The present study was conducted to assess the effects of a 4% defatted silkworm (SWM-DEF) meal dietary incorporation into chickens’ diet at different growth stages on growth performances, carcass, and meat quality traits. A total of 90 Ross 308 one-day-old male broiler chickens were randomly allocated into 3 dietary groups of 5 replicated pens/diet (6 chickens/pen). One group was fed a standard soybean-based diet (C); group SWM1 consumed a starter diet (1–10 days of age) including 4% SWM-DEF and then the C diet up to slaughter (11–42 days of age); group SWM2 was fed with the C diet in the starter phase and the 4% SWM-DEF diet up to slaughter. Individual live weight and pen feed intake were determined at the end of each feeding phase: starter, grower, and finisher. Weight gain and FCR were then calculated. At 42 days of age, chickens were slaughtered and carcass traits determined. Leg and breast physico-chemical meat quality was also evaluated. Results confirmed that SWM-DEF could be a possible alternative feed source for chickens since growth performance, carcass, and meat physical traits were overall comparable in the three treatment groups. The feeding stage seemed to play a relevant impact on the sole meat protein content (SWM1 < SMW2 and C; p < 0.001). Concluding, the results available to date indicate that 4% SWM-DEF can be provided to chickens in different growth phases, and the choice of the inclusion period is more an industrial cost-benefit evaluation. From the scientific point of view, however, an administration in the grower-finisher phase rather than in the starter one provided the best meat nutritional quality. Further investigations should focus on the impact on meat fatty acids profile and sensory traits, which are of utmost importance for consumers.

Objective: Effects of linseed oil (LO) supplementation on the fat content and fatty acid profile of breast meat, and the expression of three genes in the liver, breast muscle and fat tissues of commercial 154-day-old hybrid male turkeys were investigated.Methods: The animals in the control group were fed a commercially available feed and received no LO supplementation (n = 70), whereas animals in the LO group (n = 70) were fed the same basic diet supplemented with LO (day 15 to 21, 0.5%; day 22 to 112, 1%). The effect of dietary LO supplementation on fatty acid composition of breast muscle was examined by gas chromatography, and the expression of fatty acid desaturase 2 (FADS2), peroxisome proliferator activated receptor gamma (PPARγ), and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) genes was analysed by means of quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.Results: The LO supplementation affected the fatty acid composition of breast muscle. Hepatic FADS2 levels were considerably lower (p<0.001), while adipose tissue expression was higher (p<0.05) in the control compared to the LO group. The PPARγ expression was lower (p<0.05), whereas IGF1 was higher (p0.05) differences in FADS2, PPARγ, and IGF1 gene expressions of breast muscle; however, omega-6/omega-3 ratio of breast muscle substantially decreased (p<0.001) in the LO group compared to control.Conclusion: Fatty acid composition of breast meat was positively influenced by LO supplementation without deterioration of fattening parameters. Remarkably, increased FADS2 expression in the liver of LO supplemented animals was associated with a significantly decreased omega-6/omega-3 ratio, providing a potentially healthier meat product for human consumption. Increased PPARγ expression in fat tissue of the LO group was not associated with fat content of muscle, whereas a decreased IGF1 expression in fat tissue was associated with a trend of decreasing fat content in muscle of the experimental LO group.

The continuous rise in feed costs and the increasing competition for feed resources have made the search for innovative feeding strategies in ruminant production increasingly urgent. This paper reviews the effects of fermented feeds—including fermented total mixed rations (FTMR) and fermented concentrate ingredients such as soybean meal, corn gluten meal, yellow wine lees, and rapeseed by-products—on rumen fermentation, milk yield, and milk composition. Fermented feeds have received growing attention in recent years, as they have been shown to improve nutrient digestibility, enhance the activity of beneficial ruminal microorganisms, and positively influence fermentation processes. Evidence suggests that their inclusion not only improves milk yield and composition but also enhances feed efficiency and overall animal health indicators. Furthermore, some studies report increased profitability, although available data on cost-effectiveness remain limited. Overall, the use of fermented feeds represents a promising approach to addressing the challenges of modern livestock production and may contribute to the development of more economical and sustainable ruminant husbandry.

Az aromák olyan illékony vegyületek, amelyeket az emberi szaglás érzékel, és különböző minőségi értékekkel jellemezhetők. Az aromák sokféle vegyületből állnak, és ezeknek a vegyületeknek a kombinációja határozza meg az aroma egyedi tulajdonságait. A szaglás biológiai folyamat, mely során az orr receptorai érzékelik az illékony anyagokat, majd az agy feldolgozza ezeket az információkat. Bár a szaglásnak vannak sajátos korlátai, mint például a szubjektivitás és a reprodukálhatóság nehézségei, az elektronikus-orr rendszerek fejlesztése fontos az aromák elemzésében és az illatok azonosításában. Az elektronikus-orr különböző típusai különböző érzékelő anyagok reakcióján alapulnak a kémiai gőzökkel. A legelterjedtebb típusok közé tartoznak a fém-oxid félvezető (MOS) érzékelők, a vezető polimerek (CP) és az akusztikus hullám érzékelők. Az elektronikus orr fejlődésével együtt járó adatelemzési módszereknek kulcsfontosságú szerepük van az illatok és szagok érzékelésében és azok értelmezésében. Az elektronikus orr-ok adatelemzésének fejlődése jelentős előrelépést jelent az illatok és szagok értelmezésében, és hozzájárul széles körű alkalmazásához az iparban és a kutatásokban.

Aggressive behavior is a major welfare and production challenge in cage-free laying hen systems, but the genetic mechanisms behind trait variation are poorly understood. This study investigated the role of a previously identified aggression-associated SORCS2 polymorphism and evaluated the expression of SORCS2, DRD1–4, and NGF in laying hens. A total of 360 hens from three experimental populations were subjected to behavioral observations. The SORCS2 SNP was genotyped by PCR-RFLP, pituitary gene expression was measured by qPCR, and specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) was performed on pooled DNA samples representing the least (LA) and the most (MA) aggressive hens. The previously reported SORCS2 polymorphism was detected in all populations but showed no significant (p >0.05) association with behavioral traits. Among the analyzed genes, SORCS2 expression differed (p < 0.05) between populations and was consistently higher in the MA compared to the LA hens, whereas DRD1–4 and NGF expressions were similar (p > 0.05) among populations and aggression-divergent groups. The exploratory gene-level SNP differentiation analysis placed SORCS2 in the top 1.3% of genes between aggression-divergent groups, indicating a higher relative ranking than in population-based comparisons (top 4.5%). Overall, an exploratory association between SORCS2 and aggressive phenotype was detected in the experimental populations, which supports further investigation of this gene in relation to chicken behavior.