جستجوی مقالات مرتبط با کلیدواژه « Cholesterol » در نشریات گروه « علوم دام »

 The increase in the cost of the diet, especially the protein part, has caused the desire of producer and researchers to use by-products. The use of animal waste not only reduces the cost of feed but also reduces the entry of contaminants into the environment. Hydrolyzed feathers, meat meal, bone meal, poultry by-product meal (PBM) and fish oil are some of the by-products used in poultry, dairy cattle and other livestock diet. Also, the use of pelleted feed in broiler chicken is increasing, because it produces less dust, improves digestibility, reduces transportation costs, and improves performance indicators such as feed consumption and decrease feed conversion ratio. Sodium bentonite (SB) is one of the substances that has been used as pellet binder in feed. Several studies have evaluated the effects of the addition of SB and had beneficial results on pelleting physical properties such as pellet durability index (PDI) and pellet hardness. Addition of active SB as a pellet binder in wheat-soybean meal-based diets has increased the relative electrical energy usage (REEU) and decreased the feed conversion ratio. However, studies on the use of different levels of PBM and SB as a pellet binder in broiler chicken diets are very limited, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of pellet binder levels of SB in diets containing different amounts of PBM on performance, carcass traits and blood metabolites of Ross 308 broiler chickens in finisher period.

Treatments were assigned in a completely randomized design based on a factorial arrangement of 3 levels of SB conditioning time (0, 1.5 and 3%) × 3 levels of PBM (0, 5 and 10%). Experimental diets were balanced based on Ross 308 recommendations for finisher period (24-42 d) by using UFFDA software. In the present experiment PBM and pellet binder of SB samples were prepared from MegaFaravar Co., Iran. Ingredients of diets were ground through a 2-mm screen size in a hammer mill. All diets mixed in a double-shaft mixer and transferred to super conditioner with 82◦C for 10s, and then pelleted through a 3-mm die. After pelleting of feed produced, 3 replications of each treatment with 3-minute intervals were sampled from the cooler part of the pellet machine. The PDI, hardness test and REEU related to experimental diets was measured. Also, a total of 360 24-day-old male chicks were individually weighted and allocated to 9 treatments of 4 replicates (10 birds in each replication). Feed intake (FI), average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded. On 42 day, 2 birds per pen were randomly euthanized by cervical dislocation. Carcass characteristics and relative weight of small intestinal segments were measured. Total protein, glucose, albumin, lipoproteins (HDL, LDL) were determined by using autoanalyzer device and commercial kits.

Addition of 1.5% SB improved and the use of PBM due to its high fat content reduced the quality characteristics of the pellet that due to their strong colloidal properties and giving rise to a thixotropic gelatinous substance. Likewise, different levels of SB as a pellet binder and PBM did not change the ADG and FCR (P <0.05). However, the use of different levels of PBM with and without SB reduced FI (P<0.05). Also, the relative weight of carcass, breast and thigh was not affected by experimental treatments (P <0.05). Abdominal fat increased significantly in the groups receiving PBM (P <0.05). Amino acid imbalances in PBM probably increase deamination and conversion of amino acids to fat. Significant reduction in duodenum and ileum length was observed in the group containing 3% SB and 10% PBM (P <0.05). Also, the level of 10% PBM with and without SB increased the concentration of blood lipids. Blood lipids concentration have a positive correlation with weight and feed as an environmental factor affects its amount.

In general, the results of this experiment showed that application of PBM as a source of protein with adequate nutritional value up to 5% without negative effects on performance for use in pelleted diet of broilers at high levels when soybean meal is expensive and or not available, it is possible and useable. Also, commercial sodium bentonite can be used as a pellet binder to increase the quality of pellets up to 1.5%. The need for further studies on the simultaneous use of sodium bentonite as a pellet binder and PBM are recommended to ensure the results obtained in other broiler chicken breeding periods.

The use of agricultural and food industry by-products in animal feed leads to a reduction in breeding costs. In addition application of agricultural waste in poultry feed also reduces the environmentally harmful effects. One of these by-products is pistachio green peel, which is produced in food industries. Common pistachio (common pistachio in the market) with the scientific name Pistacia vera is a plant of the genus Anacardiaceae. Iran is the world's largest pistachio producer with 58% of the world's pistachio production. Research has shown that about four hundred thousand tons of pistachio by-products are produced annually in Iran and large volumes in the harvest season and high humidity of these products cause environmental pollution and pistachio orchards. Pistachio green peel has a parenchymal and fibrous structure and contains water, sugars, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, color compounds and terpenes. Green pistachio skin contains 4425.45 Kcal/kg of gross energy, 32.64% of dry matter, 11.24% of crude protein, 15.38% of crude fiber, 13.13% of ash, 5.79% of ether extract, 1.08 of calcium, 0.11% of phosphorus, 0.31% of magnesium, 4.44% of potassium. The concentrations of iron, manganese, copper and zinc in pistachio green peel are 660.68, 23.6, 16.23 and 5.27 mg/kg, respectively. There are significant amounts of alpha-pinene, alpha-terpinolene, flavonoids and phenolic compounds. Food sources rich in phenolic compounds have a set of physiological properties including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-mutagenicity, lipoprotein oxidation inhibitor and have platelet aggregation, anti-inflammatory activity  and strengthen the immune response. The use of pistachio green peel extract improved the growth performance of broiler chickens, blood lipids and abdominal fat. The use of pistachio green skin extract in the diet of broiler infected with Staphylococcus aureus improved growth performance, increased antibody titer against sheep erythrocytes, decreased blood lipids and microbial population of the gastrointestinal tract of broilers. Therefore, the aim of this research was to investigate the effect of Green Pistacia of kallequchi and it’s processed with urea on growth performance, blood indices, immune response and jejunum morphology of broiler chickens.

A total of 280 male broilers were randomly distributed in 28 experimental units including 7 treatments, 4 replicates and 10 chicks each. The experimental diets consisted of the levels of 0, 1.5, 3, and 5% of the raw and processed green hull of kallequchi pistachio. The broilers were fed with three dietary programs including starter (1-10 days), grower (11-24 days), and finisher (25-42 days). At the end of each period, the body weight gain and feed consumption were recorded and the feed conversion ratio was calculated. Two birds of each replicate were slaughtered and their blood was gathered to analyze the biochemical blood indices at 42 days of age. The data were analyzed with SAS software and the mean was compared with the Tukey test at 0.05.

The addition of green hull of pistachio and its processed to diets cause a decrease in the feed conversion ratio during the starter and the whole period of the experiment (P≤0.05). In the starter period, adding 3% of the green hull of the pistachio increased the body weight gain compared to the control (P <0.05). The pistachio green hull increased total antibody and immunoglobulin G antibody titer against sheep red blood cells compared to control (P≤0.05). Experimental diets decreased serum cholesterol and LDL concentrations compare to control (P≤0.05). The green hull of kallequchi pistachio and its processed increased the villus height and decreased villus width and the ratio of height to crypt depth compared to the control (P≤0.05). Different levels of kallequchi pistachio green hull and its processed increased relative weight of the breast, heart, burs fabricius and decreased abdominal fat compared to control (P≤0.05). The same findings were reported by researchers that pistachio green hull extract decreased blood lipids and increased the immune response of broiler chickens (Yousefi et al., 2018; Hosseini Vashan et al., 2020).

It is concluded that adding green hull of kallequchi pistachio up to 5% into broiler diets may improve growth performance, however, the addition of 3% could reduce cholesterol, FCR and improve the immune response of broiler chickens.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of emulsifier in diet with with energy reduction on performance, carcass characteristics and some of blood traits of broilers. A total of 540 one-day-old chicks of Ross 308 strain in a 3×3 factorial arrangement with three levels of emulsifier (0, 250 and 500 mg / kg) and three levels of dietary energy (requirement, and 45 and 90 kcal/Kg, 60 and 105 kcal/kg and 75 and 120 kcal/kg less than requirement for the starter, grower and finisher diets, respectively) in a completely randomized design with 9 treatments, 4 replications and 15 birds per replication were used. In total rearing period, feed intake increased by decreasing the dietary energy (P<0.05). Birds fed diets supplemented by emulsifier had higher weight gain and lower feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). The relative weights of the liver, ceca, and abdominal fat were not affected by different levels of dietary energy. The emulsifier × diet interaction had no significant effect on cholesterol, High-density lipoprotein (HDL), Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), cholesterol: HDL, Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and alkaline Phosphatase. Adding emulsifier to normal diets or diets with more energy deficiency increased blood triglyceride concentration (P<0.05). Supplementing diets with mild energy deficiency by emulsifier increased serum Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (P<0.05). According to the results, the use of 250 gr/t emulsifier in low energy diets improved the performance of broiler chickens.

This study was done to investigate the effect of pomegranate peel extract on growth performance, blood biochemical indices, intestinal morphology and meat quality of broiler fed diet-contained soybean oil. 120 male broilers were used in the form of a completely randomized design with 3 treatments, 4 repetitions and 10 chicks. Experimental diets were three levels of zero, 300 and 600 mg/kg of pomegranate peel extract (PPE). Pomegranate peel extract had no effect on performance traits including feed intake, body weight and feed conversion ratio at starter and finisher phases, but in the grower period, the levels of 300 and 600 PPE reduced feed intake (from 928 to 777 g) and feed conversion ratio (from 1.77 to 1.31; P <0.05) compare to control. The breast percentage increased from 19.78 in control to 21.95 at the level of 600 PPE and the percentage of abdominal fat decreased from 1.93 in control to 1.27 at the level of 600 PPE (P <0.05). The PPE at levels of 600 reduced concentration of cholesterol (183.68 to 137.15 mg/dl) and LDL (95.63 to 32.93 mg/dl) and the enzyme activity of aspartate dehydrogenase (263.8 to 204.28) compare to control. The villus height (from 1026.88 to 1155.12) and the villus height to crypt depth ratio (5.04 to 5.6) were higher at the 600 PPE compared to the control. The concentration of Malondialdehyde in meat decreased at 15 and 30 days after slaughter with an increase in PPE compared to control.

 One of the most important challenges in poultry industry is supplying of feedstuff. The international prices of this feedstuff have increased the costs of poultry production, and therefore, reduced marketing margins. Additionally, due to the high amount of wastes from the agricultural sector and food industry, proper management of these resources and identifying the nutritional value, makes it possible to produce cheap and suitable ingredients for poultry which are not competitive with human food. Grapes (Vitis vinifera L.) are one of the largest fruit crop in Iran with annual production of 2.5 million metric tons. Grape pomace (GP) is a by-product of grape processing for ethanol, fruit juice and vinegar production and including stems, skins, seeds and peels and these residues are about 20-25% of the weight of the original grape. Considerable production of this by-product encourages animal nutritionists to study its nutritive value. It has shown that GP has about 8-13 % crude protein (CP), 6.2-8.4 % ether extract (EE) and 22.3-36.8 % crude fiber (CF) and 2642.19 kcal/kg apparent metabolizable energy (AME). Grape skins and seeds are rich sources of flavonoids. Studies have shown flavonoids have the capacity to act as powerful antioxidants by scavenging free radicals and terminating oxidative reactions. Also, phenolic component of grapes have shown inhibitory effect on bacteria. It was reported that inclusion of up to 10% GP in diets did not adversely affect broiler chickens’ performance and improved their antioxidant and immune responses.

Two independent experiments were conducted to determine the nutritional value and metabolizable energy of GP and study its effect on performance of broiler chicken. In the first experiment, AOAC method (3) was used for determination of proximate analysis of GP. Forced feeding method was used for determination of GP metabolizable energy. In the second experiment, a total of 450, one day old broiler chicks (Ross -308 strain) were used in a completely randomized design with six treatments, five replicates and 15 birds per replicate. Experimental treatments were the levels of 0 (control, basal diet, based on corn and soybean meal), 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 % of GP included to basal diet. The diets were in mash form and formulated according to Ross -308 strain recommendations. Feed and water were provided ad libitum during the experiment. All broilers fed same diet in stater period (1-10 d of age) and turned to experimental diets from day 11. Feed intake (FI), body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of birds in each pen was recorded weekly and calculated for grower (11-24 d), finisher 1 (25–39 d), finisher 2 (40-49 d)  and total periods (11-49 d) for each bird. On day 49, one chick per replicate was slaughtered after 5 hours starvation and carcass characteristics were determined. At the end of experiment (49 d), blood samples were collected from one bird per replicate to determine blood biochemical characteristics.

 The results of this experiment showed that the GP contains about 7.13% CP, 4.92 % EE, 26.85 % CF and 5.86 % ash. Its gross energy and different terms of metabolizable energy such as AME, AMEn, TME and TMEn were 3371.75, 2223.58, 2221.04, 1527.63 and 1526.13 kcal/kg DM respectively. In biological part of experiment, and in total period, broiler BWG was decreased and FCR was increased when higher levels of GP (12 and 15%) were added to their diets in comparison with control. It was reported that GP contains high level of fiber and polymeric polyphenols as procyanidins could be bound and precipitated both dietary and endogenous proteins, and negatively affected poultry performance. Also, it was reported that GP tannins have adverse effects on nutrient utilization, and are toxic at high intake levels, due to their ability to bind proteins, minerals and carbohydrates. Relative weight of abdominal fat was decreased when high level of (15 %) GP used in broiler diet (P<0.05). The reduction in relative weight of thighs and abdominal fat, is probably due to reduced digestion and absorption of nutrients. It was indicated that polyphenols (specially condensed tannin) are able to inhibit a range of enzymes including α-amylase, α-glucosidase, lipase and trypsin activity, therefore the digestion of charbohydrate, lipid and protein were adversely affected. Blood serum concentration of triglyceride, cholesterol and HDL were decreased and LDL concentration was increased when GP levels were increased in broiler diets (P<0.05). The mechanism by which dietary GP supplements affect the concentrations of plasma lipids is not fully understood. However, it was showed that herbs and herbal products induce hypocholesterolemic effects by reducing the activity of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase, the rate limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis.

In conclusion, the results of the present experiment shows that the crude fiber content of grape pomace is high and its crude protein content is low. Due to the high level of fiber content of grape pomace, its metabolizable energy is relatively low (1527.63 kcal/kg DM). Inclusion of up to 9% grape pomace in broiler diets had no negative effect on feed conversion ratio. Although, broiler performance, was depressed by dietary inclusion in higher levels.

Nutrition and feedstuffs are the main part of the costs in the breeding of roiler chicekn. Introduce of new feedstuffs and agricultural wastes as part of the diet can be an effective step in reducing production costs. The use of dried surplus mulberry due to its valuable nutrients can be effective in poultry nutrition.The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effects of using different levels of dried surplus mulberry and multi-enzyme supplementation on growth performance, carcass characteristics, blood indices, immune response and intestinal morphology in broiler chickens.

Three hundred twenty 1-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were used in a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement. The experimental treatments included 4 levels of mulberry (0, 2.5, 5, 7.5- %) and 2 levels of multi-enzyme (0 and 0.1%). Eight dietary treatments had 4 replicates and 10 birds in each replicate. At 42 days of age, 2 chickens were slaughtered from each replicate and blood samples and carcass coonents were taken. In order to evaluate the intestinal morphology, a 1 cm piece of chickens's jejunum was collected and fixed in formalin.

Resutls: 

The results were revealed that interaction effects in diet contained 7.5% of dried surplus mulberry compared to 2.5% of mulberry increased the amount of feed intake at the starter period (0-10 days; p<0.05). The carcass efficiency was higher in birds fed 2.5% of mulberry compared to other treatments. The treatment with 5 and 7.5% dried surplus mulberry with enzyme decreased abdominal fat percentage and increased the percentage of burs of fabricus, spleen and anti-SRBC titer compared to control group (p<0.05). The carcass efficiency and abdominal fat percentages were affected by the enzyme supplementation (p<0.05). The treatments of 5 and 7.5% dried surplus mulberry with enzyme, increased the villus height and absorption area of intestine in comparison to control group (p<0.05). The interaction effects of dried surplus mulberry and multi-enzyme were significantly decreased cholesterol, LDL and increased HDL concentration in comparison to control group (p<0.05).

It is concluded that using dried mulberry surplus with enzyme may decrease blood lipid and improve immune response and intestine morphology without effect on growth performance of broiler chickens.

In this study, chemical compositions of black seed meals samples were determined. 18 male weaning Zandi lambs with an average body weight of 23.5 ±1.5 kg were used in a completely randomized design in three groups of six in individual pens. Experimental treatments were: 1) control (basal diet with 12% soybean meal and without black seed meal), 2) diet containing 6% soybean meal and 9% black seed meal and 3) diet containing 18% black seed meal and without soybean meal. The concentration of dry matter, crude protein, crude fat, NDF, ADF, ADIN, and crude ash of black seed meal samples were 97.53±0.58, 31.26±0.99, 15.16 ± 0.61, 25.95 ± 1.34, 14.2±0.80, 0.69±0.04 and 5.07 ± 0.24, respectively. Replacement of soybean meal with black seed meal in the diet of experimental lambs had no effect on final body weight, daily weight gain, feed conversion ratio, dry matter intake, dressing percentage, tail and total body fat deposition. Albumin and total protein were higher for lambs fed by diet containing 18 % black seed meal compared to other treatments (P <0.05). However, the concentration of blood triglyceride, cholesterol and urea nitrogen were not differed between experimental groups. The digestibility of dry matter, organic matter, crude fat and protein were not affect by feeding of experimental diets. It seems that black seed meal can be used in the diet of fattening lambs up to 18% without adverse effect on performance and nutrients digestibility of growing lambs.

This study was to investigate the effect of Portulaca oleracea L. extract(POE) on performance, carcass characteristics, immune response, blood indices and intestinal morphology in broilers under heat stress. 200 Ross 308 single-day-old chicks were used in a completely randomized design with 5 treatments, 4 replications and 10 chicks. Experimental groups were: negative control (no heat stress), four groups under heat stress (positive control), 250, 500 and 750mg of POE per kg diet. Results showed that using POE increased feed intake and body weight compared to the control (P <0.05). Chicks fed POE had lower feed conversion ratio than positive control group (P<0.05). Addition of POE to broiler diet had no effect on relative weight of carcass components including breast, thigh, spleen, bile, pancreas and abdominal fat. The POE reduced the relative weight of heart and liver compared to the positive control and the relative weight of bursa was higher in the chicks fed the POE (P<0.05). The POE increased total antibody titer against sheep red blood cells. Using the POE in broiler diet had no effect on plasma concentration albumin and protein, but the lowest concentration of cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and highest HDL were observed broilers fed 750 POE. The activity of alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase enzymes decreased during heat stress compared to negative control. POE increased villus height and absorption area compared to control(P<0.05). It is concluded that using POE reduced plasma concentration of cholesterol, LDL, and plasma MDA in broilers under heat stress.

In order to investigate the effects of different levels of iron nano-oxide(INO) on performance, egg quality parameters and the antioxidant status of laying hens, 96 Bovens layer hens at the production peak(28 weeks) were used. The experiment done for 8 weeks in a completely randomized design with 3 treatments, 4 replicates and 8 birds in each replicate. Hens were fed with experimental diets containing 0, 50 and 100 mg iron nanooxide/kg of diet. The performance indices included egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were daily recorded. The qualitative parameters included yolk color index, egg shape, yolk height index, Haugh unit, Eggshell thickness, eggshell strength, Specific gravity and relative weight of albumen, yolk and eggshell were determined at the end of each period(28 days). At the end of experiment, two birds per replicate were bleed and the blood biochemical parameters were studied.The results were revealed that the iron nano-oxide had no effect on performance indices. Total protein and enzyme activity of alanine aminotransferase were not affected by dietary INO.Dietary supplementation of INO decreased the serum concentration of cholesterol, triglyceride, and LDL, and increased serum concentration of HDL, iron, zinc. The antibody titer against Newcastle disease were increased with increasing the levels of dietary INO. The yolk and serum concentration of MDA was increased by the addition of iron nanoparticles. Therefore, the addition of iron oxide supplementation can improve performance indices, some qualitative characteristics of egg and immune response and decrease serum lipid in laying hens.

Effect of different oil sources on growth performance, carcass characteristics and blood metabolites of broilers was studied using 160 male Ross broiler chickens in a completely randomized design with 4 treatments, 4 replicates and 10 birds each. Treatments included: 1) basal diet plus soybean oil, 2) basal diet plus sunflower oil, 3) basal diet plus canola oil and 4) basal diet plus sesame oil. Effect of different oil sources on feed intake was not significant in different periods. In grower, finisher and whole periods, sesame and canola oil fed birds showed better weight gain and feed conversion ratio compared to other oil sources. The food cost was significantly higher for diets including sesame oil compared to others and birds fed sesame oil had lower profit than canola and soybean oil fed birds (P<0.05). The relative weight of carcass, breast and thigh was higher in broiler fed with sesame and canola oil (P<0.05). The blood cholesterol decreased significantly in sesame oil treatment (P<0.05). Considering the lower price and higher profit of canola oil containing diets compared to sesame oil and also better performance of birds fed sesame and canola oil, we would recommend using canola oil in broiler diets.

Present study was designed to investigate the effect of Artichoke (Cynara Scolymus) extract on performance and some blood and anti-oxidantparameters of Sanjabi lambs. Eighteen Sanjabi lambs were randomly allocated to three experimental treatments with six replicates in each individualcage for 75 days. The experimental treatments were: 1) control group including basal diet without Artichoke extract, 2) basal diet plus 5 ml ofartichoke extract, and 3) basal diet plus 10 ml of artichoke extract per kilogram dry matter. The blood samples were collected from jugular vein oflambs before feeding at morning monthly. The concentration of glucose, cholesterol, total protein, urea, albumin, and the activity of glutathioneperoxidase, superoxide dismutase, alkaline phosphatase, alanine aminotransferase enzymes and malondialdehyde were measured. The results of thisexperiment showed that artichoke extract had no significant effect on lambs' performance and growth parameters, but significantly decreased bloodconcentration of cholesterol, triglyceride and malondialdehyde index at the level of 10 ml extract per Kg/DM of diet. The urea and cholesterolconcentrations affected by time and at days 40 of experiment, the amount of this parameters was lower than other times. In general, it can beconcluded that artichoke extract at the level of 10 ml extract had no significant effect on average daily gain and growth performance of lambs butimproved some blood parameters.

Development of poultry production causes increasing demand for feed ingredients and also ways of manipulating poultry diets in order to increase feed conversion ratios for maximum production. In this regard, use of feed additives and growth promoters has been increased. Antibiotic growth promoters have been successfully used at sub therapeutic doses in poultry production to promote growth and protect health of the birds. The use of antibiotics as growth promoters has been prohibited by many countries as they have different side effects on both bird and human health. There has been an increasing trend towards using natural feed additives to improve the performance, increase the dietary protein, energy utilization and to maintain health of birds. Herbs, botanicals, essential oils, oleoresins and algae are alternatives for antibiotics and which have not been found to causes antibiotic-like side effects on consumers. The beneficial effects of herbal plants additives in poultry (broilers, layers, broiler breeders, layer breeders and quail) may arise from their having positive effect on feed intake, digestive secretions, immune stimulation, antibacterial, antibacterial, coccidiostatic, antiviral or anti-inflammatory activity. In plant tissues, pH values are dependent on the presence of poly-carboxylic acids, phosphate salts, fiber and proteins. In this study, we partly replaced quail meal with very low amounts of Melilotus officinalis, Oliveria decumbens vent and Aloe Vera L meal to evaluate the medicinal plants as a Quail meal supplement and to assess the effects of this dietary change on growth performance, Biochemical factors, Qualitative agent and microbial load in Japanese quail meat.

 A total of 280 Japanese Quail hatchlings (one-day-old at test inception) were used in the study. Treatment protocol used four replicates each of eight different tests either of two levels (0.5 or 2% of total food mass) of tested medicinal plant material and one control group that received a diet free of medical plant supplements. Each treatment had four replicates, thus there was a total of 28 groups of 10 birds. The hatchling birds were maintained and adapted for 15 days under lab conditions: 16-h lighting, 8 h darkness, at temperature of 25 °C ± 2. Feed (mash form) and water were provided ad libitum throughout the whole trial. Body weight gain per hen were evaluated at 27 and 42 d. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio were determined and calculated during each phase of whole period. At the end of the experimental period, 4 Quail from each replicate of different groups were randomly selected and sacrificed to calculate the carcass. Serum triglycerides (TG), cholesterol (Cho), High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels were determined. The meat samples were dried for 24h in an oven at 70 ˚C and the meat moisture was calculated. The meat samples were placed after centrifugation for 24h in an oven at 70 ˚C and the meat water holding capacity was calculated. The ash content was determined by charring followed by ashing the samples at 720°C to a white ash. The pH of the meat samples was determined by homogenizing 10 g of meat with 50 mL of distilled water. The homogenates were filtered, and the pH of each sample was measured with a pH meter at room temperature. The samples were analyzed for the total bacterial and coliforms load using plate count agar by PCA and Mac Conkey technique. The subjective evaluations of product quality were carried out by an experienced panel composed of 7 people.

The results showed that the addition of dietary supplements of M. officinalis, O. decumbens vent and A. Vera L at the level of 0.5 or 2% ratio had no significant effect on LW 27d, LW 42d and feed conversion ratio of quail. However, the highest Carcass weight was recorded in group fed with A. Vera L-2% and the least Carcass weight was recorded in group fed with M. officinalis-2%. Qualitative factors, carcass components, microbial community, biochemical factors and meat pH significantly affected by levels of herbal plants powder (p≤0.05). M. officinalis-0.5% reduced cholesterol and triglyceride. We also recorded evidence that O.decumbens-2% Vent powders reduced the total bacterial and coliforms.  It was concluded that addition of 2% of A. vera to the diet can improve performance and addition of 2% of M. officinalis, O. decumbens a to the diet can improve meat shelf life in Japanese quails.

The aim of this study was toinvestigate the effect of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) on the growthperformance, carcass characteristics, blood indices, intestinal morphology andmeat stability of broiler chickens. A total of 120 one-day-old Ross 308chicks were used in this study in a completely randomized design with threetreatments each replicated four times. The experimental treatments included were:0, 300 and 600 mg PPE/kg. Allstarter rations had four percentages of canola oil and grower and finisherdiets had six percentages of canola oil. The results showed that the PPE had nosignificant effect on performance of broiler chicks, including feed intake,body weight and feed conversion ratio. Pomegranate peel extracts (600 mgPPE/kg) increased the relative weight of bursa of fabricus (0.22 vs.0.11%) and decreased abdominal fat (0.92 vs. 1.93%) as compared tocontrol. The 600 PPE diet had lower concentration of serum cholesterol (147.95 vs.155.78 mg/dL), and LDL (44.45 vs. 53.36 mg/dL) than control diet (P<0.05). Compared to control group, thelevel of 600 PPE reduced the activity of lactatedehydrogenase (1111 vs. 2182 μL) and aspartate aminotransferase (210 vs.239 u/L). The stability of the meat during storage (0.85 vs. 0.99 ng/g) increasedin birds fed diets contained PPE as compared with control group. The birdsreceived PPE had higher jejunal villus height (1245 vs. 1027 μm) and thecrypt depth to the villus height (6.74 vs. 5.05) compared to the control.It is concluded that PPE supplementation at the level of 600 mg/kg of diet improvedmeat stability and morphology of jejunum and reduced the blood cholesterol ofbroiler chickens.

Many of blood serum biochemical parameters are associated with resistance to disease, meat quality and performance traits, and can be useful in determining animal health status. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of strain and sex on growth traits and blood serum biochemical parameters of quail. For this purpose, a number of one-day-old chicks from each quail strain (125 Wild, 159 Italian speckled, 58 Scarlet, 56 Tuxedo, 81 English white, 92 A and M Texas and 57 White Button), were used. The chicks were weighed weekly until 42 day of age. At 35 day of age, 10 birds (5 male and 5 female) were slaughtered from each strain, and their blood serum was separated. The evaluation of blood serum biochemical parameters including total protein, albumin, globulin, glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, uric acid, calcium, phosphorus, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) enzymes parameters was conducted using autoanalyzer apparatus. The growth traits and blood serum biochemical parameters data were analyzed and compared with R comuter software among strains and sex levels. The effect of sex on body weight at 42 day of age, body weight gain in sixth weeks, calcium, globulin and AST enzyme was significant and strain had a significant effect on all growth traits, cholesterol, triglyceride and phosphorus (P <0.05). All growth traits and blood serum biochemical parameters (with the exception of uric acid and AST enzyme concentrations) were higher in female quails than those of males.