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Osmoregulatory function of betaine in alleviating heat stress in poultry
Abstract
This review focuses on the osmoregulatory function of betaine and its effect in terms of alleviating heat stress in poultry. Poultry appear to be particularly sensitive to temperature‐associated environmental challenges, especially heat stress. High ambient temperatures are deleterious to productive performance in poultry, including broilers, laying hens, quails and turkeys, resulting in considerable economic losses. Heat stress impairs overall poultry production by decreasing feed intake and negatively affecting intestinal development, leading to reduced nutrient digestibility. Apart from inducing a high mortality rate, heat stress is known to depress growth rate and reduce meat yield in broilers. In layers, lower feed intake impairs ovarian function, leading to decreased feed efficiency, egg production and egg quality. In addition, reduced immune functions, such as thyroid activity and antibody production, are evident in poultry exposed to heat stress. Heat stress increases the production of oxidants, causing oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation of cell membranes. Poultry respond physiologically and behaviourally when encountering the negative effects of heat stress, attempting to return the body to homeostasis. This requires energy at the expense of weight gain or egg production. Due to its zwitterionic structure, betaine has osmoprotective properties that aid in protecting intestinal cell proteins and enzymes from environmental stress, including high ambient temperature, thereby counteracting performance losses. Betaine also exerts an osmoregulatory role in cells, regulating water balance, and this results in more stable tissue metabolism. Inclusion of betaine in the diet may be beneficial for alleviating physical reactions to heat stress, as indicated by increases in nutrient digestibility. In broilers, betaine supplementation increases weight gain and breast muscle yield, while improving feed conversion. In layers, betaine supplementation improves egg production, egg quality traits and immune indices. In conclusion, due to its osmoregulatory functions, betaine plays an important role in alleviating heat stress in poultry.
... As global temperatures rise, heat stress (HS) is increasingly considered an urgent and emerging threat in broiler production because HS has been consistently reported to exert various detrimental effects on growth performance, product quality, and health in broiler chickens (Zaboli et al., 2019;Liu et al., 2020). These negative effects of HS are highly associated with various physiological and metabolic alterations in broiler chickens (Chowdhury et al., 2014;Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). One of the important HS-induced metabolic alterations is an increase in energy and nutrient requirements in broiler chickens Onagbesan et al., 2023). ...
... In addition, Gly also acts as a biological osmolyte and is associated with single-carbon metabolism as a methyl-group donor or acceptor in the body, which largely shares physiological functions of betaine (Eklund et al., 2005). Therefore, dietary Gly supplementation is implicated to have the potential to modify intestinal development, body protein and lipid metabolism, oxidative status, and immune responses (Eklund et al., 2005;Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018;Won et al., 2023). However, the importance of dietary Gly has often been disregarded in poultry nutrition because Gly can be endogenously synthesized in poultry, and relatively high amounts of Gly are present in typical feed ingredients (Mel endez-Hevia et al., 2009). ...
... The possible reason is that Gly is required for the synthesis of vital biomolecules, such as collagen, creatine, porphyrins, glutathione, bile acids, nucleic acids, and uric acid (Graber and Baker, 1973;Corzo et al., 2004). Gly can also serve as a biological osmolyte and a donor of methyl groups, similar to the functions of dietary betaine (Eklund et al., 2005;Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). More importantly, the requirement of Gly in poultry may increase under stress conditions due to both increased demand for specific Gly functions and inadequate endogenous Gly synthesis (Nam et al., 2023;Won et al., 2023). ...
The current study aimed to investigate the effect of increasing supplementation of dietary glycine (Gly) on growth performance, meat quality, liver characteristics, and intestinal health in broiler chickens raised under heat stress (HS) conditions. A total of one thousand six hundred 25-d-old broiler chickens were randomly allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments with 8 replicates. Each replicate comprised 20 male and 20 female birds. A negative control (NC) diet was prepared to meet or exceed energy and nutrient requirement estimates, whereas a positive control (PC) diet was formulated to contain increasing concentrations of AMEn by 50 kcal/kg as well as those of digestible amino acids, total Ca, and available P by 10% compared with the respective concentrations in the NC diet. Three additional diets were prepared by supplementing the NC diet with 0.4, 0.8, or 1.6% Gly. All chickens were raised under cyclic HS conditions at 29°C ± 0.89°C for 10 h/d and 23°C ± 1.45°C for the remaining time over an 18-d feeding trial. Results indicated that broiler chickens fed the NC diet had a greater (P < 0.05) FCR than those fed the PC diet under HS conditions. Increasing supplementation of up to 1.6% Gly in diets decreased (linear, P < 0.001) FCR in broiler chickens. Increasing supplementation of dietary Gly tended to increase (linear, P = 0.070) water holding capacity in the breast meat. Increasing supplementation of dietary Gly decreased (linear, P < 0.05) serum aspartate aminotransferase concentrations and tended to decrease blood heterophil:lymphocyte (linear, P = 0.083) and liver malondialdehyde concentrations (quadratic, P = 0.084). A tendency for increased villus height (linear, P = 0.086) and a significant increase in villus height:crypt depth ratio and goblet cell numbers (linear, P < 0.05) were identified following increasing Gly supplementation. In conclusion, increasing supplementation of dietary Gly improved feed efficiency, meat quality, liver health, and intestinal morphology possibly by mitigating oxidative stress and stress response in broiler chickens raised under HS conditions.
... A widely used additive, betaine, is a naturally occurring compound with antioxidant properties able to reduce oxidative stress (Abbas et al., 2021). It has two main functions: it acts as a methyl donor and as a compatible osmolyte (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018;Wasti et al., 2020). As a methyl donor, betaine supports several methylation processes in the protein and lipid metabolism, especially carnitine and creatine synthesis (El-Ghany and Babazadeh, 2022). ...
... As an osmolyte, betaine stabilizes osmoregulation by preventing cellular dehydration (Al-Qaisi et al., 2023). Betaine supplementation was hypothesized to improve laying performance during HS because it improves nutrient digestibility (Ratriyanto et al., 2017;Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). Moreover, betaine could stimulate the secretion of follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone which increases egg production (Attia et al., 2016;Ratriyanto et al., 2017;Attia, et al., 2018). ...
... It has been reported that BET supplementation could increase pCO 2 and HCO 3 À concentrations in heat-stressed birds by increasing the respiration rate (Park and Kim, 2017). Moreover, HS studies reported that BET supplementation could increase Na + , K + , and Cl − levels to sustain osmosis (Park and Kim, 2017;Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). The impact of BET on glucose levels is inconsistent (Al-Qaisi et al., 2023). ...
Climate change is increasingly manifesting in temperate regions. Laying hens are highly sensitive to heat stress and mitigation strategies should be implemented to reduce the negative effects. The goal of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of betaine in drinking water (0.55 g/L) and 4 h feed restriction during peak heat stress on laying performance, egg quality, blood gas parameters, body temperature (Tb), and oxidative stress in 2 different breeds of laying hens. Therefore, 448 ISA Brown hens (25 wk) and 448 Lohmann LSL classic laying hens (26 wk) were housed in 128 cages (7 hens/cage). Thermoneutral (TN) data was collected for 21 d before cyclic heat stress (HS) (21d; 32 ± 2°C; 6 h daily). During HS, hens were divided into 4 treatments: 1) feed restriction (FR), 2) betaine supplementation in drinking water (BET), 3) feed restriction and betaine supplementation in drinking water (FR-BET), or 4) control (CON). The effects were evaluated after 1 wk of HS (acute heat stress; AHS) and 3 wk of HS (chronic heat stress; CHS). Laying rate and egg mass (EM) diminished during CHS but decreased more in white than brown hens (2.78% and 1.94%; −1.57% and −0.81%, respectively; P = 0.004) and remained unaltered by BET or FR. During AHS, average daily feed intake (ADFI) increased compared to TN, but the increase was higher in white than brown hens (6.36% and 2.62%, respectively; P = 0.001). Egg shell quality deteriorated during AHS and CHS, but was most affected in white hens, FR or BET did not impact this. Blood pCO2, HCO3⁻ and base excess significantly decreased during AHS and CHS, but pH and iCa were unaltered. Blood glucose increased in white hens during AHS compared to TN (P < 0.001), while plasma malondialdehyde increased in brown hens (P < 0.001). Results indicated that laying hens experienced HS, but breed differences were observed and white hens were generally most affected. FR affected feed conversion ratio negatively during CHS. However, FR and BET could not improve laying performance, egg quality, Tb, or blood parameters during HS.
... However, total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol values were numerically reduced in groups B, D, and E and B, C, D, and E, respectively, compared to the control group (A). Similar outcomes were reported by Ratriyanto and Mosenthin (2018), who observed that dietary BT improved lipase activity and reduced the quantities of triacylglycerols and cholesterol in the serum of laying hens. Ghasemi and Nari (2020) reported that supplementing BT in diets did not affect blood biochemical parameters. ...
... Even though BT serves as a methyl group donor in protein structure, enzyme function, and cellular function, its osmoregulatory properties could affect the growth of broiler chickens in hot environments (Craig, 2004). Furthermore, BT reduces the fear response in broilers exposed to heat stress by constraining oxidative stress and growing broiler feed intake (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). During heat stress, administration of BT reduced broiler chickens' tonic immobility, linked to higher serum levels of SOD and GPX activities. ...
... According to previous evidence, heat exposure has been demonstrated to stress osmotic cells in broilers, causing a water imbalance and modifying cell permeability through dehydration (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). Furthermore, changes in the digestive system's structure and function may happen due to fluid movement from the digestive system during heat stress (Song et al., 2013). ...
Global warming and climate changes have a detrimental impact on poultry production, causing substantial economic losses. This study investigated the effects of incorporating dietary betaine (BT) and organic minerals (OMs) on broilers’ performance as well as their potential to mitigate the negative impacts of heat stress (HS). Six hundred 1-day-old Ross 308 chicks were randomly allocated to 12 experimental treatments with 5 replicates of 10 birds each (5 male + 5 female). The birds were provided with diets containing BT (0 and 2,000 ppm) and OMs (0, 250, and 500 ppm), either individually or in combination, under both thermoneutral and HS-inducing temperatures. The HS conditions involved exposing the birds to cyclic periods of elevated temperature (35°C ± 2°C) for 6 h daily, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, starting from d 10 and continuing until d 35. The exposure to HS deteriorated birds’ growth performance; however, dietary BT and OMs inclusion improved the growth performance parameters bringing them close to normal levels. Carcass traits were not affected by dietary supplementation of BT, OMs, HS, or their interaction. Interestingly, while HS led to increased (P < 0.05) levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and hepatic malondialdehyde (MDA), these adverse effects were mitigated (P < 0.05) by the addition of BT and OMs. Moreover, dietary BT supplementation led to elevated serum total protein and globulin concentrations. Cyclic HS did not alter Mn, Zn, and Cu contents in the pectoral muscle. However, the incorporation of OMs at both levels increased concentrations of these minerals. Notably, the combination of 500 ppm OMs and 2,000 ppm BT improved Mn, Zn, Cu, and Fe digestibility, which has been compromised under HS conditions. Cyclic HS upregulated gene expression of interleukin-1β, heat shock protein 70, and Toll-like receptor-4 while downregulated the expression of claudin-1, uncoupling protein, growth hormone receptor, superoxide dismutase 1, glutathione peroxidase 1 and insulin-like growth factor 1. The aforementioned gene expressions were reversed by the combination of higher dietary levels of BT and OMs. In conclusion, the dietary supplementation of 500 ppm OMs along with 2,000 ppm BT yielded significant improvements in growth performance and mineral digestibility among broiler chickens, regardless of thermal conditions. Moreover, this combination effectively restored the expression of growth-related genes even under heat-stress conditions.
... Betaine (Bet or trimethylglycine) is a zwitterion at neutral pH with a negatively charged carboxyl group and a positively charged trimethyl-ammonium group (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). The primary role of Bet in body functions is the donation of the methyl group to other metabolites in various transmethylation processes (Eklund et al., 2005). ...
... Dietary supplementation of Bet is widely applied in poultry exposed to HS conditions because Bet plays a role as an osmoprotectant and methyl donor in animals under HS conditions (Eklund et al., 2005;Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). Many previous studies, therefore, reported that dietary supplementation of Bet from 0.10% to 0.60% ameliorated the impairment in productive performance of broiler chickens exposed to HS conditions (Chand et al., 2017;Shakeri et al., 2020). ...
... Previous experiment reported that HS negatively affect the meat quality of broiler chickens (Lara and Rostagno, 2013). Dietary supplementation of Bet may ameliorate the negative effect of HS on meat quality, possibly due to an increase in the osmoregulatory capacity by Bet (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018;Wen et al., 2019). However, such a beneficial effect of dietary supplementation of 0.20% Bet was not observed in this experiment. ...
The current experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of individual or combination of dietary betaine (Bet) and glycine (Gly) on productive performance, stress response, liver health, and intestinal barrier function in broiler chickens raised under heat stress (HS) conditions. A total of four hundred twenty 21-d-old Ross 308 broiler chickens were randomly allotted to 1 of 5 dietary treatments with 7 replicates. Birds in treatment 1 were raised under the thermoneutral condition (TN; 23 ± 0.6°C). Birds in other 4 treatment groups were subjected to a cyclic HS by exposing them to 32 ± 0.9°C for 8 h/d (from 09:00 to 17:00 h) and 28 ± 1.2°C for the remaining time for 14 d. Birds were fed a basal diet in TN condition (TN-C) and one group in HS conditions (HS-C), whereas other birds raised under HS conditions were fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.20% Bet (HS-Bet), 0.79% Gly (HS-Gly), or their combination (0.20% Bet + 0.79% Gly; HS-Bet+Gly). Results indicated that birds in HS-Bet, HS-Gly, or HS-Bet+Gly treatment had higher (P < 0.05) final BW and BW gain, but lower (P < 0.05) feed conversion ratio (FCR) than those in HS-C treatment. However, values for improved final BW, BW gain, and FCR by dietary treatments were lower (P < 0.05) than those measured in TN-C treatment. Under HS conditions, birds in HS-Bet, HS-Gly, or HS-Bet+Gly treatment had lower (P < 0.05) heterophil to lymphocyte ratio than those in HS-C treatment. Birds in HS-Gly or HS-Bet+Gly treatment had higher (P < 0.05) villus height and goblet cell number than birds in HS-C treatment. Intestinal permeability was higher (P < 0.05) in all HS-treatment groups than in TN-C treatment, but it was not affected by dietary treatment. In conclusion, individual supplementation of 0.20% Bet or 0.79% Gly in diets alleviates the negative effect of HS in broiler chickens. However, the synergistic effect of the combination of 0.20% Bet and 0.79% Gly in broiler diets seems lower than expected.
... In this regard, Betaine (BET) has numerous metabolic and osmoregulatory functions, and it plays a vital role in alleviating HS in poultry and monogastric animals (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin 2018;Pradista et al. 2022). BET, also known as tri-methyl-glycine, is a natural stable compound originating from plants, animals, and microorganisms. ...
... As an organic osmolyte, BET is essential for maintaining osmotic pressure in intestinal epithelial cells during osmotic stress and drought (Figueroa-Soto and Valenzuela-Soto 2018;Pradista et al. 2022;Yang et al. 2022). Such osmotic protection regulates the water balance and volume of intestinal cells, facilitating the secretion of digestive enzymes and nutrient uptake, and improving growth performance (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin 2018;Wang et al. 2020). BET supplementation improves growth performance, immunity and breast yield in broilers housed under HS condition (Chand et al. 2017;Ratriyanto and Mosenthin 2018). ...
... Such osmotic protection regulates the water balance and volume of intestinal cells, facilitating the secretion of digestive enzymes and nutrient uptake, and improving growth performance (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin 2018;Wang et al. 2020). BET supplementation improves growth performance, immunity and breast yield in broilers housed under HS condition (Chand et al. 2017;Ratriyanto and Mosenthin 2018). BET supplementation improves immune indices, egg production, and quality in layers (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin 2018). ...
This study aimed to investigate the effects of water-added betaine (BET) and Magic oil, (MAGO) on growth performance and blood biochemistry of broilers exposed to constant heat stress (32 ± 1 °C) during 21–35 d. On day 21, 320 chicks (Ross 308) were straight run to one of four groups based supplements with drinking water (DW): control, BET (1 g/L DW), and/or MAGO (1 ml/L DW), respectively). Each treatment consisted of eight replicates with ten birds each. The performance data were obtained at 21, 28, and 35 d. Serum biochemical data of the birds were estimated at day 35. The results showed that body weight gain (BWG) and feed intake did not differ significantly (p > .05) between the treatments. However, Bet alone or in combination with MAGO has improved feed conversion ratio (FCR) during the 28–35 d and 21–35 d periods; also, BET lowered (p < .05) creatinine compared to control. The addition of MAGO alone or in combination with BET increased (p < .05) total protein, albumin, globulin, and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol. In addition, MAGO decreased total lipids, and creatinine, whereas it increased (p < .05) cholesterol, especially good cholesterol, and triglycerides compared with the control. In conclusion, water-BET-supplements alone or in combination with MAGO has improved the FCR under heat stress conditions. Therefore, it is recommended to use Bet alone or both supplements under high-temperature conditions in broiler houses. However, further studies on the use of MAGO and/or BET at different doses are needed to maximise BWG and maintain the productivity of the birds.
• Highlights
• Water-enriched magic oil and betaine had higher added value than feeding alone by improving the feed conversion ratio during 21–35 d.
• Compared with the other groups, water-supplemented magic oil produced some benefits, such as lower serum glucose, higher serum high-density lipoprotein ‘good cholesterol’ and lower creatinine levels.
• The added value of the combination of magic oil and betaine for growth performance and serum health biomarkers needs further investigation at various levels.
... Betaine intake as a dietary supplement or through food has a similar bioavailability and is rapidly absorbed to participate in two main biological processes. In one, betaine acts as a donor of methyl groups in the methionine metabolic pathway (159,172,173) for remethylating and removing homocysteine (174,175). In the second process, betaine acts as an osmolyte regulating cells' adaptation to adverse osmotic environment and environmental stressors, such as low water levels, high salinity, and extreme temperatures (35, 176). ...
... Betaine supplementation maintains the stability of the intestinal morphological structure by preventing cellular water loss (173), increasing the villus height, crypt depth and villus height/ crypt depth ratio in the gut which prevent bacterial translocations (216). Betaine modulates the gut microbiota by increasing the abundance of commensals Prevotella, Ruminococcus, Oscillospira, Bifidobacterium, Akkermansia muciniphila, Lactobacillus, Dorea, Bacteroidaceae, Bacteroides, Parabacteroides and decrease the abundance of pathobionts including Desulfovibrio, Mucispirillum schaedleri, Coriobacteriaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Enterorhabdus, Coriobacteriales (33). ...
Chronic liver disease is defined by persistent harm to the liver that might result in decreased liver function. The two prevalent chronic liver diseases are alcohol-associated liver disease (ALD) and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). There is ample evidence that the pathogenesis of these two chronic liver diseases is closely linked to gastrointestinal dysfunctions that alters the gut-liver crosstalk. These alterations are mediated through the imbalances in the gut microbiota composition/function that combined with disruption in the gut barrier integrity allows for harmful gut microbes and their toxins to enter the portal circulation and reach the liver to elicit an inflammatory response. This leads to further recruitment of systemic inflammatory cells, such as neutrophils, T-cells, and monocytes into the liver, which perpetuate additional inflammation and the development of progressive liver damage. Many therapeutic modalities, currently used to prevent, attenuate, or treat chronic liver diseases are aimed at modulating gut dysbiosis and improving intestinal barrier function. Betaine is a choline-derived metabolite and a methyl group donor with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and osmoprotectant properties. Studies have shown that low betaine levels are associated with higher levels of organ damage. There have been several publications demonstrating the role of betaine supplementation in preventing the development of ALD and MASLD. This review explores the protective effects of betaine through its role as a methyl donor and its capacity to regulate the protective gut microbiota and maintain intestinal barrier integrity to prevent the development of these chronic liver diseases. Further studies are needed to enhance our understanding of its therapeutic potential that could pave the way for targeted interventions in the management of not only chronic liver diseases, but other inflammatory bowel diseases or systemic inflammatory conditions.
... Betaine is the trimethyl derivative of the amino acid glycine.-Dietary betaine (trimethylglycine) is known to perform several critical biological functions that support livestock productivity during heat stress (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018;Dunshea et al., 2019) [22,21] . Betaine serves two primary functions in the animal's body. ...
... Betaine is the trimethyl derivative of the amino acid glycine.-Dietary betaine (trimethylglycine) is known to perform several critical biological functions that support livestock productivity during heat stress (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018;Dunshea et al., 2019) [22,21] . Betaine serves two primary functions in the animal's body. ...
The present study was conducted to assess the effect of betaine supplementation on haemato-biochemical profile of lactating Mehsana buffaloes during summer. Eighteen Mehsana buffaloes were assigned randomly into three equal groups. The three were as T1: (control): Basal diet; T2: Basal diet + 25 gram/animal/day of betaine powder supplementation and T3: Basal diet + 50 gram/animal/day of betaine powder supplementation. The blood sample was collected at 60 days of experiment. The haemoglobin and haematocrit values were without significant (p>0.05) difference among the treatment groups. No significant (p>0.05) effect on red blood cells (erythrocytes, MCV, MCH and MCHC) and white blood cells (leucocytes, granulocyte, lymphocytes and monocytes) count were observed due to dietary addition of betaine in the diet. The serum concentrations of glucose, total protein, albumin, globulin, urea, creatinine, triglycerides, cholesterol, serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase, and serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase were not affected (p>0.05) by betaine supplementation. Based on the results, it may be concluded that supplementation of betaine at the dose rate of 25 and 50 gram in the diet of lactating Mehsana buffaloes during summer did not any adverse effect on haemato-biochemical parameters.
... In fact, most of the research examining BET's role in thermal stress has been performed in cell culture and animal models experiencing passive heat stress. Collectively, these data tend to show evidence of reduced thermal stress when exposed to passive heat (DiGiacomo et al., 2016;Egbuniwe et al., 2018;Khattak et al., 2012;Ratriyanto & Mosenthin, 2018; Sahebi Ala et al., 2019; Shakeri et al., 2018;Zhang et al., 2014). Notably, improved heat tolerance is observed when BET is introduced chronically into the feed or water supply (DiGiacomo et al., 2016;Egbuniwe et al., 2018;Khattak et al., 2012;Ratriyanto & Mosenthin, 2018;Sahebi Ala et al., 2019;Shakeri et al., 2018;Zhang et al., 2014). ...
... Collectively, these data tend to show evidence of reduced thermal stress when exposed to passive heat (DiGiacomo et al., 2016;Egbuniwe et al., 2018;Khattak et al., 2012;Ratriyanto & Mosenthin, 2018; Sahebi Ala et al., 2019; Shakeri et al., 2018;Zhang et al., 2014). Notably, improved heat tolerance is observed when BET is introduced chronically into the feed or water supply (DiGiacomo et al., 2016;Egbuniwe et al., 2018;Khattak et al., 2012;Ratriyanto & Mosenthin, 2018;Sahebi Ala et al., 2019;Shakeri et al., 2018;Zhang et al., 2014). Despite these positive findings in animal models, there is a gap of understanding regarding BET's ability to attenuate thermal stress in humans in either passive or active heat stress scenarios. ...
Introduction:
Consuming intracellular osmolytes, like betaine (BET), may attenuate symptoms of heat stress. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of BET supplementation on fluid balance and heat tolerance after a 7-day loading period and during passive heat exposure.
Methods:
A double-blind, placebo controlled, crossover study compared BET or placebo consumption (50 mg·kg-1 , twice daily) for 7 days in young, recreationally active men (N = 11).
Results:
During the loading period, no significant interactions were found for any marker of fluid balance between or within conditions. During heat exposure, significant time effects but no condition x time interactions, were found for plasma characteristics (i.e., volume, osmolality, sodium, albumin, and total protein). Plasma volume was significantly increased by min 30 in both conditions (PLA: +6.9. ± 5.0%, BET: +10.2 ± 7.4%) and remained elevated for the remainder of the experimental trial, but was not significantly different between conditions. After 60 min of passive heat exposure, both conditions experienced a similar increase in core temperature (PLA: +0.32 ± 0.22°C, BET: +0.31 ± 0.21°C; p = 0.912).
Conclusions:
Supplemental BET did not improve markers of fluid balance or heat tolerance during 7 days of loading or during passive heat exposure.
... This response underscores the intricate relationship between the intensity and duration of heat stress exposure. Heat stress is recognized for its detrimental effects, including a reduction in the weights of lymphoid organs such as the bursa, thymus, and spleen, a decrease in the total count of white blood cells, a decline in antibody titers, and an alteration in the heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (Ratriyanto & Mosenthin, 2018). Thus, the ratio of heterophils to lymphocytes emerges as a valuable indicator for assessing avian stress levels, with heightened stress levels often corresponding to an elevated ratio. ...
Heat stress significantly affects the physiological and performance aspects of broiler chickens, leading to reduced growth, feed intake, and feed efficiency. This research investigates the impact of various dietary additives and supplements on blood serum components in heat-stressed Ross 308 broiler chickens. A completely randomized design with eight treatment groups, each with four replications and 12 birds per replication, was used. Significant differences were found in blood parameters such as glucose, total protein, albumin, uric acid, and AST, as well as in heterophil percentage, lymphocyte count, heterophil to lymphocyte ratio, and bronchitis antibody titers (p < 0.05). Dietary interventions also significantly altered the E. coli population in the cecum (p < 0.05). Diets enriched with coenzyme Q10 and vitamin C notably reduced E. coli populations under heat-stress. However, no significant differences were observed in tibia characteristics (p > 0.05). These results demonstrate the effectiveness of feed additives in mitigating heat stress effects in broiler chickens. We recommend incorporating vitamin C, coenzyme Q10, and Eubiotic supplements to enhance the well-being and performance of broiler chickens under heat stress conditions.
... The nontoxic amino acid derivative betaine (Bet) (N, N, N-trimethylglycine) is found in different plants and species, where it regulates the growth, antioxidant activity, osmotic balance, and metabolism [7,8]. Ratriyanto et al. [9] determined that adding dietary betaine to feed was associated with reduced physical reactions to heat stress exposure. Therefore, betaine is a promising diet additive for animals. ...
Background
Betaine is an effective antioxidant and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is an inflammatory stimulus that can disrupt the antioxidant system. However, the precise mechanisms of betaine’s antioxidant activity remain undetermined. This study aimed to examine the impact of betaine on growth, antioxidant capacity, and inflammatory cytokine production in LPS-challenged goslings. In this study, 168 healthy Jiangnan White Goslings (males, 15 days old) were selected and randomly categorized into four groups. There were 7 goslings per replicate and 6 replicates for each treatment. This study employed a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement, the goslings were provided a diet containing 0% or 0.06% betaine and were injected with physiological saline or LPS.
Results
Subsequent analyses revealed that on day 21 of LPS treatment, there was a significant decrease in gosling’s ADFI, ADG, and BW, whereas dietary betaine supplementation improved ADFI and BW in LPS-stressed individuals (p = 0.08, p = 0.09). LPS challenge significantly upregulated pro-inflammatory interleukin-1β (IL-1β) mRNA (p < 0.05), whereas betaine significantly lowered these levels (p < 0.05). During the LPS stress period (days 16–21), the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were significantly reduced, while malondialdehyde (MDA) levels were increased in the liver and jejunal mucosa (p < 0.05). Betaine administration reversed these changes and significantly increased SOD and T-AOC levels while decreasing the MDA content (p < 0.05). However, both LPS and betaine did not affect the mRNA levels of SOD1 or glutathione peroxidase 4 (GSH-Px4) in the liver or jejunal mucosa during the stress (days 16–21) or recovery (days 22–28) periods.
Conclusions
In summary, these analyses revealed that dietary betaine administration can effectively abrogate LPS-induced oxidative liver damage.
... Consistently, our result showed that 0.1% betaine not only increased the pectoralis muscle weight and its tissue percentage at 35 d but also promote the immune organ development especially the liver and spleen. In fact, owing to its osmo-protective properties, betaine has been demonstrated to protect the immunological and hepatic metabolic systems [41]. However, it has also been reported that treatment with betaine has no significant effect on carcass traits in broilers [42]. ...
This study aimed to investigate the effect of a multi-strain probiotic (Bifidobacterium B8101, Lactobacillus L8603, Saccharomyces bayanus S9308, Enterococcus SF9301), betaine, and their combination on intestinal epithelial development and growth performance in broilers. A total of 2800 one-day-old Ross 308 chickens were randomly divided into four groups: control (Ctrl) fed with a basal diet, multi-strain probiotic (Pb) group fed with basal diet + 100 mg/day/bird probiotic (1–14 d), betaine (Bet) fed with basal diet + 0.1% betaine (1–35 d), and a combination (Pb&Bet) fed with both probiotics and betaine. Each group was set with 10 replicates, with 70 chickens in each replicate. Result showed that betaine significantly increased the body weight (BW) of broilers at 14 d of age and decreased the feed conversion ratio (FCR) from 1 to 14 d of age. Multi-strain probiotic significantly increased BW at 21 and 35 d of age, and decreased FCR from 15 to 21 d of age. Pb&Bet group exhibited a higher BW but lower FCR than Ctrl throughout entire experiment (p < 0.05). Consistently, Pb&Bet group had a higher pectoralis muscle weight, fiber diameter and cross-sectional area compared to Ctrl group (p < 0.05). Pb&Bet group also increased villus height and the ratio of villus height to crypt depth (V/C) in duodenum at both 21 d and 35 d of age. Moreover, at 35 d of age, the mucin 2 (MUC2) expression in duodenum and jejunum was significantly increased in Pb&Bet group, and the interaction of betaine and probiotics was observed on claudin 1 (CLDN1), zonula occludens 1 (ZO1), and junctional adhesion molecule 2 (JAM2) expression in the ileum (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the combination of probiotics and betaine shows better potential for improving growth performance and promoting small intestinal development.
Graphical Abstract
... A novel cryopreservation protocol was developed, using betaine and electroporation. Betaine, a natural osmoprotectant, is stable, non-toxic, and highly hydrophilic, which allows it to competitively bind water molecules and prevent ice formation [98,99]. Electroporation, widely accepted for delivering non-permeable molecules into cells, creates temporary hydrophobic pores in the cell membrane under the electric stimulus, allowing molecule passage [100,101]. ...
Mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSCs) hold immense potential for regenerative medicine due to their remarkable regenerative and immunomodulatory properties. However, their therapeutic application requires large-scale production under stringent regulatory standards and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines, presenting significant challenges. This review comprehensively evaluates automated manufacturing processes and platforms for the scalable production of clinical-grade MSCs. Various large-scale culture vessels, including multilayer flasks and bioreactors, are analyzed for their efficacy in MSCs expansion. Furthermore, automated MSCs production platforms, such as Quantum® Cell Expansion System, CliniMACS Prodigy®, NANT001/ XL, CellQualia™, Cocoon® Platform, and Xuri™ Cell Expansion System W25 are reviewed and compared as well. We also underscore the importance of optimizing culture media specifically emphasizing the shift from fetal bovine serum to humanized or serum-free alternatives to meet GMP standards. Moreover, advances in alternative cryopreservation methods and controlled-rate freezing systems, that offer promising improvements in MSCs preservation, are discussed as well. In conclusion, advancing automated manufacturing processes and platforms is essential for realizing the full potential of MSCs-based regenerative medicine and accomplishing the increasing demand for cell-based therapies. Collaborative initiatives involving industry, academia, and regulatory bodies are emphasized to accelerate the translation of MSCs-based therapies into clinical practice.
Graphical Abstract
... The polysaccharide content was determined by the anthrone sulfate method [25], the mannitol content was determined by the sodium periodate colorimetric method [26], and the urea content was determined by the PDAB method [23]. The betaine content was determined by redwood salt colorimetry [27]. Three parallel tests were set up for each group. ...
Background
Ophiocordyceps sinensis (O. sinensis) is the dominant bacterium in the asexual stage of Chinese cordyceps, and its growth usually suffers from water stress. Thus, simulating its ecological growth environment is crucial for artificial cultivation. This study aimed to reveal the mechanism underlying the water stress tolerance of Ophiocordyceps sinensis (O. sinensis) by combining metabolomic and transcriptome analyses to identify crucial pathways related to differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and metabolites (DEMs) involved in the response to water stress.
Results
Gene coexpression analysis revealed that many genes related to ‘betalain biosynthesis’, ‘tyrosine metabolism’, ‘linoleic acid metabolism’, ‘fructose and mannose metabolism’, and ‘starch and sucrose metabolism’ were highly upregulated after 20d-water stress. Metabolomic analysis revealed that many metabolites regulated by these genes in these metabolic pathways were markedly decreased. On the one hand, we surmised that carbohydrate metabolism and the β-oxidation pathway worked cooperatively to generate enough acyl-CoA and then entered the TCA cycle to provide energy when exposed to water stress. On the other hand, the betalain biosynthesis and tyrosine metabolism pathway might play crucial roles in response to water stress in O. sinensis by enhancing cell osmotic potential and producing osmoregulatory substances (betaine) and antioxidant pigments (eumelanin).
Conclusions
Overall, our findings provide important information for further exploration of the mechanism underlying the water stress tolerance of O. sinensis for the industrialization of artificial cultivation of Chinese cordyceps.
... With global warming, high density, and the intensive poultry industry, the negative impact of heat-stressed broilers caused by high temperatures has attracted widespread attention worldwide, especially in tropical and subtropical regions [1]. Heat stress significantly affects the health and production of broilers and alters the composition of gut microbiota [2]. Furthermore, heat stress not only impairs the meat quality of broilers but also induces oxidative damage in their muscles [3]. ...
Simple Summary
High ambient temperature exposure-induced heat stress is one of the major problems in subtropical regions, severely affecting poultry health and production. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of dietary tributyrin supplementation on growth performance, meat quality, muscle oxidative status, and gut microbiota in Taihe silky fowls under cyclic heat stress (CHS) conditions. The results demonstrated that CHS remarkably reduced growth performance and impaired meat quality, while dietary tributyrin supplementation partially alleviated the adverse effects of CHS on these parameters. Additionally, tributyrin supplementation improved meat quality by enhancing muscle antioxidant capacity, which is believed to be associated with activating the Nrf2 signaling pathway. These findings are useful for the development of anti-heat stress feed additives in Taihe silky fowls.
Abstract
Heat stress adversely affects poultry production and meat quality, leading to economic losses. This study aimed to investigate the effects of adding tributyrin on growth performance, meat quality, muscle oxidative status, and gut microbiota of Taihe silky fowls under cyclic heat stress (CHS) conditions. In this study, 120-day-old Taihe silky fowls (male) were randomly divided into six dietary treatments. These treatments included a normal control treatment (NC, fed a basal diet), a heat stress control treatment (HS, fed a basal diet), and HS control treatments supplemented with 0.04%, 0.08%, 0.16%, and 0.32% tributyrin, respectively. The NC treatment group was kept at 24 ± 1 °C, while the HS treatment birds were exposed to 34 ± 1 °C for 8 h/d for 4 weeks. Results showed that CHS decreased growth performance and compromised the meat quality of broilers (p < 0.05). However, tributyrin supplementation improved ADG and FCR in broilers exposed to CHS (p < 0.05). Additionally, tributyrin supplementation resulted in increased shear force value and GSH-Px activity, as well as a decrease in drip loss, ether extract content, and MDA content of the breast muscle in broilers under CHS (p < 0.05). Furthermore, tributyrin supplementation up-regulated the mRNA expressions of Nrf2, NQO1, HO-1, SOD, and GSH-Px of the breast muscle in broilers exposed to CHS (p < 0.05). Based on these positive effects, the study delved deeper to investigate the impact of 0.16% tributyrin supplementation (HS + 0.16%T) on the cecum microbiota. The HS + 0.16%T treatment showed an increase in the relative abundance of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group (p < 0.05) and a trend towards an increase in Lactobacillus (p = 0.096) compared to the HS treatment. The results indicate that supplementation successfully improved the growth performance and meat quality of Taihe silky fowls. Furthermore, tributyrin supplementation, particularly at levels of 0.16%, improved meat quality by enhancing muscle antioxidant capacity, which is believed to be associated with activation of the Nrf2 signaling pathway.
... Additionally, oxidative stress has been reported to adversely effect on egg quality traits (Jing et al., 2022) and causes decline in the internal and external quality characteristics of the egg by reducing the availability of essential substances, such as water, proteins, lipids, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals (Eid et al., 2021). In agreement with our study, the inclusion of DXM injection resulted in a lower laying rate, shell strength, albumen height, haugh unit, egg weight, folk weight and albumen weight, which could be partly rescued by dietary betaine addition (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018;Guo et al., 2023). ...
Oxidative stress is a frequent concern in the breeding of laying hens, and limit the healthy development of poultry. Dexamethasone (DXM) has been demonstrated to induce oxidative stress. Conversely, betaine is an alkaloid with a potent antioxidant activity. The study was designed to investigate the ameliorative effect of betaine on DXM-induced oxidative stress in laying hens. The results revealed that DXM treatment significantly decreased laying rate, shell strength, albumen height, Haugh unit, egg weight, folk weight and albumen weight, alongside increased malondialdehyde (MDA) and decreased total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) in serum and liver (P < 0.05). In contrast, dietary betaine addition reversed those parameters mentioned above (P < 0.05). Hepatic RNA-seq analysis showed that there existed 110 up- and 88 down-regulated genes in DXM group when compared with the control. Meanwhile there were 117 upregulation and 169 downregulation genes in BT group when compared with DXM group. Besides, we found that dietary betaine addition significantly down-regulated cell adhesion molecules, glycerolipid metabolism and glycolysis gluconeogenesis pathways. In addition, a total of 44 and 94 differential metabolites were identified respectively from Con vs. DXM and DXM vs BT. More importantly, dietary betaine addition significantly increased the levels of pantothenic acid, gamma-Aminobutyric acid, equol and choline, all of which were related to antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Furthermore, gut microbiota analysis indicated that the Chao and Observed_species indexes were remarkably higher in BT group (P<0.05). Heatmap analysis revealed that Subdoligranulum, Prevotella, Blautia, YRC22, Bacteroides, Ruminococcus and Coprococcus were notably restored in BT group (P<0.05). Taken together, our findings collectively illustrate that dietary betaine addition could attenuate DXM-induced oxidative stress, improve egg quality and gut microbes of laying hens.
... These results are similar to previous studies in poultry [42] and rats [43]. Bet can maintain the stability of the intestinal morphological structure by preventing cellular water loss [44]. However, this experiment found that Bet significantly increased jejunal CD in growing rabbits under summer heat, contrary to the results of previous studies in poultry [45] and rats [43]. ...
Background
The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of different levels of betaine (Bet) inclusion in the diet on the intestinal health of growing rabbits under summer heat. A total of 100 weaned Qixing meat rabbits aged 35 d with body weight of 748.61 ± 38.59 g were randomly divided into 5 treatment groups: control group (basal diet) and Bet groups (basal diet + 0.75, 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 g/kg Bet). The average daily temperature in the rabbitry during the experiment was 30.48 °C and the relative humidity was 69.44%.
Results
Dietary addition of Bet had no significant effect on growth performance and health status of growing rabbits ( P > 0.05), but it increased ileal secretory immunoglobulin A content compared to the control under summer heat ( P < 0.05). Addition of 0.75 g/kg Bet up-regulated jejunal IL-4 , down-regulated ileal TNF-α expression ( P < 0.05). The addition of 1.0 g/kg Bet increased the villi height (VH) in the jejunum ( P < 0.05). Serum glucose levels were reduced, and the expression of SLC6A20 was up-regulated in jejunum and ileum of rabbits fed with 1.5 g/kg Bet ( P < 0.05). When added at 2.0 g/kg, Bet reduced serum HSP70 content, increased jejunal VH, and up-regulated duodenal SLC7A6 , SLC38A2 , mTOR and 4EBP-2 expression ( P < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that intestinal mTOR expression was significantly and positively correlated with SLC7A6 , SLC38A2 , SLC36A1 and IL-4 expression ( P < 0.05).
Conclusions
Dietary addition of Bet can up-regulate the expression of anti-inflammatory factors through the AAT/mTOR pathway, improve the intestinal immune function, alleviate intestinal damage in growing rabbits caused by summer heat, and improve intestinal health.
... Betaine improves growth performance by regulating the osmotic pressure in animals under HS to prevent dehydration, maintain water content in cells, save energy and enhance nutrient bioavailability (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin 2018). Depending on the temperature conditions, betaine added to feed or water supports better performance in meat chickens and ducks (Wang et al. 2004;Zulkifli et al. 2004). ...
Context Commercial Pekin Ducks housed in conventional open-sided sheds often experience heat stress in summer. Electrolyte or osmolyte supplements can help birds cope under heat stress. Aims To assess the effects of water electrolyte/betaine supplementation or betaine in feed on the growth performance of Pekin ducks exposed to high ambient temperature. Methods Commercial Cherry Valley Pekin ducks were fed diets with a dietary electrolyte balance (DEB) of 160 (L-DEB) or 209 (H-DEB) over Days 15–41 (D15–41) of age. Over D36–41, ducks were provided with water alone or supplemented with betaine in the feed (BF), or betaine and an ‘in-house’ electrolyte (E) formulation at 50%, 100% or 150% (D36–41) or at 100% for only 36 h on D40–41. There were 12 treatments with four replicate pens for each treatment. On D36–41 of age, temperature was increased to 28–32°C for 9 h (from 08:30 hours to 17:30 hours) and then returned to 22–24°C for the remainder of the day. Individual liveweights were taken on D28, D35, D41. During these times, feed intake and water consumption were determined. On D41, one male and one female from each pen were weighed, euthanised and breast muscle was removed and weighed. Birds were collected for commercial processing at 04:00 hours on D42. Key results Over D15–35, the DEB had no effect on bird performance. Over D36–41, for liveweight gain (LWG) there were significant interactions between treatment × week (P < 0.001) and treatment × diet (P = 0.017). Supplements E150 and E100 + 36 h supported LWG more than did other treatments, while treatments BF, E50 and E100 supported higher LWG than in controls. On the L-DEB diet, the control birds had a LWG lower than in other treatments (P < 0.05). On the H-DEB diet, the E50 supplement had highest LWG, but comparable to that in E100 + 36 h. The supplements had no effects on breast muscle yield, weight losses during transport and lairage or processed carcass weights. Conclusions The electrolyte supplements supported higher LWG during exposure to moderately adverse high temperature. Supply for 36 h supported LWG equivalent or better than did other treatments given over 6 days. The benefits could be related to increased water intake and not just electrolyte supply. Implications Water electrolyte plus betaine supplementation supports improved Pekin duck performance during a moderately high temperature challenge.
... In laying hens, supplementation of 150 mg/kg of feed with curcumin improved the laying performance, egg quality, antioxidant enzyme activity and immune function during HS (Liu et al., 2020). During HS, supplementation of betaine levels from 0.05% to 0.20% improved the feed intake, carcass trait and egg production parameters in broilers, layers and ducks (Ratriyanto & Mosenthin, 2018). In laying hens, supplementing betaine (1000 mg/ kg of feed) along with vitamin C (200 mg/kg of feed) improved laying performance during CHS (Attia et al., 2016). ...
The effects of heat stress (HS) caused by high temperatures continue to be a global concern in poultry production. Poultry birds are homoeothermic, however, modern‐day chickens are highly susceptible to HS due to their inefficiency in dissipating heat from their body due to the lack of sweat glands. During HS, the heat load is higher than the chickens' ability to regulate it. This can disturb normal physiological functioning, affect metabolism and cause behavioural changes, respiratory alkalosis and immune dysregulation in birds. These adverse effects cause gut dysbiosis and, therefore, reduce nutrient absorption and energy metabolism. This consequently reduces production performances and causes economic losses. Several strategies have been explored to combat the effects of HS. These include environmentally controlled houses, provision of clean cold water, low stocking density, supplementation of appropriate feed additives, dual and restricted feeding regimes, early heat conditioning and genetic selection of poultry lines to produce heat‐resistant birds. Despite all these efforts, HS still remains a challenge in the poultry sector. Therefore, there is a need to explore effective strategies to address this long‐lasting problem. The most recent strategy to ameliorate HS in poultry is early perinatal programming using the in ovo technology. Such an approach seems particularly justified in broilers because chick embryo development (21 days) equals half of the chickens' posthatch lifespan (42 days). As such, this strategy is expected to be more efficient and cost‐effective to mitigate the effects of HS on poultry and improve the performance and health of birds. Therefore, this review discusses the impact of HS on poultry, the advantages and limitations of the different strategies. Finally recommend a promising strategy that could be efficient in ameliorating the adverse effects of HS in poultry.
... Trimethylglycine or betaine (BT) is a zwitterion metabolite synthesized by the oxidation of choline and highly accumulated in sugar beet byproducts (Shakeri and Le 2022). As a methyl-donor and osmoprotectant, BT has been reported to exert beneficially metabolic influences on intestinal epithelium and bacterium in poultry against osmotic pressure during HS (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin 2018;Alagawany et al. 2022). Furthermore, recent articles have concluded that BT as a non-toxic and stable feed additive can enhance growth efficiency (Shakeri et al. 2020;Al-Sagan et al. 2021;Abudabos et al. 2021), intestinal architecture (Liu et al. 2019), digestive enzyme activities (Wang et al. 2018), antioxidant capacity (Ommati et al. 2021), and cecal microbial equilibrium (Liu et al. 2020c) in animals that have undergone different stress conditions. ...
To assess the impact of supplementing betaine (BT) under heat stress (HS) conditions on broiler performance and intestinal health from 21 to 42 days of age, a total of 150 male Ross 308 broilers were indiscriminately allotted to 3 treatments with 10 replications of 5 birds each. The control (CON) group was given a basal ration and accommodated at a thermoneutral condition (22 ± 1 °C), whereas the HS and HS + BT groups were raised under cyclic HS (33 ± 1 °C for 8 h and 22 ± 1 °C for 16 h per day) and received the basal ration without or with 1000 mg/kg BT, respectively. The HS reduced average daily gain (ADG); average daily feed intake; villus height (VH); VH to crypt depth (CD) ratio (VCR); activities of trypsin, lipase, glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and catalase; and enumeration of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium (P < 0.05) and augmented feed conversion ratio (FCR), CD, malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation, and enumeration of Escherichia coli, Clostridium, and coliforms (P < 0.05). Conversely, BT supplementation heightened ADG, VH, VCR, trypsin activity, GPX activity, and populations of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium (P < 0.05) and lowered FCR, MDA accumulation, and Clostridium population (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the FCR value, trypsin and GPX activities, MDA content, and Bifidobacterium and Clostridium populations in the HS + BT group were nearly equivalent to those in the CON group. To conclude, feeding BT under HS conditions could improve broiler performance through improving intestinal health by specifically mitigating oxidative damage and enhancing the colonization of beneficial bacteria.
... Oxidative stress is associated with economic losses due to decreased performance parameters such as feed intake, growth, milk production, and egg laying, as well as increased mortality rates. These detrimental effects are particularly significant in various livestock including dairy cows, dairy heifers, beef cows, finishing cattle (Mirzad et al., 2018;Sigdel et al., 2019), sows and pigs (Cui et al., 2019;Hao et al., 2021), broilers, layers, and turkeys (St-Pierre et al., 2003;Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). In this sense, the antioxidant system as a mechanism to counter oxidative stress in pigs, has been little studied. ...
In areas where the ambient temperature is above the thermoneutral zone, the economic loss from animals for human consumption, such as pigs, is worrying. Heat Stress (HS) increases body temperature and causes a subsequent reduction in feed intake. This reduction results in the loss of essential nutrients, such as amino acids, which are crucial for growth rate and the activation of vital biochemical mechanisms. However, the effects of HS on reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and the activation of mechanisms such as the antioxidant system associated with nuclear factor erythroid-derived 2-like-2 (Nrf2), energy balance, protein synthesis and mitochondrial biogenesis have received limited attention. In this work, we provide a comprehensive review of the existing evidence regarding the significance of nutritional components and their association with HS. We particularly emphasize ROS generation, mitochondrial alterations, and the activation of Nrf2, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways in response to the disruption of homeostasis.
... These results are similar to previous studies in poultry [37] and rats [38]. Bet can maintain the stability of the intestinal morphological structure by preventing cellular water loss [39]. However, this experiment found that Bet signi cantly increased jejunal CD in growing meat rabbits under summer heat, contrary to the results of previous studies in poultry [40] and rats [38]. ...
Background
The aim of this experiment was to investigate the effect of different levels of betaine (Bet) inclusion in the diet on the intestinal health of growing meat rabbits under summer heat. A total of 100 weaned Qixing meat rabbits aged 35 days with similar body weight (748.61 ± 38.59 g) were randomly divided into five treatment groups: control group (basal diet), and Bet groups (basal diet + 0.75, 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 g/kg Bet). The average daily temperature in the rabbitry during the experiment was 30.48°C and the relative humidity was 69.44%.
Results
Dietary addition of Bet had no significant effect on growth performance and health status of growing meat rabbits (P > 0.05), but it increased ileal secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) content compared to the control under summer heat (P < 0.05). Addition of 0.75 g/kg Bet up-regulated jejunal IL-4, down-regulated ileal TNF-α expression (P < 0.05). The addition of 1.0 g/kg Bet increased the villi height (VH) in the jejunum (P < 0.05). Serum glucose levels were reduced in rabbits, and up-regulated jejunal and ileal SLC6A20 expression fed with 1.5 g/kg Bet (P < 0.05). When added at 2.0 g/kg, Bet reduced serum HSP70 content, jejunal VH was increased, and up-regulated duodenal SLC7A6, SLC38A2, mTOR and 4EBP-2 expression (P < 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that intestinal mTOR expression was significantly and positively correlated with SLC7A6, SLC38A2, SLC36A1 and IL-4 expression (P < 0.05).
Conclusions
Dietary addition of Bet can up-regulate the expression of anti-inflammatory factors through the AAT/mTOR pathway, improve the intestinal immune function, alleviate intestinal damage in growing meat rabbits caused by summer heat, and improve intestinal health, with the best results achieved when the amount of Bet was 2.0 g/kg.
... However, this hypothesis has not been tested. Finally, HS is known to accelerate fatty liver development in poultry by increasing de novo lipid synthesis in the liver (Molero, 2007;Emami et al., 2021;Kim et al., 2021), and previous studies have reported that dietary supplementation of betaine decreased fat accumulation and fatty liver incidence of poultry exposed to HS (Molero, 2007;Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). Dietary supplementation of Gly may also show an anti-fatty liver effect as our previous study indicated that dietary Gly had a HS-reducing role in broiler chickens, which was similar to the effect of dietary betaine (Won et al., 2023). ...
The current experiment aimed to investigate the effect of dietary glycine (Gly) supplementation on productive performance, egg quality, stress response, and fatty liver incidence in laying hens raised under heat stress (HS) conditions. A total of two hundred eighty 24-wk-old Lohmann Brown-Lite laying hens were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments with 7 replicates. The negative control (NC) diet was prepared to meet or exceed the nutrient and energy requirement for Lohmann Brown laying hens, whereas the positive control (PC) diet was formulated to increase AMEn by 100 kcal/kg compared with the NC diet. Two additional diets were prepared by supplementing 0.341% and 0.683% Gly to the NC diet. All hens were exposed to cyclic HS at 31.4 ± 1.17°C for 8 h/d and 26.7 ± 1.10°C for the remaining time for a 12-wk trial. Results indicated that increasing supplementation of Gly in diets tended (linear, P = 0.088) to decrease the FCR of laying hens. Increasing supplementation of Gly in diets increased (linear, P < 0.05) eggshell lightness and decreased (linear, P < 0.05) egg yolk color. Moreover, a tendency for a quadratic association (P < 0.10) of serum aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase concentrations with increasing supplementation of Gly was observed. Increasing supplementation of Gly in diets decreased (linear, P < 0.05) blood heterophil:lymphocyte ratio of laying hens. Hens fed the NC diet showed higher fatty liver incidence (P < 0.05) than those fed the PC diet, but increasing supplementation of Gly decreased (linear, P < 0.05) fatty liver incidence of laying hens. In conclusion, increasing supplementation of Gly up to 0.683% in diets decreases FCR, stress response, and fatty liver incidence in laying hens raised under HS conditions.
... Heat stress negatively impacts growth performance, increases mortality, and can alter carcass characteristics [14,15]. Betaine, which can be directly oxidized from choline, is thought to protect against heat stress due to its osmoregulatory qualities that can help decrease cellular dehydration [16]. Mahmoudi et al. [17] evaluated the effects of replacing dietary Met with choline and betaine in Ross 308 broilers exposed to heat stress. ...
Simple Summary
Broilers were fed increasing levels of supplemental choline chloride in diets where methionine was minimally reduced (0.15%), reared under summer conditions for 41 days, and then processed. Supplemental choline improved broiler feed efficiency by reducing feed intake without altering body weight gain. Increasing dietary choline concentrations also increased carcass yield, breast yield, and the incidence and severity of wooden breast. It can be concluded that when broilers are reared under high environmental temperature and fed diets with reduced methionine, supplemental choline chloride can positively impact growth performance and carcass yields.
Abstract
Choline has been demonstrated to partially substitute methionine in broiler chicken diets due to their interconnected biosynthesis pathways. Yet, research on the impacts of dietary choline supplementation on modern strains of high-yielding broilers is limited. The objective was to evaluate the effect of increasing additions of choline chloride on the performance and carcass characteristics of broilers fed reduced methionine diets and reared under summer environmental conditions. Ross 708 x Yield Plus male broilers were reared for 41 days on used litter in floor pens (n = 2232; 31 birds per pen). Birds were fed one of six corn and soybean meal-based, reduced methionine diets containing 0, 400, 800, 1200, 1600, or 2000 mg of added choline chloride per kg of feed. Diets were provided in three phases. On day 43, 10 birds per pen were processed. Increasing dietary choline resulted in similar body weight gain, reduced feed intake, and improved feed efficiency. Choline chloride supplementation linearly increased both breast and carcass yields while concomitantly increasing the incidence and severity of wooden-breast-affected fillets. These results indicate that supplementing reduced-methionine broiler diets with choline chloride during high environmental temperatures may improve feed efficiency and increase carcass and breast yields but may also increase wooden breast.
... Betaine has been found to improve health, performance, carcass composition, and meat quality of poultry (Metzler-Zebeli et al., 2009). Being a powerful osmolyte, betaine can mitigate the effects of HS on cells (Ratriyanto and Mosenthin, 2018). Choline is an important provider of methyl groups and its metabolism is intimately related to that of betaine (a product of choline oxidation) and methionine. ...
Little attention has been paid to the biological role of arginine and its dietary supplementation in broilers under heat stress (HS) conditions. Therefore, the main aim of this study was to assess the response of broilers to arginine supplementation and cyclic HS, with a focus on liver, pectoral muscle, and blood metabolic profiles and the cecal microbiota. Day-old male Ross 308 broilers (n = 240) were placed in 2 rooms with 12 pens each for a 44-day trial. Pens were assigned to one of two groups (6 pens/group/room): the control group (CON) was given a basal diet in mash form and the treated group (ARG) was fed CON diet supplemented with crystalline L-arginine. The total arginine:lysine ratio of CON diet ranged between 1.02 and 1.07, while that of ARG diet was 1.20. One room was constantly kept at thermoneutral (TN) conditions, while the birds in the other room were kept at TN conditions until D34 and subjected to cyclic HS from D35 onwards (∼34°C; 9:00 A.M.–6:00 P.M.). Blood, liver, Pectoralis major muscle, and cecal content were taken from 2 birds per pen (12 birds/group/room) for metabolomics and microbiota analysis. Growth performance data were also collected on a pen basis. Arginine supplementation failed to reduce the adverse effects of HS on growth performance. Supplemented birds showed increased levels of arginine and creatine in plasma, liver, and P. major and methionine in liver, and reduced levels of glutamine in plasma, liver, and P. major. HS altered bioenergetic processes (increased levels of AMP and reduced levels of fumarate, succinate, and UDP), protein metabolism (increased protein breakdown to supply the liver with amino acids for energy production), and promoted the accumulation of antioxidant and protective molecules (histidine-containing dipeptides, beta-alanine, and choline), especially in P. major. Arginine supplementation may have partially counterbalanced the effects of HS on energy homeostasis by increasing creatine levels and attenuating the increase in AMP levels, particularly in P. major. It also significantly reduced cecal observed diversity, while HS increased alpha diversity indices and affected beta diversity. Results of taxonomic analysis at the phylum and family level are also provided.
... As for betaine, several lines of evidence suggest that it enhances the health, performance, carcass composition, and meat quality of poultry [74]. Thanks to its osmoregulatory function, betaine can also mitigate the detrimental effects of heat stress [75]. Furthermore, acting as a methyl group donor, betaine contributes to and promotes the biosynthesis of creatine in the liver of broilers [76]. ...
Background
Arginine is an essential amino acid for chickens and feeding diets with arginine beyond the recommended levels has been shown to influence the growth performance of broiler chickens in a positive way. Nonetheless, further research is required to understand how arginine supplementation above the widely adopted dosages affects metabolism and intestinal health of broilers. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the effects of arginine supplementation (i.e., total arginine to total lysine ratio of 1.20 instead of 1.06–1.08 recommended by the breeding company) on growth performance of broiler chickens and to explore its impacts on the hepatic and blood metabolic profiles, as well as on the intestinal microbiota. For this purpose, 630 one-day-old male Ross 308 broiler chicks were assigned to 2 treatments (7 replicates each) fed a control diet or a crystalline L- arginine-supplemented diet for 49 d.
Results
Compared to control birds, those supplemented with arginine performed significantly better exhibiting greater final body weight at D49 (3778 vs. 3937 g; P < 0.001), higher growth rate (76.15 vs. 79.46 g of body weight gained daily; P < 0.001), and lower cumulative feed conversion ratio (1.808 vs. 1.732; P < 0.05). Plasma concentrations of arginine, betaine, histidine, and creatine were greater in supplemented birds than in their control counterparts, as were those of creatine, leucine and other essential amino acids at the hepatic level. In contrast, leucine concentration was lower in the caecal content of supplemented birds. Reduced alpha diversity and relative abundance of Firmicutes and Proteobacteria (specifically Escherichia coli ), as well as increased abundance of Bacteroidetes and Lactobacillus salivarius were found in the caecal content of supplemented birds.
Conclusions
The improvement in growth performance corroborates the advantages of supplementing arginine in broiler nutrition. It can be hypothesized that the performance enhancement found in this study is associated with the increased availability of arginine, betaine, histidine, and creatine in plasma and the liver, as well as to the ability of extra dietary arginine to potentially ameliorate intestinal conditions and microbiota of supplemented birds. However, the latter promising property, along with other research questions raised by this study, deserve further investigations.
The occurrence of heat stress in poultry houses is inevitable and leads to oxidative stress in the birds. Lycopene, a natural hydrocarbon carotenoid, possesses potent antioxidant properties. This study aimed to investigate the impact of lycopene on growth performance, meat quality, cecal microflora, and liver metabolome in broilers subjected to heat stress. A total of 480 yellow feather broilers were randomly allocated into 4 treatment groups: birds fed standard diet (Con), birds fed standard diet and supplemented with lycopene (Lyc), birds fed standard diet and subjected to heat stress (Hs), and birds fed with lycopene and subjected to heat stress (Hs-Lyc). As compared with the normal temperature groups, Hs decreased the average daily gain (ADG) of birds during d 1 to 28, lowered the pH value either in breast meat or thigh meat, increased the L* value of breast meat, and decreased the a* value of thigh meat. In comparison with non-Lyc feeding birds, Lyc supplement elevated the ADG during d 1 to 56, increased the pH of breast meat, decrease the L* and b* values of thigh meat, simultaneously increase the a* value of thigh meat. The L* of breast meat and pH of thigh meat exhibited significant differences under Hs-Lyc treatment. Lyc-treated birds exhibited higher elasticity, gumminess, and resilience in breast meat than those in non-Lyc feeding birds. The cecal metagenome analysis indicated that Hs-Lyc treatment increased the abundance of Phocaeicola salanitronis and Prevotella sp.CAG:1058, Bacteroides sp.An269, and Bacteroides sp.An19 at the species level compared with other treatments. The hepatic untargeted metabolome analysis showed that administration of Lyc upregulated 20 metabolites and downregulated 60 metabolites compared to the Con birds. Futhermore, the Hs-Lyc treatment upregulated 34 metabolites and downregulated 45 metabolites compared to the Hs birds. The correlation between the metagenome and metabolome showed that Lyc supplementation induced significant alterations in the citrate cycle, metabolism of butanoate, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, glyoxylate and dicarboxylate, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate compared with standard supplement. In contrast, Hs-Lyc treatment induced alterations in the citrate cycle, metabolism of pyruvate, glyoxylate, and dicarboxylate, glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, arginine, proline, alanine, aspartate, and glutamate compared with the standard supplement of heat-challenged broilers. In summary, dietary Lyc supplementation promoted the growth performance, changed the meat quality, modulated the cecal metagenome and hepatic metabolome in heat-stressed broilers.
Intestinal bacterial composition is one of the markers that can be observed in poultry under heat-stress conditions. This study evaluated the effects of dietary betaine on the intestinal bacterial composition of growing pullets reared in a tropical climate. The ninety-six Lohmann laying hens aged three weeks old were distributed into two dietary groups, each comprising six replicates of eight birds. This experiment used PAR-DOC ( Japfa Comfeed © ) as basal diet (T0) and basal diet with 1.2g/kg betaine supplementation (T1). The next-generation sequencing method of the 16S rRNA gene region V3–V4 was applied to explore the taxonomy profile. Bacteria from the genus Faecalibacterium , Akkermansia , Desulfovibrio , and Lachnospiraceae UCG-002 were reported as markers in the heat stress condition. A t-test was applied using R software to evaluate the effect of each treatment. The relative abundance from the genus Akkermansia as a marker heat stress response in T1 treatment showed significantly lower than T0 (p<0.05). Based on this result, we concluded that the lower population of the genus Akkermansia indicated that betaine supplementation could alleviate heat stress conditions in growing pullets.
Exposure to heat stress can cause a significant increase in the death rate and disease susceptibility of poultry birds, ultimately impacting the profitability of the poultry industry. Despite being a more economical choice, Japanese quails (Coturnix japonica) are not immune to the harmful effects of heat stress. Quails may experience negative effects on their reproductive performance due to excessive reactive molecules caused by heat stress. However, they have developed various mechanisms to maintain their reproductive abilities in such conditions. The neuroendocrine system in birds plays a vital role in regulating their reproductive responses to thermal stress, and it is also connected to other environmental factors such as photoperiod that can impact their reproductive performance. Hormones are crucial in the complex interactions necessary for sexual maturation and reproductive responses to heat stress in Japanese quails living in stressful thermal conditions.
The high environmental temperature in the tropics adversely affects the physiology and performance of poultry. Betaine is an organic osmolyte that assists the birds in counteracting the deleterious effects of heat stress. This study observed the physiological parameters of laying quail raised in tropical environments and receiving betaine supplementation in the diet. A total of 224 21-day-old quails were distributed to two treatments with seven replicates of 16 birds. The treatments were the basal diet (Control) and the basal diet supplemented with 1.5 g/kg betaine (Betaine). The rectal temperature, respiration rate, and tonic immobility were measured in the morning (07.00h), afternoon (13.00h), and evening (19.00h). The temperature humidity index in the morning, afternoon, and evening were 24.7, 29.4, and 27.6, respectively, suggesting the birds expressing heat stress. Administering betaine in the diet reduces the rectal temperature, respiration rate, and tonic immobility in all measurement times (P<0.01), indicating that betaine maintains the physiological condition in quail. In conclusion, betaine functions as an organic osmolyte to assist the birds in coping with heat stress
Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are crucial products of microbial fermentation in the gut, known to play a significant role in maintaining gastrointestinal health and the overall well-being of animals. Betaine, a naturally occurring compound found in various plant and animal sources, has been widely used as a feed additive in poultry production due to its potential benefits, including improved growth, osmoregulation, and liver function. This study examines the possible effects of betaine supplementation on SCFA-producing bacteria in laying pullets raised in tropical climates, mainly focusing on SCFA-producing Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium species. In total, 96 laying hens strain Lohmann aged three weeks were assigned to two dietary treatments. Dietary treatments included a basal diet (control) and a basal diet supplemented with 1.2 g.kg-1 betaine. The next-generation sequencing method of the 16S rRNA gene region V3–V4 was applied to view the bacteria abundance. Betaine supplementation showed significantly higher population levels of Lactobacillus_agilis, Lactobacillus_aviarius, Lactobacillus_ingluviei, Lactobacillus_johnsonii , and Lactobacillus_saerimneri compared to the control group (P<0.05). In Bifidobacterium_pullorum bacteria, betaine administration shows insignificant results compared to control. In conclusion, betaine supplementation appears to have a positive impact on promoting the growth of certain beneficial Lactobacillus species in laying pullets reared in tropical climates.
Background
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common public health problem, which is characterized as impairment of renal function. The associations between blood metabolites and renal function remained unclear. This study aimed to assess the causal effect of various circulation metabolites on renal function based on metabolomics.
Methods
We performed a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to estimate the causality of genetically determined metabolites on renal function. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 486 metabolites was used as the exposure, while summary-level data for creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) or CKD occurrence were set the outcomes. Inverse variance weighted (IVW) was used for primary causality analysis and other methods including weight median, MR-egger, and MR-PRESSO were applied as complementary analysis. Cochran Q test, MR-Egger intercept test, MR-PRESSO global test and leave-one-out analysis were used for sensitivity analysis. For the identified metabolites, reverse MR analysis, linkage disequilibrium score (LDSC) regression and multivariable MR (MVMR) analysis were performed for further evaluation. The causality of the identified metabolites on renal function was further validated using GWAS data for cystatin-C-based eGFR. All statistical analyses were performed in R software.
Results
In this MR analysis, a total of 44 suggestive associations corresponding to 34 known metabolites were observed. After complementary analysis and sensitivity analysis, robust causative associations between two metabolites (betaine and N-acetylornithine) and renal function were identified. Reverse MR analysis showed no causal effects of renal function on betaine and N-acetylornithine. MVMR analysis revealed that genetically predicted betaine and N-acetylornithine could directly influence independently of each other. The causal effects of betaine and N-acetylornithine were also found on cystatin-C-based eGFR.
Conclusion
Our study provided evidence to support the causal effects of betaine and N-acetylornithine on renal function. These findings required further investigations to conduct mechanism exploration and drug target selection of these identified metabolites.
The aim of the work was to study the effectiveness of the use of pharmacological agents to preserve the bioresource potential of broiler chickens in conditions of overcrowded planting and high ambient temperature. The experimental bird of the Ross 308 cross was divided into 2 groups. The stocking density averaged 48.1 ± 1.8 kg/m2, the temperature in poultry houses was 27.1 ± 2.3 °C. Growing and fattening of poultry was carried out for 40 days. In the control group, broilers were not treated with pharmacological agents; in the experimental group, 6 days before slaughter, the method of pharmacological stress correction was used, which consisted of 3 successive stages: 1 preparatory stage - enrichment of the poultry diet with methionine by 10% compared to its initial content; potassium chloride at a dose of 0.3% and betaine at a dose of 10% of the total feed; stage 2 (increasing thermal stability) - 2 hours before the maximum recorded temperatures in the house with drinking water, broilers were given acetylsalicylic acid at a dose of 50-60 mg/kg of body weight; Stage 3 - compensatory, the implementation of which began in the evening, at the time of the temperature drop in the poultry house to the optimum, and consisting in drinking a water-soluble complex, at the rate of 195 mg per 1 kg of body weight. When applying this scheme, a decrease in the mortality of poultry during transportation by 31.5%, an increase in safety to 94.4%, and an increase in the proportion of carcasses of the 1st grade by 7.6% were noted. In the blood serum of broiler chickens of the experimental group, there was a significant increase in total protein by 17.1%, cholesterol by 13.8%, beta-lipoproteins by 23.8% and calcium by 12.3%. The meat of broiler chickens of the experimental group exceeded the control in protein content by 1.08%, tyrosine by 6.9%, threonine by 9.5, phenylalanine by 15.0, leucine and isoleucine by 13.7 and histidine by 34.5%.
Heat stress (HS) challenges animal productivity, welfare, product quality, and reproductive success. Upon exposure to temperatures above their thermoneutral zone, animals’ thermoregulatory mechanisms are activated to facilitate heat loss, which disrupt the acid balance causing alkalosis and acidosis in pigs and poultry. In ruminant species, the reduction of dry matter intake in combination with altered feeding patterns, increased respiration rates, and reduced volatile fatty acid absorption may lead to rumen acidosis. Feed intake declines to reduce the heat load, and feed efficiency is impaired, primarily due to the induction of oxidative stress and inflammation, especially in the gastrointestinal tract. Concurrently, HS increases the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), leading to the formation of oxidized products of lipid and protein metabolism, which damages enterocytes reducing nutrient digestion and absorption. Local inflammation, which may become systemic due to increased gut permeability, alters post-absorptive nutrient utilization and penalizes anabolic functions. Offering certain feed additives, isolated or in combination, incorporated in feed or water, may partly mitigate the adverse effects of HS in livestock and poultry species. These include (1) phytogenics, (2) vitamins, (3) microminerals, (4) electrolytes. Other additive solutions which do not fall within these categories are also assessed.
Elevated temperatures in tropical environments detrimentally affect poultry immunity, increasing susceptibility to infectious diseases and compromising overall health. This study investigated the antibody titer uniformity in Indonesian native chickens (Kedu, Arab, and Lignan) against H5N1, H9N2, and ND-G-VII viruses within a tropical climate. The research involved a three-time series monitoring of log2 antibody titers at ages 10, 30, and 45 days. The 90 Indonesian native chicken blood samples were collected to assess their immune system. Results revealed a consistent pattern of antibody titer uniformity for H5N1 and H9N2 throughout the early growth stages, indicating a consistent immune response in the tropical environment. Contrasting with ND-G-VII, the antibody titers increased significantly (p<0.05: 4.90±1.20 to 6.20±1.23) at 10 to 45 days, reflecting a progressive immune response in Indonesian native chickens against ND-G-VII. The findings emphasize the importance of considering environmental context when interpreting immune responses in poultry reared in tropical climates, which is influenced by the uniformity of immune responses against different pathogens. Such knowledge could have implications for designing effective vaccination strategies and disease prevention measures tailored to the specific challenges of poultry farming in tropical regions.
Objective:
The objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary betaine supplementation on the hepatic transcriptome profiles in broiler chickens raised under heat stress (HS) conditions.
Methods:
A total of 180 (21-d-old) Ross 308 male broiler chicks were allotted to 1 of 3 treatment groups with 6 replicated cages in a completely randomized design. One group was kept under thermoneutral conditions at all times and was fed a basal diet (PC). Other 2 groups were exposed to a cyclic heat stress condition. One of the 2 groups under heat stress conditions was fed the basal diet as a negative control (NC), whereas the other group was fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.2% betaine (BT). All chickens were provided with diets and water ad libitum for 21 d. Following the experiment, the liver samples were collected for RNA sequencing analysis.
Results:
Broiler chickens in NC and BT group had decreased (p<0.05) growth performance. In the transcriptome analysis, the number of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified in the liver by HS conditions and dietary BT supplementation. In the comparison between NC and PC treatments, genes related to energy and nucleic acid metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and immune system were altered by HS, which support the reason why heat-stressed poultry had decreased growth performance. In the comparison between NC and BT treatments, genes related to lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, and immune system were differently expressed under HS conditions.
Conclusion:
HS negatively impacts various physiological processes, including DNA replication, metabolism of amino acids, lipids, and carbohydrates, and cell cycle progression in broiler chickens. Dietary BT supplementation, however, offers potential counteractive effects by modulating liver function, facilitating gluconeogenesis, and promoting immune systems. These findings provide a basis for understanding molecular responses by HS and the possible benefits of dietary BT supplementation in broiler chickens exposed to HS.
The macrophage time‐dependent metabolic profile changing basal metabolism triggered by nanoparticles can be obtained and used to improve wound healing treatments. Herein this study demonstrates that metabolic status responds systematically to cytotoxicity manipulation, providing an interesting way of cellular control. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) based metabolomics and cytotoxic assays are used to study RAW 264.7 cells exposed to AgNPs at different concentrations and incubation times. Cytotoxicity data show a slight decrease in cellular expansion rates accompanied by morphological changes in cells. Metabolomics show that despite the glycolytic activity of treated and non‐treated cells remains unchanged; however, only the treated cells present a rich Citrate environment signaling up‐regulation of Tricarboxylic‐Acid‐Cycle (TCA). Cells choose aerobic routes instead of anaerobic ones to produce energy and self‐regulate their amino acid metabolism to balance TCA. Choline metabolism is down‐regulated once its sub‐products, Betaine and Glycine, are reduced, thus compromising Creatine synthesis. Phospholipid metabolism is down‐regulated due to the decreasing of Phosphocholine and Sn‐Glycerol‐3‐PC, in agreement with the cytotoxicity results. Pyroglutamate decreases in treated cells, signaling different levels of oxidative stress. These analytical tools can characterize AgNPs‐treatments, even distinguishing dose and time dependencies. Therefore, the fine‐tuning of exposition parameters can modulate cellular activity to achieve better wound healing.
Decreased productive performance due to heat stress in poultry often occurs in tropical environments. This study seeks to see the body temperature and productive performance of quail in different floor spaces and levels of betaine supplementation. The study was designed as a completely randomized design, consisting of two floor spaces (225 and 164 cm ² /bird) and supplementation treatment (0% and 0.15% betaine). ANOVA test and DMRT were applied to catch the effect of treatments. Body temperature measurements showed that rectal and wing temperatures in quail with betaine supplementation were lower than in the control treatment (P<0.05). These results correspond with the betaine group’s feed, protein, and energy efficiency, which is better than the control (P<0.05). The egg production at floor spaces 225 cm ² and 164 cm ² supplemented with betaine was higher than the control groups (P<0.05), with values of 69.55% and 66.49%, respectively. Based on this study, we concluded that betaine supplementation to 225 cm ² /bird and 164 cm ² /bird floor spaces reduced heat stress and improved laying quail performance.
Cecum microbes are important in utilizing feed nutrients and immunity systems in poultry. This study strived to define the composition of the genus Collinsella, Coriobacteriaceae UCG-002, and Olsenella in the quail cecum supplemented with different betaine schemes. The treatment consisted of 3 levels, namely: control (C); C+0.12% betaine supplementation (B1); and B1–0.12% betaine supplementation (B2). This study used a completely randomized design with three replications. The next-generation sequencing method of the 16S rRNA gene region V3-V4 was applied to view the taxonomy profile of microbes (Threshold: 0.8~1). The relative abundance of the genera Collinsella, Coriobacteriaceae UCG-002, and Olsenella were analyzed using ANOVA and Duncan’s test on R software. The results showed that the provision of B1 increased genus Collinsella and Coriobacteriaceae UCG-002 more than C and B2 ( p <0.05). A significant decrease occurred in treatment B1 compared to treatment C indicated in the genus Olsenella as a pathogenic bacterium in the quail cecum (p<0.05). The B2 treatment showed the relative abundance of the genera Collinsella, Coriobacteriaceae UCG-002, and Olsenella tended to return to the microbial composition of treatment C. This study concluded that giving B1 improved the genus Collinsella, Coriobacteriaceae UCG-002, and Olsenella in the quail cecum tract.
This study was conducted at the poultry farm, collage of veterinary, of Kufa included field experimentation which was conducted during the period from 24 th of December 2010 to 23th April 2011. The experiment aimed to investigate the effect of betaine supplemented to the diet to alleviate the negative effects of heat stress through study of some productive traits of turkey were being exposed to heat stress. Sixty unsexed one day old chick turkey(Nicholas 300) average weight (58gram). The chicks were reared on a ground throughout two stages: the first stage from one day old to 12 12-20
This experiment investigated the effect of betaine supplementation to low methionine diet on egg quality of quails. A total of 340 laying quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) was divided into 4 dietary treatments with 5 replicates of 17 quails each. The experiment was assigned in a completely randomized design. The four dietary treatments were the low methionine diet (0.3% methionine) without betaine supplementation and the low methionine diet supplemented with 0.07, 0.14, and 0.21% betaine. The experimental diets were applied for 8 weeks and the egg quality traits were measured at the age of 16 and 20 weeks. The data were subjected to analysis of variance, and when the treatment indicated significant effect, it was continued to orthogonal polynomial test to determine the optimum level of betaine. Increasing dietary levels of betaine increased the fat content of the egg with the linear regression of y = 11.0949 + 4.1914x (R² = 0.18). However, supplementation of betaine did not affect protein content, yolk, albumen, and eggshell percentage. It can be concluded that betaine supplementation up to 0.21% to low methionine diet only had little effect in improving the quality traits of quail eggs.
Betaine is distributed widely in animals, plants, and microorganisms, and rich dietary sources include seafood, especially marine invertebrates (≈1%); wheat germ or bran (≈1%); and spinach (≈0.7%). The principal physiologic role of betaine is as an osmolyte and methyl donor (transmethylation). As an osmolyte, betaine protects cells, proteins, and enzymes from environmental stress (eg, low water, high salinity, or extreme temperature). As a methyl donor, betaine participates in the methionine cycle—primarily in the human liver and kidneys. Inadequate dietary intake of methyl groups leads to hypomethylation in many important pathways, including 1) disturbed hepatic protein (methionine) metabolism as determined by elevated plasma homocysteine concentrations and decreased S-adenosylmethionine concentrations, and 2) inadequate hepatic fat metabolism, which leads to steatosis (fatty accumulation) and subsequent plasma dyslipidemia. This alteration in liver metabolism may contribute to various diseases, including coronary, cerebral, hepatic, and vascular diseases. Betaine has been shown to protect internal organs, improve vascular risk factors, and enhance performance. Databases of betaine content in food are being developed for correlation with population health studies. The growing body of evidence shows that betaine is an important nutrient for the prevention of chronic disease.
The present study was designed to find the effect of natural and synthetic antioxidants on the performance of two broiler strains under high ambient temperature. A total of 320 day-old chicks of Hubbard and Cobb were reared for a period for 21 days under the same nutritional and management systems. On day 21 onward, one subgroup was kept as control while other subgroups were provided with vitamin E (250 mg/kg), ginger (2 g/kg), and l-carnitine (500 mg/kg) in basal diets. Body weight and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were significantly (P < 0.05) high in vitamin E-supplemented birds, while feed intake was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in l-carnitine supplemented birds irrespective of the strain. Antibody titer against infectious bursal disease (IBD) and paraoxonase (PON1) was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in vitamin E-supplemented birds compared to the other treatments. The number of heterophils and toal oxidant status (TOS) were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in vitamin E-supplemented birds. Blood glucose was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in vitamin E-supplemented birds, while total protein was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in vitamin E-supplemented group. In conclusion, the supplementation of vitamin E at the rate of 250 mg/kg improved the antioxidant status and immune response in the two broiler strains. Further, the two strains perform similarly in terms of performance and other health status parameters with no significant difference.
This study investigated the effects of dietary protein levels and betaine supplementation on nutrient digestibility and performance of Japanese quails. In total, 765 Japanese quails were randomly assigned to a 3×3 factorial arrangement, with five replicates of 17 quails each. Three basal diets were formulated to contain three crude protein levels (16.5, 18.0, and 19.5%). Each protein level was supplemented with 0, 0.06, and 0.12% betaine. The diet with 16.5% dietary crude protein with no betaine supplementation resulted in the lowest crude fiber digestibility, while the 18.0% CP diet supplemented with 0.12% betaine generated the highest crude fiber digestibility (p<0.05). The diets with 18.0 and 19.5% crude protein increased crude fiber digestibility, but reduced ether extract digestibility (p<0.01). Moreover, betaine supplementation increased dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, and crude ash (p<0.01) digestibility and tended to increase ether extract digestibility (p=0.09). The increase in egg weight for the 18.0 and 19.5% protein diets was correlated with a decrease in feed conversion ratio (p<0.05). However, feed intake and egg production were not affected by protein levels. Betaine supplementation enhanced all performance variables (p<0.01). The diets with 18.0 and 19.5% crude protein resulted in heavier yolks and eggshells than the 16.5% crude protein diet (p<0.05), whereas betaine supplementation increased yolk, albumen, and eggshell weight (p<0.01). The 18.0 and 19.5% protein diets produced similar responses in most evaluated parameters. Laying Japanese quails can be fed diets with 18.0% crude protein. Moreover, betaine supplementation provided several benefits, and particularly improved nutrient digestibility, performance, and egg quality.
This study was planned to investigate the effects of betaine supplementation on growth performance and immunity in broilers under natural summer stress. A total of one hundred and twenty day-old broiler chicks were divided into four different treatment groups such as Bet-0, Bet-1.0, Bet-1.5, Bet-2.0 having betaine supplementation at the rate of 0, 1, 1.5 and 2 g/kg feed, respectively. Significantly (P<0.05) higher weekly and total feed intake and weight gain were recorded in group Bet-2.0. Higher level of betaine supplementation significantly (P< 0.05) improved feed conversion ratio (FCR). Betaine supplementation significantly (P< 0.05) improved dressing percentage. The treatment groups had significantly (P<0.05) lower heterophil number and significantly (P<0.05) higher lymphocytes number than the control group. The heterophil/lymphocytes ratio and antibody titer was significantly (P<0.05) lower in the treated groups. Based on these results, it is concluded that supplementation of diets with betaine improved broiler feed intake, weight gain, FCR and increased immunity were under heat stress condition.
Heat stress had a negative effect on laying hens’ performance, thus this research was to study the influences of betaine (Bet, 1000 mg/kg betaine), vitamin C (VC, 200 mg/kg ascorbic acid), and vitamin E (VE, 150 mg/kg α-Tocopherol acetate) and their possible combinations on egg production, digestibility of nutrients, plasma hormones and reproductive organs of dual-purpose hens exposed to chronic heat stress. Two hundred and eighty eight hens and thirty-six cocks from 32 to 48 weeks of age were divided into nine treatment groups of four replicates, each containing eight hens and one cock. One group was kept under thermo-natural condition and the eight others were kept under chronic heat stress (CHS). One of these eight was used as a negative control, while the others were supplemented with VC, VE and/or betaine and their possible combinations. Body weights, laying rate, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio in hens reared under CHS rooster without any supplementation during 32 to 48 weeks of impairment (P = 0.0052) were recorded. Hens reared under heat stress and fed a diet supplemented with either Bet, VC, VE or combination of the supplements increased production traits. However, hens supplemented with VC showed the greatest production traits. Plasma glucose, estradiol-17 (E2), progesterone (P4), tri-iodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4) decreased in hens reared under CHS and fed a diet with no supplementation compared to the other treatments (P = 0.001). Liver weights, spleen weights, thyroid gland weights, ovary weights, oviduct weights and oviduct lengths were lowest in hens reared under CHS and fed a diet with no supplementation (P = 0.0480). In conclusion, dual purpose hens reared under CHS and supplemented with VC at 200 mg/kg diet and Bet at 1000 mg/kg enhanced the laying performance and combated CHS.
Artificial selection of broiler chickens for commercial objectives has been employed at an unprecedented magnitude over the recent decades. Consequently, the number of days, total feed and in turn energy, required to raise a broiler to slaughter weight, have decreased dramatically. Feed provision is the poultry industry’s biggest environmental hotspot; hence, understanding the interactions between the birds’ genetic change and their energy use efficiency forms the necessary starting point for quantifying and predicting and thereby mitigating the future environmental impact of the poultry sector. This review assesses the consequences of artificial selection on the following traits: digestive efficiency, body composition and utilisation of metabolisable energy for growth and metabolic activity. The main findings were (1) the digestive system has been subjected to much physical change due to selection in the recent decades, but this has not led to any apparent change in digestion efficiency. (2) Both the energy intake per day and the metabolic heat production rate have increased in the recent decades whilst (3) the efficiency of utilising energy for growth has also increased; this is due to an increased growth rate, so that broilers reach slaughter weight more quickly and therefore need to allocate less energy overall to metabolic processes, with the exception of growth. (4) There may have been a reduction in the tendency to waste feed through spillage and carry out energetically expensive behaviors. There is a discrepancy in the literature with regards to the influence of selection on body composition and its contribution to feed efficiency. In this review, two scenarios are demonstrated, whereby body composition either has or has not altered via artificial selection. Understanding the effects of artificial selection on the traits that relate to the feed efficiency of the broilers will contribute towards the reduction of the environmental impacts that arise from such systems.
Heat stress in hot seasons is a major problem in poultry production, particularly in humid areas. The aim of this study was to determine the pharmacodynamics of betaine on the blood and cecal short chain fatty acid profile in meat-type ducks exposed to heat stress. Three-hundred-sixty meat-type ducks (Anas platyrhynchos domesticus) were randomly allocated into 4 treatments: C (heat stress control without betaine), T1 (700 ppm betaine), T2 (1,000 ppm betaine), and T3 (1,300 ppm betaine). Each treatment had 6 replicated pens with 15 meat-type ducks per pen. The study was conducted for 42 days. Our findings revealed that the betaine group had higher body weight gain compared to the control group under heat stress (P < 0.05). Betaine supplementation resulted in more significant improvement in hematological indicators such as RBCs and platelet counts than the heat stress control group (P < 0.05). Under the heat-wave environment, supplementation of betaine manifested a significant decrease in blood pH (P < 0.05) but not in electrolytes (Na+, K+ and Cl−) and gas concentration. The concentration of short chain fatty acids (SCFA) in the cecum was higher than the control under heat stress conditions. The total SCFA, acetic acid, and propionic acid production was higher in the betaine supplemented groups compared to the heat stress control group (P < 0.05). Results showed that betaine supplementation has beneficial effects in meat-type ducks under heat stress on short chain fatty acid levels, blood biochemical parameters, and body weight.
High alkali-metal sulfate contents in ash from high-alkali coal are a result of the alkali metals’ strong sulfur-capturing capacity. In this work, the effects of sulfates in ash on SO3 formation were investigated by adding alkali-metal sulfates (Na2SO4 and K2SO4) to ash and performing experiments to simulate SO3 formation. The results show that Na2SO4 and K2SO4 addition significantly increased SO3 formation and the formation rate increased with increasing temperature. The formed SO3 concentration increased by 6.8 ppm (adding Na2SO4) and 6.3 ppm (adding K2SO4) at 1000 °C. These increases are the result of SO3 release from sulfate during the formation of aluminosilicates such as NaAlSi3O8 (albite), NaAlSiO4 (nepheline), KAlSiO4 (kalsilite), and KAlSi3O8 (feldspar) with the SiO2 and Al2O3 in the ash. This was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermodynamic calculation. In addition, increasing the SO2 concentration increased the SO3 concentration and decreased the SO3 conversion ratio.
Graphical abstractNote: This data is mandatory.
Heat as a stressor of poultry has been studied extensively for many decades; it affects poultry production on a worldwide basis and has significant impact on well-being and production. More recently, the involvement of heat stress in inducing oxidative stress has received much interest. Oxidative stress is defined as the presence of reactive species in excess of the available antioxidant capacity of animal cells. Reactive species can modify several biologically cellular macromolecules and can interfere with cell signaling pathways. Furthermore, during the last decade, there has been an ever-increasing interest in the use of a wide array of natural feed-delivered phytochemicals that have potential antioxidant properties for poultry. In light of this, the current review aims to (1) summarize the mechanisms through which heat stress triggers excessive superoxide radical production in the mitochondrion and progresses into oxidative stress, (2) illustrate that this pathophysiology is dependent on the intensity and duration of heat stress, (3) present different nutritional strategies for mitigation of mitochondrial dysfunction, with particular focus on antioxidant phytochemicals.
Oxidative stress that occurs with heat exposure can be manifest in all parts of the body; however, mitochondrial dysfunction underlies oxidative stress. In the initial phase of acute heat stress, mitochondrial substrate oxidation and electron transport chain activity are increased resulting in excessive superoxide production. During the later stage of acute heat stress, down-regulation of avian uncoupling protein worsens the oxidative stress situation causing mitochondrial dysfunction and tissue damage. Typically, antioxidant enzyme activities are upregulated. Chronic heat stress, however, leads to downsizing of mitochondrial metabolic oxidative capacity, up-regulation of avian uncoupling protein, a clear alteration in the pattern of antioxidant enzyme activities, and depletion of antioxidant reserves.
Some phytochemicals, such as various types of flavonoids and related compounds, were shown to be beneficial in chronic heat-stressed poultry, but were less or not effective in non-heat-stressed counterparts. This supports the contention that antioxidant phytochemicals have potential under challenging conditions. Though substantial progress has been made in our understanding of the association between heat stress and oxidative stress, the means by which phytochemicals can alleviate oxidative stress have been sparsely explored.
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The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s40104-016-0097-5) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
A total of 425 one day old, unsexed, Hubbard classic broiler chicks strain were reared on floor for 6 weeks (WK) to evaluate the efficacy of different supplements to reduce body temperature (Tb) of heat-stressed broiler chickens. Birds were given water and diet ad libitum. At 21 day of age, 375 birds were almost equal weights chosen, randomly divided into 5 groups, 3 replicates of 25 birds each. Treatment groups were; without supplementation (T1,control), supplementation 400 (T2) and 550 (T3) mg betaine / liter drinking water (DK), mixture of KCl, NaHCO3,vitamin C and salicylic acid by 450, 450, 50 and 50 mg / liter DK respectively (T4) and 150 mg vitamin C / liter DK (T5). Temperature and relative humidity were recorded in 600, 1400, 1800 and 2400 hours daily. Birds were received 24 hours light a day, also all routine management and medications were applied. Results revealed that in most treatment groups, Tb was significantly (P < 0.01) increased in hot period of the day (1400h and 1800h) in comparison with moderate period (600h and 2400h) and the difference was higher in control treatment1 group (T1) at 4, 5, 6 WK of age and their average. A significant (P < 0.05) decrease was found in Tb of T5 in comparison with T1 during all times of the day, whereas occurred only during hot period (1400h and 1800h) in T2, T3 and T4 at 4, 5, 6 WK of age and their average. The average of Tb of all treatment groups for 4, 5, and 2 WK of age illustrated a significant decrease in moderate (P < 0.05) and hot periods of the day (P < 0.01) in comparison with T1, in addition to temperature difference was greater in hot period than moderate period. It can be concluded that all supplements used in this trial, expressed their efficacy in reducing Tb of heat-stressed birds, in particular during hot period of the day, however vitamin C was the most potent.
This review highlights the huge challenges heat stress pose to profitable production of broiler chickens during the hot-dry season. It also enumerates the negative effects of heat stress due to excess production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in broiler chickens. It emphasizes that administration of betaine and/or ascorbic acid is highly beneficial to broiler chickens, subjected to high ambient temperature and high relative humidity, characteristic of hot-dry season in the Northern Guinea Savannah zone of Nigeria. In conclusion, supplementation of betaine and ascorbic acid to broiler chickens during the hot-dry season may improve health and production, decrease mortality and increase their productivity.
This experiment was conducted at the poultry farm, Department of Animal Resources, College of Agriculture, University of Baghdad for the period from August/27 /2009 to October/8/2009 to evaluate the efficacy of betaine supplemented to diet in different levels on absolute and relative weights of lean, skin and bone for the major carcass parts of broiler exposed to stress of daily cyclic temperature (24-38-24°C) during experimental period. 560 day old, unsexed Ross breed were used and on 7 days old were randomly allocated into 4 treatment groups (140 birds per treatment), 4 replicates per treatment (35 birds per replicate). Supplementing betaine to diet with 0, 500, 800, and 1200 mg I Kg diet have meant Tl, T2, T3, and T4 respectively. Rearing period lasted 42 days. Results indicated a significant (p<0.05) increase and improvement in favor of T2, T3, and T4 (especially T4) in comparison withT1 (control) in relative weight of
lean, skin, and bone for major parts of carcass, whereas relative weight of thigh and drumstick were significantly (p<0.05) decreased in males than females. Sex had no significant effects on those traits. A significant (p<0.05) superiority and improvement in flesh weight of drumstick and breast in T2, T3, and T4, as well as in skin weight of thigh in T2, and T3 in comparison with rest treatment groups. A high significant (p<0.01) superiority of flesh weight of each thigh, drumstick, and breast was found in males than females in 17 .6%. It is concluded that supplementing 500, 800, and 1200 mg betaine/kg diet has contributed to increase flesh of each drumstick and breast parts, besides those traits were high in males than females with decrease relative weights of thighbone, drumstick, and breast parts.
Heat stress (HS), one of the most serious climate problems of tropical and subtropical countries, negatively affects the production performance of broilers. Keeping this in view, the current study was aimed at elucidating the effects of supplementing betaine (Bet) and dried turmeric rhizome powder (TRP), either singly or in combination, on growth performance, leukocyte profile, humoral immunity, and antioxidant status in broilers kept under chronic HS. A total of 625 one-day-old Ross male chicks were randomly assigned to five treatment groups (5 replicates of 25 birds per replicate pen). From day 1, the birds were either kept at the thermoneutral zone (TN) or exposed to HS (33 ± 1 °C) to the conclusion of study, day 42. The treatment groups were as follows: thermoneutral control (TN-CON), HS-CON, HS-Bet, HS-TRP, and HS-BT (fed Bet and TRP). The results showed that decreases in body weight gain, feed intake, and increases in feed-to-gain ratio and mortality induced by HS were partially restored by dietary supplementation of Bet and TRP. The heterophil/lymphocyte ratio, total, and IgG antibody titers against sheep red blood cell for secondary responses in the HS-TRP and HS-BT groups were also similar to those of the broilers in the TN-CON group but better (P < 0.05) than for HS-CON group. An increase (P < 0.05) in serum concentration of malondialdehyde induced by HS was significantly decreased by dietary supplementations. The serum glutathione peroxidase and superoxide dismutase activities were also higher (P < 0.05) in the supplemented groups compared to both TN and HS-CON groups. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of either Bet or TRP alone or in combination can partially ameliorate some of the detrimental effects of HS in broilers. Results also suggest that TRP might be better than Bet for improving stress tolerance and immune response in heat-stressed broilers.
Background: Betaine has the potential to spare methionine and choline as methyl-group donors,
This trial was conducted to examine the effect of betaine on performance, humoral immunity, small intestinal morphology and blood osmotic pressure parameters of broiler chicks consumed different levels of water salinity. Total of 520 day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) were used with 2×4 factorial arrangement in completely randomized design. Experimental treatments were consisting of 2 levels of betaine supplementation (0 and 1.5 g/kg) and 4 levels of total dissolved solids (TDS) (250, 1 500, 3 000, 4 500 ppm). In this trial daily feed intake (DFI), daily weight gain (DWG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were recorded on days 14, 28 and 48. Small intestinal morphology was evaluated at the age of 28. Humoral immunity was assessed by evaluation of antibody titre against sheep red blood cells (SRBC) and also Newcastle and influenza antigens. At the end of the experiment, blood was taken and concentration of plasma Na, K, Cl and haematocrit blood percentage was determined. Results showed that DWG significantly decreased and FCR increased in 4 500 ppm of water TDS in growing, finishing and whole period of broilers production (P<0.05). Furthermore increased plasma Na and blood hematocrit percentage observed in 4 500 ppm of water salinity (P<0.05). Betaine significantly increased DFI during growing phase (P<0.05). Betaine supplementation substantially increased antibody titre against influenza and also bursa of fabricius relative weight (P<0.05). Additionally, betaine inclusion increased villi height in ileum (P<0.05). In conclusion, increasing trend of water TDS affect chickens performance and betaine supplementation is able to improve antibody titre against influenza.
A study was conducted to compare the effects of supplemental betaine (1200 mg/kg), vitamin C (VC, 200 mg/kg), vitamin E (VE, 300 mg/kg) and sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO 3 , 2 g/kg) on the performance of 250 broilers during hot (38-40°C) and humid (40-93%) environmental conditions. Body weight and feed intake was recorded weekly. On day 35 pH, anti ND virus titre (HA, HI), Na, K and Cl concentrations and total leukocytic counts (TLC) were determined blood samples. All diets containing feed supplements gave better (P<0.05) weight gain and FCR than control. Lowest blood pH (P<0.05) was observed in birds fed supplemental NaHCO 3 compared to all other treatment groups. Serum Na and K levels were higher (P<0.05) in control group than all other supplemental groups. Maximum TLC (P<0.05) were observed in birds fed control diet compared to lower levels in birds fed diets containing NaHCO 3. A lowest (P<0.05) mortality was observed with betaine (3.3%), whereas, highest mortality (33%) was in control group. This study showed that appropriate feed supplements attenuate the decline in performance caused by heat stress. Among different diet supplements, betaine and NaHCO 3 offered better protection against heat–stress-related depression in performance of broilers.
GUDEV, D., S. POPOVA-RALCHEVA, I. YANCHEV, P. MONEVA, E. PETKOV and M. IGNATOVA, 2011. Effect of betaine on egg performance and some blood constituents in laying hens reared indoor un-der natural summer temperatures and varying levels of air ammonia .Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 17: 859-866 A research was initiated to determine the effect of supplemental dietary betaine on egg performance and some blood indices in 2-year-old laying hens reared under natural summer temperatures and varying ammonia levels. 99 laying hens were allocated into three groups: I -control; II -supplemented with 0.7 g/kg betaine and III -supplemented with 1.5 g/kg betaine. The hens were kept on deep litter in a windowless poultry house for 23 days. The results of this study indicated no change in terms of egg quality (albumen weight, albumen index, yolk weight, yolk index, yolk color score, Haugh unit, egg specific gravity), hematocrit and leukocyte counts. The hens given 0.7 g/kg supplemental dietary betaine had higher erythrocyte number (P<0.05) than those given 1.5 g/kg supplemental betaine. Feeding 1.5 g/kg supplemental betaine resulted in significant decrease of heterophil percentage (P<0.05) and increase of lymphocyte percentage (P<0.05) at d 22, when air ammonia level was 3 times higher than permitted. These changes in leukocyte subpopulations led to a decrease of heterophil/ lymphocyte ratio. Plasma corticosterone levels at d 22 were lower in the I (P>0.05), II (P<0.05) and III group (P>0.05) relative to the correspondent values at d 8. Both levels of supplemented betaine increased (P<0.001) the average egg production. Our results suggest that supplemental betaine has a positive effect on egg performance in hens reared under high air ammonia conditions.
Sixty four, 30-week-old, Lohmann Brown-Lite laying hens were randomly allocated to one of four treatments with eight replicates per treatment and two hens per replicate for a 10 week study. The control diet was a high energy (11.81 MJ/kg) diet and the moderate energy (11.39 MJ/kg) diets were formulated dropping the level of animal fat. The three moderate energy diets were fed either unsupplemented (0.0%) or supplemented with 0.05 or 0.10% glycine. There were no significant differences (p>0.05) in hen-day egg production, egg weight, feed intake or feed conversion between birds fed the unsupplemented moderate energy and high energy diets. Significant differences were detected concerning egg components and quality measurements as assessed by albumen percentage (p = 0.02), yolk weight (p = 0.02), yolk percentage (p
This review focuses on the metabolic and osmoregulatory functions of betaine and its impact on nutrient digestibility and performance in pigs and poultry. Betaine is the trimethyl derivative of the amino acid glycine, and is present in plant and animal tissue. It has been shown to play an important role in osmoregulation of plants, bacteria and marine organisms. Due to its chemical structure, betaine exerts a number of functions both at the gastrointestinal and metabolic level. As a methyl group donor, betaine is involved in transmethylation reactions and donates its labile methyl group for the synthesis of several metabolically active substances such as creatine and carnitine. Therefore, supplementation of betaine may reduce the requirement for other methyl group donors such as methionine and choline. Beneficial effects on intestinal cells and intestinal microbes have been reported following betaine supplementation to diets for pigs and poultry, which have been attributed to the osmotic properties of betaine. Furthermore, betaine potentially enhances the digestibility of specific nutrients, in particular fiber and minerals. Moreover, at the metabolic level, betaine is involved in protein and energy metabolism. Growth trials revealed positive effects of supplemental betaine on growth performance in pigs and poultry, and there is evidence that betaine acts as a carcass modifier by reducing the carcass fat content. In conclusion, due to its various metabolic and osmoregulatory functions, betaine plays an important role in the nutrition of monogastric animals.
The effects of supplemental betaine (Betafin(R)) in the drinking water (50 g/kg) (WB) or feed (100 g/kg) (FB) were investigated on male broiler chickens () exposed to 4 h episodes of heat stress at 341 on day (d) 35 and 361 from d 36 to 41. Prior to (d 1 to 34) and following heat exposure (d 35 to 41), betaine supplementation had no significant effect on body weight, total feed intake and cumulative feed conversion ratios of broilers. The total water intake of WB chicks was lower compared to controls. Prior to heat exposure, there was no difference in percentage of mortality among the three dietary groups. Following the heat challenge period, although higher percentage of control chicks succumbed to the heat challenge as compared to those of WB, it was not significantly different. The WB and FB chicks were less hyperthermic than controls in response to the heat challenge. Irrespective of treatment groups, the heat treatment resulted in a marked elevation in heterophil/lymphocyte ratios (HLR). The WB birds, however, had smaller increase in HLR than those of controls during heat exposure. Antibody production against Newcastle disease vaccine on day 35 was not affected by betaine supplementation. On d 42, WB birds had higher antibody production than those of FB. It is concluded that the WB treatment, as measured by HLR, antibody production and mortality rate, has advantages over the FB group under heat stress conditions.
An experiment was conducted with broiler (Cobb 400) male chicks (n = 480) to determine the effect of betaine (Bet) supplementation (0 and 800 mg/kg) to diets containing five concentrations (15, 18, 20, 22 and 24 g/kg crude protein, CP) of methionine (Met) in a factorial study for performance, carcass traits, immune responses, and serum parameters. Each diet was fed ad libitum from 1 to 42 d of age to 8 replicates of 6 chicks. Birds were housed in battery brooders placed in an open-sided poultry shed. Body weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion efficiency and slaughter variables were recorded at 21 and 42 d of age. Serum biochemical profile, antibody production against Newcastle disease (ND) and lymphocyte proliferation ratio (LPR) were analysed at 42 d of age. Supplementing Bet to diets containing sub-optimal concentrations of Met (15 g/kg) improved weight gain and breast yield at 21 d of age (p
The response of male broiler chickens to graded amounts of an essential amino acid (methionine) or an amino acid analogue (methionine hydroxy analogue free acid, MHA-FA) was examined in this experiment. The effects of each supplement on food intake, food conversion and the masses of a demand tissue (breast meat) and an indicator of body fat (abdominal fat pad) were measured. Birds grew significantly faster, ate more and had a lower food conversion ratio when there was more DL-methionine or MHA-FA in the diet. After standardising the differences in food intake between treatments, there were still highly significant differences in liveweight between diets. After removing the variation due to treatment differences in body mass, the data showed that adding either DL-methionine or MHA-FA to the diet increased the mass of breast meat and reduced the size of the abdominal fat pad. Exponential equations fitted to the body mass and feed conversion ratio data indicate that, in an equimolar comparison, MHA-FA is 78 and 70% as potent as DL-methionine for growth and feed conversion ratio respectively. Similar equations fitted to the carcass data show that MHA-FA is only 71% as potent as DL-methionine in depositing breast tissue. Increasing amounts of DL-methionine reduced the variability in liveweight and carcass, breast and abdominal fat pad weights. Adding 0.05% MHA-FA reduced variability in these traits compared with the basal ration but higher amounts of MHA-FA had no additional effect.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of betaine in methionine- and choline-reduced diets fed to broilers submitted to heat stress. In total, 1,408 male broilers were randomly distributed into eight treatments, according to 2 x 4 (environment x diet) factorial arrangement, with eight replicates of 2 birds each. Birds were reared environmental chambers under controlled temperature (25-26 °C) or cyclic heat-stressing temperature (25-31 °C). The following diets were tested: positive control (PC), formulated to meet broiler nutritional requirements; negative control (NC), with reduced DL-methionine and choline chloride levels; and with two supplementation levels of natural betaine to the negative control diet (NC+NB1 and NC+NB2). Live performance, carcass traits, and intestinal morphometrics were evaluated when broilers were 45 days of age. The results showed that all evaluated parameters were influenced by the interaction between environment and diet, except for breast meat drip loss. The breakdown of the interactions showed that birds fed the PC diet and reared in the controlled environment had greater breast drip loss than those submitted to the cyclic heat-stress environment. Birds submitted to cyclic heat stress and fed the PC diet presented the lowest feed intake. Feed conversion ratio was influenced only by diet. The FCR of broilers fed the NC+NB2 diet was intermediate relative to those fed the PC and NC diets. The addition of betaine in the diet, with 11.18% digestible methionine and 24.73% total choline reductions, did not affect broiler live performance, carcass yield, or intestinal morphometrics.
Heat stress has been associated with depressed growth in meat-type birds and a decline in egg production and quality in laying hens. During heat stress, feed intake tends to decrease, thus the availability of certain important minerals is reduced. Chromium (Cr) is one such mineral, which is required for maintaining growth performance in poultry due to its role in growth, metabolism and alleviation of lipid peroxidation. The available scientific literature on Cr has documented the beneficial effects of this essential mineral in improving poultry performance under conditions of environmental heat stress. In the present review, past and present information about the specific role of Cr in heat-stressed poultry is presented.
Mycotoxins pose an important danger to human and animal health. Poultry feeds are frequently contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON) mycotoxin. It is thus of great importance to evaluate the effects of DON on the welfare related parameters in poultry industry. In the present study, the effects of contamination of broiler diet with 10 mg DON/kg feed on plasma corticosterone and heterophil to lymphocyte (H/L) ratio as indicators of stress, tonic immobility duration as an index for fear response and growth performance of broiler chickens were studied. In addition, the effect of a microbial feed additive either alone or in combination with DON contamination on these different aspects was also evaluated. The results showed that DON feeding significantly affected the welfare related parameters of broiler chickens. The feeding of DON contaminated diet resulted in an elevation of plasma corticosterone, higher H/L ratio and increased the fear levels as indicated by longer duration of tonic immobility reaction. Furthermore, DON reduced the body weight and body weight gain during the starter phase definitely at the second and third week. However, during grower phase, feeding of DON decreased the body weight at the fourth week and reduced the body gain at the fifth week. Addition of the microbial feed additive, a commercial antidote for DON mycotoxin, was able to overcome DON effects on stress index (H/L ratio), fearfulness and growth parameters of broilers. In conclusion, we showed for the first time that the DON feeding increased the underlying fearfulness and physiological stress responses of broilers and resulted in a reduction in the welfare status as indicated by higher plasma corticosterone, higher H/L ratio and higher fearfulness. Additionally, feeding the microbial feed additive was effective in reducing the adverse effects of DON on the bird's welfare and can improve the performance of broiler chickens.
Betaine, a donor of labile methyl groups, can spare choline and methionine but cannot replace these compounds in poultry diets. Betaine is synthesized from choline by choline oxidase and it can donate methyl groups to homocysteine to form methionine. Physiologically, betaine is one of several compounds used by cells to regulate osmotic pressure. Among the potential benefits of its inclusion in poultry feeds are sparing choline, carcass fat reduction and aiding cell osmoregulation. Some feed ingredients are natural sources of betaine per se. This review considers the metabolism, functions and applications of betaine in poultry.
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of dietary betaine on performance, humoral immunity, intestinal immune responses and gut contents osmolarity of broilers in coccidiosis condition. Three supplemental betaine levels (0, 0.6 or 1.2 g kg-1) were fed to 189 mixed-sex broilers chicks which were randomly assigned to 9 floor cages in a completely random design with 3 replicates. To simulate a coccidiosis challenge, at day 28 of age the chickens were inoculated with a mixed culture of Eimeria tenella and Eimeria acervulina via the drinking water. Antibody response to Sheep Red Blood Cell (SRBC) was determined on day 21. The immunoglobulin A (IgA) content was quantified in sera and mucous membrane tissue of intestine. Ileum and cecum contents were measured for osmolarity at 21 and 42 days of age. The supplemented diets with 1.2 g kg-1 betaine improved average daily gain and feed conversion ratio in 21-42 and 7-42 days periods. Antibody response to SRBC was not affected by dietary treatments. Interestingly, sera IgA content was increased in birds subjected to coccidiosis-infection. The IgA content of both sera (p<0.05) and gut tissue (p<0.01) were increased by added betaine to diet. Variations in osmolarity and moisture of both ileum and cecum contents were similar and they were significantly (p<0.001 and p<0.05, respectively) decreased in day 42 measurement by betaine inclusion into the diet. Positive effects of dietary betaine on performance, immunity and digesta moisture and osmolarity redoubles the importance of adding betaine to diet of broilers especially, in stress conditions like coccidiosis-infection.
In order to evaluate the effects of broiler genotype and of heat exposure on performance, carcass characteristics, and protein and fat accretion, six hundred one-day-old male broilers were randomly assigned in a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement, according to the following factors: genetic group (selected and non-selected broilers) and pair-feeding scheme (Ad32 - reared under heat stress and fed ad libitum; Ad23 - reared at thermoneutrality and fed ad libitum; Pf23 - reared at thermoneutrality and pair fed with Ad32), with a total of six treatments with four replicates of 25 birds each. Independent of pair-feeding scheme, selected broilers showed better feed conversion, higher carcass yield, and lower abdominal fat deposition rate. However, as compared to non-selected broilers, they reduced more intensively feed intake when heat exposed, which promoted significant breast-yield decrease, and more pronounced changes on carcass chemical composition. These findings allows concluding that, in both genetic groups, both environmental temperature and feed-intake restriction influence abdominal fat deposition rate and other carcass characteristics; however, the impact of heat exposure on broiler performance is more noticeable on the selected line.
The study showed that all the treatment groups A, B, C and D of chicks (n = 100; control without heat stress, control under heat stress, vitamin C and Betafin, respectively) had an effect on weight gain, feed consumed, feed conversion ratio and antibody levels in serum against Newcastle disease virus vaccine. The data showed that group A had the highest average weight gain i.e. 1400.15 g per bird. The highest average feed consumption was observed in group C 2634.0 g per bird. The highest level of antibody titres against Newcastle disease virus vaccine was in group A i.e. GMT = log2 7.0. On the basis of results obtained, it could be suggested that desert cooler is one of the appropriate method for minimizing the effect of heat stress and for improving the immune status of birds especially against NDV.
The capacity of organisms to respond to fluctuations in their osmotic environments is an important physiological process that determines their abilities to thrive in a variety of habitats. The primary response of bacteria to exposure to a high osmotic environment is the accumulation of certain solutes, K+, glutamate, trehalose, proline, and glycinebetaine, at concentrations that are proportional to the osmolarity of the medium. The supposed function of these solutes is to maintain the osmolarity of the cytoplasm at a value greater than the osmolarity of the medium and thus provide turgor pressure within the cells. Accumulation of these metabolites is accomplished by de novo synthesis or by uptake from the medium. Production of proteins that mediate accumulation or uptake of these metabolites is under osmotic control. This review is an account of the processes that mediate adaptation of bacteria to changes in their osmotic environment.
A total number of 360 Domyati ducklings, one-day-old were randomly taken, weighed and divided into four treatments of equal three replicates each. The main objective of the present study was to investigate the effect of dietary betaine (B) supplementation at levels of 0 , 0.5 , 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg diet on growth performance, some blood parameters , serum constituents and carcass quality as well as economic efficiency during the studied growth period (1-84 day of age) under summer conditions. Dietary betaine supplementation resulted in a significant improvement in final body weight at 84 day of age and body weight gain during the whole experimental period (1-84 day) as compared to the control. Feed consumption was significantly decreased by supplementing different betaine levels, while, feed conversion ratio was significantly improved as compared to the control group during the overall experimental period. Viability of ducklings was significantly improved due to betaine treatment during the whole experimental period. Serum total protein and albumin (A) levels were significantly increased by supplementing different betaine levels, while, serum globulin (G) and A/G ratio were significantly improved by supplementing 1.0 and 1.5 g B/kg diet as compared to the control. Serum total lipids, triglycerides and total cholesterol constituents were significantly decreased by supplementing different betaine levels, whereas, triiodothyronine and thyroxin concentrations were not significantly affected as compared to the control group. Lymphocytes (L) count was significantly higher, whereas, heterophils (H) and H/L ratio were significantly decreased by supplementing different betaine levels as compared to the control group.
Changing climatic scenario with expected global rise in surface temperature compelled more focus of research over decoding heat stress response mechanism of animals and mitigation of heat stress. Recently betaine, a trimethyl form of glycine has been found to ameliorate heat stress in some species of animals. To overcome deleterious effect of heat stress, an attempt was taken to investigate the effect of betaine supplementation on heat stress mitigation in goats. Eighteen female Barbari goats were taken and randomly divided into 3 groups (n=6) such as control, HS (Heat stressed), HS+B (Heat stressed administered with betaine). Except for the control group, other groups were exposed to repeated heat stress (42°C) for 6h for sixteen consecutive days. Blood samples were collected at the end of heat exposure on day 1 (Initial heat stress acclimation - IHSA), day 6 (Short term heat stress acclimation - STHSA) and day 16 (Long term heat stress acclimation - LTHSA). When the groups were compared between different heat stress acclimatory phases, expression of all HSPs (HSP60, HSP70, HSP90 and HSP105/110) showed a similar pattern with a first peak on IHSA, reaching a basal level on STHSA followed by second peak on LTHSA. The messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression of HSPs was observed to be higher (P<0.05) in HS group than HS+B group except HSP90 on IHSA and HSP60 on STHSA. HSP105/110 expression was highest (P<0.05) on LTHSA. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that HSPs were mainly localized both in nucleus and cytoplasm of PBMCs. In conclusion, heat stress increases HSPs expression and betaine administration was shown to have a dwindling effect on expression of HSPs, suggesting a possible role of this chemical chaperone on heat stress amelioration.
This study was conducted to investigate the effects of protein levels and supplementation of methyl group donors on nutrient digestibility and performance of broiler chickens. Three experimental diets were formulated to have three levels of crude protein (23, 21.5 and 20%). Each protein level was supplemented with methyl group donor (methionine or betaine) and was categorized by: without supplementation (control), with supplementation of 0.14% methionine, 0.14% betaine and combination of 0.14% methionine plus 0.14% betaine. The diets were applied to 540 broiler chickens, which were randomly assigned to 3 x 4 factorial arrangement. Dietary with 21.5 and 20% protein and the supplementation of methyl group donor increased the digestibility of dry matter, crude protein and crude fiber (p<0.05). Dietary with 23 and 21.5% protein resulted in a higher daily gain and a lower abdominal fat compared to that with 20% protein (p<0.05).All methyl group donor supplementations increased carcass and breast yield, while only supplementation with betaine and methionine plus betaine decreased abdominal fat deposition (p<0.05). Therefore, it is concluded that dietary with 21.5% protein can be applied to broiler chickens. Supplementation of methyl group donor provided benefits, particularly to improve carcass characteristics of broilers.
The objective of this study was to study the responses of laying hens to cyclic heat stress and effect of increasing water intake of laying hens through NaCl supplementation in the drinking water on body weight, body temperature and productivity traits under heat challenge. A total of 48 hens were kept in environmental controlled chambers and randomly allocated to three experimental groups of 16 hens each. These groups were given 0, 0.2 and 0.4% NaCl in the drinking water during cyclic heat stress. The room temperature was constant at 21 ± 10C for one week before heat stress. During heat stress, temperature was cycled from 21 ± 10C to 34 ± 10C (from 9 to 22 o'clock) for 7 days, and then returned to 21 ± 10C for one week. The result showed that heat stress increased water consumption, water: feed ratio and body temperature of laying hens while feed intake, egg production, egg weight, body weight, eggshell thickness, eggshell strength, egg deformation, yolk color and HU were not affected. NaCl supplementation significantly increased water intake and water: feed ratio as compared to control group. NaCl supplementation (0.2 and 0.4%) reduced feed intake and tendentiously decreased egg out put during heat stress period, but after heat stress the laying rate reached to the pre-heat stress level in the both treatments. The control birds, in contrast, did not reduce laying rate and feed consumption during heat stress, but laying rate declined in the period after heat stress. This effect was explained by insufficient increase water consumption of the control birds in response to heat stress.
Effects of Betaine on Energy Utilization in Growing Pigs - A Review
One of the well known biological functions of betaine is that of a methyl donor. Therefore, betaine may partly replace choline and methionine in the diet. Another widely documented role of betaine is to restore and maintain the osmotic balance. As an organic osmotic compound, betaine regulates the water balance, thus exerting a stabilizing influence on tissue metabolism, particularly within the digestive tract. As a donor of methyl groups necessary for various reactions in the body, betaine is indirectly involved in lipid metabolism. Due to its metabolic functions, betaine is also believed to play a significant role in energy metabolism in pigs. Of particular note are the results of experiments in which a positive effect of betaine supplementation was observed as the energy content of the diet was decreased.
Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effect of betaine on egg production, lipid metabolism, and osmoregulation in 18-to 42-week-old ISA Brown laying hens. In experiment 1, three hundred and sixty one hens were fed a com-soy basal diet contailing 16% crude protein (CP), 2800 kcal/kg metabolizable energy (ME), 0.33% methionine, and 0, 300, 600, or 1200 mg betaine per kg diet. Egg production, egg weight, feed consumption, feed conversion, and egg quality were measured every eight weeks. Betaine concentration in live and egg were determined along with serum cholesterol, abdominal fat, total serum protein and albumin levels. In experiment 2, twenty thirty-three-week-old laying hens were fed the same diets as those used in experiment 1 in individual cages and the amount of feed and water consumption were measured for two weeks. At the end of experiment 2, all birds were killed to determine blood plasma and ileal osmopressure, arginine vasotocin (AVT), and liver moisture content. In experiment 1, egg production between the treatments during the first eight weeks were not different, whereas the significant increment of egg production were noticed in the birds fed more than 600 ppm betaine after reaching the peak egg production stage (p
Experiment using 297 broiler chicks, kept from 1 to 42 days under cyclic heat stress (minimum 29.3°C and maximum 38°C), was conducted to investigate the relative efficacies of three sodium (NaHCO3, Na2CO3, Na2SO4), and potassium (KHCO3, K2CO3, K2SO4) supplements at an identical dietary electrolyte balance (DEB) 250mEq/kg and two chloride supplements (CaCl2 and NH4Cl) at DEB 50mEq/kg. The desired levels of DEB were achieved by substitution of individual mineral supplement at the expense to builder's sand in the basal starter (DEB 185.6mEq/kg) and finisher (DEB 174mEq/kg) diet containing only salt as a source of Na and Cl. Each diet (one basal and eight experimental) was fed to three experimental units having 11 chicks each. The growth performances in K supplements, except KHCO3, were poorer than those of Na supplements. The NaHCO3, Na2CO3, Na2SO4 and NH4Cl increased body weight gain, feed intake and improved feed to gain ratio than those of K2CO3 and K2SO4 after 42 days of age. These supplements also increased the water intake and resulted in lowered body temperature as well as reduced mortality. Very poor performance in CaCl2 supplement was associated with disturbed calcium:phosphorus and very low blood pH (7.19). Better performance was noted with bicarbonate than that with carbonate and sulfate sources. The KHCO3 accentuate the respiratory alkalosis by increasing blood HCO3 contents (26.09mmol/l) and gave poorer performance than NaHCO3. Blood lymphocytes, hemoglobin, hematocrit and electrolyte balance in heat stressed broilers were better improved by NH4Cl, NaHCO3, Na2CO3, Na2SO4 and KHCO3 than those of CaCl2, K2CO3 and K2SO4 supplements. Present findings emphasized the importance of considering metabolisable anions supplemented in association with cations while balancing the dietary electrolyte equations. That is why DEB equation cannot be used to predict the relative benefits of different mineral supplements.
An experiment was conducted with meat ducks to determine if betaine could replace methionine in a methionine-deficient diet. In order to avoid the effects of betaine as a methyl-group donor or as an osmoprotectant or coccidiostat enhancer, sufficient amounts of methyl-donating compounds were added and clean conditions were used to reduce the coccidiosis challenge. A total of 576-day-old female meat ducks were fed one of four diets in a 2 (0 and 0.5g betaine/kg) × 2 (0, 1.2g dl-methionine/kg) factorial arrangement between 0 and 41 days of age. The basal diet contained 3.5g methionine/kg (0–21 days), 3.0g methionine/kg (21–38 days) and 3.0g methionine/kg (38–41 days), respectively, and 3.4g cystine/kg (0–21 days), 3.3g cystine/kg (21–38 days) and 3.4g cystine/kg (38–41 days). There were six replicates of 24 ducks per treatment. Performance was determined at 21 and 42 days. At the end, carcass yields, breast yields and abdominal fat were determined on nine ducks per replicate. There were no significant interactions between betaine and dl-methionine. dl-Methionine improved (P < 0.01) body weight and feed to gain at 21 days, and improved (P < 0.05) body weight at 41 days. The effect of betaine were also significant (P < 0.01) in term of bodyweight at 21 days and feed to gain. Betaine supplementation significantly decreased abdominal fat (P < 0.001) and increased breast yield (P < 0.01). Although there was a marked and significant response to methionine supplementation (1.2g dl-methionine/kg) in breast yield (P < 0.01), the effect of methionine supplementation was not significant on abdominal fat (P > 0.05). These results suggest that betaine is more effective in improving carcass quality than methionine, and also effective in promoting growth and feed efficiency of starter ducks, provided the dietary levels of methionine are not marginally limiting.