Egg weight and production responses of laying hens fed rice pollard

Concentrations of rice pollard of 85 and 420 g kg^?1 were included in iso-energetic layer diets without any detrimental effect on production. Immediate improvements in egg weight and egg gradings were observed as a result of feeding rice pollard from point-of-lay; these presumably reflected increased dietary concentrations of linoleic acid. Varying responses to the two dietary rice pollard concentrations indicated strain differences in linoleic acid requirements during the early laying period. Rapid reductions in egg weight and egg gradings occurred when the rice pollard was removed at 48 weeks of age, the effect being most noticeable in birds previously fed the high concentration of rice pollard.     

Fatty acid profile and cholesterol content of egg yolk from chickens fed diets supplemented with purslane (Portulaca oleracea L.)

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of purslane on egg production, egg weight, feed efficiency, yolk fatty acid composition, and egg cholesterol content in laying hens. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sixty 80‐week‐old layers were allocated randomly to receive diets supplemented with 0 (control), 10 g kg^?1 or 20 g kg^?1 dried purslane for 84 days. Egg weights and egg production in the groups were recorded daily, whereas feed intake was measured weekly. RESULTS: Diet supplemented with 20 g kg^?1 purslane significantly decreased body weight of the chickens compared to the control. Inclusion of purslane at the level of 10 g kg^?1 or 20 g kg^?1 into the diet significantly (P < 0.05) improved egg weight compared to the control. Chickens fed the diet including 20 g kg^?1 purslane had a significantly (P < 0.05) higher egg production and improved feed efficiency compared to the control. Cholesterol content of eggs from the hens fed 0, 10 or 20 g kg^?1 did not differ and was 10.45, 9.51 or 9.51 mg g^?1 dried egg yolk, respectively. Inclusion of purslane at the level of 20 g kg^?1 into the diet significantly (P < 0.05) increased ω‐3 fatty acids such as C18:3(ω‐3) and C22:6(ω‐3). The ratio of ω‐6 to ω‐3 also was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the eggs from chickens fed 10 g kg^?1 or 20 g kg^?1 purslane supplemented diets compared to the control. CONCLUSION: This study showed that adding dried purslane to the diet of laying hens significantly increased egg production and egg weights although there was no reduction in the egg cholesterol concentration. This study also showed that inclusion of purslane into diet enriched eggs with ω‐3 fatty acids and decreased the ratio of ω‐6/ω‐3 in the yolk. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of dietary black cumin seed (Nigella sativa L.) on performance,egg traits,egg cholesterol content and egg yolk fatty acid composition in laying hens

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary black cumin seed on performance, egg traits, egg cholesterol content and egg yolk fatty acid composition in laying hens during a 12 week period. For this purpose a total of 160 Lohmann Brown laying hens 36 weeks of age were allocated to four dietary treatments with one control group and three treatment groups. Black cumin seed (Nigella sativa L.) was used at the level of 5, 10 and 15 g kg^?1 in the diets of the first, second and third treatment groups, respectively. RESULTS: Dietary treatments did not significantly affect body weight, feed intake, egg production, egg quality characteristics and blood parameters. Diets containing 10 and 15 g kg^?1 black cumin seed increased egg weight (P < 0.01), improved feed efficiency (P < 0.01) and decreased egg yolk cholesterol, saturated fatty acids (% of total fatty acid methyl esters) and the ratio of saturated to unsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.05) compared to the diet of control group. CONCLUSION: Dietary black cumin seed at the level of 10 and 15 g kg^?1 had beneficial effects on egg weight, feed efficiency, egg cholesterol content and egg yolk fatty acid composition. Therefore it can be used at the level of 10 and 15 g kg^?1 in the diets of laying hens. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of dietary yeast autolysate (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) on performance,egg traits,egg cholesterol content,egg yolk fatty acid composition and humoral immune response of laying hens

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of dietary yeast autolysate on performance, egg traits, egg cholesterol content, egg yolk fatty acid composition, lipid oxidation of egg yolk, some blood parameters and humoral immune response of laying hens during a 16 week period. A total of 225 Hyline Brown laying hens, 22 weeks of age, were allocated equally to one control group and four treatment groups. Yeast autolysate (Saccharomyces cerevisiae, InteWall) was used at levels of 1, 2, 3 and 4 g kg^?1 in the diets of the first, second, third and fourth treatment groups respectively. RESULTS: Dietary treatments did not significantly affect body weight, feed intake and egg traits. Yeast autolysate supplementation increased egg production (P < 0.001) and egg weight (P < 0.001) and improved feed efficiency (P < 0.05). Yeast autolysate at levels of 2, 3 and 4 g kg^?1 decreased egg yolk cholesterol level as mg g^?1 yolk (P < 0.01) and blood serum levels of cholesterol and triglyceride (P < 0.05) and increased antibody titres to sheep red blood cells (P < 0.01). Total saturated fatty acids and the ratio of saturated/unsaturated fatty acids increased (P < 0.01) and total monounsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.001) decreased with yeast autolysate supplementation. CONCLUSION: Dietary yeast autolysate at levels of 2, 3 and 4 g kg^?1 had beneficial effects on performance, egg cholesterol content and humoral immune response. It is concluded that 2 g kg^?1 yeast autolysate will be enough to have beneficial effects in laying hens. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effect of garlic powder on the performance,egg traits and blood parameters of laying hens

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of garlic powder on the performance, egg traits and blood parameters of laying hens. One hundred and sixty‐two SHSY‐type brown layers aged 21 weeks were chosen at random from a large flock. They were allocated to three dietary treatments. Each treatment comprised six replicates of nine layers in groups of three. The diets were supplemented with 0, 5 and 10 g kg^?1 garlic powder. The experimental period lasted 22 weeks. Garlic powder addition did not significantly affect body weight, egg production, feed consumption, feed efficiency, egg shell index, egg breaking strength, egg shell thickness, egg albumen index, egg yolk index, egg Haugh unit, egg yolk weight and serum protein concentration. Egg weight increased (P < 0.01) with garlic powder supplementation. There was a significant (P < 0.01) reduction in egg cholesterol concentration as mg g^?1 yolk when the dietary level of garlic powder was increased from 0 to 10 g kg^?1. Hen serum triglyceride (P < 0.05) and total cholesterol (P < 0.01) concentrations decreased with garlic powder supplementation. This study demonstrated that garlic powder addition increased egg weight and decreased egg yolk cholesterol concentration (mg g^?1 yolk) and serum triglyceride and cholesterol concentrations without adverse effects on performance and egg traits. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Effects of dietary taurine on egg production,egg quality and cholesterol levels in Japanese quail

BACKGROUND: Taurine is a semi‐essential amino acid and has many biological properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of dietary supplementation with taurine on egg production, egg quality, and cholesterol level in serum and egg yolk of quails. A total of 108 quails aged 6 weeks were randomly allocated to three dietary treatments. Each treatment consisted of four replicates of nine quails. The diets were supplemented with 0, 100, and 500 mg kg^?1 of taurine for 8 weeks. RESULTS: Dietary 500 mg kg^?1 taurine significantly affected egg production rate and feed conversion ratio, but had no significant effects on body weight gain, feed consumption, or egg weight. Dietary taurine had no significant effect on egg quality parameters studied. Serum triglyceride concentration was reduced significantly with supplementation of taurine at 100 and 500 mg kg^?1. Egg yolk cholesterol content was reduced significantly, and the contents of serum taurine and egg yolk taurine were increased significantly with taurine supplementation at 500 mg kg^?1. CONCLUSION: Results of the present study indicated that adding 500 mg kg^?1 taurine reduced yolk cholesterol concentration and increased yolk taurine content without adverse effects on performance and egg quality of laying quails. Copyright © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry     

The nutritive value for ruminants of thin stillage and distillers' grains derived from wheat,rye, triticale and barley

A study was conducted to determine nutrient degradabilities of thin stillages and distillers' grains derived from wheat‐, rye‐, triticale‐ and barley‐based ethanol production. In vitro protein degradabilities of wheat, rye, triticale and barley thin stillages were determined using a protease enzyme assay. One ruminally fistulated cow was used to determine ruminal nutrient degradabilities for wheat, rye, triticale and barley distillers' grains. Results of the in vitro study showed that the soluble protein fraction was highest for rye thin stillage and lowest for barley thin stillage. The degradation rate of the slowly degradable protein fraction was higher for wheat and triticale thin stillage than rye thin stillage and was higher for rye than barley thin stillage. Effective degradability of crude protein followed the order rye (659 g kg⁻¹) > triticale (632 g kg⁻¹) > wheat (608 g kg⁻¹) > barley (482 g kg⁻¹) thin stillage. Ruminal degradability of dry matter was highest for rye and lowest for barley distillers' grains. Ruminal degradability of dry matter was also higher for wheat than triticale distillers' grains. Crude protein from barley distillers' grains had a lower ruminal degradability relative to crude protein from wheat and rye distillers' grains. Ruminal degradability of neutral detergent fibre was highest for rye distillers' grains (470 g kg⁻¹), intermediate for wheat and triticale distillers' grains (average 445 g kg⁻¹) and lowest for barley distillers' grains (342 g kg⁻¹). It was concluded that thin stillage and distillers' grains derived from barley had a lower nutritive value for ruminants compared with those derived from wheat, rye and triticale. © 2000 Society of Chemical Industry     

Cumin seed meal as an alternative to wheat bran in commercial laying hen diets

To evaluate the nutritional significance of cumin seed meal (CSM) as a commercial poultry feedstuff on laying hen performance and quality of laid eggs, an experiment was conducted using 144 (48‐week‐old) laying hens receiving diets containing 0, 25 and 50 g CSM kg^?1 with or without polyethylene glycol (PEG 6000) and xylanase enzyme (Grindazym^? GP 15000) for 9 weeks. Body weight on the first and last days of the experiment and daily egg production and egg weight and weekly feed intake during the first, fifth and ninth weeks of the experiment were recorded. Shell weight, shell thickness, Haugh unit and yolk colour were measured during the last week of the experiment. The results showed that inclusion of CSM in laying hen diets had no negative influence on the parameters measured compared with the control diet (P > 0.05), but enhanced egg yolk colour (P < 0.05). PEG increased the daily feed intake of birds receiving CSM diets (P < 0.01) and tended to enhance daily egg production and egg weight, although not significantly. Grindazym decreased shell weight and thickness of laid eggs (P < 0.05) and tended to increase hen body weight, but had no influence on other parameters measured. The results demonstrated that CSM can be substituted for wheat bran in layer diets at 25 or 50 g kg^?1 dietary inclusion level without any adverse effect on hen performance or egg quality, and might enhance egg yolk colour. In view of the low price of CSM, it could be concluded that inclusion of CSM in the diet might be beneficial to the commercial laying hen industry and reduce the overall cost of egg production. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

The Influence of Feeding Yellow-, Green- and Brown-Seeded Peas on Production Performance of Laying Hens

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the feeding value of yellow-, green- and brown-seeded peas as protein and energy supplements in laying hen diets. In experiment 1, all three types of peas were included in laying hen diets at 0, 200, 400 and 600 g kg^-1 replacing wheat and soya bean meal. Layers fed diets containing peas at 200 g kg^-1 produced more (P⩽0·05) eggs, had higher (P⩽0·05) egg mass output and better (P⩽0·01) feed conversion than those fed the wheat soya bean meal control diet. With 400 g peas kg^-1 in diets, egg production, egg mass and feed conversion were similar (P⩾0·05) to the control diet. Total replacement of soya bean meal with peas (600 g peas kg^-1 in diets) reduced (P⩽0·01) egg production, egg mass and feed conversion. A progressive (P⩽0·01) improvement in yolk colour as the level of peas in the diet increased was observed. Shell quality decreased (P⩽0·05) with increasing levels of yellow or brown peas in the diets, however, it seemed not to be affected by green peas. Daily feed intake, egg weight and mortality rates were not affected by dietary treatments. The influence of feeding diets containing yellow or brown peas supplemented with varied levels of methionine on production performance of laying hens was investigated in experiment 2. The dietary treatments consisted of a 400 g kg^-1 yellow or brown pea diet supplemented with three levels of methionine to 100, 115 and 130% of the NRC requirements. Methionine supplementation to either 15 or 30% above NRC requirement for laying hens had no significant (P⩾0·05) effect on all production parameters. It can be concluded that the inclusion of yellow, green or brown peas into laying hen diets up to 400 g kg^-1 does not affect production performance. The NRC recommendation of methionine requirement for laying hens is adequate to support maximum egg production for diets containing moderate quantities of peas. © 1997 SCI.     

Manipulation of the fatty acid composition of pig meat lipids by dietary means

Pigmeat products have been associated with an unhealthy image due to the relative proportions of polyunsaturated and saturated fatty acids. The aim of this experiment was to improve the fatty acid profile of the carcass fat by feeding various dietary sources of fat. Groups of 10 female Large While × Landrace pigs were fed one of four experimental diets. Five in each group were slaughtered at 70 kg live weight and the remaining five at 100 kg live weight. The diets were offered ad libitum and daily intake was recorded. The diets were based on barley, soya bean meal and fishmeal. Diet 1 contained 50 g tallow kg^?1, a relatively saturated fat, and diets 2, 3 and 4 contained 50 g soya oil kg^?1, an unsaturated fat. Diet 3 also contained 7.5 g GLA oil kg^?1, which is rich in gamma linolenic acid, with the aim of increasing the production of arachidonic acid in the body fat. Diet 4 was supplemented with 9.5 g EPAnoil kg^?1, which is rich in eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid. There were no significant differences between dietary treatments in performance (daily liveweight gain or the efficiency of food conversion to liveweight gain) of the pigs slaughtered at 70 kg live weight, but small differences were observed at 100 kg live weight, where pigs on treatments 2, 3 and 4 performed slightly better than those on treatment 1. At both slaughter weights the lipid content of the m semitendinosus was higher than that of the m longissimus dorsi (approximately 24 and 13 g kg^?1, respectively). The pattern of fatty acids in the dietary fat was reflected to varying degrees in the carcass fat. Diet 1 resulted in the highest levels of palmitic, palmitoleic, stearic and oleic acids whereas diets 2, 3 and 4 gave high levels of linoleic and linolenic acids. The extra gamma linolenic acid in diet 3 did not result in a consistently significant increase in the production of arachidonic acid. The supplement of EPAnoil gave significant increases in the levels of eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids in the body lipids. The polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acid ratio of the body lipid was increased with diets 2, 3 and 4 to about 1.0. In spite of high levels of linoleic acid, there were no adverse effects during the processing of the carcasses and the taste panel evaluation did not reveal any treatment differences.     

Effect of rice variety,rice flour concentration and enzyme levels on composite bread quality

A study was conducted to determine the suitability of substituting portions of wheat flours with rice flours for breadmaking. The levels of substitution were 50, 100, 150 and 200 g kg^?1. Two kinds of enzymes, barley malt and fungal amylase, were added to composite flours, and their effects on the volume and quality of the rice-based bread were determined. The results showed that the enzymes, levels of replacement and the varieties of rice had significant effects on weight, specific volume and overall acceptability of the bread samples. However, the enzymes did not have significant effects on the volume, protein and fat contents or on the character and color of the crust in the sensory analysis. Comparisons were made of the nutritional and sensory qualities of the bread made entirely from wheat flour, and the sample which performed best, the bread with 50 g kg^?1 of flour from low amylose variety (183.3 g kg^?1) with barley malt, showed non-significant differences. The overall acceptability of the products showed that it is acceptable to substitute wheat flour with flours generated from rice up to the 150 g kg^?1 replacement level only.     

Chemical characterisation of Tylosema fassoglensis (Kotschy) Torre & Hillc oilseed

Tylosema fassoglensis seeds contain high levels of lipids (240–300 g kg^?1) and proteins (446 g kg^?1 dry weight). Major fatty acids contained in the oil are linoleic (36–42% of the total fatty acids) oleic (32–35%) and palmitic (11.5–15.7%) acids. The proteins are characteristic with their high levels of lysine, proline and tyrosine. Due to their very low content, both methionine and cystine appear to be the limiting amino acids. Tylosema fassoglensis defatted meal contains substantial amounts of trypsin inhibitors and phytates 295 TUI mg^?1 and 35 g kg^?1 dry weight, respectively.     

Chemical composition of two muscles of the common duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia)

Ten mature male common duikers (Sylvicapra grimmia) were cropped and their M longissimus dorsi (LD) and M biceps femoris (BF) dissected in order to determine the chemical composition of the meat of this species. There was no significant difference in proximate chemical composition between the LD and the BF. The duiker muscle had a moisture content of 713.1 g kg^?1, a high protein content (257.7 g kg^?1) and a low fat content (20.6 g kg^?1). Potassium and phosphorus were the minerals and lysine and leucine the amino acids present in highest concentrations in the meat. The LD contained higher levels of sodium and zinc than the BF but lower levels of alanine, leucine and lysine. Stearic acid, palmitoleic acid, oleic acid and linoleic acid constituted the greatest proportion of fatty acids in the meat. The common duiker's meat also had a high polyunsaturated fatty acid content (414.2 g kg^?1 total fatty acids), allowing it to be considered a healthy food commodity. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry     

Analyses of tomato peel and seed byproducts and their use as a source of carotenoids

Commercial tomato canning yields two different byproducts. One is the material that results from peeling tomatoes, while the other results from removing the seeds. The peel byproduct contained 100.8 g protein, 256.4 g ash and 299.4 g acid detergent fiber kg^?1. Ash content was high because the peel byproduct contained 83.8 g kg^?1 sodium as a result of using a sodium hydroxide solution to peel the tomatoes. The seed byproduct contained 202.3 g protein, 51.8 g ash, and 537.9 g acid detergent fiber kg^?1. An amino acid analysis of seeds indicated that approximately 60% of the protein results from amino acids. Both byproducts were analyzed for carotenoid content. The lycopene content of peel byproduct was 734 µg g^?1 of dry material. Significant amounts of lutein, β‐carotene, and cis‐β‐carotene were also present. Seed byproduct contained 130 µg lycopene kg^?1 of dry matter. The content of other carotenoids was approximately half of that present in the peels. Peel and seed byproducts were included at 75 g kg^?1 in hen diets to determine the transfer of carotenoids to the yolk. When fed at this concentration, the lycopene content of dry egg yolk was approximately 0.9 µg g^?1. Approximately 0.1% of the lycopene in peel byproduct and approximately 0.7% of the lycopene in the seed byproduct was transferred from the feed to the yolk. Lycopene appears more similar to carotene than to oxycarotenoids in its transfer to the yolk. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

Residues of sulfadiazine and doxycycline in egg matrices due to cross-contamination in the feed of laying hens and the possible correlation with physicochemical,pharmacokinetic and physiological parameters

In the poultry industry, the widespread use of veterinary drugs such as antimicrobial compounds may lead to the presence of residues in whole eggs, egg white and egg yolk. During this study, laying hens received experimental feed containing sulfadiazine or doxycycline at cross-contamination levels of 2.5%, 5% and 10% of the therapeutic concentration. Since the therapeutic dose is 250?mg?kg^?1 for both substances, cross-contamination concentrations in the feed of 6.25, 12.5 and 25?mg?kg^?1 were expected. Whole egg, egg white and egg yolk samples were collected during the treatment and depletion period and were analysed via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. For both drugs, a plateau phase was reached within 3–5 days and residue concentrations were detected in all egg matrices. For the 10% cross-contamination group, residual sulfadiazine concentrations of 208, 299 and 60?µg?kg^?1 and residual doxycycline concentrations of 455, 332, 206?µg?kg^?1 were detected in whole egg, egg white and egg yolk on day 13 of the treatment period, respectively. Both sulfadiazine and doxycycline had higher concentrations in egg white than in egg yolk, but the egg white–egg yolk ratio was higher for sulfadiazine than for doxycycline. As neither drug is allowed in Belgium for use in laying hens, residues may pose food safety concerns.     

Protein nutrition of dairy cows receiving grass silage diets. Effects on silage intake and milk production of postruminal supplements of casein or soya-protein isolate and the effects of intravenous infusions of a mixture of methionine,phenylalanine and tryptophan

Milk production responses to protein supplementation of grass silage diets were investigated in two experiments with dairy cows. In Experiment 1. four cows received a basal diet of grass silage ad libitum plus a barley/soya supplement at 5 kg day^?1. The cows received the following treatments in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with 10-day periods: (1) basal diet, (2) basal diet plus 230 g casein day^?1 infused into the abomasum; (3) basal diet plus 225 g soya protein isolate (SPI) day^?1 into the abomasum; and (4) basal diet plus a dietary addition of 1.2 kg fishmeal-based product (AP) day^?1. All three supplements increased (P < 0.05) the yield of milk and milk protein relative to the basal diet, the values being 16.9. 535:18.8. 610; 19.5, 625; and 18.5 kg day^?1 and 582 g day^?1 for the basal. AP, casein and SPI treatments respectively. Responses to casein were greater (P < 0.05) than to SPI. Changes in the concentrations of amino acids in blood plasma suggested that methionine, tryptophan and phenylalanine were in shortest supply relative to demand, and their potential role as limiting amino acids was investigated in a second experiment. In Experiment 2, four dairy cows were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design with 10-day periods. The four treatments were (1) a diet of grass silage ad libitum plus 5 kg day^?1 of a barley/soya supplement containing 176 g CP kg^?1 DM (LP); (2) LP plus an intravenous infusion of 5.0 g methionine, 9.1 g phenylalanine and 2.2 g tryptophan day^?1; (3) grass silage ad libitum plus 5 kg day^?1 of a barley/soya supplement containing 334 g CP kg^?1 DM (HP); and (4) HP plus the intravenous infusion of methionine, phenylalanine and tryptophan. The HP treatment produced a higher yield (P < 0.05) of milk protein than the LP treatment (722 vs. 667 g day^?1) but the amino acid infusion had no effect with either treatment. The elimination of methionine, phenylalanine and tryptophan (and, in previous experiments, methionine and lysine) as candidates for limiting amino acids on diets of grass silage plus soya-based supplements questions whether the differences in responses to casein and SPI can be explained in terms of their amino acid compositions. The role of factors such as peplides, producing during digestion, some of which may be biologically active, deserves investigation.     

Response of laying Japanese quails to graded levels of essential amino acids profile with reduced dietary protein

The effect on egg production of graded levels of ideal amino acids, combined with reduced protein in the diet, was investigated in 312 laying quails aged 6–18 weeks. The quails were offered six diets, each of which contained one of three levels of amino acids (85, 100 and 115% of essential amino acids (EAAs)) together with 5% or without fishmeal (FM) (3 × 2 factorial design). Each diet was offered to 26 replicated groups of two quails each. Hen‐day and hen‐housed egg production did not differ as a result of EAA level, protein type or their interaction during the overall period of egg production. Egg weight improved linearly (P < 0.01) with increased EAA levels, while egg mass output per bird per day remained similar at the 100 and 115% EAA levels. Quails fed higher (100 and 115%) EAA levels had an improved feed conversion ratio (P < 0.01) compared to birds fed 85% EAA. The gain in body weight during the laying period was higher (P < 0.01) at the 100 or 115% than at 85% EAA levels The ratio of egg mass or egg mass and live weight gain, together, to protein intake improved (P < 0.01) linearly with a decrease in EAA levels in the diets, while better (P < 0.01) energy efficiency (EE, energy intake: egg mass) and net EE (energy intake: egg mass plus gain) was obtained in higher EAA levels (100 or 115%). Protein and energy efficiencies remained similar due to protein type or interaction. Shape index, albumen index, yolk index, yolk colour and relative shell weight did not differ due to EAA levels, protein type or their interaction. Eggs laid from quails fed diets with 100% EAAs without FM and 115% EAAs with or without FM had higher shell thickness than those on 85% EAAs irrespective of protein type. The retention of nitrogen and calcium retention was higher (P < 0.01) at the 115% EAA level. The results indicated a dietary level of 100% EAA (185 g kg^?1 crude protein (CP)) with 12.13 MJ kg^?1 was suitable for laying quails of 6–18 weeks of age. Copyright © 2007 Society of Chemical Industry     

Unexploited Acacia cyanophylla seeds: potential food sources of ω6 fatty acids and antioxidants?

BACKGROUND: In order to investigate new sources of dietary phytochemicals, recent studies have focused on underexploited seeds. In this study the total lipid contents, fatty acid profiles and levels of soluble proteins, minerals and antioxidants in seeds from 12 Acacia cyanophylla ecotypes commonly grown in Tunisia were determined. RESULTS: Total lipids averaged 101.7 g kg^?1 on a dry weight basis. Linoleic (61.11–65.45% of total fatty acid content), oleic (19.67–22.85%) and palmitic (9.18–9.98%) acids were the principal fatty acids. Smaller proportions of stearic (1.49–1.82%), vaccenic (1.13–2.05%) and palmitoleic (0.34–0.58%) acids were also quantified. Proteins (by Kjeldahl assay) averaged 107.2 g kg^?1 on a dry weight basis. Total phenolics averaged 1.91 g gallic acid equivalent kg^?1 dry weight (DW) and total flavonoids averaged 0.40 g rutin equivalent kg^?1 DW. The free radical‐scavenging activity determined by 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl assay averaged 0.59 mmol L^?1 Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), while that determined by 2,2′‐azino‐bis(3‐ethylbenzothiazoline‐6‐sulfonic acid) assay averaged 0.28 mmol L^?1 TEAC. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study confirm the presence of ω6 fatty acids at high levels in A. cyanophylla seeds. These metabolites could be used as such and/or extracted for the formulation of supplements and/or ingredients to provide a ratio close to the ideal for the ω3/ω6 balance. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

The nutritive value of triticale in diets for laying hens

The nutritive value of triticale was assessed over a ten-week period with Warren Studler hens. Test diets contained over 85% cereal plus 12% of a mineral/vitamin mixture with and without supplements of the amino acids, lysine and methionine, or a small inclusion of fishmeal. Egg production on such diets was compared with that on control diets based on oats and fishmeal and on diets containing barley grown adjacent to the triticale. Full egg production was achieved on the triticale diet without amino acid or protein supplementation. Corresponding barley diets supported production which was lower by about 10%. Individual egg weights tended to be lower on the triticale diet unsupplemented with amino acids than on the control or fully supplemented diets. Food conversion efficiency was better on the triticale than on the control or barley diets. Hens on triticale diets without amino acid or protein supplements lost more weight during the experiment than did control birds.     

Inorganic and Total Arsenic Contents in Rice‐Based Foods for Children with Celiac Disease

Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease that affects the villi of the small intestine causing abdominal pain, gas, diarrhea, or bad absorption due to gluten intolerance. The only treatment for this disease consists of a lifelong gluten free diet; this is, celiac people cannot consume products containing gluten, such as wheat, barley, and rye, but they can use rice and corn. Thus, rice flour is mainly used for the manufacturing of the basic products of this population. Unfortunately, rice can contain high contents of total (t‐As) and inorganic (i‐As) arsenic. The current study demonstrated that products for celiac children with a high percentage of rice contained high concentrations of arsenic (256 and 128 μg kg^?1). The daily intake of i‐As ranged from 0.61 to 0.78 μg kg^?1 body weight (bw) in children up to 5 y of age; these values were below the maximum value established by the EFSA Panel (8.0 μg kg^?1 bw per day), but it should be considered typical of populations with a high exposure to this pollutant. Finally, legislation is needed to improve the labeling of these special rice‐based foods for celiac children; label should include information about percentage, geographical origin, and cultivar of the used rice.