Roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) from Malvaceae family is an annual crop with potential for use by many industries including food, animal feed, neutraceutical, cosmeticeutical and pharmaceutical industries. Its origin is not fully known but it is believed to be from West Africa, although the plant is found native from India to Southeast Asia. The calyxes, stems and leaves are acid in flavour. The juice is produced from the calyces, and it is claimed to be a prohealth drink due to its high contents of ascorbic acid, anthocyanins and other antioxidants.
1. The effects of a mixture of 12 Lactobacillus strains (LC) on the growth performance, abdominal fat deposition, serum lipids and weight of organs of broiler chickens were studied from 1 to 42 d of age. 2. One hundred and thirty-six 1-d-old male broiler chicks were assigned at random to two dietary treatments: a basal diet (control), and a basal diet with 0.1% LC. 3. The supplementation of LC in broiler diets improved the body weight gain and feed conversion rate from 1 to 42 d of age and was effective in reducing abdominal fat deposition but only after 28 d of age. 4. The LC diets reduced serum total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and triglycerides in broilers from 21 to 42 d of age. However, there was no significant difference in serum high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol between control and LC-fed broilers. There was also no significant difference in the weights of organs of control and LC-fed broilers. 5. The results indicated that the mixture of 12 Lactobacillus strains have a hypolipidaemic effect on broilers.
Control of nematode parasites of small ruminants in a wet, tropical environment using the nematophagous fungus, Duddingtonia flagrans, was assessed in this study. Two methods of fungal delivery were tested, namely as a daily feed supplement, or incorporated into feed blocks. Initially, pen trials were conducted with individually penned groups of sheep and goats at dose rates of 125,000 spores and 250,000 spores/kg live weight per day. At the lower dose rate this reduction was between 80 and 90% compared with the pre-treatment levels. At the higher dose rate, there was virtually complete suppression (>99% reduction) of larval recovery. Trials using the fungal feed blocks, showed that when animals were individually penned, they consumed only small amounts of the block (particularly goats), hence little effect on larval recovery in faecal cultures was observed. Grouping animals according to species and dose rate induced satisfactory block consumption and subsequent high levels of larval reduction in faecal cultures. These larval reductions were mirrored by the presence of fungus in faecal cultures. This work was followed by a small paddock trial, whereby three groups of sheep were fed either a feed supplement without fungal spores, supplement with spores, or offered fungal blocks. The dose rate of spores in the latter two groups was 500,000 spores/kg live weight per day. Egg counts were significantly reduced in the two fungal groups, compared with the control group and the latter required two salvage anthelmintic treatments to prevent mortality due to haemonchosis. Pasture larval numbers on the two fungal group plots were also much lower than on the control plot.
Two experiments were conducted to study the effects of beta-glucanase produced by transformed Lactobacillus strains on the intestinal characteristics and feed passage rate of broiler chickens fed barley-based diets. Supplementation of transformed Lactobacillus strains to the diet of chickens significantly (P < 0.05) reduced the intestinal fluid viscosity by 21 to 46% compared with chickens fed an unsupplemented diet or a diet supplemented with parental Lactobacillus strains. The relative weights of pancreas, liver, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, ceca, and colon were reduced (P < 0.05) by 6 to 27%, and the relative length of duodenum, jejunum, ileum, and ceca was reduced (P < 0.05) by 8 to 15%. Histological examination of the intestinal tissues showed that the jejunal villus height of chickens fed a diet supplemented with transformed Lactobacillus strains was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of chickens fed other dietary treatments. The transformed Lactobacillus strains were found to reduce (P < 0.05) the time of feed passage rate by 2.2 h. Supplementation of transformed Lactobacillus strains to the diet improved the intestinal characteristics and feed, passage rate of the chickens.
The effects of beta-glucanase expressed by transformed Lactobacillus strains on growth performance, apparent digestibilities of dry matter and crude protein, and apparent metabolisable energy were studied. Two hundred and forty 1-d-old chicks (Avian-43) were randomly divided into three dietary treatment groups and fed with the following diets: (i) basal diet (control) (BD); (ii) basal diet with parental Lactobacillus strains (BDP) and (iii) basal diet with transformed Lactobacillus strains (BDT). At 21 d of age, the body weight, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio of the BDT-fed chickens were significantly improved. At 14 and 21 d of age, the proportions of dry matter in the duodenum, jejunum, ileum, caeca and excreta of chickens given the BDT diet were significantly higher than those of chickens given the BD and BDP diets. Apparent metabolisable energy, digestibilities of crude protein and dry matter were also significantly improved (by 3.5, 5.6 and 3.5%, respectively) by the BDT diet. These results showed that the transformed Lactobacillus strains improved digestibility as well as enhanced the growth performance of chickens.
In the present work, a single-step purification of recombinant nucleocapsid protein (NP) of the Newcastle disease virus (NDV) directly from unclarified feedstock using an expanded bed adsorption chromatography (EBAC) was developed. Streamline 25 column (ID = 25 mm) was used as a contactor and Streamline chelating adsorbent immobilized with Ni2+ ion was used as affinity adsorbent. The dynamic binding capacity of Ni2+ -loaded Streamline chelating adsorbent for the NP protein in unclarified feedstock was found to be 2.94 mg ml(-1) adsorbent at a superficial velocity of 200 cm h(-1). The direct purification of NP protein from unclarified feedstock using expanded bed adsorption has resulted in a 31% adsorption and 9.6% recovery of NP protein. The purity of the NP protein recovered was about 70% and the volume of processing fluid was reduced by a factor of 10. The results of the present study show that the IMA-EBAC developed could be used to combine the clarification, concentration and initial purification steps into a single-step operation.
An online preconcentration technique by dynamic pH junction was studied to improve the detection limit for anionic arsenic compounds by CE. The main target compound is roxarsone, or 3-nitro-4-hydroxyphenylarsonic acid, which is being used as an animal feed additive. The other inorganic and organoarsenic compounds studied are the possible biotransformation products of roxarsone. The arsenic species were separated by a dynamic pH junction in a fused-silica capillary using 15 mM phosphate buffer (pH 10.6) as the BGE and 15 mM acetic acid as the sample matrix. CE with UV detection was monitored at a wavelength of 192 nm. The influence of buffer pH and concentration on dynamic pH junction were investigated. The arsenic species focusing resulted in LOD improvement by a factor of 100-800. The combined use of C18 and anion exchange SPE and dynamic pH junction to CE analysis of chicken litter and soils helps to increase the detection sensitivity. Recoveries of spiked samples ranged between 70 and 72%.
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of feeding fermented fish (FF) to layers on laying performance, and polyunsaturated fatty acid and cholesterol levels in eggs and plasma. A total of 96, 13-week-old Babcock B380 pullets were used in this study. They were randomly assigned to four numerically equal groups with eight replicates per treatment, three birds per replicate. All the birds were housed in individual cages. The dietary treatments were: Control diet, without FF; FF3 diet containing 3% (w/w) FF, FF6 diet containing 6% (w/w) FF and FF9 diet containing 9% (w/w) FF. The study was carried out for 16 weeks inclusive of two weeks of adjustment. Weekly feed intake and egg production were recorded. Blood plasma cholesterol and fatty acid profiles were assayed at the end of the experiment. FF did not enhance (P > 0.05) egg mass but (P < 0.05) decreased egg weight slightly. However, egg yolk cholesterol and plasma cholesterol concentrations were reduced (P < 0.05) by FF. The n-6:n-3 fatty acids ratio in the egg yolk (Control = 7.9, FF9 = 6.2) and plasma (Control = 10.6, FF9 = 6.2) were decreased by feeding FF. Moreover, FF was able to increase (P < 0.05) the docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) concentrations in egg yolk and plasma. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that FF increased DHA and reduced egg yolk cholesterol in poultry eggs.
1. Four combinations of metabolites produced from strains of Lactobacillus plantarum were used to study the performance of broiler chickens. 2. A total of 432 male Ross broilers were raised from one-day-old to 42 d of age in deep litter pens (12 birds/pen). These birds were divided into 6 groups and fed on different diets: (i) standard maize-soybean-based diet (negative control); (ii) standard maize-soybean-based diet + Neomycin and Oxytetracycline (positive control); (iii) standard maize-soybean-based diet + 0.3% metabolite combination of Lactobacillus plantarum RS5, RI11, RG14 and RG11 strains (com3456); (iv) standard maize-soybean-based diet + 0.3% metabolite combination of L. plantarum TL1, RI11 and RG11 (Com246); (v) standard maize-soybean-based diet + 0.3% metabolite combination of L. plantarum TL1, RG14 and RG11 (Com256) and (vi) standard maize-soybean-based diet + 0.3% metabolite combination of L. plantarum TL1, RS5, RG14 and RG11 (Com2356). 3. Higher final body weight, weight gain, average daily gain and lower feed conversion ratio were found in all 4 treated groups. 4. The addition of a metabolite combination supplementation also increased faecal lactic acid bacteria population, small intestine villus height and faecal volatile fatty acids and faecal Enterobacteriaceae population.
Testes from nine male Malin x Santa-Ines rams with an average body weight of 43.1+/-3.53 kg, were used to study the effects of palm kernel cake (PKC) based diet on spermatogenic cells and to assess copper (Cu) levels in liver, testis and plasma in sheep. Animals were divided into three groups and randomly assigned three dietary treatments using restricted randomization of body weight in completely randomized design. The dietary treatments were 60% palm kernel cake plus 40% oil palm frond (PKC), 60% palm kernel cake plus 40% oil palm frond supplemented with 23 mg/kg dry matter of molybdenum as ammonium molybdate [(NH(4))(6)Mo(7)O(24).4H(2)O] and 600 mg/kg dry matter of sulphate as sodium sulphate [Na(2)SO(4)] (PKC-MS) and 60% concentrate of corn-soybean mix+40% oil palm frond (Control), the concentrate was mixed in a ratio of 79% corn, 20% soybean meal and 1% standard mineral mix. The results obtained showed that the number of spermatogonia, spermatocytes, spermatids and Leydig cells were not significantly different among the three treatment groups. However, spermatozoa, Sertoli cells and degenerated cells showed significant changes, which, may be probably due to the Cu content in PKC. Liver and testis Cu levels in the rams under PKC diet was found to be significantly higher (P<0.05) than rams in Control and PKC-MS diets. Plasma Cu levels showed a significant increase (P<0.05) at the end of the experiment as compared to at the beginning of the experiment for PKC and Control. In conclusion, spermatogenesis is normal in rams fed the diet without PKC and PKC supplemented with Mo and S. However spermatogenesis was altered in the PKC based diet probably due to the toxic effects of Cu and the significant changes in organs and plasma. Thus, Mo and S play a major role in reducing the accumulation of Cu in organs.
Feeding of bacterially encapsulated heat shock proteins (Hsps) to invertebrates is a novel way to limit Vibrio infection. As an example, ingestion of Escherichia coli overproducing prokaryotic Hsps significantly improves survival of gnotobiotically cultured Artemia larvae upon challenge with pathogenic Vibrio campbellii. The relationship between Hsp accumulation and enhanced resistance to infection may involve DnaK, the prokaryotic equivalent to Hsp70, a major molecular chaperone in eukaryotic cells. In support of this proposal, heat-stressed bacterial strains LVS 2 (Bacillus sp.), LVS 3 (Aeromonas hydrophila), LVS 8 (Vibrio sp.), GR 8 (Cytophaga sp.), and GR 10 (Roseobacter sp.) were shown in this work to be more effective than nonheated bacteria in protecting gnotobiotic Artemia larvae against V. campbellii challenge. Immunoprobing of Western blots and quantification by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that the amount of DnaK in bacteria and their ability to enhance larval resistance to infection by V. campbellii are correlated. Although the function of DnaK is uncertain, it may improve tolerance to V. campbellii via immune stimulation, a possibility of significance from a fundamental perspective and also because it could be applied in aquaculture, a major method of food production.
Population growth, trophic level, and some aspects of reproductive biology of two congeneric archer fish species, Toxotes chatareus and Toxotes jaculatrix, collected from Johor coastal waters, Malaysia, were studied. Growth pattern by length-weight relationship (W=aL(b)) for the sexes differed, and exhibited positive allometric growth (male, female and combined sexes of T. chatareus; female and combined sexes of T. jaculatrix) and isometric growth (male samples of T. jaculatrix only). Trophic levels of both species were analyzed based on 128 specimens. The results show that, in both species, crustaceans and insects were the most abundant prey items, and among crustaceans the red clawed crab Sesarma bidens and Formicidae family insects were the most represented taxa. The estimated mean trophic levels for T. chatareus and T. jaculatrix were 3.422+/-0.009 and 3.420+/-0.020, respectively, indicating that they are largely carnivores. Fecundity of T. chatareus ranged from 38 354 to 147 185 eggs for females with total length ranging from 14.5 to 22.5 cm and total body weight from 48.7 to 270.2 g, and T. jaculatrix 25 251 to 150 456 eggs for females with total length ranging from 12.2 to 23.0 cm and total body weight from 25.7 to 275.0 g. Differences in values of gonadosomatic and hepatosomatic indexes calculated for both species in this study may have resulted from uneven sample size ranges.
The role of selenium (Se) in human health and diseases has been discussed in detail in several recent reviews, with the main conclusion being that selenium deficiency is recognised as a global problem which urgently needs resolution. Since selenium content in plant-based food depends on its availability from soil, the level of this element in food and feeds varies among regions. In general, eggs and meat are considered to be good sources of selenium in human diet. When considering ways to improve human selenium intake, there are several potential options. These include direct supplementation, soil fertilisation and supplementation of food staples such as flour, and production of functional foods. Analysing recent publications related to functional food production, it is evident that selenium-enriched eggs can be used as an important delivery system of this trace mineral for humans. In particular, developments and commercialisation of organic forms of selenium have initiated a new era in the availability of selenium-enriched products. It has been shown that egg selenium content can easily be manipulated to give increased levels, especially when organic selenium is included in hens' diet at levels that provide 0.3-0.5 mg/kg selenium in the feed. As a result, technology for the production of eggs delivering approximately 50% (30-35 microg) of the human selenium RDA have been developed and successfully tested. Currently companies all over the world market selenium-enriched eggs including the UK, Ireland, Mexico, Columbia, Malaysia, Thailand, Australia, Turkey, Russia and the Ukraine. Prices for enriched eggs vary from country to country, typically being similar to free-range eggs. Selenium-enriched chicken, pork and beef can also be produced when using organic selenium in the diet of poultry and farm animals. The scientific, technological and other advantages and limitations of producing designer/modified eggs as functional foods are discussed in this review.
The ability to detect the presence of transgenes in crop-derived foods depends on the quantity and quality of DNA obtained from a product to be analyzed. The efficiency of DNA extraction protocols differs due to the nature of each food product. In this paper, we described two main DNA extraction protocols and their modifications that have been applied and evaluated for DNA extraction from raw and processed food as well as animal feed. The yield and quality for five categories of food and feed samples namely, raw soybean, raw maize, animal feed, smooth tofu and soymilk are discussed. The statistical interaction analyses showed that the cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB) method was proven to be the best method to extract DNA from raw soybean, maize and animal feed samples which not only obtained high DNA yield of 32.7, 28.4 and 33.4 ng DNA/mg sample respectively, but also produced high quality DNA with the absorbance A260/A280 ratio of 1.9, 1.9 and 2.0, respectively. These DNA were suitable for PCR amplification which produced a 164 bp DNA fragment of the lectin gene from soybean, and a 277 bp DNA fragment of the zein gene from maize. In the processed food category, the Wizard isolation method was found to be the best for the extraction of DNA from smooth tofu and soymilk with the yield of 13.2 and 3.4 ng DNA/mg sample, and the quality of the DNA at the absorbance A260/A280 ratio ranged from 1.9 to 1.7. These DNA were successfully amplified using primers specific to the lectin gene of soybean.
The development of a reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography fluorescence method for the determination of the mycotoxins fumonisin B(1) and fumonisin B(2) by using silica-based monolithic column is described. The samples were first extracted using acetonitrile:water (50:50, v/v) and purified by using a C(18) solid phase extraction-based clean-up column. Then, pre-column derivatization for the analyte using ortho-phthaldialdehyde in the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol was carried out. The developed method involved optimization of mobile phase composition using methanol and phosphate buffer, injection volume, temperature and flow rate. The liquid chromatographic separation was performed using a reversed phase Chromolith(®) RP-18e column (100 mm × 4.6 mm) at 30 °C and eluted with a mobile phase of a mixture of methanol and phosphate buffer pH 3.35 (78:22, v/v) at a flow rate of 1.0 mL min(-1). The fumonisins separation was achieved in about 4 min, compared to approximately 20 min by using a C(18) particle-packed column. The fluorescence excitation and emission were at 335 nm and 440 nm, respectively. The limits of detections were 0.01-0.04 μg g(-1) fumonisin B(1) and fumonisin B(2), respectively. Good recoveries were found for spiked samples (0.1, 0.5, 1.5 μg g(-1) fumonisins B(1) and B(2)), ranging from 84.0 to 106.0% for fumonisin B(1) and from 81.0 to 103.0% for fumonisin B(2). Fifty-three samples were analyzed including 39 food and feeds and 14 inoculated corn and rice. Results show that 12.8% of the food and feed samples were contaminated with fumonisin B(1) (range, 0.01-0.51 μg g(-1)) and fumonisin B(2) (0.05 μg g(-1)). The total fumonisins in these samples however, do not exceed the legal limits established by the European Union of 0.8 μg g(-1). Of the 14 inoculated samples, 57.1% contained fumonisin B(1) (0.16-41.0 μg g(-1)) and fumonisin B(2) (range, 0.22-50.0 μg g(-1)). Positive confirmation of selected samples was carried out using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, using triple quadrupole analyzer and operated in the multiple reaction monitoring mode.
Momordica charantia (MC) or bitter gourd is widely known for its antidiabetic properties. The aim of the present study was to observe the protective effect of MC extract on the kidneys of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Eighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats (n=18) weighing 200+/-50 g were taken for the study. The study comprised of three groups i.e. a non-diabetic, diabetic untreated and diabetic treated with MC extract, with each group comprising of six (n=6) rats. Diabetes was induced in the overnight fasted rats by intramuscular injection of streptozotocin (50 mg/kg body weight). The MC extract (50 mg/kg body weight) was administered via oral gavage. Both the kidneys were collected on the tenth day following treatment. Histological study using Verhoeff's van Gieson (VvG) and Periodic Acid-Schiff (PAS) stains were performed. The kidneys of the diabetic rats showed thickening of the basement membrane of the Bowman's capsule, edema and hypercellurarity of the proximal tubules, necrosis and hyaline deposits. These features were found to be reversed when the MC extract was administered to the experimental animals. The MC extract acted as an antioxidant thereby preventing the oxidative damage involved in the diabetic kidney. The administration of MC extract prevents oxidative damage in diabetic nephropathy.
Phytates have been considered as a threat in human diet due to its antinutrients behaviour which
known as strong chelators of divalent minerals such as Ca2+, Mg2+, Zn2+ and Fe2+. Phytic acid has a potential for binding positively charged proteins, amino acids, and/or multivalent cations or minerals in foods. The resulting complexes are insoluble, difficult for humans to hydrolyze during digestion, and thus, typically are nutritionally less available for absorption. The reduction of this phytates can be achieved through both enzymatic and nonenzymatic removal. Enzymatic degradation includes addition of either isolated form of wild-type or recombinant exogenous phytate-degrading enzymes microorganisms in the food matrix. Non-enzymatic hydrolysis of phytate occurred in the final food during food processing or physical separation of phytate-rich parts of the plants seed. The application of phytase with respect to breadmaking process, probiotics, animal feed supplement and transgenic crops are emphasised in this paper.
With the world facing depletion of its oil reserves, attention is being focused on how the plastics industry will address shortages and price increases in its crucial raw materials. One renewable resource is that of vegetable oils and fats and about a dozen crop plants make up the main vegetable oil-seed market. The main constituents of these oils are saturated and unsaturated fatty acids that are unique to the plant in which they have been developed. Moreover, technological processes can produce more well-defined and pure oils, and the fatty acid contents in the vegetable oils can be altered with modern crop development techniques. This article describes recent advances in utilising such vegetable oils in sourcing new polymeric materials. It also gives the context for the development of polymers based on renewable materials in general.
To explore the effects of the combination of tryptophan (Trp) and arginine (Arg) on growth performance, serum parameters and immune response of broiler chickens challenged with intermediate plus strain of infectious bursal disease virus vaccine, an in vivo experiment was conducted. A corn-soybean meal-based diet containing different levels of Arg and Trp was used. Cobb500 male broiler chickens from 0 to 49 days of age were subjected to a diet supplemented with the combination of Trp and Arg. Growth performance parameters and serum parameters were measured at 27 and 49 days of age. To evaluate the immunomodulatory effects of the combination of Trp and Arg on the challenged chickens, we measured the serum levels of interferon-α, interferon-γ and immunoglobulin G at 27, 35, 42, and 49 days of age. The results showed that the three evaluated immune system parameters including interferon-α, interferon-γ and immunoglobulin G were significantly enhanced after treatment. This enhancement resulted in the recovery of infectious bursal disease virus-infected chickens compared with controls as confirmed by histopathological examinations. Moreover, serum parameters such as albumin and total protein increased, whereas the treatment decreased (P<0.05) the feed:gain ratio, aspartate amino-transferase, alkaline phosphatase, lactic dehydrogenase, triglyceride and cholesterol. These findings suggest that the combination of Arg and Trp has a regulatory effect on growth performance. Moreover, it modulates the systemic immune response against infectious bursal disease.