Hoshang Jafari; Farshid Fatahnia; Yahya Abaspor; poorya Dadvar; Saifali Varmaghany; manochehr Tahmasebi
Volume 25, Issue 3 , October 2023, , Pages 295-308
Abstract
Introduction: Water shortage, low quality soils, and insufficient supply of feed are the main limitations for livestock production in arid and semiarid regions of the word. Therefore, there is a demand to cultivate new crops for these areas as an alternative to crops, which are hypersensitive to low ...
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Introduction: Water shortage, low quality soils, and insufficient supply of feed are the main limitations for livestock production in arid and semiarid regions of the word. Therefore, there is a demand to cultivate new crops for these areas as an alternative to crops, which are hypersensitive to low fertile situation. Cultivation of acceptable-quality unusual plants, which are resistant to harsh environmental conditions is a proper way to overcome these challenges. Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is a highly productive crop and produce a large amount of forage per unit of area. Artichoke forage has good nutritional value for ruminant animals. In other hand, artichoke as a medicinal plant contains many secondary compounds including polyphenols, cynarin, chlorogenic acid, carotenoids and natural antioxidants. Lower blood cholesterol and triglyceride and carcass fat have been reported by these compounds in animals fed artichoke products. Therefore, we hypothesized that addition of artichoke forage to diet of fattening lambs may has beneficial effects on their carcass quality traits.
Material and methods: In order to evaluate the effects of dietary artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) level instead of alfalfa on meat fatty acids profile and carcass quality traits of fattening lambs, this experiment was conducted using 24 Kurdish male lambs (initial body weight of 30.2 ± 2.35 kg) in a completely randomized design with three treatments and eight replications. Experimental treatments included: 1) control (diet without artichoke hay), 2) diet containing 10% artichoke hay, and 3) diet containing 20% artichoke hay. The experiment was lasted for 100 days including 20 d of adaptation period and 80 d of data recording and samples collection. At the end of experiment, all lambs were weighed after an overnight fast (16 h). All lambs were slaughtered, and hot carcass were weighed. The carcass was split into two equal halves (left and right). The right half of carcass was cut into six primal cuts including neck, shoulder, breast-flank, loin, leg and tail. Meat chemical composition, color parameters and fatty acids profile were measured.
Results and Discussion: The results showed that incorporation of artichoke to the diet improved the daily weight gain of lambs (P<0.05). Also, hot carcass weight and dressing percentage increased linearly with increasing artichoke level in the diet (P<0.05). Dietary artichoke level had no effect on carcass cuts percentage (neck, shoulder, breast flank, loin, leg, and tail), meat chemical composition (moisture, protein, fat and ash) and color parameters (lightness, redness, yellowness). Meat fatty acids profile (including saturated fatty acids, unsaturated fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acids) were not affected by artichoke level in the diets.
Conclusion: According to the results, feeding fattening lambs a diet contained artichoke (up to 20% of total mixed ration) has no detrimental effects on meat quality and improve their dressing percentage.
Saifali Varmaghany; poorya Dadvar; mansoor Ahmadi; Hosang Jafari
Volume 24, Issue 3 , October 2022, , Pages 355-364
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of olive leaf powder feeding in different breeding periods on immunity, intestinal bacterial population and blood biochemical parameters of Arian broiler chickens. A total of 336 one-day-old male broiler (Arian strain 386) were studied in a completely ...
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The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of olive leaf powder feeding in different breeding periods on immunity, intestinal bacterial population and blood biochemical parameters of Arian broiler chickens. A total of 336 one-day-old male broiler (Arian strain 386) were studied in a completely randomized design with six treatments for 42 days. The experimental treatments included: control diet (without olive leaves) and the other groups were fed a diet containing 1% olive leaves: from one to14 days, one to 21 days, one to 28 days, one to 35 days and one to days. Body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were similar in all groups, but the mortality rate in one to 42 days treatment was lower than other treatments (P <0.01). The amount of low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol in one to 35 days and one to 42 days treatments was lower than other treatments (P <0.05). The alanine aminotransferase activity in the control treatment was higher and in the one to42 days treatment was lower than other treatments (P <0.05). Higher population of Lactobacillus were observed for treatments of one to 28 days, one to 35 days and one to 42 days in jejunum (P <0.01) and one to 21 days, one to 28 days, one to 35 days and one to 42 days in ileum. (P <0.05). The results of this experiment showed that feeding 10 gr/kg of dry olive leaves during the 42 days of the breeding period of broilers led to a reduction in mortality without any negative effect on performance and immunity.