe, the Republic of Bashkortostan). For this purpose, a field experiment was launched in a fourfold replication. The experimental design included hybrids: Nur, Mashuk 171, Baikal and Mashuk 220 with a planting density of 60 (control), 70, 80, and 90 thousand pcs/ha. The experiment revealed a high correlation dependence of the yield of green mass and grain on the sowing time (r = 0.876–0.915 and r = 0.951–0.963). In the conditions of the Republic of Bashkortostan’s southern forest-steppe, Baikal and Mashuk 171 hybrids are recommended to be used for animals and poultry diets and the planning of maize cultivation technological schemes at early sowing time (May 10) and a seeding application rate of 80 thousand pcs/ha. The results of the research apply to the formation of agricultural feeding diets.

Effects of Dietary Supplementation of Salvia officinalis L. in Organic Laying Hens on Egg Quality, Yolk Oxidative Stability and Eggshell Microbiological Counts

Aromatic plants of Labiatae family are used in poultry diets because of their antimicrobial and antioxidant activity. The notion is that hens raised in organic systems face several health and environmental challenges. Hence, the objective here was to assess hens’ performances and the quality of their eggs in such systems following a dietary supplementation of Salvia officinalis L. in powder form. The experiments were conducted over two successive years (1 and 2). They lasted 16 weeks each and involved 198 laying hens aged 40 weeks old randomly assigned to three groups: Con (control diet), Sal-0.5%, and Sal-1.0% (diets supplemented with Salvia officinalis L. at 0.5% or 1.0%, respectively). The malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in egg yolks in year 2 were lower in both Sal-0.5% and Sal-1.0% compared to the Con (p < 0.05). The total number of Enterobacteriaceae in eggshells were lower in Sal-1.0% compared to the Con (p < 0.05) in both years. The results suggest that a dietary supplementation of Salvia officinalis L. at 1.0% improves the antioxidant status and reduces the microbial load of eggs produced in organic systems.