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The effects of Echinacea purpurea L. (purple coneflower) as an antibiotic growth promoter substitution on performance, carcass characteristics and humoral immune response in broiler chickens
Abstract
This experiment was conducted to examine the effects of using different forms and levels of Echinacea purpurea L. (EP) in comparison with an antibiotic growth promoter (flavophospholipol) on performance, carcass characteristics and immune responses of broiler chicks. In this trial, 336 one-day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were weighted and randomly assigned to the 7 treatment groups, each with 4 replicates and with 12 broilers in each replicate. The 7 treatments were as follows: Basal diet (control), Basal diet + antibiotic (4.5 mg flavophospholipol/kg diet), Basal diet + dried aerial part powder of EP continuously (5 g/kg diet), Basal diet + the dried aerial part powder of EP continuously (10 g/kg diet), Basal diet + the ethanolic extract continuously (0.25 gr/kg diet), Basal diet + the dried aerial part powder of EP with 3-days application followed by 11 application free days intermittently (5 g/kg diet), and Basal diet + the dried aerial part powder of EP with 3-days application followed by 11 application free days intermittently (10 g/kg diet). The contents of flavonol-o-glycosides as quescetin in the Echinacea dried aerial part and the ethanolic extract were determined, and the amount of flavonol-o- glycosides as quescetin in the 5 g/kg diet EP continuously to the ethanolic extract was equal. At the 28th and 31st day, blood samples were taken and analyzed for immune responses. The results showed that the use of the 5 g/kg diet EP continuously led to the highest DFI, DWG and antibody titres against sheep red blood cell (SRBC) and Newcastle virus when compared to other groups. The intermittent application of 10 g/kg diet EP had significant effect in the grower period on DWG, FCR and immune responses against SRBC (p<0.05). DFI and DWG were increased by 5 g/kg diet EP continuously than the ethanolic extract significantly (p<0.05). The percentage weight of carcass traits were not affected by dietary treatments except for the percentage of the small intestine that decreased in the intermittent groups (p<0.05). In conclusion, performance and immune responses of broiler chicks were improved by continuous application of 5 g/kg diet EP.
... The immunomodulating ingredients were fetching very popular worldwide in the natural health industry which play tasks in the inhibition, rescue of disease, recover general immunity, efficiency, and success used at sub-therapeutic dosages in poultry ration as feed additives to protect health and amplify the competence (Landy et al. 2011;Neamat-Allah et al. 2019a, b;Abdallah et al. 2019). Colibacillosis have been documented as a foremost source of morbidity and impermanence in chicken and instigate economic menace to poultry trade (Lutful Kabir 2010). ...
... Regarding to our result, supplementation with EP (gp. 2) improved the body weight; our results agree with Landy et al. (2011), which could be due to an increase of intestinal villi height that leads to improve absorption of nutrients and increase body weight (Gurbuz et al. 2010). On the other hand, the infected E. coli group without supplementation has the lowest body weight. ...
... (3). Our results run on the same ground with those reported by (Gharieb and Youssef 2014;Landy et al. 2011).These findings may be attributed to the antimicrobial and antioxidant effect of EP which neutralizing free radicals, chelating transitional metals, and quenching singlet and triplet oxygen by delocalization or decomposing peroxides (Nasir and Grashorn 2009). Our results and interpretations were confirmed pathologically as the liver of E. coli-infected group showed congestion of blood vessels, vascular degeneration with presence of coligranuloma, and leucocyte infiltration. ...
This study is aimed to appraise the impact of dietary supplementation with Echinacea purpurea (EP) in broiler chickens infected by pathogenic E. coli. Eighty-one-day-old chicks of both sexes, commercial Hubbard chicks, were divided into 4 groups. The first was kept as normal control, the second was supplemented by EP (5 mg/kg feed) from the first day to the end, where the third was infected orally by 1 ml E. coli O78 at 107 CFU intra-crop at 7 days old, while the last group was supplemented by EP and infected by the E. coli O78 as previously described . E. coli-infected chicks disclosed severe symptoms with mortality 30%. Where, the infected and EP supplemented group showed less clinical symptoms and 15% mortality. EP-supplemented groups showed a significant improvement in their body weight in comparing with infected group. E. coli-infected chickens revealed a significant drop in lymphocytes’ number with a significant elevation in monocyte and heterophils with non-significant changes in total leucocyte count when matched with gp. (1), while the fourth group revealed non-significant changes in total leucocyte with a significant drop in heterophils and monocyte and a significant elevation in the lymphocytes matching with the 3rd group. Serum biochemical markers of liver, kidneys, and immunological parameters showed sever adverse alterations associated with E. coli infection. Dietary supplementations with Echinacea purpurea improve the final body weight and immune response of non-infected chicks and have a respectable effect for facing E. coli infection. EP improves hematological and serum biochemical adverse effects occured by E. coli infection. Histopathology of liver, kidneys, intestines, and spleen confirms these alterations.
... Over the years, antibiotic growth promoters have been used successfully in poultry to increase growth rates through improved gut health and better nutrient utilisation (Landy et al., 2011). However, the continuous use of these growth promoters has been observed to be consequential to increased bacterial resistance and persistence and accumulation of residues in meat, and hence increasing health risks in humans. ...
... There is, therefore, an urgent need to explore alternatives to antibiotics that can be used to improve growth and end product quality in broiler production. Natural alternatives that have received increased attention include the phytogenic plants and other herbal products (Toghyani et al., 2010;Landy et al., 2011;Ghalamkari et al., 2012;Hong et al., 2012). Phytogenic plants, including Lippia javanica, and herbal products have been traditionally used in South African households and across the world to treat some animal ailments (Viljoen et al., 2005;Ghalamkari et al., 2012). ...
... Information is available on the use of phytogenic plants, with similar medicinal properties to L. javanica, as alternatives to antibiotics in broilers and laying hens. For example, the inclusion of Mentha pulegium L. in broiler diets has been observed to improve performance and carcass quality (Modiry et al., 2010;Ghalamkari et al., 2012), while neem (Azadirachta indica) was observed to favourably influence the immune response of broilers without any adverse effects on growth and carcass quality (Landy et al., 2011). In addition to the increase in antioxidant activity of meat, phytogenic plants like L. javanica have been observed to influence meat quality (chemical composition and colour stability) as well as fatty acid (FA) composition of meat (Sreelatha and Padma, 2009;Qwele et al., 2013). ...
This study was conducted to determine the effect of inclusion of fever tea (Lippia javanica) leaf meal in broiler diets on growth performance, carcass characteristics and fatty acid (FA) profiles over a 42-day feeding period. One hundred and eighty, one-day-old, broiler chicks were randomly allocated to the following four treatments: 1) negative control (commercial broiler diet only [Negcontrol]); 2) positive control (commercial broiler diet + prophylactic antibiotics [Poscontrol]); 3) commercial broiler diet without prophylactic antibiotics + 5 g of L. javanica per kg of feed (Ljav5) and 4) commercial broiler diet without prophylactic antibiotics + 12 g of L. javanica per kg of feed (Ljav12). Body weights (BW) and feed intake (FI) were recorded weekly and used to calculate feed conversion ratio (FCR) and average daily weight gain (ADG). At the end of the trial (day 42), all chickens were slaughtered at a local commercial abattoir for assessment of carcass characteristics and FA profiles of meat. The broilers fed L. javanica had significantly (P
... The most important of them were always directed towards maintaining health, reducing disease outbreak and improving general immunity. Antibiotics growth promoter feed additives have been successfully used at sub therapeutic doses in poultry production to protect health and maximize the efficiency of production, product quality, to control diseases and thegenetic potential of poultry (Landy et al., 2011). ...
... Group B: was fed commercial basal diet plus (5 mg/kg feed) Echinacea purpurea (Immunvita-EMA pharm pharmatheutical co.) (Landy et al., 2011). ...
Received at: 22/12/2013 Accepted: 23/2/2014 This study was conducted to investigate the effect of Echinacea purpurea and garlic on growth performance, immune response, biochemical and hematological parameters in broiler chick. A total of (180) chickens were divided into 3 main groups A,B and C. First group as control group received only commercial basal diet, second group was fed on commercial basal diet plus Echinacea purpurea as 5 mg/kg feed and the third group was fed on commercial basal diet plus garlic powder as1 g/kg feed. All the other conditions were the same for all the groups. At21 th days of age, each group was subdivided into two groups as group A: subgroups G1 and G2, group B: subgroups G3 and G4 and group C: subgroups G5 and G6. Groups G2,G4 and G6were challenged with 0.5 ml E. coli O78 (4 x 10 6 CFU) by intraperitoneal route. Performance, immunity system and some blood parameters were measured. As well as clinical signs, postmortem and mortality were recorded. Experimentally infected and treated chickens with Echinacea purpurea and garlic powder displayed less symptoms with the mortality rate of 16.66 % (5/30) in comparison to infected non treated group with mortality rate of 40% (12/30). The postmortem lesions were reduced to greater extent as compared to infected untreated birds. There were significant differences in Echinacea purpurea and garlic treated groups with control in body weight gain, feed conversion ratio from performance, heterophils/ lymphocytes ratio, lymphocyte stimulation index, albumin and protein differentiation from immune system, and triglyceride from biochemical parameters. Cholesterol level was lower in garlic and Echinacea purpurea groups. According to the results, Echinacea purpurea and garlic can be used as a good alternative for commercial antibiotics, growthpromoter and immune stimulant feed additives.
... The same results were recorded by (Abd El-Ghany and Ismail (Pourabbas and Feizi 2015). Meanwhile, we noticed that A. sativum supplemented groups had a significant decrease in liver enzymes than infected groups, similar to those testified by Gharieb and Youssef (2014) and Landy et al. (2011). These discoveries may be attributed to the antimicrobial and antioxidant influences of A. sativum, which neutralize free radicals, chelating transitional metals, and quenching singlet and triplet oxygen by delocalization or decomposing peroxides (Nasir and Grashorn 2009). ...
... Also, the infected supplemented birds showed had increased serum lysozyme levels, but they decreased in the third group at 23 days. The end of the experiment revealed no significant change matching with first and third groups; this indicates that A. sativum as a prophylactic is effective and positively affects the immune system (Landy et al. 2011), improving the immune response in broilers enhanced with A. sativum. Compared with the normal control, the serum MDA levels were significantly decreased in the A. sativum supplemented group due to the antioxidant properties of A. sativum stimulate of body antioxidant defense system as glutathione synthesis (Jones et al. 2004;Rodrigues and Percival 2019). ...
This study evaluated the potential benefit of providing dietary supplements to broiler chickens infected by pathogenic Escherichia coli with Allium sativum (A. sativum). Eighty-one-day-old Hubbard chicks were allocated into four groups (20 for each). The first was a control group (no supplement and not infected). The second received supplements of A. sativum 1 g/kg feed from day 1 to the end and was not infected. The third group was experimentally infected orally at 7 days old with E. coli O78 107 CFU intra-crop and received no supplement. The last group was supplemented with A. sativum and infected with the E. coli O78 as described previously. Chickens infected by E. coli had significantly low lymphocytes and a significant rise in heterophils and monocytes with non-significant changes in total leukocytic count (TLC) compared with the control. The fourth group had non-significant alterations in TLC with significantly low monocytes and heterophils and a significant rise in lymphocytes compared with the third group. The biochemical values of hepatic enzymes, renal, and immunological indicators had severe argumentative alterations related to E. coli infection. Dietary supplementation with A. sativum recovers the chickens’ immune indicators in non-infected groups and has an immune-stimulatory effect on E. coli infection. In conclusion, A. sativum mitigates hematological, biochemical, and antioxidant alterations induced by experimentally E. coli infection in broiler chickens.
... Coneflower and its diverse offshoots comprise a diversity of functioning ingredients like alkamides, glycoproteins, polysaccharides, phenolic compounds, cinnamic acid, essential oil, hydrocarbons and flavonoids. These ingredients are evidenced to be valuable in progressing immunity (Landy et al., 2011). Echinacea was realized to be an extremely powerful antioxidant owing to their substances of rosmarinic, cichoric acid and caffeic acid offshoots which are efficient antioxidants in improvement of free radical hunting occupation (Jahanian et al., 2017). ...
... Seifi et al., 2018). The improved performance in treated birds by herbal diets may be owing to the diverse mode of action, containing an adapted gut microflora, enthused excretion or action of digestive enzymes(Seifi et al., 2018), changed immune roles(Dehkordi et al., 2011;Landy et al., 2011). Consistent with our findings,Jahanian et al. (2017) found that EN and EM were sig-nificantly increased by dietary EP supplementation up to 7.5 g/ kg. ...
This work investigated the outcomes of dietary administration of Echinacea purpurea (EP) powder to breeder ducks on productive and reproductive performance during summer season. Sudani ducks (320 birds) of 32‐weeks‐old (240 females and 80 males) were randomly allocated into four collections (body weight; 1850 ± 15.2 g for females and 2960.0 ± 40.5 g for males). The primary collection consumed the basal diet without supplementation and was deliberated as control. The other three collections were fed the basal diet supplemented with 2.5, 5.00 and 7.5 g EP/kg diet, correspondingly. Egg number and mass, laying rate, feed consumption and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly changed by dietary EP levels. Drakes fed EP‐supplemented diets had higher ejaculate volume, sperms concentration and live sperms (%) as well as lower dead sperms (%) than the control group. Eggs laid by ducks fed diet supplemented with 2.5 g/kg had the greatest fertility and hatchability percentages, followed by those fed 5.0 g EP/kg. Ducks fed different EP diets had higher values of haemoglobin, RBCs, WBCs and lymphocytes, lower values of heterophils percentage and lower H/L ratio than the control. All serum constituents were significantly changed by dietary EP supplementation, except of total protein and Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT) enzyme. Conclusively, dietary EP supplementation at 2.5 g/kg had beneficial effects on productive and reproductive performance as well as lipid profile and antioxidant status and economically valued in breeder ducks under summer conditions.
... Maass et al. (2005) reported that Echinacea purpurea supplementation improved feed conversion. Landy et al. (2011) found that daily WG was (P<0.05) enhanced for broilers fed 5.0 g EP/ kg diet than control. ...
... Generally, the elevation of eviscerated carcass and total edible parts percentage may be due to enhancing the final live weight and lowering unedible parts by dietary EP addition. These findings are disagree with Landy et al. (2011) who concluded that carcass traits not significantly affected by EP in broilers diets. Table 8 showed the calculations of economic efficiency (EE) values. ...
... Ghalamkari et al. (2011) reported that using of 10 g EP kg -1 diet improved total antioxidant activity in serum of broiler chicks. Landy, Ghalamkari, Toghyani, & Moattar (2011) found that EP had positive effect on growth performance and humoral immune responses in broiler chicks. Nasir and Grashorn (2010a) found that broilers given diets in which EP was supplied at (inform the concentration) had better average daily weight gain in comparison with control group. ...
... The present results showed that adding EP extract to drinking water at the level of 1 or 2 mL L -1 decreased BWG of quail as compared with the control group (p < 0.05) ( Table 3). Landy et al. (2011) showed that broilers fed diet containing 5 g coneflower per kg diet continuously had higher BWG compared with all other treatments in the 14 and 28 days. Results of the present study indicated that adding EP extract to drinking water at the level of 0.5 mL L -1 decreased FCR in quail (Table 4). ...
An experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of Echinacea purpurea (EP) extract at 5 levels (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1 or 2 mL L-1 of drinking water) on performance, internal organs and gut microflora of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix Japonica). The results showed that EP extract decreased feed intake and body weight gain of quails. The feed conversion ratio of quails fed with EP extract at the level of 0.5 ml L-1 drinking water was significantly decreased compared to the control group. Adding EP extract at the levels of 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mL L-1 drinking water decreased carcass yield of the birds (p < 0.05). The relative weight of internal organs of the birds fed different levels of EP extract was not significantly different. Birds consumed EP extract at the levels of 1 or 2 mL L-1 drinking water had lower ileal aerobic bacteria population compared to the control group; however, the ileal Coliform population increased by EP extract supplementation (p < 0.05). Results of the present study indicated that using EP extract at the level of 0.5 mL L-1 drinking water could improve feed conversion ratio of quails; however, it decreased the carcass yield of the birds.
... Ghalamkari et al. (2011) reported that using of 10 g EP kg -1 diet improved total antioxidant activity in serum of broiler chicks. Landy, Ghalamkari, Toghyani, & Moattar (2011) found that EP had positive effect on growth performance and humoral immune responses in broiler chicks. Nasir and Grashorn (2010a) found that broilers given diets in which EP was supplied at (inform the concentration) had better average daily weight gain in comparison with control group. ...
... The present results showed that adding EP extract to drinking water at the level of 1 or 2 mL L -1 decreased BWG of quail as compared with the control group (p < 0.05) ( Table 3). Landy et al. (2011) showed that broilers fed diet containing 5 g coneflower per kg diet continuously had higher BWG compared with all other treatments in the 14 and 28 days. Results of the present study indicated that adding EP extract to drinking water at the level of 0.5 mL L -1 decreased FCR in quail (Table 4). ...
An experiment was carried out to evaluate the effects of Echinacea purpurea (EP) extract at 5 levels (0, 0.25, 0.5, 1 or 2 mL L-1 of drinking water) on performance, internal organs and gut microflora of Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix Japonica). The results showed that EP extract decreased feed intake and body weight gain of quails. The feed conversion ratio of quails fed with EP extract at the level of 0.5 ml L-1 drinking water was significantly decreased compared to the control group. Adding EP extract at the levels of 0.25, 0.5 or 1 mL L-1 drinking water decreased carcass yield of the birds (p < 0.05). The relative weight of internal organs of the birds fed different levels of EP extract was not significantly different. Birds consumed EP extract at the levels of 1 or 2 mL L-1 drinking water had lower ileal aerobic bacteria population compared to the control group; however, the ileal Coliform population increased by EP extract supplementation (p < 0.05). Results of the present study indicated that using EP extract at the level of 0.5 mL L-1 drinking water could improve feed conversion ratio of quails; however, it decreased the carcass yield of the birds.
... Antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) have been used for around 60 years in agricultural animal production to enhance growth performance and protect health of animals [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. AGPs have been supposed to enhance growth performance of poultry because it changes the intestinal tract, and hence, improving absorptive capacity [8]. ...
... In this study, there was no significant effect of supplementation with flavophospholipol. This is in contrast to the response reported by other authors [1,2,33,34]. Coates et al. [35] reported that supplementation of broiler chickens with antibiotics in a germ-free environment could not improve growth as compared to those raised in conventional environment, leading the researchers to conclude that antibiotics decreased growth of pathogenic bacteria responsible for growth depression. ...
Aim
An in vivo experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of different levels of ethanolic extract of propolis, on growth performance, carcass traits, serum biochemistry, and humoral immune responses of chickens, as compared with the antibiotic flavophospholipol.
Materials and Methods
312 1-day-old as-hatched broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allotted to 6 treatments with 4 replicate pens per treatment. The 6 dietary treatments fed for 42 days consisted of a corn-soybean meal basal diet (control); control plus 4.5 mg/kg flavophospholipol, and control plus 50, 100, 200, and 300 mg/kg ethanol extracts of propolis, respectively.
Results
Neither propolis nor antibiotic affected the performance criteria; however, dietary treatments tended to enhance to enhance body weight and daily feed intake of broiler chickens compared with control group (p>0.05). None of the dietary treatments significantly altered feed: Gain though; broilers fed diet supplemented with 200 mg/kg propolis had better feed: gain values compared with other groups in starter, and grower phases as well as the whole experimental period (p>0.05). Carcass yield and internal organ relative weights were not affected by treatments on day 42, except for abdominal fat pad weight that decreased in broilers supplemented with antibiotic. None of the treatments significantly affected humoral immune function. Dietary treatments failed to induce any significant effect on serum biochemistry (p>0.05); though broilers receiving 100 mg/kg propolis had greater high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol and lower triglyceride concentrations compared with other groups.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the results indicated that addition of ethanolic extract of propolis to routine dietary components of broilers, such as corn and soybean, seems not to have a positive influence on performance criteria.
... Several studies have highlighted that Echinacea can stimulate T-cell phagocytosis and enhance lymphocyte activity in broilers, as well as improve cell antioxidant, antiinflammatory and antimicrobial activities [36]. Therefore, Echinacea can be considered a recommended alternative to antibiotics [37][38][39]. ...
The experiment aimed to investigate the effects of plant polysaccharides combined with boric acid on digestive function, immune function and harmful gas and heavy metal contents in the faeces of fatteners. For this study, 90 healthy crossbred fatteners were selected and randomly divided into five groups: the control group was fed with a basal diet (Con); experimental group I was fed with basal diet + 40 mg/kg boric acid (BA); experimental group II was fed with basal diet + 40 mg/kg boric acid + 400 mg/kg Astragalus polysaccharides (BA+APS); experimental group III was fed with basal diet + 40 mg/kg boric acid + 200 mg/kg Ganoderma lucidum polysaccharides (BA+GLP); and experimental group IV was fed with basal diet + 40 mg/kg boric acid + 500 mg/kg Echinacea polysaccharides (BA+EPS). Compared with Con, the average daily gain (ADG), the trypsin activities in the duodenum and jejunum, the IL-2 levels in the spleen, the T-AOC activities and GSH-Px contents in the lymph node of fattening were increased in the BA group (p < 0.05), but malondialdehyde content in the lymph and spleen, and the contents of NH3, H2S, Hg, Cu, Fe and Zn in the feces and urine were decreased (p < 0.05). Compared with the BA, the ADG, gain-to-feed ratio (G/F), the trypsin and maltase activities in the duodenum and jejunum were increased in the BA+APS (p < 0.05), and the T-SOD activities in the spleen and T-AOC activities in the lymph node were also increased (p < 0.05), but the H2S level was decreased in the feces and urine (p < 0.05). Compared with the BA, the ADG, G/F and the trypsin and maltase activities in the duodenum were increased in the BA+GLP and BA+EPS (p < 0.05), the activities of maltase and lipase in the duodenum of fatteners in the BA+GLP and the activities of trypsin, maltase and lipase in the BA+EPS were increased (p < 0.05). Gathering everything together, our findings reveal that the combined addition of boric acid and plant polysaccharides in the diet of fatteners synergistically improved their growth performance and immune status. That may be achieved by regulating the activity of intestinal digestive enzymes, improving the antioxidant function and then promoting the digestion and absorption of nutrients. Furthermore, the above results reduce the emission of harmful gases and heavy metals in feces and urine.
... Thus, the blend of hatchlings and buildup is spread out onto the sifter, where then hatchlings slither through the strainer's gap to a beneficiary beneath to maintain a strategic distance from daylight. 25 The beneficiary is cleaned and the hatchlings are flushed off and gathered together. Gathered hatchlings are dunked into bubbling water. ...
In developing countries like India, the most unresolved threats present at our urban citizens are related to solid waste management. Even though various methods were practiced previously, due to various scenarios the degradation and disposal of waste has yet remained as a challenge. Thus, to overcome the present situation, Black Soldier fly/larvae (BSF/L) based waste disposal and management can be implemented as one of the main practices as it has been proved to degrade kitchen solid waste to organic waste within a few hours. These larvae after feeding on solid wastes like vegetable waste, agricultural waste and bio-waste mature into a complete fly after several stages of development. Simultaneously, late larval stage i.e. the pre-pupa can be also used as feed in poultry and fish industries. It has been reported that the BSFL can consume organic waste in larger quantities and the rate of degradation is estimated to be higher than any other species of their kind. Moreover, as the rate of reproduction of BSF is very high and provides maximum yield it makes waste management very productive and profitable with greater outcomes. The larvae of BSF used as poultry and fish feed consist of 70% of protein and other of carbohydrates, fats, micro and macronutrients thus providing all the beneficiary nutrients to produce high-quality eggs and meat without any dose of antibiotics and hormones. BSF can be an alternative for recycling and valuing agro-industrial by-products as well. This review explains about the health benefits of using BSF as feed in aquaculture and poultry. This article also explains about the environmental impacts of using BSF. Thus, reviewing all the benefits of the usage of black soldier Larvae/ fly, it can be considered as the next solution for solid waste management in urban India as it has been approved by FDA.
... Thus, the blend of hatchlings and buildup is spread out onto the sifter, where then hatchlings slither through the strainer's gap to a beneficiary beneath to maintain a strategic distance from daylight. 25 The beneficiary is cleaned and the hatchlings are flushed off and gathered together. Gathered hatchlings are dunked into bubbling water. ...
In developing countries like India, the most unresolved threats present at our urban citizens are related to solid waste management. Even though various methods were practiced previously, due to various scenarios the degradation and disposal of waste has yet remained as a challenge. Thus, to overcome the present situation, Black Soldier fly/larvae (BSF/L) based waste disposal and management can be implemented as one of the main practices as it has been proved to degrade kitchen solid waste to organic waste within a few hours. These larvae after feeding on solid wastes like vegetable waste, agricultural waste and bio-waste mature into a complete fly after several stages of development. Simultaneously, late larval stage i.e. the pre-pupa can be also used as feed in poultry and fish industries. It has been reported that the BSFL can consume organic waste in larger quantities and the rate of degradation is estimated to be higher than any other species of their kind. Moreover, as the rate of reproduction of BSF is very high and provides maximum yield it makes waste management very productive and profitable with greater outcomes. The larvae of BSF used as poultry and fish feed consist of 70% of protein and other of carbohydrates, fats, micro and macronutrients thus providing all the beneficiary nutrients to produce high-quality eggs and meat without any dose of antibiotics and hormones. BSF can be an alternative for recycling and valuing agro-industrial by-products as well. This review explains about the health benefits of using BSF as feed in aquaculture and poultry. This article also explains about the environmental impacts of using BSF. Thus, reviewing all the benefits of the usage of black soldier Larvae/ fly, it can be considered as the next solution for solid waste management in urban India as it has been approved by FDA.
... Thus, due to the official ban on antibiotics in the European Union on January 1, 2006, and the increasing pressure on producers in various regions of the world, the use of alternative agents to promote growth and prevent diseases has gained great importance. Recently, aromatic herbs and related essential oils and extracts have been used as potential growth promoters, as they have many advantages such as the absence of side effects and waste parts in the body (Landy et al., 2011). ...
This study was conducted to determine the effects of sumac, yeast, and onion supplementation to broiler chicken
feeds on performance. Four hundred and fifty, one-day-old Ross 308 broiler chicks were obtained from Yagoo Group Hatchery
in Sulaymaniyah Province and were randomly distributed into three treatment groups (150 chicks for each group) with six
replicates (each 25 chicks). Chicks were raised on floor cages (210 × 200 × 100 cm). T1 (Feed with 0 mg kg-1 sumac, yeast,
and onion), T2 (Feed with 10, 2 and 20 mg kg-1 sumac, yeast, and onion for every day) and T3 (Feed with 10, 2 and 20 mg
kg-1 sumac, yeast, and onion for 2 days added and 2 days free in the rearing period) experiment groups were constituted. In
the study, the effects of the treatments on the performance parameters were found to be statistically significant. In body weight,
the highest group in terms of total body weght gain and total feed intake was T3, and it was significantly higher than T2 and
control groups (p
... The roots of the plant contain the most active flavonoid and phenolic contents that increase the function of the body immune system and are used to treat any type of inflammation, kidney infection, colds and runny nose [2] . It has also been used as a dietary supplement to treat aquatic and poultry infections by adding echinacea to fish feed [3] and poultry [4] in form of dried under standard conditions (45°C), pulverized and sieved. ...
BACKGROUND
Echinacea is a perennial and herbaceous herb containing the most active phenolic compounds and valuable antimicrobial and antioxidant content, such as chicoric acid, which increases the body immune function. The root of this plant is mainly used in pharmaceutical fields to treat inflammation, kidney infections and colds. In the present study, we investigated the drying of echinacea root in an infrared dryer with airborne ultrasonic pretreatment aiming to determine shrinkage, color changes, extraction, total phenolic content, flavonoid content and radical inhibition of 2,2‐diphenyl‐1‐picrylhydrazyl (DPPH). The experiments were performed in an infrared dryer at three temperature levels of 40, 45 and 50 °C, with ultrasonic pretreatment at frequencies of 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hz and a time duration of 20, 40 and 60 min in three replications.
RESULTS
Shrinkage and color changes of the samples varied in the range 27.2–6.3% and 39.82–39.64%, respectively. According to all of the evaluated physical and chemical factors, the optimal conditions for echinacea root processing were a drying temperature of 40 °C, a frequency of 3000 Hz and an ultrasound duration of 60 min, in which case shrinkage was 3.35% and color changes were 38.25%. Total phenolic content was 27.41 mg g⁻¹, flavonoid content was 39.36 mg g⁻¹ and DPPH radical inhibition was 34.87%.
CONCLUSION
Therefore, the use of airborne ultrasound pretreatment demonstrates increased chemical properties compared to the optimal state when drying the echinacea root with an infrared dryer by 54/21–81/64%. Hence, ultrasound pretreatment preserves the quality and quantity of active ingredients in the therapeutic root of Echinacea. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.
... Generally, phytobiotic formulations derived from botanic material have a synergic effect when natural chemical compounds are associated in the whole plant (TOGHYANI et al., 2010). Several phytochemical products from plants are being considered as growth promoters and, according to research, they can increase the income obtained from industrial poultry (WALLACE et al., 2010;LANDY et al., 2011). ...
The food industry is in a continuous search for strategies of reducing of antibiotic residues in livestock production, given the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. In that context, there is a consistent increasing in the usage of alternative feed phytogenic additives. Due to the pharmacological, the plants Marrubium vulgare and Leonurus sibiricus, are both potential replacements for growth-promoting antibiotics. This study evaluated the productive performance and analyze the sensory qualities in the meat of broiler that were administered M. vulgare and L. sibiricus infusions. A total of 320 chicks from an poultry farm were distributed in 8 groups groups according treatments by 28 days: Control Group (Saline); Positive control (tylosin 1%, 50 ppm); Groups of M. vulgare (MV) infusion: 2% (MV2), 4% (MV4) and 6% (MV6); and groups treated with L. sibiricus (LS) infusion: 2% (LS2), 4% (LS4) and 6% (LS6), all of them received relative doses corresponding to the live weight percentage in milliliter. There was weght gain in MV6 and LS6 group and a better food conversion in MV4, MV6, LS4, and LS6. In addition, weight gain and enhancement of the pectoral muscles were observed in these groups. The sensory analysis revealed that the broilers’ meat of MV had a more intense flavor. For marketing purposes the meat from birds that received LS had a better demand. Improvement of productive performance and sensory qualities of the broilers meat might be associated with the phytobiotic activity in it. Therefore, MV and LS can be used as natural growth promoter in broilers.
... Maass et al. reported a better feed conversion in pigs due to EP (Maass et al., 2005). Similar findings were also obtained in broiler chickens after a 31 day diet with EP as dried aerial part powder at a dose of 5 g/kg feed (Landy et al., 2011), suggesting no differences in this outcome between mammalians a-b LSM within a row with different superscripts differ at P < 0.05 in the post hoc analysis. a ECL = low dosage of Echinacea purpurea (0.5 g/day); ECH = high dosage of Echinacea purpurea (5 g/day); PLA = placebo; results as least square of means (LSM) and standard error (SE) of (generalized) mixed effect models (ANOVA) and Tukey's post-hoc analysis. ...
The objective of this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded field trial was to investigate the effects of oral administration of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L. (EP)) on performance, health and immune parameters in calves.
Calves (n = 27) were enrolled to three groups (9 calves per group): 0.5 g EP/calf per day (ECL), 5 g EP/calf per day (ECH) or placebo. Calves were vaccinated with Bluetongue-Virus (BTV) serotype 4 vaccine to investigate EPs effects on seroconversion. Clinical and performance parameters, inter alia body weight, health and milk intake were recorded for 57 days. Blood samples were analyzed for BTV antibodies and IgG by ELISA, white and red blood cell counts by flow cytometry and mRNA abundance of various inflammatory markers in leukocytes (IL-1β, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), cyclooxygenase 2 (Cox-2) and prostaglandin E synthase) was studied.
The findings demonstrated no differences between groups regarding performance parameters. In all groups, calves suffered from diarrhea for a minimum of 2 days, but EP reduced the number of diarrhea days by 44% in ECL and increased the body temperature. Interestingly, ECL resulted in an increased number of respiratory disease days during the follow-up period. EP did not change blood cell and IgG counts, whereas eosinophil granulocytes were reduced in ECL. Decreased levels of hemoglobin and hematocrit were found in ECH. Prostaglandin E synthase levels in leukocytes were higher in ECL and ECH, whereas no differences were obtained for IL-1β, IL-8, TNFα and Cox-2. Due to the unexpected occurrence of BTV seropositive calves before the first vaccination, 13 calves were excluded from the evaluation on seroconversion and no statistical analyses could be performed regarding antibody production. BTV-4 antibodies were not produced in 4 placebo-calves, whereas 4 of 5 and 1 of 6 ECL- and ECH-calves produced antibodies.
Further investigations are needed to draw final conclusions on mode of action and efficacy of EP in calves.
... Nutraceutical plants have been demonstrated to possess antibacterial, antioxidant, and conservative activities that promote intestinal functions and gut integrity by Table 2. Overall feed intake and growth performance (g/bird) in Japanese quail (n = 300) fed with diets containing red grape pomace powder. reducing subclinical infections and thereby increasing nutrient uptake and growth rates (Huyghebaert et al., 2010;Landy et al., 2011;Mabona et al., 2013). The use of red grape pomace in quail diets could combine the positive effects of improving animal product quality and human health while eliminating antibiotic traces in animal products. ...
This study evaluated the effect of dietary red grape pomace (RGP) powder on physiological and meat quality responses of Japanese quail. Three hundred quail birds were randomly distributed to five dietary treatments formulated as follows: a negative control diet without antibiotics (NegCon); a positive control diet with antibiotics (PosCon); NegCon diluted with RGP at a rate of 1.5% (RGP15), 3.5% (RGP35), and 5.5% (RGP55). Diet RGP55 promoted higher (p < 0.05) overall feed intake (934.3 g/bird) than diet RGP35 (809.2 g/bird). The NegCon diet promoted the highest breast meat lightness (L*) value (46.1) while the lowest value (42.7) was observed in RGP35 meat. In conclusion, quail birds reared on RGP-containing diets had similar physiological and meat quality parameters as those on the antibiotic-containing diet. An optimum inclusion level could not be determined using the physiological and meat quality responses, suggesting a need to investigate higher levels of dietary RGP.
... Thus, the blend of hatchlings and buildup is spread out onto the sifter, where then hatchlings slither through the strainer's gap to a beneficiary beneath to maintain a strategic distance from daylight. 25 The beneficiary is cleaned and the hatchlings are flushed off and gathered together. Gathered hatchlings are dunked into bubbling water. ...
Knowledge of association between breast cancer and risk factors of family history can help change the health behaviour. To reduce risk factors associated with breast cancer among young women in Saudi Arabia, it is necessary to understand the degree of risk perception and socio-economic differences. A cross-sectional study of 253 Saudi women aged 25-64 years investigated the awareness of risk factors (positive family history) for breast cancer. Standard self-administered questionnaire, screening practices including breast self-examination (BSE), clinical breast examination (CBE), and mammography were included in the data collection and analysed through PRISM (version 8.4.2.) for individuals with and without a positive family history. Prevalence of positive family history and non-family history was 75/253 (30%), and 178/253 (70%) respectively. The mean age of women with a positive family history (FH+) was 47.1 years and without a positive family history (FH-) was 43.4 years. The results showed that both groups were low in practicing BSE (FH+ 23% and FH- 13%) once a month. The BSE knowledge assessment showed 77% in FH+ women whereas the knowledge of CBE and mammography in FH+ women were 75 % and 76% respectively, and 83% and 56% respectively in FH+ women. Awareness of family history as a risk factor was greater in FH+ women compared to FH- women. The women with lower education and low income have less knowledge about breast cancer screening behaviour and FH+ as a risk factor were identified. The results indicated limited knowledge of risk factors and inadequate breast cancer screening of FH+ women. Poor knowledge and practice of breast screening can contribute to late-stage breast cancer disease. Understanding the strengths and importance of the relationship between breast screening activity and its risk factors is essential to the emerging and more tailored promotion of breast health.
... Some scientists showed that beneficial effects of herbal or active substances in animal nutrition may include the stimulation of appetite and feed intake, the improvement of endogenous digestive enzyme secretion, activation of immune response and antibacterial, antiviral, antioxidant and anti helminthes actions (Janssen, 1989;Manzanilla et al., 2001;Jamroz et al., 2003). Landy et al. (2011), showed that the body weight obtained in broilers fed diet containing 5g/kg diet coneflower continuously was highest than all treatments in the 14 and 28 days, but the height was not significant. The result of their study showed that the use of 10 g/kg diet dried aerial part powder of coneflower intermittently had significant effect on daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio. ...
The effects of supplementation of in vitro maturation (IVM) with cysteamine on IVM, IVF, cleavage rate, and subsequent stages
of cleavage of oocytes were examined. A 942 Oocytes obtained from slaughterhouse, ewes ovaries were subjected to IVM and IVF.
Oocytes were matured in TCM199 and fertilized in TALPm media, data were analyzed by contingency tables of chi square, TCM199
media were supplemented with 100 (group A), 200 (group B), 400 (group C) and 0 μm cysteamine (control group D). Total rates of
maturation, fertilization and cleavage in present research were 68.26, 42.14 and 36.53 respectively. Total rates of (2-8 cell stage),
morula and blastocysts were 70.83, 12.50 and 16.67% respectively. Supplementation of IVM medium with 100 μm cysteamine (group
A) increased (P <0.05) the IVM rate compared with group C (80.57% vs.65.56%), there were no significant differences noticed at M-II
and cleavage phases rates among groups, supplementation of IVM medium with 100 μm cysteamine increased (P <0.001) the (2-8
cell stage) rate (70.83% (group D) vs.17.86% (group A) but differences among groups were significant (P <0.05) at the rates of morula
and blastocyst yield among groups, highest values were in group A and B (39.29 and 42.86% vs.14.81 and 18.52%) compared with C
and D groups (15 and 15% vs.12.50 and 16.67%). The results of the present study suggest that supplementation of IVM media with
cysteamine improves the rates of IVM, IVF, the yield of morula and blastocysts in IVP programs of sheep whereas gives the good
chances for other aims like sexing and cloning of embryos.
... The overall results showed that supplementation of EP @ 5 g/kg diet had statistically significantly better (p<0.05) daily feed intake, daily weight gain and higher antibody titer against Newcastle virus and sheep red blood cell (SRBC) as compared to rest of other treatments groups (Landy & Ghalamkari, 2011). ...
... this could mean Aloe-vera concentration had no interaction on the strain and on the flavour [10][11][12][13][14][15][16]. ...
... These were in line with the findings of Rahimi et al. (2011) in which the combination effect of thyme-coneflower-garlic extract was studied on intestinal selected bacterial population in broiler chickens, where the colony forming units of E. coli in digesta of ileocecum in the combination group of thyme-coneflower-garlic extract showed a significantly lower number compared with control. 5 g/kg diet containing EP was found to be leading the highest antibody titers against Newcastle virus as well in a study conducted by Landy et al.(2011) but no effect on coccidiosis, a parasitic disease caused by Eimeria acervulina on Ross male broilers (Orengo et al.,2012). All studies implied an immune fortification of the broilers by the use of coneflower extracts. ...
... Taken together, these findings suggest that BSFL feeding can stimulate nonspecific immune responses in broiler chicks and increase their survivability against S. Gallinarum experimental infection. Previous studies suggested that application of immune stimulating agent might result in maximum growth performance since animals is more prone to be influenced by the health and immune status so that a stressed or weak immune system with a load of infectious diseases causes decreased growth performance [5,13]. Therefore, increasing growth performance induced by ingestion of BSFL in this present study might related in stimulated non-specific immune status. ...
Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae (BSFL) are rich in protein and have the potential to be used in animal feed. The aim of the present study was to determine the immunoprophylactic effect of BSFL against Salmonella Gallinarum in broiler chicks as an alternative feed additive. Results showed that BSFL improved body weight gain and increased frequency of CD4+ T lymphocyte, serum lysozyme activity, and spleen lymphocyte proliferation. Moreover, BSFL reinforced bacterial clearance and increased survivability of broiler chicks against S. Gallinarum. These data suggested that BSFL has prophylactic properties with stimulating non-specific immune responses, as well as reduced bacterial burden against S. Gallinarum.
... Dietary supplementation with dried EP improved both the FCR and meat quality [33,34]. It was also reported that 5.0 g/kg EP supplementation in broilers could increase the antibody titer against sheep red blood cells (SRBCs) and Newcastle disease virus (NDV) [35]. The EP, which was fed to laying hens and fattening pigs as pressed juice preserved with ethanol, still showed immunomodulatory effects, as indicated by the increased count of lymphocytes and NDV antibodies in the blood [36]. ...
Environmental stressors like pathogens and toxins may depress the animal immune system through invasion of the GIT tract, where they may impair performance and production, as well as lead to increased mortality rates. Therefore, protection of the GIT tract and improving animal health are top priorities in animal production. Being natural-sourced materials, phytochemicals are potential feed additives possessing multiple functions, including: anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-viral and antioxidative properties. This paper focuses on immunity-related physiological parameters regulated by phytochemicals, such as carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, curcumin, and thymol; many studies have proven that these phytochemicals can improve animal performance and production. On the molecular level, the impact of inflammatory gene expression on underlying mechanisms was also examined, as were the effects of environmental stimuli and phytochemicals in initiating NFҡB and MAPKs signaling pathways and improving health conditions.
... Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.), known for its medicinal properties, [1,2] has been cultivated in many 44 countries outside of its natural range in North America. [3,4] Natural purple coneflower plants are diploid with 22 45 chromosomes in a somatic cell (2n=2×=22), [5] but haploid and tetraploid karyotype plants have already been 46 created. [6,7] Polyploidization has been shown to be an efficient strategy in crop breeding, [8][9][10][11] and recent investigations confirmed that tetraploid purple coneflower plants have higher production and accumulation of 48 functional secondary metabolites than diploid plants, [12,13] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 Fig. 1B were identified as haploid, in Fig. 1C as diploid and in Fig. 1D as tetraploid ( Fig. 2). ...
The Joint Conferences of 2015 International Conference on Computer Science and Engineering Technology (CSET2015) and 2015 International Conference on Medical Science and Biological Engineering (MSBE2015)
Hong Kong, 30 – 31 May 2015
Edited by: Jiamei Deng ( Kingston University, UK), Qingjun Liu ( Zhejiang University, China)
A haploid clone recovered from anther cultures and 10 diploid clones prepared from seedlings of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.) were used to compare chromosome doubling colchicine treatments. It was found that, although routine methods of culturing explants directly on colchicine containing medium could induce chromosome doubling, the efficiencies were generally low. However, by first culturing explants on a colchicine-free medium, followed by culturing the explants on a colchicine medium, the number of chromosome doubled plantlets could be significantly increased. Two preculture treatments lasting two and four days, and two treatments cultured in 240 mg colchicine 1⁻¹ for four and eight days, were tested for haploid cells with similar results that a step of pre-culture was conducive to the obtaining of regenerated tetraploid plants. Experiments on diploid clones comparing the durations of pre-culture and the duration of 120 mg colchicine 1⁻¹ treatments indicated that pre-culture for four days was more effective than eight days, and treating with colchicine for 12 days was more effective than 24 days. In addition, the mechanism of pre-culture for enhancing the chromosome doubling efficiency is discussed and a potential application of the present method for more plant species is proposed.
A haploid clone recovered from anther cultures and 10 diploid clones prepared from seedlings of purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea L.) were used to compare chromosome doubling colchicine treatments. It was found that, although routine methods of culturing explants directly on colchicine containing medium could induce chromosome doubling, the efficiencies were generally low. However, by first culturing explants on a colchicine-free medium, followed by culturing the explants on a colchicine medium, the number of chromosome doubled plantlets could be significantly increased. Two preculture treatments lasting two and four days, and two treatments cultured in 240 mg colchicine 1⁻¹ for four and eight days, were tested for haploid cells with similar results that a step of pre-culture was conducive to the obtaining of regenerated tetraploid plants. Experiments on diploid clones comparing the durations of pre-culture and the duration of 120 mg colchicine 1⁻¹ treatments indicated that pre-culture for four days was more effective than eight days, and treating with colchicine for 12 days was more effective than 24 days. In addition, the mechanism of pre-culture for enhancing the chromosome doubling efficiency is discussed and a potential application of the present method for more plant species is proposed.
... However, in another trial, the percentage of carcass and breast were affected by AV juice application through drinking water [30]. In accord to our results, several studies have shown that addition of antibiotic to the broiler's diets and had not any marked effect on carcass traits [1,44,45]. ...
Aim: The risk of bacteria resistance to specific antibiotics possibly by continuous subtherapeutical administration of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry feed led to a ban on the use of AGP in poultry production. As a result of this ban, alternative substances for poultry growth promotion and disease prevention are being investigated, among which phytogenic and herbal products have received increased attention as natural additives because they have been accepted by consumers as natural additives. The effect of water supplementation of Aloe vera (AV) as an AGP substitute on performance, intestinal microflora, and immune responses of broilers.
Materials and Methods: The five experimental treatments were allocated to four replicates. The following treatments were applied (1) a basal broiler diet (C) and normal drinking water, (2) 0.5% AV gel in drinking water, (3) 0.75% AV gel in drinking water, (4) 1% AV gel in drinking water, and (5) diet C supplemented with flavophospholipol at 4.5 mg/kg and drinking normal water. Vaccines against influenza disease and sheep red blood cell (SRBC) were administrated to immunological stimuli. The populations of Lactobacilli spp. and coliforms were enumerated in ileum.
Results: Body weight of broilers supplemented with different levels of AV increased compared with control group (p
... This reduction in body weight can be excused by the negative outcome of high dose (400 mg/kg) on the digestive system. Landy et al. (2011) reported that the addition of high doses of medicinal plants in the diet might induce a negative consequence on some beneficial microbial population as Lactobacillus. ...
The main aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the dietary oils from fennel and anise on the
zootechnical performances of Turkey. The essential oils were analyzed by gas chromatography coupled to
mass spectrometry. One Hundred turkey males meat strain BUT 10 (Meleagris gallopavo), of one day old,
were weighed and randomly allotted into 5 groups of 20 turkeys each. These groups were fed, for 35 days,
the basal diet (Control) or the basal diet supplemented with 0.2 g/kg of fennel oil (EOFVD1), 0.5 g/kg of
fennel oil (EOFVD2), 0.2 g/kg of anise oil (EOPAD1) and 0.5 g/kg of anise oil (EOPAD2). The mean body
weight of EOFVD2 group (807.85 g) was higher than other groups at the end of the treatment (P
... Antibacterial antibiotics intended as growth promoters (AGPs) have been added to feed at subtherapeutic levels in order to prevent infections and improve growth and production of herds and ocks over an extended period of time. [1][2][3] Similarly, AGPs have been used to improve feed conversion and growth rate efficiency. 4 The use of dietary antibiotics, however, has resulted in controversial problems such as the presence of antibiotic residues in the nal products, 5 which can be harmful to consumers. ...
Allium derivative propyl propane thiosulfonate (PTSO) is a new additive for animal feed which improves animal health when used as an alternative to antibiotic growth promoters. Despite the effort of the European Union to ensure the control of animal feed alterations, the information available on this new additive is sparse and the analytical methods used for its monitoring have proven limited reach. Moreover, existing analytical methods exhibit shortcomings when applied to other matrices or when attempting to measure low concentration levels. This paper describes for the first time that PTSO reacts instantaneously with cysteine (CYS) and glutathione (GLU) generating s-propyl mercaptocysteine (CSSP) and s-propyl mercaptogluathione (GSSP), thus explaining the limitations of previous methods when applied to feed with high concentration level of CYS and GLU. Therefore, an ultra-high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC–MS/MS) method combined with a sample treatment based on a simple solid-liquid extraction with methanol is proposed for the monitoring of PTSO, CSSP and GSSP in a wide range of animal feed samples including those for pig, piglet, broiler, hen, rabbit and partridge feed. This method provides a simple, robust and efficient alternative for the determination of this additive. Matrix-matched calibration curves were established for PTSO, CSSP and GSSP and limits of detection (LODs) and quantification (LOQs) were estimated, being lower than the ones previously reported for PTSO when using HPLC-UV. The relative standard deviation of the whole analytical method was lower than 10% in all cases, while recoveries ranged from 93% to 104%.
... Zamani Moghaddam et al. (2007) reported that use of 3 g/kg savory had a beneficial effect on growth performance in broiler chicks, and higher dosage had an adverse effect on performance. Similarly, Landy et al. (2011a) reported that a higher dosage of Echinacea purpurea L. in the diet may have had an adverse effect on some beneficial microbial populations such as lactobacillus, preventing the herb from exhibiting its positive influence on performance of broilers. Table 4 shows relative weight means (as a percentage of live weight at slaughter) of digestive and non-digestive organs as a function of treatments. ...
This study was conducted to examine the effects of different levels of Satureja hortensis L. (Savory) incomparison with an antibiotic growth promoter (flavophospholipol) on performance, carcasscharacteristics, immune responses and serum biochemical parameters of broiler chicks. In this study,240 one-day-old mixed sex broiler chicks (Ross 308) were weighed and randomly allocated to the 4treatment groups, each with 4 replicates and with 15 broilers in each replicate. The dietary treatmentsconsisted of the basal diet (control), antibiotic group receiving 4.5 mg/kg flavophospholipol, and 5 and10 g/kg savory powder added to the basal diet. Performance parameters were measured in the growthperiods. At day 42, two birds per replicate were slaughtered for the determination of carcass traits.Antibody titers against newcastle, influenza viruses and sheep red blood cell (SRBC) were determined.At day 42, biochemical parameters such as albumin, protein, triglyceride, total cholesterol, high-densitylipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) of cholesterol were determined. The results showthat supplementing 5 g/kg savory improved body weight of broilers at days 14, 28 and 42 butdifferences did not show statistical significance. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio (FCR) indexwere not markedly affected by dietary treatments. Internal organ weights and carcass characteristicswere not significantly influenced by the dietary treatments at day 42. The use of 5 g/kg savory powderled to the highest antibody titers against SRBC as compared to other groups (P<0.05). The serumbiochemical parameters were not affected by dietary treatments. The results suggest that dietaryinclusion of 5 g/kg savory can be applied as alternatives to in-feed antibiotics for broiler diets.
... A higher dosage of T. terrestris in the diet may have had an adverse effect on some beneficial microbial populations such as lactobacillus, preventing the herb from exhibiting its positive influence on performance and resulting in a poorer FCR. Similarly in our another trial use of E. purpurea L. (5 g/kg) diet had positive effect on performance and humoral immune responses of broiler chicks and supplementation of 10 g/kg suppressed performance and humoral immune responses of broilers [28] . In the present study carcass percentage was statistically improved by the dietary treatments. ...
Objective: To evaluate the effect of Tribulus terrestris L. (puncture vine) as an antibiotic growth
promoter substitute on growth performance, carcass traits, and immune responses in broiler
chickens.
Methods: A total of 1 92 one-day-old as hatched broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly
allocated to four treatment groups, with 4 replicates of 12 birds. The following treatments were
applied: basal diet (control), control+4.5 mg flavophospholipol/kg, or control+1 or 5 g puncture
vine powder/kg. Vaccines against newcastle, influenza disease, and sheep red blood cells were
administered to immunological stimuli.
Results: Daily feed intake, internal organ weights, and carcass traits were not influenced by
the dietary treatments except for carcass yield that increased in broilers fed diet supplemented
with 1 g puncture vine powder/kg at 42nd day. Broilers receiving 1 g puncture vine/kg tended to
have a lower feed conversion ratio compared to other groups during starter, finisher and entire
experimental period (P>0.05). Broilers receiving 1 or 5 g puncture vine/kg had higher antibody
titer against Newcastle disease virus compared to other groups (P
... For the past several decades, different strategies have been used to improve poultry productivity and profitability. Subtherapeutic feeding of antibiotics has historically been a practice in some sectors of the commercial broiler industry to promote growth performance and protect flock health [1]. Recently, the use of antibiotic growth promoter has been banned in many countries for prevent the risk of developing bacteria resistant and the entrance of drug residues into the food [2]. ...
... Subtherapeutic feeding of antibiotics has historically been a practice in some sectors of the commercial broiler industry to promote growth performance and protect flock health [1,2]. However, the use of dietary antibiotics has resulted in controversial problems such as development of antibiotic resistant bacteria and drug residue in the final products [3] which can be harmful to consumers. ...
... Landy et al. showed that the broilers raised under low pressure atmospheric O 2 , growth rate is retarded due to a depression in feed intake [8] . Also in other trials, final body weight of broilers reared in high altitude was lower than standard target weight [15][16][17] . Thus, besides feeding a mash diet, to a large extent, the relatively high altitude could account for the decreased growth rate of broilers at different ages. ...
Objective: To examine the effect of onion (Allium cepa L.) as an antibiotic growth promoter
substitute on growth performance, carcass traits, and microflora composition in broiler chickens.
Methods: A total of 192 one-day old mixed sex broiler chicks (Ross 308) were weighed and
randomly allocated to four treatment groups, each with 4 replicate pens of 12 chicks. The dietary
treatments consisted of the basal diet (control), antibiotic (15 mg virginiamycin/kg), and control+10
or 30 g fresh onions bulb/kg diet. Body weights of broilers were determined at Day 1, 21, and
42, feed intake was determined at the same periods, and feed conversion ratio was calculated
accordingly. At Day 42, two birds per replicate were slaughtered for determination of carcass
and organ weights. The populations of Lactobacilli spp. and Escherichia coli were enumerated in
ileum by conventional microbiological techniques using selective agar media.
Results: Dietary supplementation of 30 g/kg onion increased final body weight of broilers at 42
d of age compared to that of the other treatments (P
The demand for biotics as alternatives to antibiotics that promote growth and lessen the use of antimicrobials in poultry farms is fueled by recent worldwide regulations and consumer expectations. Phytogenic substances are becoming increasingly valuable options because many of these natural compounds possess anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that are only less commercialized. The usage of phytogenic substances can also help maintain a balance of healthy microorganisms in the gut, which is beneficial for the digestive system to withstand various chronic stressors, both infectious and non-infectious. Although some phytogenic substances are commercially available, these are typically hampered by inconsistencies in their effectiveness, low bioavailability, and low stability. This chapter discusses the current and potential phytogenic compounds that can exert antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to improve poultry production and restore intestinal microbiota. Additionally, the main challenges still related to phytogenic products will be discussed.
Tightening global regulations on the use of sub-clinical dietary antibiotics to enhance broiler growth are in response to increasing concern about the risk of resistance and their residues in animal products. The study evaluated the potential of apple cider vinegar (ACV) and garlic extract (GAE) as safer, phytogenic alternatives. A batch of 390 mixed-sex Ross 308-day-old broiler chicks was received into an open, deep litter house, and feather-sexed in the second week into 30 experimental units of 13 birds per 2.03 m 2 pen. From days 1 to 22, all chicks were on a 200g/kg crude protein, coccidiostat treated commercial starter diet. During the grower (16-28 days) and finisher (29-42 days) phases, chick pens were assigned treatments in a 2 (sex) x 5 (additives) factorial experiment replicated three times. The GAE was a pure extract, while ACV was produced by fermenting 1000g fresh apple and 80g supplementary brown cane sugar in 1.3L water for 4 weeks. The five treatments comprised antibiotic (15% granular zinc bacitracin and 12% valinomycin sodium, each at 500g/tonne) grower (190 g kg -1 crude protein, 13.0 MJ ME kg -1) and finisher (165 g kg -1 crude protein, 13.2 MJ ME kg -1) commercial diets with untreated drinking water as positive controls (PC), antibiotic-free duplicates of the PC diets with untreated drinking water as the negative controls (NC), with 3ml/L filtered ACV in drinking water (T1), 2ml/L filtered GAE treated drinking water (T2), or mixed (3ml/L ACV + 2ml/L GAE) additive drinking water (T3). Males had higher (P<0.05) feed intake than females in both growth phases. Birds on the PC gained more (P<0.05) weight than others. Birds on the PC consumed more feed (P<0.05) during the finisher phase than T1, T2 and the NC. Birds on the PC had a lower (P<0.05) grower-phase FCR than others, though with lower (P<0.05) FCR during the finisher phase for birds on T1 and T3. Birds on the PC had higher (P<0.05) percent spleen weight than birds on T1, with smaller proventriculus (P<0.05) than on NC, T1, T2 and T3, and smaller gizzard weight than birds on the T2 and T3. Birds on the NC exhibited less dressing percentage (P<0.05) than all other treatments. Meat pH was higher (P<0.05) in males. In conclusion, in contrast to dietary antibiotics, except for improved dressing percentage, the ACV and GAE did not express phytogenic benefit at the experimental dosage.
Phytogenic additives have been studied intensively in broiler chicken production to substitute growth-promoting antibiotics. However, the comprehensive literature on this topic makes it difficult to understand overall results because there are a noticeable number of studies with conflicting conclusions. While several research studies have shown that phytogenic additives may increment broiler chicken’s performance, others make the opposite evident. This study aimed to organize and understand information through meta-analysis considering a great number of publications and the factors that may interfere in the results of phytogenic additives, evaluating whether phytogenic additives can be used as a performance-enhancing additive for broilers, when compared with the effectiveness of growth-promoting antibiotics. The main factor that interferes in the evaluation of phytogenic additives is the microbiological challenge. Phytogenic additives improved average daily gain (ADG) (P < 0.001) and feed conversion (P < 0.001) regardless of microbiological challenge; however, they were worse compared with antibiotics under higher challenge (P < 0.020). A meta-regression of ADG in function of average daily feed intake confirmed that phytogenic additives increased the feed efficiency of broilers, but with less effectiveness than antibiotics. The blends of phytogenic additives increased the ADG in relation to the isolated use of only one phytogenic additive.
It is established that antibiotics are one of the most important medical discoveries of 20th century and will remain an utmost way of treating disease of animals as well as of human beings. We, the human beings, get meat, milk, egg, etc. from animals being very important and inevitable part of our daily nutrition. The irrational, consecutive and extensive use of antibiotics in food producing animals particularly for growth promotion has lead to antibiotic resistance, microbial resistance and possible the drug residual threat for human beings due to consumption of milk, meat, egg, etc. It was found out that during the normal physiology the animals undergo various types of stresses mainly including environmental, pathogenic, etc which suppress the immune system as well as the GIT of animals and due to this the animals become vulnerable to different diseases which leads to immunosuppression, poor health status, increased mortality and decreased production. Due to this ban on using synthetic antibiotics in animals as antibiotic growth promoters (AGP), an alternative approach is to use phytochemicals in animals’ feed for growth promotion, optimum production and enhancing or modulating the immunity level of animal. These phytogenic feed additives are important and have many properties i.e. anti-fungal, antibiotic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antiviral, etc which, when supplemented with diet and fed to animals, ensure the protection and improvement of health condition, integrity of GIT and enhance the immunity level of animal. This review illustrates the importance of plant-based feed additives supplemented with other feedstuff and fed to animals particularly their role in immunomodulation to boost the immunity level on animal under stress conditions. Key words: feed additives, phytobiotics, alternative to antibiotics, animal feeding, immunity.
This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of edible mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) in comparison with an antibiotic growth promoter (flavophospholipol) on performance, carcass characteristics and immune responses of broiler chicks. In these trial 180 nine day old mix sexes broiler chicks (Ross 308) were weighed and randomly allocated to 1 of 6 experimental treatments. Each treatment consisted of 3 replicates of 10 birds. The 6 treatments were as follow: Basal diet (control); Basal diet + antibiotic (4.5 mg flavophospholipol/kg diet); and basal diet supplemented with either levels of 5, 10, 20 or 30 g of dried mushroom/kg of feed. Body weights (BW) of broilers were determined at day 9, 21, and 45, feed intake was determined at the same periods, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated accordingly. At day 45, two birds per replicate were slaughtered for determination of carcass and organ weights. Antibody titers against Newcastle (NDV), and sheep red blood cells (SRBC) were determined. The results showed that the use of 30 g mushroom/kg diet led to the highest antibody titers against SRBC (p < 0.05). The treatments had no effect on antibody titers against NDV. In grower and total period of the trial the highest amount of DFI was seen in the groups receiving 10 g mushroom/kg diet (p < 0.05). The BW obtained in birds fed the basal diet none significantly was greater than other groups at 45 day of age (P > 0.05). Broilers receiving flavophospholipol had lower FCR compared to broilers receiving 10 or 20 g mushroom/kg during total period of trial (P < 0.05) but it was not different from broilers fed the basal diet or basal diet supplemented with 5 or 30 g mushroom/kg. FCR of broilers in other periods was not affected. Internal organ weights and carcass traits were not influenced by the dietary treatments at day 45. In conclusion, the results indicated that supplementing broiler diet with 30 g mushroom/kg could induce favorable influences on immune responses of broilers without any adverse effects on performance criteria.
This experiment aimed to examine the effect of periodical application of bioactive peptides derived from cottonseed (BPC) in comparison with using sub-therapeutic doses of lincomycin and the excessive inclusion of vitamin E on performance, immunity, total antioxidant capacity of serum and intestinal morphology of broiler chickens. A total of 240 one-d-old male broiler chicks with similar initial weight (Ross strain) were randomly assigned to 6 groups (8 chicks/pen): non-treated group (basal diet), basal diet supplemented with 2 mg/kg lincomycin, basal diet supplemented with 50 IU vitamin E, basal diet supplemented with 6 g BPC/kg in starter period, basal diet supplemented with 6 g BPC/kg in starter and grower periods and basal diet supplemented with 6 g BPC/kg throughout the whole experiment. The highest final body weight was obtained in the group supplemented with BPC in starter and grower periods. In the finisher phase, broilers fed the diet containing BPC in the starter period and in the whole trial had significantly (P
The objective of the present experiment was to evaluate the effect of bioactive peptides derived from cottonseed (BPC) on chicken performance, immunity, the total antioxidant activity of serum and intestinal morphology. A total of 280 one-day-old male broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allocated into 1 of the following 7 experimental treatments (5 replicates per treatment with 8 broilers per pen). Five diets were formulated to contain 0 (control), 3, 4, 5 and 6 g BPC/kg of diet in comparison with control + 50 U excessive dietary vitamin E and control + 2 mg lincomycin. At 40 d the BW tended to improve in broilers supplemented with an antibiotic, 3, 5 and 6 g BPC/kg groups (p > .05). In the whole trial, supplementing 5 g BPC/kg increased feed intake of broilers in comparison to other groups (p < .05). In the whole trial broilers fed diets supplemented with 6 g BPC/kg had a significantly better FCR value (p < .001). Supplementation of 3 g BPC/kg increased antibody titres against Newcastle disease virus and sheep red blood cell (p < .01). Dietary supplementation of vitamin E, antibiotic, 3, 4 and 5 g BPC/kg significantly (p < .001) increased total antioxidant activity of serum compared with those fed the basal diet. In conclusion, the results indicated that supplementation of 6 g BPC/kg in broiler diets could induce favourable influences on growth performance, immune responses and total antioxidant activity of serum and it could be used in broiler diets as an alternative to antibiotics.
• HIGHLIGHTS
• Broilers fed diets supplemented with 6 g bioactive peptides (BPC)/kg had better FCR.
• Supplementation of BPC increased humoral immune responses.
The study evaluated the effects of Citrullus lanatus essential oils inclusion in diet on egg production, egg quality, and physiological parameters in layer hens. A total of 72 White Leghorn point-of-lay hens at 18 wk were used for the study. The hens were randomly allocated to following 3 dietary treatments: 1) commercial layer diet (control), 2) commercial diet + 1 g C. lanatus essential oil/kg feed (1gCL), and 3) commercial diet + 2 g C. lanatus essential oil/kg feed (2gCL). Each treatment was replicated 8 times arranged in completely randomized design. From the results, an increase in total weight gain, average daily feed intake, and average daily gain was observed with inclusion of the C. lanatus essential oil. In addition, the inclusion of C. lanatus in diet improved the egg mass and feed conversion ratio (FCR). Hens fed C. lanatus–containing diets had higher egg mass (1gCL, 53.35 g ± 0.71; 2gCL, 53.99 ± 0.71 g) compared with the control (52.90 ± 0.71). The C. lanatus containing diets also had lower FCR than the control (1gCL [2.18 ± 0.22] and 2gCL [2.16 ± 0.22] vs. control [2.20 ± 0.71]). With regards to egg quality parameters, inclusion of C. lanatus oil appeared to reduce shell weight and shell ratio, while increasing albumen height and Haugh unit. Diets containing C. lanatus had significantly higher amounts of stearic acid, and linoleic acid was highest (P < 0.05) in the 2gCL fed hens. Birds fed the 2gCL diet (15.29 ± 0.60) had the highest total polyunsaturated fatty acids, total n-6 fatty acids (14.81 ± 0.59) and also had the highest n-6/n-3 ratio. An increase hematological values was observed with inclusion of C. lanatus essential oils in diets. Moreover, tibia bone parameters were also significantly improved with inclusion of C. lanatus essential oils in diets. It can be concluded that C. lanatus essential oil positively affected egg production, and quality and health of layer hens can be used successfully as a natural feed additive.
The complicated epidemiological situation of Avian Influenza Viruses (AIV) caused by continuous emergence of new subtypes with failure of eradication, monitoring and vaccination strategies opens the door to alternative solutions to save the status quo and prevent new disasters for the poultry industry. Using of synthetic antiviral drugs such as neuraminidase and haemagglutinin inhibitors has been limited due to development of drug resistance and expensive commercial application. One of the most promising alternatives is herbal products and botanicals. This review presents a comprehensive and specialized view of in vivo studies of herbal plants in poultry species. Many herbal extracts as Nigella Sativa oil, Astragulus, Cochinchina Momordica and Sargassum pallidum polysaccharides proved very effective as adjuvants for AIV vaccines. Another beneficial role of herbs is enhancement of host response to vaccination with further better prevention of infection and easier control. For enumeration not inventory, this is best achieved with the use of virgin coconut oil, Echinacea purpura , Ginseng stem-and-leaf saponins (GSLS), Astragulus polysaccharides (APS), Myrtus Communis oil, Garlic powder, Turmeric, Thyme and Curcumin. This review aimed to evaluate the most of the in vivo studies performed on poultry species as a step and a guide for scientists and field practitioners in establishemet of new effective herbal-based drugs for prevention and control of AIV in poultry.
The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation of stinging nettle powder (SNP) on laying performance, egg quality, and some selected serum biochemical parameters of quails. One hundred and forty-four 10-wk-old Japanese quails (initial body weight = 199 ± 18 g) were divided into 3 dietary treatment groups (basic diet without SNP [SNP0], SNP0 with 3% SNP [SNP3], SNP0 with 6% SNP [SNP6]) with 4 replicates of 12 quails for a rearing period of 12 wk. At 22 wk of age, the final body weights of the SNP3 and SNP6 groups were significantly (P = 0.001) reduced compared to that of the SNP0 group. Daily feed intake was not statistically different among the groups. The mean number of eggs laid ranged from 65 to 69 with laying rates from 76.8% to 82.1%. The percentage of cracked eggs was not significantly different among the groups and ranged from 1.6% to 1.9%. The egg weight was similar and the feed conversion ratio was closer among the groups. The egg yolk cholesterol, serum cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels in the SNP6 group were significantly reduced (P < 0.001) compared to those of the SNP0 group. Serum Ca, P and Mg were not significantly influenced by the supplementation. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that the supplementation of SNP to the quail diet at the level of 6% reduced quail egg yolk cholesterol, serum total cholesterol and serum triglyceride levels and did not negatively influence quail performance.
The present study was to evaluate thyme and ajwain as antibiotic growth promoter substitutions on growth performance, carcass characteristics and serum biochemistry in Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica). A feeding trial was conducted over 28 d with 4 groups of Japanese quails fed experimental diets formulated to provide no supplementation (control), or control + 55 mg zinc bacitracin/kg, 2 g thyme/kg, and 2 g ajwain/kg. At 35 d of age, 2 quails from each replicate were sacrificed and eviscerated. Liver, empty small intestine and heart were weighed and calculated as a percentage of live body weight. The carcasses were weighed and the cuts were performed to evaluate the yield of legs and breast. At 35 d of age, 2 quails per replicate were chosen and approximately 1-mL blood samples were collected through brachial vein, and concentrations of albumin, total protein, triglyceride, total cholesterol, and high density lipoprotein (HDL) -cholesterol were determined. Final body weight were not affected by the dietary treatment whereas, it tended to increase in quails supplemented with antibiotic. Overall feed conversation ratio values were similar though it tended to improve in quails supplemented with thyme compared with other groups. Daily feed intake, internal organ weights and carcass traits were not influenced by the dietary treatments. Serum total cholesterol contents were lower (P < 0.05) in quails supplemented with ajwain compared with control and quails supplemented with antibiotic and thyme. The highest serum HDL-cholesterol was seen in the group supplemented with thyme compared with other groups. It was concluded that the addition of 2 g/kg thyme can improve serum biochemistry in quails, although its effects on performance criteria was negligible.
The purpose of this study, was to evaluate the use of Echinacea purpurea (EP) root as a feed additive in broiler chicken diets. 340 7-d-old male broilers (Ross 308) were randomly allocated into 5 experimental treatments (with 4 replicates) including control diet without additive, experimental diet supplemented by flavophospholipol (FL) (650 ppm) and three experimental diets were supplemented by 0.5, 1.0, or 2.0% EP root. Body weights of broilers were measured at 7, 21 and 42 days and feed intake was measured weekly. At 42 days of age blood samples were taken from eight chickens per treatments and then, chickens were slaughtered for determination of carcass component and meat quality. The result of this experiment indicated that body weight and body weight gain of EP 1% and FL treatments were higher significantly than other treatments at 42 days old (p0.05), but intestine weight of FL treatment was lower significantly than others. Levels of phosphorus and uric acid of EP treatments were lower significantly than control; where glucose of FL treatment was higher than other treatments. Aspartate aminotransferas and Alanine aminotransferas enzymes of EP dietary treatments were lower activity than control and FL treatments (p0.05). Moisture of meat was not significantly differed among treatments, but Breast and thigh crude protein of EP treatments were lower than control. After 30-day storage, pH of thigh was higher in control هدف از این مطالعه ارزیابی ریشه گیاه سرخارگل به عنوان افزودنی خوراکی در جیره جوجه گوشتی بود. 340 قطعه جوجه نر 7 روزه (راس 308) به صورت تصادفی بین پنج تیمار آزمایشی (دارای 4 تکرار) شامل جیره شاهد بدون افزودنی، جیره آزمایشی حاوی آنتیبیوتیک فلاوفسفولیپول (ppm 650 ) و سه جیره آزمایشی حاوی ریشه سرخارگل در سطوح 5/0، 1 و 2 درصد جیره توزیع شدند. وزن بدن جوجهها در 7، 21 و 42 روزگی و مصرف خوراک به صورت هفتگی اندازهگیری شد. در 42 روزگی از 8 جوجه در هر تیمار خونگیری شد، سپس جهت مطالعه اجزاء لاشه و کیفیت گوشت، جوجهها کشتار شدند. نتایج آزمایش نشان داد که وزن بدن و افزایش وزن بدن در جیره حاوی سرخارگل 1% و جیره آنتیبیوتیک در 42 روزگی بیشتر از سایر تیمارهای آزمایشی بود ( 05/0 p) ، اما وزن روده تیمار آنتیبیوتیک کمتر از سایر تیمارها بود. سطوح فسفر و اسید اوریک خون تیمارهای دارای سرخارگل کمتر از تیمار شاهد و گلوکز خون تیمار آنتیبیوتیک بیشتر از سایر تیمارها بود. آنزیمهای آسپارتات آمینوترانسفراز و آلانین آمینوترانسفراز تیمارهای سرخارگل، فعالیت کمتری نسبت به تیمارهای شاهد و آنتیبیوتیک داشتند ( 05/0 p). رطوبت گوشت بین تیمارهای آزمایشی تفاوتی نداشت اما پروتئین خام سینه و ران تیمارهای حاوی سرخارگل کمتر از سایر تیمارها بود . pH گوشت ران پس از 30 روز ذخیرهسازی در تیمار شاهد بیشتر بود (05/0 p
Echinacea purpurea L. is one of the important ornamental and medicinal plant species. Ploidy manipulation is a valuable tool for improving plant quality or production in E. purpurea as well as in many other plants. To study the segregation of pure ploidy plantlets from colchicine-induced ploidy chimeras in E. purpurea, we used a chimera plantlet that consisted of 1.93% diploid, 35.04% tetraploid, and 63.03% octoploid cells as the source material for experiments. The results showed that three factors significantly influenced the segregation, i.e., the component ratios of different ploidy cells in the chimera, the number of sequential passages, and the methods of segregation culture of the chimera plantlets. Other factors, such as explant types (i.e., leaf, petiole, or root) and 6-benzyladenine (BA) concentrations (i.e., 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, and 1.2 mg·L-1) occasionally influenced the segregation. Pure chromosome-doubled polyploids are not easily obtained in various plant species, so segregation culture of ploidy chimeras may potentially be more effective. The morphological characteristic and content of cichoric acid were compared among diploid, tetraploid, and octoploid plants. Results indicated that tetraploid and octoploid plants had more stunted growth, larger stomata, lower stomata frequency, more chloroplast number in guard cells, and higher cichoric acid content than original diploid lines. © 2016, American Society for Horticultural Science. All rights reserved.
This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of milk or molasses kefir as a probiotic on growth performance, carcass traits, serum biochemistry and humoral immune responses in broiler chickens. A total of 192 one-d-old as hatched broiler chicks (Ross 308) were randomly allotted to 4 treatments, each with 4 replicate pens of 12 chicks. The following treatments were applied: 1) a basal diet (C) and normal drinking water, 2) 2% milk kefir in drinking water, 3) 2% molasses kefir in drinking water, and 4) the diet C supplemented with commercial probiotic. At d 42, eight birds per treatment were killed for determination of carcass traits. Broilers at 28 days of age were bled for measuring antibody titers against Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and avian influenza virus (AIV), at 30 days of age for antibody titers against sheep red blood cell (SRBC), and at 42 days of age for biochemical analysis. Supplementing 2% milk kefir increased body weight of broilers at 28 and 42 days of age (P
This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of Nigella sativa (NS) powder and Echinacea purpurea (L.) Moench extract (EP) on performance and some blood biochemical and haematological parameters in broiler chickens. A total of 144, one day-old broiler chickens (Ross 308) were divided into three treatment groups, with four replicates per treatment and 12 chicks per replicate. Chicks in control groups were fed basal diets and received water without any supplementation. Birds in treatment groups two were fed on feeds supplemented with 1% NS. For birds in treatment groups three, drinking water was supplemented with EP at the rate of 0.25 ml/kg body weight (BW). Body weights of broilers were measured at one, 21 and 42 days, feed intake was measured at the same periods and feed conversion was calculated, accordingly. Blood samples were taken weekly until 6(th) weeks, for biochemical and hematological analysis. Result of this experiment show that, supplementing 1% NS improved body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of broilers at starter and grower periods (P < 0.05), and also increased serum albumin levels (P < 0.05). Supplementation of EP increased globulin levels and white blood count (WBC) count significantly (P < 0.05). Total protein and glucose concentrations were not statistically (P> 0.05) influenced. Supplementing 1% N. sativa decreased serum triglyceride and total cholesterol of broilers in overall (P < 0.05). In conclusion, results of this study show that addition of 1% NS powder seem to have a positive influence on growth performance and it could be considered as a antibiotic growth promoter substitution for broiler chicks.
The effect of Kalongi (Nigella sativa, L.) seeds was studied on the performance of layers and cholesterol contents of their egg-yolks. A total of 96 White-Leghorn birds of 40 weeks of age and at the egg-laying stage were randomly divided into 12 experimental units, eight birds in each unit. These units were randomly allotted to four treatments in such a way that each treatment received 3 experimental units. Four test rations were prepared by supplementing a commercial layer-ration with powdered Kalongi seeds at the rates of 0.0, 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5%. Effects of feeding these rations on feed intake, egg production, egg mass, egg shell thickness, Haugh unit, yolk index, blood spots, meat spots and total cholesterol in eggs were determined after a period of 12 weeks. Blood samples of the two birds selected at random from each replicate were taken at 0, 6 and 12 weeks. The serum obtained from these samples was analyzed for total cholesterol, low-density lipoproteins, high-density lipoproteins and triglycerides. Data on feed intake, feed refused and egg production were used to calculate the feed conversion ratio. Results showed that Nigella sativa seeds significantly (P<0.05) increased egg production, egg mass, egg-shell thickness and Haugh unit. However, there was no significant (P>0.05) change in yolk index, blood and meat spots. The Nigella sativa seeds also significantly (P<0.05) reduced yolk cholesterol contents. The serum triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, cholesterol and total cholesterol levels were also reduced, while serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol level was increased by supplementing the commercial layer-ration with Nigella sativa seeds.
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with black seed and peppermint on the performance, carcass traits, immune responses, serum biochemistry, hematological parameters and meat acceptability in broilers. A total number of 240 day-old male broilers (Ross 308) were randomly allocated to five treatments with four replicates. The dietary treatments consisted of the basal diet as control, 2 and 4 g/kg black seed, 4 and 8 g/kg peppermint added to the basal diet. Body weights of broilers were measured at 1, 14, 28 and 42 days, feed intake was measured for different periods and FCR was calculated accordingly. At 42 days two birds per replicate were slaughtered for determination of carcass and organ weights and also meat sensory evaluation. At 18 and 28 days blood samples (8 samples per treatment) were taken for measuring antibody titers and at 42 days for biochemical and hematological analysis. Supplementing 4 g/kg peppermint increased body weight of broilers at 28 days of age (P < 0.05), but final body weight at 42 days was not affected. Broilers fed 4 g/kg black seed significantly showed the most efficient FCR (0–42 days). Internal organ weights and carcass characteristics were not significantly influenced by treatments. Black seed supplementation also caused a marked (P < 0.05) increase in the weight of lymphoid organs at 42 days but other immune related parameters were not statistically different among treatments. Biochemical parameters including serum protein, albumin, triglyceride, LDL, HDL and total cholesterol, SGOT and SGPT enzymes concentrations were not statistically (P > 0.05) influenced. Black seed significantly increased RBC count, hemoglobin concentration and hematocrit percentage compared to control birds (P < 0.05). Sensory evaluation of thigh meat displayed no abnormal odor or flavor in meat induced by feed additives.
This study was performed to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with cinnamon and garlic powder as growth promoter agents on performance, carcase traits, immune responses, serum biochemistry, haematological parameters and thigh meat sensory evaluation in broilers. A total of 288, day-old male broilers (Ross 308) were randomly assigned to six treatments with four replicates. The dietary treatments consisted of the basal diet as control, antibiotic group receiving 3mg/kg flavophospholipol, 2 and 4g/kg cinnamon or garlic powder added to the basal diet. Body weights of broilers were measured at 1, 14, 28 and 42days, feed intake was measured at the same periods and feed conversion was calculated, accordingly. At day 42 two birds per replicate were slaughtered for determination of carcase and organ weights and also meat sensory evaluation. Supplementing 2g/kg cinnamon increased body weight of broilers at 28 and 42days of age (P
A research study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary inclusion of thyme powder as an antibiotic growth promoter substitution on performance, immune responses, hematological and biochemical parameters in broiler chicks. In this study, 192 day old chicks (Ross 308) were allocated to four treatments with four replicates based on a completely randomized design. Dietary treatments included control, antibiotic (flavophospholipol), and 5 and 10 g/kg thyme powder. Supplementing the diet with antibiotic and 5 g/kg thyme resulted in a significant increase in body weight (P<0.05). Feed intake of broilers was not markedly influenced by treatments but birds fed diets containing antibiotic had the lowest FCR (P<0.05). None of the immune related parameters tested differed significantly among experimental treatments (P>0.05). Thyme powder at 10 g/kg level significantly (P<0.05) increased HDL-cholesterol concentration but protein, albumin, triglyceride, total and LDL cholesterol concen-trations were not influenced. Treatments also failed to induce any statistical impacts on hematological parameters of broilers including red and white blood cell count, hemoglobin and hematocrit values. The obtained results suggest that supplementing broilers' diet with 5 g/kg thyme can indicate favorable influences of antibiotic growth promoter on performance without any detrimental impacts on immune responses and blood parameters.
A total number of 189 one d-old Hubbard broiler chicks were randomly divided into seven treatment groups of three replicates, 9 chicks each. The first group was served as control and fed the basal diets. While, the other six groups were received the basal diet supplemented with acetic acid (AC), citric acid (CA) or lactic acid (LA) at different levels of 1.5 and 3.0 % of diet, respectively. The experiment was lasted when chicks were 42 d old. Thyroid gland activity, some blood components, organ morphology, pH level of some gastrointestinal tract (GI-tract) segments and performance were measured. The results showed that dietary acidification elevated significantly concentration of T3 as well as T3:T4 ratio, but T4 level was not significantly affected. Moreover, the effect was clearly notable with CA and AC. Chicks fed acidified diets had better immune response as indicated by their higher serum globulin and relative lymphoid organs than the control. Similarly, higher calcium and phosphorus concentrations were noted. On the other hand, significant reduction in abdominal fat and serum level of cholesterol and total lipid was achieved due to dietary acidification. The liver functions did not adversely alter, in response to addition of organic acidifiers. Addition of any level and source of organic acids increased feed digestion and absorption as a result of increasing relative pancreas weight and small intestine density (indication of the intestinal villi dimension). The pH values in different GI-tract segments were insignificantly decreased with supplemental all types and doses of AC, CA and LA. Broiler chicks of dietary organic acids had superior improvement in live body weight (LBW), body weight gain (BWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) as compared to those of unsupplemented diet. No remarkable differences were noted between the addition of 1.5 and 3% of either AC, CA or LA in most studied traits.
A study was made of the effect of antibiotics on growth of chicks and on intestinal absorption of fats and carbohydrates.
Around the 8th day of life, chicks fed an antibiotic-free casein-sucrose diet developed a transitory syndrome of malabsorption of fats and carbohydrates, associated with disturbance of the efficiency of feed utilization and poor weight increase. Administration of virginiamycin, at a level of 20 ppm, suppressed this period of malabsorption and resulted in improved feed conversion and increased weight gain.
The temporary growth depression and malabsorption were not observed in disinfected rooms in new quarters. Under these conditions virginiamycin did not stimulate growth nor was the efficiency of feed utilization improved by the antibiotic. However, the growth-depressing flora could be introduced to the new quarters by feeding each bird 50 mg of fresh feces collected from chicks in old quarters.
Both the intestinal absorption and the growth-promoting effect of virginiamycin were influenced by the type of carbohydrate in the basal diet, and have been found to be most pronounced when sucrose was fed as the sole source of carbohydrate. The malabsorption was less obvious when cornstarch was substituted for sucrose. In this case virginiamycin had only a limited effect on growth and on feed conversion.
The present investigations suggest that antibiotics stimulate growth of chicks by their antibacterial action against Gram-positive microorganisms which interfere with the absorption of nutrients. Furthermore, the growth-promoting effect seems to be most pronounced during a limited period of a few days around the 8th day of life.
An experiment was conducted with broiler chicks to determine the influence of Virginiamycin on chicks fed diets with four levels of energy. Addition of the Virginiamycin to the diet resulted in significantly improved body weight and feed efficiency at all levels of energy. The greatest improvement was obtained at the lowest level of energy. Addition of Virginiamycin to the diet decreased the energy required to produce a unit of body weight.
Two experiments were conducted with broilers to determine the effect of Virginiamycin supplementation on performance and shank
pigmentation. Virginiamycin supplementation at 10 ppm resulted in significantly increased body weights in both experiments.
Feed efficiency was significantly improved in Experiment 1 by the supplementation of 5 and 10 ppm Virginiamycin. In Experiment
2, 20 ppm Virginiamycin was included and resulted in no greater response than that observed at 10 ppm. Pigmentation values
as measured by a reflectance colorimeter and Roche color fan favored (P≤.05) Virginiamycin supplementation in both experiments.
Data indicated that when the diet was supplemented with Virginiamycin an increase in the utilization of xanthophyll resulted.
Mortality was not influenced by dietary treatment.
A feeding experiment was carried out over 42 d with four groups of broiler chickens fed experimental diets formulated to provide
no supplementation, 20 mg zinc bacitracin, 60 mg salinomycin, or both feed additives in combination. During the fifth week
of the experiment, four chickens from each pen were killed, and the contents of gizzard, duodenum, jejunum, ileum, ceca, and
rectum were separately collected and pooled. In all intestinal segments, the pH and the concentration of lactic acid were
measured, and the numbers of anaerobic bacteria, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria, lactobacilli, enterococci, and Clostridium perfringens were counted. In homogenates of pancreas obtained from four animals, the activities of amylase, lipase, trypsin, and chymotrypsin
were measured. A significant growth-promoting effect was observed in the group receiving zinc bacitracin in combination with
salinomycin. Zinc bacitracin significantly reduced the number of coliform bacteria in the ileum and increased the activities
of amylase and lipase in pancreas homogenates. Supplementation with salinomycin and zinc bacitracin, alone or in combination,
resulted in significantly lower counts of C. perfringens as well as Lactobacillus salivarius, which was a dominant lactic acid bacterium found in broiler intestinal contents. High numbers of these lactobacilli may play
a role in broiler growth depression related to competition in nutrient uptake or impaired fat absorption due to bile acid
deconjugation.
A 42-d trial was conducted to study the influence of 2 plant extracts on performance, digestibility, and digestive organ weights
in broilers. The feeding program consisted of a starter diet until 21 d and a finisher diet until 42 d. There were 4 treatment
groups: control; 10 ppm avilamycin (AB); 200 ppm essential oil extract (EOE) from oregano, cinnamon, and pepper; and 5,000
ppm Labiatae extract (LE) from sage, thyme, and rosemary. No differences in feed intake or feed conversion were observed.
From 14 to 21 d of age, broilers fed the LE diet grew faster than the broilers fed the control or EOE feeds (68.8 vs. 63.9
and 61.6 g/d, respectively). Antibiotic and plant extract supplementation improved apparent whole-tract and ileal digestibility
of the nutrients. For starter feed, LE supplementation improved apparent fecal digestibility of DM (P < 0.01), and all additives increased ether extract digestibility (P < 0.001). However, no effect was detected for CP digestibility (P > 0.1). At the ileal level, the AB, EOE, and LE supplementation of the starter feed increased DM and starch (P < 0.01) digestibility but not CP digestibility (P > 0.1). All additives improved apparent fecal digestibility of DM and CP of the finisher diet. No differences were observed
for proventriculus, gizzard, liver, pancreas, or large or small intestine weight. In the present study, both plant extracts
improved the digestibility of the feeds for broilers. The effect of different additives on digestibility improved the performance
slightly, but this effect was not statistically significant.
The aim of the present investigation was to examine the inclusion of the dried aerial parts of the herb Echinacea purpurea (L.) MOENCH as feed additive in diets of broilers and layers on feed intake, feed conversion efficiency and growth/egg performance. The control groups were supplemented with alfalfa meal. In total, 360 broilers received as a dosage-screening test 0, 0.6, 1.2, 1.8, 2.4, 3.0, 3.6, 4.2, or 4.8% Echinacea cobs for a period of 5 weeks. The recorded parameters feed intake, feed conversion efficiency and growth performance showed no influence of the various dosages. Another experiment with broilers comprised 180 birds during 5 weeks. The treatment groups were 0, 2.4% Echinacea cobs or 10 mg/kg feed Flavomycin. The Echinacea group had a significant lower feed intake (2713 g vs. 2995 g) and body weight (1719 g vs. 1895 g) compared with the Flavomycin and the control group. 120 layer chicks were allotted to 2 experimental groups with 0 or 1.8% Echinacea cobs and raised in floor management from week 1-20. In the egg production period starting in week 21, they were supplemented with 0 or 4.8% Echinacea cobs. Body weight in week 4, 8, and 20 was similar, while feed intake of the Echinacea group was depressed by 4%. Feed efficiency of the Echinacea group in week 1-4 was 4% better, but depressed in week 5-8 by 11%. In the egg production period no differences between the treatment groups was observed. It can be concluded, that Echinacea purpurea as a feed additive for broilers and layers is not beneficial for growth or layer performance and that it is not suitable to replace an antibiotic feed additive.
In an experiment with thirteen sows (echinacea: n = 6; control: n = 7), the influence of Echinacea purpurea treatment of pregnant and suckled sows on immune system, health status, growth performance, and carcass quality of the offspring (echinacea: n = 69; control: n = 79) was investigated. Echinacea was given as liquid feed supplement during the whole pregnant and suckling period of sows in six intervalls (5 days of treatment, followed by 2 weeks of break, respectively). During the treatment time the daily dosage per sow in echinacea-group was 0.125 ml preparation of echinacea extract (incl. solution)/kg body weight. To measure the concentrations of immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin A (IgA) and C-reactive protein (CRP) in serum, blood samples were taken by punction of V. cava cranialis (sows and piglets) at different times. The treatment of sows resulted in immunostimulatory effects both in sows and piglets with highest changes in peripartal period. In one day old piglets, the concentrations of IgG, IgA and CRP were significantly increased in echinacea-group (P = 0.0004, P < 0.0001, P = 0.05, respectively). Up to day 70 of age, the rate of therapeutical treatments of piglets from echinacea-treated sows was decreased in tendency (P = 0.08). The growth performance and carcass quality of offspring was not influenced by echinacea treatment of sows.
Three experiments were performed to study the effects of intermittent oral application of two different preparations of Echinacea purpurea (EP) juices on broiler performance, blood picture, liver and heart associated enzymes. Results of present experiments show that EP juices do not have any harmful effect on broiler health and performance. Numerically better broiler performance was observed in EP treated groups as compared to control, except for ADWG, which was significantly (P < 0.05) higher for EP-F treated group in experiment 2. Significant (P < 0.05) improvement of serum globulin levels by application of EP-F through drinking water for 3 days followed by 9 treatment free days, showed that EP-F juice has a potential to improve immunity of birds. Reduced creatine kinase levels show that application of EP juices can also have beneficial effect on cardiac vascular system and can reduce the risks of sudden death syndrome in fast growing broilers. No negative effects of EP supplementation on liver function could be observed.
Echinacea phytopharmaceuticals represent the most popular group of herbal immunostimulants in Europe and in the USA [1, 2]. According
to a recent report, Echinacea products have been the best selling herbal products in natural food stores in the USA in 1997 with 11.93% (1996: 9.6%) of
herbal supplement sales [3]. Including homeopathic preparations, more than 800 Echinacea-containing drugs are currently on the market in Germany. Most of the preparations contain the expressed sap of Echinacea purpurea aerial parts, or hydroalcoholic tinctures of E. pallida or E. purpurea roots. They are mainly used for the treatment of colds and infections [4]. Clinical effects have been demonstrated for the
expressed sap of the aerial parts of Echinacea purpurea in the adjuvant therapy of relapsing infections of the respiratory and urinary tracts, as well as for alcoholic tinctures
of E. pallida and E. purpurea roots as adjuvants in the therapy of the common cold and flu [5, 6]. In the USA, it is mostly encapsulated powders from roots
and aerial parts, but also tinctures from the roots and aerial parts that are used. Many investigations of the constituents
of Echinacea have been undertaken. So far, compounds from the classes of caffeic acid derivatives, flavonoids, polyacetylenes, alkamides,
pyrrolizidine alkaloids, polysaccharides and glycoproteins have been isolated [7]. For the main interest of finding the active
component, but also for standardization purposes, the question on the chemical composition of Echinacea herbs and preparations is essential. Therefore, the present knowledge on the chemical constituents, analysis, and immunomodulatory
effects of Echinacea preparations shall be reviewed.
SUMMARY Historical developments leading to the use of antibacterial agents in animal feeds and the generally accepted concepts about their growth promoting action are reviewed. Growth-pro- moting concentrations of these agents modify the microflora or their products within the gastrointestinal lumen and probably in the host's immediate environment. Consistently demonstrable quantitative changes in popula- tions of intestinal species have not been docu- mented because these are predominately anaer- obic and probably could not be quantitated by the culturing methods employed. The intimate relationships between the gastrointestinal mu- cosa and its anaerobes more recently shown by electron microscopy are summarized. During the 25 years since feed use of antibiotics was introduced, the average enhancement in rate of growth has remained relatively constant. Thus the mechanisms of growth promotion appear unrelated to factors causing antibiotic resist- ance or its transfer between microorganisms. Since antibacterial agents cause the gastrointes- tinal tract of animals to take on attributes of the germ-free state, comparisons of anatomic and other features of germ-free and conven- tional animals are stressed. These comparisons are discussed in their possible relation to nutrient requirements, postulated mechanisms of growth promotion, and the influence of antibacterial agents and other dietary factors on bacterial production of toxins from bile acids and nitrogenous substrates. Tentative estimates
The aim of the present trial was to evaluate the effect of repeated short-time applications of Echinacea purpurea juice as feed additive to initiate an immune response. In a trial with 70 white layers (LSL) two Echinacea juices as feed additives were tested for their influence on feed intake, performance, blood cell counts, phagocytosis of granulocytes, and antibody titer against Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV) following vaccination. Echinacea juice was pressed juice of aerial parts of the plant preserved with either ethanol (20%) or by fermentation. The application scheme followed a repeated 14 days regimen with either 5 days of application and 9 days without or 2 days of application and 12 days without. Blood was taken several times following an application period. The performance of the hens was not impacted. Significant changes were found in the number of lymphocytes (p b 0.002), phagocytosis rate (p b 0.02), and NDV antibody titer (p b 0.01). The number of lymphocytes was highest in the group receiving ethanolic juice for five consecutive days. Phagocytosis was reduced in both groups provided with ethanolic juice (2 or 5 days). Highest NDV antibody titers were seen in the groups receiving fermented juice for 2 days. Additionally, phagocytosis of granulocytes was determined in fattening pigs (80 – 100 kg) after 5 days of Echinacea application with ethanolic or fermented juice. A significant increase (p b 0.005) was found with both Echinacea formulations. The number of lymphocytes was also increased significantly in the groups provided with Echinacea (p b 0.008).
Effect of Azadirachta indica leaf extract on serotonin inhibition in glucose mediated insulin release in rat pancreas was studied in vitro to elucidate the possible mechanism of antihyperglycemic effect of A. indica leaf extract. A. indica leaf extract blocks significantly (P < 0.05) the inhibitory effect of serotonin on insulin secretion mediated by glucose.
Preparations from Echinacea purpurea are among the most widely used herbal medicines. Most uses of E. purpurea are based on the reported immunological properties. A series of experiments have demonstrated that E. purpurea extracts do indeed demonstrate significant immunomodulatory activities. Among the many pharmacological properties reported, macrophage activation has been demonstrated most convincingly. Phagocytotic indices and macrophage-derived cytokine concentrations have been shown to be Echinacea-responsive in a variety of assays. Activation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes and natural killer cells has also been reasonably demonstrated. Changes in the numbers and activities of T- and B-cell leukocytes have been reported, but are less certain. Despite this cellular evidence of immunostimulation, pathways leading to enhanced resistance to infectious disease have not been described adequately. Several dozen human experiments--including a number of blind randomized trials--have reported health benefits. The most robust data come from trials testing E. purpurea extracts in the treatment for acute upper respiratory infection. Although suggestive of modest benefit, these trials are limited both in size and in methodological quality. Hence, while there is a great deal of moderately good-quality scientific data regarding E. purpurea, effectiveness in treating illness or in enhancing human health has not yet been proven beyond a reasonable doubt.
An experiment was conducted to examine the effects of dietary supplementation with 0.1% and 0.5% ground root preparations of Echinacea purpurea (EP; common name: purple cone flower) on the development of immunity following live vaccination and subsequent challenge with multiple coccidia species in an experimental model using a commercial live vaccine preparation. Effects of immunization and EP supplementation on weight gains before challenge, and weight gains, lesion scores and plasma levels of carotenoids and NO2-+NO3- following challenge were determined. In this experiment, combined live vaccination and feed supplementation with 0.1% or 0.5% EP during the first 2 weeks of life provided significant weight gain advantage compared to live vaccination alone. This advantage persisted through 2 weeks of EP withdrawal and subsequent challenge infection. EP supplementation also significantly lowered total lesion scores but did not significantly modify the effects of vaccination and challenge on plasma carotenoids or NO2-+NO3-.
Various preparations of the plant Echinacea purpurea have been investigated for their potential to enhance immune function, primarily through activation of innate immune responses. Few studies have examined the potential for enhancement of humoral immunity. Using female Swiss mice we administered a volumetric dose of a glycerine extract of E. purpurea by oral gavage, to evaluate effects on the IgM specific antibody forming cell (AFC) response. Four days of treatment following immunization with sheep red blood cells (SRBC) produced a significant enhancement over naive controls at doses of 0.4 and 0.8 mL/kg/day. A few clinical trials and anecdotal reports have suggested that the greatest efficacy for E. purpurea occurs in acute use following onset of illness. A time course study, using the time of SRBC immunization to mimic the onset of illness, examined the effects of 8 and 4 days of E. purpurea treatment at 0.6 mL/kg/day. Only in the 4-day administration, with dosing beginning 1 hour after SRBC immunization, was there an observed enhancement of the antibody forming cell response. This supports the acute use of E. purpurea as suggested by anecdotal reports, and demonstrates the potential for enhancement of humoral immune responses as well as innate immune responses.
The aim of the present investigation was to examine the inclusion of the dried herb Echinacea purpurea (L.) MOENCH as feed additive in diets of sows, piglets, and grower/finisher pigs on growth performance, blood picture, plasma enzymes including proliferation of lymphocytes, antibody status, and protein and immune globulin content of colostrum. The control groups were supplemented with alfalfa meal. The sows (total 36) received 0%, 1.2%, or 3.6% Echinacea cobs in the diet from day 85 to day 110 of gestation and 0%, 0.5%, or 1.5% Echinacea cobs up to day 28 of lactation. No significant differences were found for growth performance, weight loss, blood picture, plasma enzymes, and colostrum composition. Performance of the sucking piglets was not impaired either during lactation or during a 4 week observation period after weaning. The health status was similar in all treatment groups. In a second experiment, lasting 6 weeks, with 36 piglets (5.8-22.1 kg body weight), 1.8% Echinacea cobs, or 20 mg/kg feed Flavomycin were supplemented. No significant differences were found for the recorded parameters. Feed conversion ratio (kg feed/kg gain) of the Echinacea group was slightly (4%) increased (1.54 vs. 1.60). In a third trial, 48 grower/finisher pigs were used during a 9-week experimental period with two supplementation phases (weeks 1-3 and weeks 7-9). The experimental groups received 0%, 1.5% cobs or 4-6 ml pressed juice (commercial standard) per day respectively. Vaccination with Swine erysipelas was implemented in weeks 1 and 5 to determine the specific immune response. Growth performance and blood picture for all groups were similar, however, feed conversion of both Echinacea supplemented groups was significantly (p < 0.03) better than of the unsupplemented control group (2.44 vs. 2.51). In addition, the Swine erysipelas antibodies showed a marked significance (p < 0.05) in regard of altitude in both supplemented groups. It is concluded, that E. purpurea might be used as a feed additive to achieve immune stimulating efficiency in pig production and increase feed-to-gain-conversion. The efficiency of cobs is comparable to a commercial juice product.
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