Control = basal diet with no supplement

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementing laying hen diet with phytogenic additives on laying performance, egg quality, blood constituents and egg lipid peroxidation. Two hundred Lohmann Brown Lite laying hens were randomly allotted to 4 dietary treatments: control (without phytogenic additive), fennel seeds (5 g/kg), black cumin seeds (5 g/kg) and hot red pepper (5 g/kg). Each of the 4 diets was fed to 5 replicates of 10 hens for 8 weeks. No significant differences were observed in body weight or feed intake between the groups. Dietary inclusion of fennel followed by red pepper improved (P < 0.05) egg weight, egg production, egg mass and feed conversion ratio compared with control. Higher yolk shape index, shell and albumen weight percentages and Haugh unit (P < 0.05) were recorded in the fennel supplemented group compared with control. The egg yolk color score increased by the addition of fennel or hot red pepper in laying hen diets compared with control. The inclusion of black cumin or hot red pepper decreased serum and egg yolk cholesterol and malondialdehyde concentrations (P < 0.05) compared with control. Serum aspartate aminotransferase concentration was lower in black cumin group (P < 0.05) than in other treatments. In conclusion, the best laying performance and egg quality were obtained by dietary inclusion of fennel, followed by hot red pepper and black cumin. Dietary supplementation of black cumin or red pepper may lead to the development of low-cholesterol concentration and better antioxidant capacity of eggs.

Moringa oleifera leaves (MOL) have gained great interest as a non-traditional feed ingredient due to their unique nutritional value. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to evaluate the effects of graded dietary supplementation levels with MOL on performance, carcass characteristics, antioxidant capacity, blood biochemical constituents, meat quality, and fatty acids profile of growing rabbits. A total of 120 weaned New Zealand white rabbits (6 weeks old) were randomly allotted into 4 dietary groups with 5 replicates each (n = 6), which were fed for 42 days with a basal diet as control or 3 experimental diets supplemented with 5, 10, or 15 g/kg MOL. The results showed that, compared to the control group, the dietary inclusion of MOL at a level of 10 and 15 g/kg DM linearly increased (p < 0.01) final live weight (2403.3 and 2498.2 vs. 2166.6) and average daily weight gain (36.5 and 35.51 g/d vs. 28.72 g/d), and enhanced feed conversion ratio (2.49 and 2.50 vs. 3.14). The dietary supplementation with MOL linearly increased dressing out percentage, spleen index, intestinal length, and decreased abdominal fat index (p < 0.01). Greater serum levels of total protein and globulin, but lower alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were observed in the MOL-fed rabbits (p < 0.01). Serum levels of total triglycerides, cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein (p < 0.05) were decreased linearly and quadratically in the MOL groups compared with the control. Glutathione peroxidase activity increased (p < 0.01), whereas malondialdehyde decreased (p < 0.01) linearly and quadratically in both serum and meat, in response to dietary MOL supplementation. Dietary MOL supplementation increased the meat crude protein content but lowered the relative content of ether extract in the meat (p < 0.05). The relative content of the meat n-3 PUFA was increased by about 33.71%, 29.46%, and 24.36% for the MOL_0.5%, MOL_1%, and MOL_1.5% groups compared to control. In conclusion, MOL could be used at a level of 1.5g/kg of the growing rabbits’ diets with beneficial impacts on performance, antioxidant capacity, and the nutritional value of the meat.

Introduction The blue-green algae (Spirulina platensis) is widely distributed worldwide. The nutritional value of Spirulina algae is well-documented. Spirulina has unique high protein content, about 50–70% by dry weight, and it is considered as

Maize cultivation for silage could be a sustainable option in Boreal conditions, especially when combined with nutrient recycling. Effects of digestate (sludge from biogas of domestic origin) application in comparison with synthetic fertilizer and two maturity stages on chemical composition and in vitro digestibility of whole-crop maize were investigated. Starch, neutral detergent fiber, water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) and digestible organic matter (DOM) contents of maize did not differ in response to the two fertilizer treatments. However, starch, DOM and metabolizable energy of maize increased, while ash, crude protein and WSC contents decreased with increasing maize maturity. Heavy metals in maize fertilized with digestate remained low. The results indicate that whole-crop maize fertilized with digestate and harvested at 150 days after sowing is a promising feed and has good nutritive value, even in Boreal conditions.