The aim of the present study was to assess the effect of adding different turmeric amounts to sorghum-based diets for Japanese quails on animal performance, animal metabolism, yolk colour, egg quality, blood and liver biochemical parameters and sensory attributes of the eggs. The study included 210 egg-laying quails aged 50 days and lasted for 90 days. The study had a completely randomised design with six treatments and five replicates with seven birds per replicate. A control corn-based feed and sorghum-based feeds to which different turmeric levels were added (0%, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5% and 2%) were tested. The results showed that the sorghum-based feeds with added turmeric levels did not affect animal performance, metabolisation of protein and ether extract, internal and external quality of eggs, serum biochemical profile, including calcium, phosphorous, protein and liver transaminase enzymes. Blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels decreased when ≥0.5% percentages of turmeric were added to the feed. Yolk colour of the treatments differed significantly from that of the control, but the yolks were considered well suited for consumption. Turmeric reduced the cholesterol and triglyceride levels in egg-laying quails.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of essential oils from the fruits of Citrus sinensis and Xylopia aromatica, included in broiler feed, on blood parameters, the biometrics of digestive organs, bone analyses, and the biochemical profiles of the viscera, as well as the histomorphometry of the small intestine. In this study, 180 one-day-old male chicks of the Cobb 500 strain were fed a corn and soybean meal over three treatments and six replications, and the experimental design was completely randomized. The data were subjected to an analysis of variance and a Tukey test at a 5% significance level. The effect of the experimental diets on performance, blood parameters, biometrics of the digestive organs, bone analysis, and biochemical profiles of the viscera, as well as the histomorphometry of the small intestine, were evaluated. The compounds identified in the essential oil of X. aromatica were sylvestrene, α-pinene, and β-pinene, while in C. sinensis they were limonene and myrcene. The essential oils of C. sinensis and X. aromatica had no significant effect on performance at 14 days. The effects of the presence of the essential oils of C. sinensis and X. aromatica on the response were beneficial: there were reductions in liver lipids, cholesterol, and triglycerides, and in the depths of the crypts in the jejunum of chickens. So, the essential oils from the fruits of C. sinensis and X. aromatica can be used in broiler chickens to improve the lipid profiles of birds without affecting their performance.

The cellulose present in the cell wall of vegetables prevents the greater release of nutrients to the animal. Therefore, the use of the cellulase enzyme is a viable strategy as it is capable of breaking cellulose bonds, releasing nutrients such as glucose, increasing dietary energy, and thus improving the productive performance of birds. Trichoderma reesei is efficient in the production of cellulase, which is produced via submerged fermentation followed by purification, formulation, and drying. Therefore, an experiment was carried out using 240 male broilers of the Cobb-500^® lineage to verify the effects resulting from the addition of powdered (500 g/t and 1000 g/t) and liquid (500 mL/t) cellulase over a period of 1 to 21 days. A completely randomized experimental design was used, consisting of four treatments with six replications and ten birds per replication that were housed in an experimental cage. It was observed that performance and digestibility results were significantly different with cellulase supplementation. Also, the relative weight of the large intestine in the period between one and seven days increased when cellulase was added at 1000 g/t. In the period of between eight and 14 days of life, the birds that consumed only the basal diet obtained higher levels of liver protein than those that received the treatments with the addition of the enzyme. However, 15 and 21 days, the consumed feed effect did not occur between thus, it is not conclusive whether hepatotoxicity occurs with the addition of cellulase. For the blood parameters, at 21 days, the diets with added cellulase were not significantly different regarding electrolytes. It was concluded that this cellulase produced by Trichoderma reesei can be included in the animals’ diet.

Na coturnicultura a nutrição é o fator que mais onera os custos de produção, deste modo, estudos com a utilização alimentos alternativos ao milho e farelo de soja, tem crescido consideravelmente em todo o Brasil, devido ao grande potencial de produção agroindustrial do pais que gera inúmeros coprodutos ou subprodutos que possuem qualidade nutricional suficiente para serem colocados nas rações sem interferir no desempenho ou na qualidade do produto final, possibilitando reduzir o potencial poluidor destes coprodutos quando descartados de forma inadequada. Neste contexto, objetiva-se com está revisão abordar alguns alimentos alternativos que são utilizados na alimentação de codornas de corte, assim como seus efeitos sobre o desempenho nas diferentes fases de criação destas aves e também seus efeitos sobre a qualidade do produto final. Para a realizar esta revisão foi feita análise de trabalhos científicos que utilizaram alimentos alternativos em rações de codornas de corte, evidenciando os seus efeitos. Podendo concluir que diversos alimentos alternativos como resíduo de acerola, bagaço de licuri, farelo de goiaba, farelo de crambe, resíduo do maracujá, farelo da castanha do caju, casca de soja e o farelo da palma forrageira podem ser utilizados na alimentação de codornas de corte, auxiliando na redução dos custos da dieta sem influência sobre as características zootécnicas.

Glycerin contributes to the animal’s energy metabolism as an important structural component of triglycerides and phospholipids. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of replacing corn with 0, 5, 10, and 15% of glycerin in terms of performance, digestibility, carcass yield, relative weights of gastrointestinal tract (GIT) organs, and nutrient metabolism. Four hundred chickens (40.0 g ± 0.05 g) were distributed in a completely randomized design with four treatments and five replicates. Growth parameters were measured at 7, 14, 21, and 42 days. Digestibility of crude protein and fat, carcass yield, relative weights of GIT organs, and biochemical blood profile were measured. The results were subject to an analysis of variance by Tukey’s HSD test (p > 0.05). The inclusion of 5%, 10%, or 15% of glycerin did not influence performance or affect the crude protein and fat digestibility in broilers (p > 0.05) when compared to that of the basal (0%) diet. Similarly, the supplementation of glycerin levels showed no significant influence (p > 0.05) on the relative GIT organ weights, carcass yield, or nutrient metabolism. Thus, we concluded that glycerin may be included in the broilers’ diets in rations of up to 15%.

This study evaluated the sanitization of fertile eggs using a blend of oregano (Origanum vulgare) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum) essential oils as an alternative to paraformaldehyde. The experiment was conducted at the Animal Biochemistry and Metabolism Laboratory of IF Goiano, Rio Verde Campus, using 344 incubatable eggs from ROSS breeder hens. A completely randomized design with four treatments and 86 eggs per tray was applied: no sanitization (control); conventional paraformaldehyde fumigation; sanitization with essential oil blend by spraying (nebulization); and sanitization with the essential oil blend by immersion. Hatchability performance showed 133 chicks hatched in both essential oil treatments (immersion and nebulization), like paraformaldehyde (134 chicks). There was a statistical difference for (p < 0.05) and chick weight at hatch was lower for eggs sanitized by immersion (38.54 g) compared to the control (44.50 g), paraformaldehyde (44.48 g), and nebulization (43.78 g). Fertility rates were 77.51%, 78.29%, 77.32%, and 73.67% for the control, paraformaldehyde, nebulization, and immersion treatments, respectively. Hatchability reached 80.67% for paraformaldehyde and 79.83% for nebulization. Fungal contamination was lowest with paraformaldehyde (9 occurrences), followed by immersion (12), while the control and nebulization showed similar counts (19). Overall, sanitization of fertile eggs with the cinnamon–oregano essential oil blend applied by nebulization demonstrated performance comparable to paraformaldehyde, indicating its potential as a natural sanitizing alternative.