<p>For this dissertation, four experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary addition of exogenous protease and amylase enzymes on growth performance and nutrient utilization in broiler chickens. An additional fifth experiment was designed to determine the role of central and peripheral appetite regulators in birds fed diets deficient in dietary phosphorus (P). This arose from consistent reports in literature of a direct effect of dietary P concentration on feeding response in broiler chickens. </p><p>Experiment 1 examined the growth performance and protein utilization responses of broiler chickens to purified trypsin inhibitors (TI) and exogenous protease additions. Experimental diets were arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial with factors being dietary TI (1,033 or 10,033 TIU/g) and exogenous protease (0 or 15,000 PROT/kg). Protease supplementation improved BW gain (<i>P < </i>0.01) and gain to feed ratio (<i>P < </i>0.05) of birds. The relative weight of pancreas increased (<i>P < </i>0.05) with added TI on d 14 and 21 but was reduced (<i>P < </i>0.001) with protease supplementation. Apparent ileal digestibility (AID) of all amino acids (AA), except methionine, decreased (<i>P < </i>0.001) with added TI, but increased (<i>P < </i>0.05) with protease supplementation. Duodenal trypsin and chymotrypsin activities were reduced (<i>P < </i>0.05) with added TI but increased <i>(P < </i>0.01) with protease supplementation. It was concluded that dietary addition of purified TI negatively affects nutrient utilization by broiler chickens and that the efficacy of the exogenous protease might be independent of dietary TI concentration. A follow-up experiment was conducted (Experiment 2) to evaluate the impact of TI and exogenous protease supplementation on endogenous AA loss in broiler chickens. Four diets were arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial with factors being dietary TI (0 or 8,000 TIU/g) and exogenous protease (0 or 15,000 PROT/kg). There was no effect of TI, exogenous protease, or their interaction on growth performance of birds. Endogenous nitrogen (N) loss and all AA (except Cys) increased (P < 0.05) due to added dietary TI. Exogenous protease had no effect on endogenous loss of N and all AA. The AID of Ca, Fe, Mg, Mn, and Cu was reduced (P < 0.05) by added dietary TI. Protease supplementation improved the AID of Cu (P < 0.01) and K (P < 0.05). Secretion of crude mucin and sialic acid (g/kg DM intake) increased (P < 0.05) with increased dietary TI and was not recovered by protease supplementation. It was concluded from this study that TI increases the endogenous loss of AA, reduces the digestibility of minerals in broiler chickens, and that exogenous protease had no effect on endogenous AA flow, irrespective of added dietary TI. </p><p>In Experiment 3, the responses of broiler chickens fed corn-soybean meal-based diets to dietary α-amylase supplementation during 4 growth phases were evaluated. Birds were assigned to 8 treatment diet in a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement of 2 dietary levels of α-amylase supplementation (0 or 80 kilo-Novo alpha amylase units (KNU) per kg diet) and 4 post hatching growth phases (d 0 to 11, d 11 to 21, d 21 to 42, or d 42 to 56). Body weight gain and feed efficiency of birds improved (<i>P</i> < 0.01) with α-amylase supplementation. There were main effects of α-amylase, growth phase and interaction (<i>P</i> < 0.01) on AID of starch. The total tract retention (TTR) of starch increased (<i>P</i> < 0.05) with amylase supplementation but was not different across growth phases. Amylase supplementation improved (<i>P</i> < 0.05) gross energy utilization in birds, and specifically, during d 11 to 21 post hatching, the viscosity of jejunal digesta and pancreatic amylase activity increased (<i>P</i> < 0.01) with amylase supplementation. The conclusion from the study was that the growth phase of birds may affect the response to exogenous amylase. Following the result of this study, Experiment 4 was conducted to evaluate the effect of amylase supplementation on starch and energy digestibility at various intestinal sites in broiler chickens. Experimental diets comprised 3 concentrations of α-amylase supplementation (0, 80, or 160 KNU/kg diet) and sampling was done on 4 intestinal sites: anterior jejunum (AJ), posterior jejunum (PJ), anterior ileum (AI) and posterior ileum (PI). There were linear and quadratic (<i>P</i> < 0.01) responses of increasing α- amylase supplementation on starch and energy digestibility at the PJ and AI, with only linear effects on TTR of starch (<i>P</i> < 0.05). A linear increase in starch disappearance and digestible energy (kcal/kg) was observed (<i>P</i> < 0.01) with digesta flow from AJ to PJ with increasing amylase supplementation, which may be related to the observed decrease in the viscosity of the jejunal digesta (<i>P</i> < 0.05). Results from this experiment demonstrate the efficacy of exogenous amylase to improve starch, and energy digestibility in broiler chickens, with the highest impact observed in the posterior jejunum.</p><p>A final study (Experiment 5) was conducted to evaluate the impact of dietary phosphorus (P) concentration on hypothalamic molecular regulation of appetite by broiler chickens. Birds were randomly assigned to 3 experimental diets which contained 1.2 (P-deficient), 2.8 (P-marginal) or 4.4 (P-adequate) g/kg non-phytate P (nPP). A decrease in feed intake and BW gain was observed (P < 0.001) in birds fed the P-deficient diet. There was upregulation (P < 0.05) in the mRNA expression of Sodium-phosphate cotransporter (NaPi-IIb), anorexia-related hypothalamic cholecystokinin receptor (CCKAR) and melanocortin receptors (MC3R and MC4R) in birds fed P-deficient diets, whereas cholecystokinin (CCK) mRNA was downregulated (P < 0.01). It may be concluded that a deficiency in dietary P decreases feed intake in broiler chickens by altering the expression of anorexigenic genes in the gut and hypothalamus.</p>

Intensified poultry production to meet global food demands has faced challenges associated with the removal of in-feed antibiotics due to concerns over antibiotics resistance. The reduction of low-dose antibiotics in feed has allowed for reemergence of intestinal diseases that diminish animal welfare and producer economics. Alternative mechanisms to preventing disease are therefore required. The objective of this dissertation was to examine factors that contribute to chicken development and health including intestinal structure and function, environment, and genetic selection. Chapter 2 investigated the host response to infection of the parasite Eimeria maxima that predisposes chickens to a bacterial infection Clostridium perfringens. Intestinal structure, function, inflammatory response, and epithelial composition was examined during a mild subclinical infection. Analysis of E. maxima and C. perfringens as individual infections revealed how each pathogen contributes to a co-infection. E. maxima caused a more severe inflammatory response, increasing pathology scores, shortening intestinal villi, and elongating crypts in the jejunum at peak infection. C. perfringens was shown to manipulate intestinal epithelial composition by influencing stem cells to differentiate into secretory goblet cells. The most deleterious effects were observed when the pathogens were introduced together, increasing pathology scores further, damaging intestinal villi, and increasing crypt depth. The introduction of C. perfringens and E. maxima also increased signaling for the production of reactive oxygen species, stimulation of tumor necrosis factor- that is involved in innate immunity, and decreased transcription of Hes1, which is involved in Notch signaling towards absorptive cell differentiation. Hes1 has previously been shown to be involved in the inflammatory response and could be an area of interest in determining new treatments to prevent or relieve the effects of E. maxima and C. perfringens. Chapter 3 applied an environmental perspective to disease prevention and examined the properties of C. perfringens that allow it to persist in the poultry house environment. Spores resist treatments used to sanitize poultry houses and litter has been shown to be a reservoir for disease, potentially increasing occurrence in certain houses. The metabolic and physiological properties of C. perfringens were utilized to separate the microbe from other poultry litter bacteria to enumerate spores within houses. A selective and differential medium combined with a heat treatment was developed to isolate C. perfringens spores from poultry litter samples. On average, houses that had histories of necrotic enteritis harbored a greater abundance of C. perfringens spores. Colonies that were isolated on the specialized medium were confirmed using PCR as C. perfringens. Lastly, Chapter 4 examined how genetic selection for multiple traits has influenced early intestinal development compared to divergently selected lines based on eight-week body weight. This study showed the morphological and gene expression differences between lines and revealed that most pathways involved in intestinal development are conserved through genetic selection. The major differences between lines were an increase in peptide transporter PepT1 on d5 and d7 in chicks selected for low eight-week body weight (LWS) compared to high weight selected (HWS) chicks and modern broiler Cobb500 chicks. In HWS chicks, the opposite mechanism was observed with an increase in expression of secretory goblet cell marker Muc2. The findings of these studies give multiple perspectives into poultry production and how major factors in management including nutrition, environment, and genetics can be used to increase efficiency while preventing disease. / Doctor of Philosophy / In poultry production, it is important to use management methods that help chickens grow efficiently while preventing illnesses. A few factors that contribute to the success of a producer include the use of nutrition to enhance intestine health and efficiency, a healthy environment in the poultry house, and using genetics to select for multiple traits to increase productivity. These factors have become even more significant after concerns of antibiotic resistance has eliminated the use of in-feed antimicrobials, allowing for reemergence of diseases that were suppressed. Therefore, the objective of this dissertation was to utilize each of these management strategies to determine how a common disease to the poultry industry affects the chicken intestine, how the environment influences the occurrence of this disease, and how genetic selection impacts the early development of chicks that may contribute to how they handle incidences of disease. Chapter 2 investigated how the bacteria Clostridium perfringens and parasite Eimeria maxima that are commonly seen together in the industry impact the intestinal function, structure, and how the chicken's immune systems respond to invasion by these pathogens. The major finds of this chapter included an increased inflammatory response after E. maxima infection that damaged intestinal structures. These pathogens also decreased the expression of a gene involved in absorptive cell formation that contributes to the inflammatory response. In Chapter 3, environment was investigated to determine if poultry houses that harbored more C. perfringens spores, which are resistant to sanitary treatments, predispose chickens to disease. On average, houses with more spores were correlated with increased disease occurrence. The method developed to determine isolate C. perfringens spores can also be used to monitor the abundance in poultry litter and used as a management tool to prevent or diagnose disease outbreaks. In Chapter 4, the influence of genetic selection on early intestinal development was studied using a modern line of broiler chicks compared to chicks selected for low or high body weights. This study gave insight into how intestinal development is mostly conserved after selecting for multiple genetic traits or a single trait (growth). The main differences were greater body weight in the modern line and high weight selected chicks compared to low weight selected chicks and an increase in gene expression of a peptide transporter in low weight chicks and a decrease in secretory cell expression in high weight chicks. These projects investigated multiple management strategies to address intestinal development and response to pathogens, disease occurrence, and genetic selection as tools to shape intestinal structure and composition.

Tyrimas atliktas 2012-2014 metų laikotarpiu Lietuvos sveikatos mokslų universitete, Veterinarijos akademijoje, GTF Paukščių lesalų ir paukštininkystės laboratorijoje, prie Gyvulininkystės katedros, AB „Vilniaus paukštynas“ ir KTU maisto instituto juslinių tyrimų laboratorijoje. Darbas turi 46 puslapius, 18 lentelių, 6 paveikslus. Darbo tikslas yra ištirti lesalų, papildytų skirtingų koncentracijų fermentinio priedo, įtaką viščiukų broilerių linijos Ross-308 produktyvumui bei mėsos kokybei. Darbo uždaviniai yra ištirti fermentinio priedo įtaka viščiukų broilerių produktyvumui, išgyvenimui, virškinamojo trakto turinio sausųjų medžiagų kiekiui, krūtinės ir kojų raumenų pH, vidinių organų, žarnyno svoriui ir ilgiui, viščiukų skerdenos rodikliams ir viščiukų mėsos juslinėms savybėms. Gauti rezultatai: Skirtingi fermentinio preparato kiekiai viščiukų broilerių augimo intensyvumui esminės įtakos neturėjo, tačiau juos naudojant lesalų konversija pagerėjo 1-2 proc. Tiriamosiose grupėse buvo nustatytas didesnis broilerių išsaugojimas 1,5-2 proc., palyginus su kontroline grupe. Analizuojant sausųjų medžiagų ir vandenilio jonų koncentracijas viščiukų broilerių virškinamajame trakte statistiškai patikimų skirtumų tarp kontrolinės ir tiriamųjų paukščių grupių nenustatyta. Tiriamųjų viščiukų broilerių žarnyno ir aklosios žarnos bendras ilgis padidėjo 4-5 proc., liaukinio skrandžio išsivystymas 5-43 proc., vidaus organų, kaip širdies ir kepenų, svoriai didėjo 8-27 proc., tačiau kasos ir... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Name of work: “The influence of different concentrations of xylanase, beta-glucanase and cellulase on productivity and meat quality of broilers chickens cross line Ross-308”. The work was performed in year 2012-2014 at Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, Veterinary Academy, in Poultry Feed and Poultry Products Laboratory, JSC „Vilniaus paukšynas“ and Food Institute of Kaunas University of Technology, in Sensory Analysis Laboratory. The work has 46 pages, 18 tables and 6 images. The aim of the work was to investigate the effect of different concentrations of NSP enzymes on Productivity and meat quality of broiler chickens. The tasks of the work were to investigate the effect of different concentrations of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) enzymes for productivity of broiler chickens; effect on broiler chickens mortality, intestinal dry mass, intestinal pH value, breast muscle and leg muscle pH, internal organ weight, intestinal length, broiler carcass results and meat sensory and textual properties. Results: Different enzyme concentrations did not influence broiler chicken growth performance in general. Though feed conversion was better by 1-2 percent than in the control group. In enzyme treatment groups Broiler chicken mortality was lower by 1,5-2 percent compared to the control group. During the analysis of dry mass and hydrogen ion concentrations in the gastrointestinal tract of Broiler chickens, results showed that statistically significant differences could not... [to full text]

Em regiões tropicais e subtropicais, a alta intensidade da radiação solar associada aos altos valores de temperatura e umidade proporcionam condições de desconforto dentro dos aviários comerciais, afetando a sanidade e produção dos lotes de frango. Nesse sentido, o presente trabalho propôs-se avaliar dados de conforto animal em aviários construídos em escala reduzida com diferentes tipos de telhas (cerâmica e fibrocimento) e forros (A e B). Modelos lineares mistos foram utilizados objetivando-se o estudo dos índices de conforto \"entalpia específica\" (h) e \"temperatura de globo e umidade\" (ITGU). A obtenção dos modelos envolveu a escolha de efeitos aleatórios, fixos e estruturas de covariância utilizando técnicas gráficas e analíticas. Para selecionar os modelos que melhor se ajustavaram aos dados, foram utilizados testes de razão de verossimilhanças, teste Wald-F e os critérios de informação AIC e BIC, em um método de seleção top-down. Para a variável entalpia específica, não houve diferença entre os tratamentos avaliados, sendo todos representados por uma parábola que apresentou ponto máximo em 50,68 kJ.kg ar seco-1 às 13h 51min. Para a variável ITGU, houve interação entre os fatores testados, sendo a combinação telha de cerâmica e forro B a de melhor desempenho, apresentando máximo em 74,08 às 14h 21min. As análises de diagnóstico confirmaram o bom ajuste dos modelos. Era esperado que os diferentes índices de conforto gerassem conclusões equivalentes, no entanto isso não foi observado. / In tropical and subtropical regions, the high intensity of solar radiation associated with high values of temperature and humidity provide discomfort inside the commercial poultry houses, which affects animal health and production batches. Therefore, this works\'s goal is to analyse data of performance of small-scale poultry houses built with different types of tiles (ceramic and cement) and liners (A and B) in animal comfort. Linear mixed models were used aiming to study two thermal comfort indexes: specific enthalpy (h) and black globe temperature and humidity (GTHI). Model building involved choosing fixed and random effects and covariance structures using graphical and analytical techniques. To select the best model fit, likelihood ratio tests were used, as well as Walf-F tests and the AIC and BIC criteria in a top-down selection method. For the specific enthalpy variable, there was no significant difference among the treatments and all were represented by a single curve which presented a peak at 50.68 kJ.kg of dry air-1 at 13h 51min. For the variable GTHI, there was a significant interaction effect between the factors and the combination of ceramic tile and liner B provided the best performance, with a maximum of 74.08 at 14h 21min. The diagnostic tests confirmed that the models were well fitted. It was expected that the different comfort indexes would generate equivalent conclusions, however this was not observed.

Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar o desempenho e o desenvolvimento da discondroplasia tibial (DT) em frangos de corte de 1 a 21 dias. Foram utilizados 440 pintinhos machos de um dia, provenientes de matrizes com 60 a 62 semanas de idade, distribuídos em delineamento inteiramente casualisado em esquema fatorial 3x3+2, resultando em 11 tratamentos com quatro repetições de 10 aves cada. Os fatores estudados foram: linhagem da ave (Ross 308, Cobb 500 e Hybro), níveis e fontes de vitamina D (1250UI D3/kg sem 25-(OH)D3; 1250UI D3/kg com 69mg 25-(OH)D3/ton e 3000UI D3/kg com 69mg 25-(OH)D3/ton) e dois tratamentos controles com níveis de cálcio e fósforo segundo Rostagno et al. (2005) com 3000UI D3/kg sem 25-(OH)D3 e 3000UI D3/kg com 69mg 25-(OH)D3/ton de ração. Foram avaliadas características de desempenho e ósseas. No período de 1 a 21 dias, os resultados indicaram que o ganho de peso, conversão alimentar e as concentrações de cálcio e fósforo nas tíbias não foram influenciadas pelos tratamentos e que o consumo de ração foi superior para os tratamentos que compóem o fatorial. A resistência óssea também não foi influenciada pelos tratamentos e a análise histológica não evidenciou lesões características de DT. Conclui-se que, nas condições experimentais da presente pesquisa, o desenvolvimento de DT não foi observado. / This research was carried out to evaluate the performance and the development of tibial dyschondroplasia (TD) in broilers from 1 to 21 days. Four hundred forty day-old male chickens, from broiler breeders aged 60-62 weeks, were randomly distributed in a 3x3+2 factorial arrangement, resulting in 11 treatments with four replicates of 10 birds each. The factors evaluated were: bird strains (Ross 308, Cobb 500, and Hybro), levels and sources of vitamin D (1250UI D3/kg without 25-(OH)D3; 1250UI D3/kg with 69mg 25-(OH)D3/ton, and 3000UI D3/kg with 69mg 25-(OH)D3/ton), and two control treatments containing calcium and phosphorus levels according to Rostagno et al. (2005) with 3000UI D3/kg without 25-(OH)D3 and 3000UI D3/kg with 69mg 25-(OH)D3/ton of feed. Performance and bone characteristics were evaluated. From 1 to 21 days, the results showed that weight gain, feed conversion, and bone calcium and phosphorus concentrations were not influenced by the treatments, however, feed intake was higher for factorial than control treatments. Bone breaking resistance was not influenced by the treatments and there were no typical lesions of TD. In conclusion, it was not observed TD development in broilers from 1 to 21 days according to experimental procedures of this research.

O objetivo principal desta pesquisa foi avaliar a redução na carga térmica radiante e o nível de conforto térmico proporcionado pelo uso de diferentes materiais na cobertura, e diferentes forros por meio de modelos em escala reduzida e distorcida, com base nos índices ambientais de conforto térmico. A pesquisa foi realizada em duas etapas, sendo a primeira no mês de maio de 2010 e a segunda durante os meses de junho e julho de 2010. Na primeira etapa com o objetivo de avaliar a eficiência dos forros como elementos atenuadores da radiação solar foi realizado o estudo de dois tipos de telhas (cerâmica e fibrocimento) associadas a dois tipos diferentes de forro (Forro A, Forro B) e sem forro. Os forros foram instalados na parte interior do modelo em escala abaixo do telhado. Na segunda etapa, foram avaliados as telhas cerâmicas e fibrocimento, associadas ao Forro A, Forro B e a Manta Termorefletora C. A Manta termorefletora C foi alocada sobre a instalação com o objetivo de simular as condições de conforto térmico proporcionado pelo sombreamento sobre o telhado. Para avaliar o desempenho térmico dos diferentes materiais para cobertura foram registradas as variáveis meteorológicas (temperatura do ar, umidade relativa, temperatura de globo negro e velocidade do vento) e partir dessas variáveis foram calculados os índices ambientais de conforto térmico (entalpia, índice de temperatura de globo e umidade e carga térmica radiante). Foram também registradas as variações de temperatura superficiais das telhas e dos forros para a identificação da variação espacial da temperatura em diferentes horários. A primeira etapa foi composta por 6 tratamentos e a segunda etapa por 5 tratamentos. A estrutura de parcelas para as duas etapas foi o delineamento em blocos ao acaso. A análise estatística foi realizada para diferentes horários por meio da análise da variância e do teste de Tukey para a comparação múltipla das médias, visando diferenciar os tratamentos. Os resultados permitiram concluir que: dentre os tratamentos avaliados houve diferenças estatísticas entre os materiais utilizados na cobertura, e nos respectivos forros. O material de forro B foi que apresentou as maiores reduções na CTR, e nos valores de ITGU. O mapeamento térmico da temperatura de superfície dos telhados evidenciou que as menores temperaturas foram encontradas nos telhados de fibrocimento pintados de branco. E as maiores temperaturas superficiais nas telhas de cerâmica, sem pintura. O uso do sombremento de telhados em modelos em escala reduzida e distorcida não promoveu melhoria nas condições térmicas do ambiente avaliado. / The main objective of this research was to evaluate the reduction in radiant thermal load (RTL) and the level of thermal comfort provided by the use of different roofs and lining materials, through reduced and distorted scale models based on environmental indexes of thermal comfort. The research was conducted in two phases, the first in May of 2010 and the second from June to July of 2010. The first phase aimed to evaluate the efficiency of lining as an element to attenuate solar radiation. Two types of tiles (ceramic and fibrous cement) were studied associated with two different liners (linings A and B). The liners were installed under the roof inside of the scale model. The second phase evaluated ceramic and fibrous cement tiles associated with liners A and B and with the thermal reflective blanket C, which was allocated over the installation in order to simulate the thermal comfort provided by the roof shading. To the evaluation of the thermal performance of the different roofing materials, meteorological variables were recorded (air and black globe temperatures, relative humidity and wind velocity), to the posterior calculation of thermal comfort environmental indexes (enthalpy, black globe temperature and humidity index GTHI and radiant thermal load). Variations on the surface temperature of tiles and liners were also recorded to identify the spatial variation of temperature at different times of the day. The first phase consisted of 6 treatments and the second consisted of 5 treatments. A completely randomized experimental design was adopted in the two phases. The statistical analysis was performed for the different times by analysis of variance and Tukeys test of multiple comparison of means, aiming to observe differences among the treatments. The results showed a statistical difference between the materials used for roofing and lining. Liner B presented the highest reductions of RTL and GTHI values. The thermal mapping of the surface temperature of tiles showed that the lowest temperature were found in fibrous cement roofs white painted, while the highest surface temperatures were found in the unpainted ceramic tiles. The use of shading roof in reduced and distorted scale models did not improve the thermal conditions of the evaluated environment.

Nas últimas décadas, a produção de carne de frango vem se intensificando por expressivos avanços tecnológicos. Nutricionalmente, os promotores de crescimento antimicrobianos (antibióticos e quimioterápicos) foram essenciais, beneficiando o desempenho e a eficiência alimentar, quando utilizados como aditivos nas dietas, em doses subterapêuticas. Apesar da comprovada contribuição no desempenho das aves, os antibióticos promotores de crescimento passaram a ser vistos como fatores de risco para a saúde humana, devido ao potencial desenvolvimento da resistência bacteriana cruzada em humanos. Recentemente, têm sido desenvolvidas diversas alternativas aos antibióticos promotores de crescimento, incluindo probióticos, prebióticos, ácidos orgânicos, enzimas e extratos vegetais. Seguindo essa tendência, este estudo teve o objetivo de avaliar a eficácia do uso de extratos vegetais como alternativas aos antimicrobianos promotores de crescimento em dietas de frangos de corte. Foram realizados dois experimentos com frangos de corte para avaliar os efeitos de diferentes extratos vegetais no desempenho, na energia metabolizável da dieta e na morfometria dos órgãos. O experimento de desempenho envolveu 1200 frangos de corte machos criados em galpão experimental no período de 1 a 42 dias de idade, separados em grupos de 40 aves por boxe. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos casualizados, sendo seis tratamentos e cinco repetições. O ensaio de metabolismo contou com 96 frangos machos em crescimento alojados em gaiolas metabólicas para coleta total de excretas, foram seis tratamentos e quatro repetições em delineamento interiramente casualizado. Ambos os experimentos receberam os mesmos tratamentos: dieta controle (DC); DC + 10 ppm de Avilamicina; DC + 1000 ppm de extrato de orégano; DC + 1000 ppm de extrato de cravo; DC + 1000 ppm de extrato de canela e DC + 1000 ppm de extrato de pimenta vermelha. Os produtos à base de extratos vegetais consistiram de microencapsulados contendo 20% do óleo essencial. As variáveis determinadas foram: peso vivo, ganho de peso, consumo de ração, conversão alimentar, mortalidade, energia metabolizável aparente (EMAn) das dietas e peso relativo dos órgãos. Os resultados foram submetidos à análise de variância e as médias comparadas pelo teste de Tukey. Não foi possível observar diferenças significativas (P>0.05) entre os tratamentos propostos para as variáveis de desempenho analisadas em todo o período de criação das aves. Da mesma maneira, a suplementação dos extratos nas dietas não interferiu (P>0.05) nos valores de EMAn das mesmas. A morfometria dos órgãos, em geral, também não foi alterada pela utilização dos extratos vegetais. Pôde ser observado que, os animais que receberam ração controle apresentaram maior peso relativo do fígado em relação aos demais tratamentos, diferindo significativamente (P<0.05) das aves alimentadas com a dieta suplementada com extrato de pimenta, que foi o menor valor observado. / Broiler meat production has experienced expressive technological improvements in the last decades. Nutritionally, the antimicrobial growth promoters (antibiotics and chemotherapeutics) contributed to that, when utilized as feed additives. These antimicrobials are very effective in performance improvement, but there are human health risks associated to their use because of the possibility of development of bacterial cross resistance. In recent years, several alternatives to the antibiotic growth promoters have been proposed including probiotics, prebiotics, organic acids, enzymes and plant extracts. In this context, the objective of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of plant extracts as alternative growth promoters to the antibiotics as feed additives in chicken diets. Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of different plant on the metabolizable energy of the diet and performance and organ morphometry of broiler chickens. The performance trial involved 1,200 male chicks raised from 1 to 42 days of age, in groups of 40 birds per pen, in a experimental poultry house. A randomized complete block design, with 6 treatments and 5 blocks, was used. In the metabolism trial, 96 chickens in the grower period were allotted to battery cages and total excreta collection was conducted with 6 treatments and 4 replicates in a completely randomized design. The treatments for both experiments were: Corn-soybean meal control diet (C); C + 10 ppm Avilamycin; C + 1,000 ppm oregano extract; C + 1,000 ppm clove extract; C + 1,000 ppm cinnamon extract; C + 1,000 ppm red pepper extract. The plant extract products added consisted of microencapsulated preparations containing 20% essential oil. The variables evaluated were liveweight, weight gain, feed intake, feed conversion, mortality, apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) of the diets and organ weights. The results were statistically analyzed by ANOVA and means compared using Tukey&#39;s test. It was not detected any significant (P>0.05) difference among the treatments for the performance variables of the chickens along the growth period. Likewise, the plant extracts supplementation did not affect the AMEn of the diets (P>0.05). Organ morphometry was also, in general, not influenced by the additives. The only significant effect was a higher liver relative weight of the control birds (P<0.05) compared to the red pepper fed birds.

A utilização da enzima fitase nas dietas de não ruminantes permite a quebra da molécula de ácido fítico presente em ingredientes de origem vegetal e disponibilização do fósforo. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a eficiência de uma fitase bacteriana na liberação de fósforo fítico utilizando curvas de calibração para características ósseas e de desempenho em frangos de corte, e comparar os critérios de resposta quanto a adequação para estimativa da liberação de fósforo, assim como a viabilidade econômica da inclusão da fitase em dietas de frangos de corte. O delineamento experimental adotado foi inteiramente casualisado com 6 tratamentos e 6 repetições no período de 1 a 28 dias de idade. O tratamento controle consistiu de dieta à base de milho e farelo de soja deficiente em fósforo disponível (0,20% e 0,15% de P disponível para as fases de 1 a 21 e 22 a 28 dias, respectivamente). Dois tratamentos corresponderam às dietas basais acrescidas de fósforo inorgânico nos níveis de 0,05% e 0,10%, e os outros três a dieta basal com a inclusão de 66, 99 e 131 FTU/kg de ração. A curva padrão foi construída através do efeito de três níveis de P suplementar consumido sobre variáveis de desempenho e características ósseas. Em seguida, os resultados obtidos com inclusão de fitase foram confrontados com a curva padrão para o cálculo de P liberado pela fitase. O desempenho dos frangos de corte foi prejudicado em função da deficência em P na dieta. Os níveis crescentes de P suplementar influenciaram as variáveis ganho de peso, peso vivo e consumo de ração de forma quadrática, e de forma linear a variável miligramas de cinzas ósseas. A resposta linear é a que melhor descreve a curva padrão, dessa forma, a equação da variável mg de cinzas ósseas foi utilizada para construção da curva. As inclusões de 66, 99 e 131 FTU/kg liberaram, respectivamente, 0,048%, 0,049% e 0,062% de P em dieta à base de milho e farelo de soja. Este estudo demonstra a eficiência da fitase bacteriana em liberar fósforo fítico em dietas com baixos níveis de P, e o benefício econômico da utilização da enzima em dietas de frangos de corte. / Use of the enzyme phytase in the diets of nonruminants allows the hydrolysis of the molecule of phytic acid present in ingredients of plant origin, increasing phosphorus avalilability. The objective of this study was to determine the efficiency of a bacterial phytase to release phytate phosphorus using calibration curves for performance and bone characteristics in broiler chickens, and compare the response criteria for adequacy for estimating the release of phosphorus, as well the economic viability of inclusion of phytase in broiler chickens diets. A completely randomized design with 6 treatments and 6 replicates was used in an experiment with chickens from 1 to 28 days of age. The control treatment was a diet based on corn and soybean meal deficient in availability phosphorus (0,20% and 0,15% available P in the 1 21 and 21 28 days periods, respectively). Two treatmens consisted of the basal diet supplemented with inorganic phosphorus, and the other three treatments received 66, 99 and 131 FTU/kg of feed. The standard curves represented the effect of three levels of additional P intake on performance and bone variables. Then, the responses of the phytase treatments were compared to the standard curves to calculate the P released by phytase. Performance was negatively affected by the P-deficient diets. The increasing levels of supplemental P had quadratic effect on weight gain, live weight and feed intake, and linear effect on mg of bone ash. The linar response is the on that better represents the standard curve, thus the equation of bone ash was elected to estimative the P released. Inclusion of 66, 99 and 131 FTU/kg released 0.048%, 0.049% and 0.062% P from the corn-soy diet. This study demonstrates the efficiency the efficiency of the bacterial phytase to release phosphorus at low levels of inclusion, which may be of economical significance in diets broiler chickens.

O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de diferentes períodos de jejum alimentar (3, 6, 9, 12, 15 e 18 horas) sobre a perda de peso vivo em frangos de corte criados em sistema convencional e o rendimento de carcaça quente e fria (antes e após o resfriamento), além de avaliar os atributos de qualidade da carne de peito de frango. Neste experimento foram utilizados frangos de corte da linhagem Ross com 46 dias de idade. Os resultados encontrados mostraram que o tempo de jejum prolongado teve efeito significativo (p&#8804;0,05) sobre a perda de peso das aves antes do abate, com perda de 5% para um jejum de 12h. Conforme os períodos de jejum aumentavam, também incrementava a quantidade de peso perdido na carcaça viva. Registrou-se um elevado rendimento de carcaça quente com um período entre 3 e 6 horas de jejum e reduzido, a partir de um período de 9 horas acusou uma diferença significativa (p&#8804;0,05). A carcaça fria apresentou uma diminuição no seu rendimento, à medida que aumentou o tempo do jejum, com diferença significativa (p&#8804;0,05), que foi observada a partir de 6 horas de jejum. Os resultados encontrados neste estudo não mostraram que o tempo prolongado da privação de alimentos tenha efeito significativo (p&#8804;0,05) sobre a força de cisalhamento (kgf. cm-2) da carne de peito. Quanto à coloração, o aumento do período do jejum alimentar, tornou a carne de peito mais escura, porém não apresentou diferença significativa. Pelos dados da correlação dos atributos de qualidade, foi observada, para o valor de L*, uma relação negativa com o valor do pH da carne, pois, conforme aumentava o pH, o valor de L* diminuía. Observou-se, também, a correlação positiva entre o valor do pH e o CRA. Portanto, à medida que o pH da carne de peito aumentava, a CRA também incrementava. A correlação positiva encontrada entre a perda por cocção e a força de cisalhamento demonstrou que o aumento da perda de peso pela cocção influenciou negativamente a maciez da carne. De acordo com os resultados encontrados em relação ao rendimento de carcaças, o período entre 3 e 9h de jejum alimentar apresentou o melhor resultado. E quanto às qualidades físico-químicas da carne de peito de frango, não se encontrou diferença significativa entre os diferentes períodos de jejum. / The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different feed withdrawal periods (3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 hours) on the weight loss of broilers raised in the conventional system and the yield of the hot and cold carcass (before and after cooling), as well as to evaluate the quality attributes of the broilers breast meat. In this experiment, 46-day-old Ross broilers were used. The results found in this study show that the prolonged feed withdrawal time had a significant effect (p&#8804;0,05) on the weight loss of the birds before slaughtering, with a 5% loss for a 12-hour feed withdrawal period. As the feed withdrawal periods increased, so did the amount of weight loss in the living carcass. The hot carcass yield was higher between 3 and 6 hours of feed withdrawal and reduced after 9 hours with a significant difference (p&#8804;0,05). As to the cold carcass yield, it decreased as the fasting time increased, with a significant difference (p&#8804;0,05) on the shear force (kgf. cm-2) of the breast meat. As to coloration, the increase in the feed withdrawal period made the meat darker, but no significant difference was found. According to the data from the quality attributes correlation, a negative correlation was observed between the L* value and the pH of the meat, for as the pH increased, the L* value decreased. A positive correlation was observed between the pH and the WHC, since, as the pH of the breast meat increased, so did the WHC. The positive correlation between the cooking loss and the shear force showed that the increase in the weight loss by the cooking influenced negatively the tenderness of the meat. According to the results found for the carcass yield, the best results were found for the fasting periods between 3 and 9 hours. As to the physical-chemical quality of the chicken breast meat, no significant difference was found among the different feed withdrawal periods.

O objetivo do presente trabalho foi determinar o impacto do uso da radiação gama no controle de fungos toxigênicos e micotoxinas (aflatoxinas e fumonisinas) presentes na ração de frangos de corte. Os resultados de produtividade, rendimento, hematologia e bioquímica dos animais indicam que a irradiação da ração com 5 kGy foi efetiva no sentido de controlar os efeitos deletérios das micotoxinas. Amostras irradiadas apresentaram menor contaminação fúngica do que aquelas não irradiadas, no entanto as dose de 5 ou 10 kGy não provocaram redução do nível de contaminação de aflatoxinas ou fumonisinas pré-existentes nas amostras. Pode-se concluir que a dose de 5 kGy seria a mais indicada para o tratamento das rações de aves. Apesar de não alterar os níveis de micotoxinas presentes nas amostras, esta dose induz redução significativa da microbiota fúngica e altera a digestibilidade da ração, o que faz com que frangos alimentados com rações irradiadas com 5kGy apresentem melhor desempenho ao término do período de criação comercial. / The purpose of this experiment was to determine the impact of gamma radiation on the control of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins (aflatoxin and fumonisin) found in broiler chicken feed. Results show that irradiation of feed with 5 kGy was effective on the control of deleterious effects caused by mycotoxins on performance parameters, hematological and biochemical values. Irradiated samples presented lower fungal contamination levels than those not irradiated, although radiation doses used in this experiment did not reduce aflatoxin and fumonisins levels previously found on the samples. We concluded that 5 kGy is the recommended dose for broiler´s feed. Despite the fact that it does not change the mycotoxin levels found in the samples, this dose significantly reduces the fungal microbiota and modifies the feed digestibility, increasing the final weight of broiler chickens.