Effect of dietary canthaxanthin and iodine on the production performance and egg quality of laying hens

Effects of Supplementing Selenium-Enriched Cardamine violifolia to Laying Hens on Egg Quality and Yolk Antioxidant Capacity during Storage at 4 °C and 25 °C

Oxidative stress occurs in the process of egg storage. Antioxidants as feed additives can enhance egg quality and extend the shelf life of eggs. Selenium-enriched Cardamine violifolia (SEC) has strongly antioxidant properties. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of dietary supplementation with SEC on egg quality and the yolk antioxidant capacity of eggs stored at 4 °C and 25 °C. Four hundred fifty 65-week-old, Roman hens that were similar in laying rate (90.79 ± 1.69%) and body weight (2.19 ± 0.23 kg) were divided into 5 groups. The birds were fed diets supplemented with 0 mg/kg selenium (Se) (CON), 0.3 mg/kg Se from sodium selenite (SS), 0.3 mg/kg Se from Se-enriched yeast (SEY), 0.3 mg/kg Se for selenium-enriched Cardamine violifolia (SEC) or 0.3 mg/kg Se from Se-enriched Cardamine violifolia and 0.3 mg/kg Se from Se-enriched yeast (SEC + SEY) for 8 weeks. The eggs were collected on the 8th week and were analyzed for egg quality and oxidative stability of yolk during storage at 4 °C or 25 °C for 0, 2, 4, or 6 weeks. Dietary SEC and SEC + SEY supplementation increased the Haugh unit (HU) and albumen foam stability in eggs stored at 4 °C and 25 °C (p < 0.05). SS and SEC supplementation increased the yolk index in eggs stored at 25 °C (p < 0.05). SEC or SEC + SEY slowed down an increase in albumen pH and gel firmness in eggs stored at 4 °C and 25 °C (p < 0.05). Moreover, SEC or SEC + SEY alleviated the increase in malonaldehyde (MDA), and the decrease in total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) level and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activity in yolks stored at 4 °C and 25 °C (p < 0.05). These results indicate that SEC mitigated egg quality loss and improved the antioxidant capacity of yolks during storage. SEC supplementation would be advantageous to extend the shelf life of eggs.

Dietary Canthaxanthin Supplementation Promotes the Laying Rate and Follicular Development of Huaixiang Hens

Canthaxanthin(CX) is a ketocarotenoid, which is widely used in poultry production as a lipophilic antioxidant. Huaixiang chickens are a local breed in China famous for their excellent meat quality; improving their laying rate via nutritional regulation has attracted extensive attention. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary CX on the laying rate and follicular development in Huaixiang hens. A total of 180 Huaixiang hens were randomly divided into five groups with six replicates, and six chickens per replication. The control group (CON) were fed a basal diet, and the treatment group (NT) were fed a basal diet supplemented with 4, 6, 8 and 10 mg/kg CX. All chickens were 26 weeks old, living at an average environmental temperature of 25 ± 2 °C with a relative humidity of 65-75%. The results showed that supplementing the CX improved the laying rate and large white follicles (LWF) number (p < 0.05) and increased the concentration of reproductive hormones (LH, FSH, E2 and Prog) (p < 0.05), and the basal diet supplemented with 6 mg/kg CX worked best. Moreover, CX could increase the activities of antioxidant enzymes SOD and GSH-Px (p < 0.05) and reduce the content of the lipid peroxidation product MDA in Huaixiang chickens (p < 0.05); again, 6 mg/kg CX was best. In conclusion, dietary CX had positive effects on the laying rate, ovarian structure, reproductive hormone secretion, follicle development, and the antioxidant capacity of Huaixiang hens, and 6 mg/kg CX was recommended to be added to the diet of Huaixiang chickens.

Carotenoid enrichment in eggs: From biochemistry perspective

The emergence of safe and functional eggs for consumer acceptance has gained focus. The production of carotenoid-enriched eggs has received attention due to its multifunctional biological properties. Nutritional modification of laying hens' diet can be a strategy to produce such eggs. This review presents the chemistry of carotenoids in nature and eggs, the accumulation process of carotenoids into eggs, and the functions of carotenoids in eggs. Our findings showed that carotenoids can be deposited into the egg and contribute to improving its nutritive value. The biosynthesis, chemical structure, and metabolism pathways of carotenoids lead to the deposition of carotenoids into eggs in their original or metabolized forms. Also, some factors modulate the efficiency of carotenoids in fowls before accumulation into eggs. Carotenoid-enriched eggs may be promising, ensuring the availability of highly nutritive eggs. However, further studies are still needed to comprehend the full metabolism process and the extensive functions of carotenoids in eggs.

Hepatic heat shock proteins, antioxidant-related genes, and immunocompetence of heat-stressed broilers in response to short periods of incubation during egg storage and thermal conditioning

Short Periods of Incubation During Egg Storage (SPIDES) approach improves chick quality and hatching rates. Also, embryonic thermal conditioning (TC) is a strategy for enhancing thermotolerance in avian species. Until now, evaluating the effect of either SPIDES or embryonic TC effects has only been separately conducted, so we hypothesized that combining TC and SPIDES may enhance the response of broilers to thermal stress. Eight hundred Ross broiler eggs were divided into two groups; the first one was kept under appropriate storage room conditions, S0 (control) The 2nd was subjected to SPIDES for 5 h at 37.8 ○C ± 0.1 three times at days 5, 10, and 15 (S1) after egg collection respectively. On the 14th day of incubation (DOI) each of the two main groups was randomly divided into two equal subgroups; the control one was left under the appropriate incubation settings (TC0) whereas the other received prenatal heat conditioning (TC1) at 39.5 ○C ± 0.1 for 6 h/d from the 14th to the 18th embryonic day (E), resulting finally in four experimental subgroups (S0TC0, S1TC0, S0TC1 & S1TC1). RESULTS: showed that SPIDES treatment improved the hatchability of the stored eggs by almost 20% compared to untreated eggs. A combination of SPIDES and TC (S1TC1) increased significantly the levels of Immunoglobulin (IgG and IgM) production at hatch and heat-stressed birds. Our findings revealed that the hepatic heat shock proteins (hsp70, 90 A,90 B, 60 and hspA9), antioxidants-related genes (CAT, and SOD2), and NADPH4 were significantly downregulated in the thermally conditioned group that challenged with thermal stress conditions. As opposed to that, the SPIDES group showed a significant increase in hepatic heat shock proteins, antioxidants-related genes, and NADPH4 when subjected to thermal-stress conditions. In conclusion, the combination of SPIDES and TC has a positive effect on some pre and post-hatch traits of broiler chicks. Under heat stress challenge, thermal conditioning can modify the expression of antioxidant-related genes and Hsps, leading to the enhanced acquisition of thermotolerance as evidenced by lower expression of Hsps and NADPH4. While SPIDES does not have a significant role in thermotolerance acquisition.

Dietary supplementation of spirulina and canthaxanthin boosts laying performance, lipid profile in blood and egg yolk, hatchability, and semen quality of chickens

This study examined the impacts of dietary spirulina (SP) and canthaxanthin (CX) supplementation to laying hens on reproductive performance and cock's semen quality evaluation. Three hundred and sixty of indigenous Sinai chickens (300 hens + 60 cocks), 48-weeks-old, were randomly divided into five treatments; a control and four supplemented (0.6 g SP mg/kg, 0.8 g SP mg/kg, 6 mg CX/kg diet, and 8 mg CX/kg diet) with six replications of 10 females and 1 male per treatment for laying trial and 1 male for semen evaluation. The animals were fed with experimental diets for 12 weeks. Supplementing 6 mg CX/kg diet led to an increase in the final body weight and egg production traits, while 8 mg CX/kg diet resulted in an improving feed conversion ratio. Supplementation of 0.6 g SP mg/kg or 6.0 mg CX/kg diet resulted in the highest egg production. The heaviest egg weight and egg mass were induced by 0.8 g SP mg/kg. Eggs laid from hens fed 0.6 g SP/kg diet had a higher concentration of cholesterol than those fed 0.8 g SP/kg and those fed 6.0 and 8.0 mg CX/kg. Cocks fed 6 mg CX/kg and those fed 0.8 g SP/kg diet had the greatest sperm concentration. The supplementation of 0.8 g SP mg/kg diet or both 6 and 8 mg CX/kg diet enhanced hatchability. So, dietary spirulina (0.8 mg/kg) and canthaxanthin (6 mg/kg) supplementation to Sinai laying hens and cocks could be used to improve productive and reproductive and performance.

The effects of canthaxanthin microencapsulation on yolk color and canthaxanthin deposition in egg yolk of laying hens

Canthaxanthin is widely used as a feed additive to improve skin and yolk color in poultry. It is insoluble in water and sensitive to oxidation, so commercial canthaxanthin is often microencapsulated with wall materials to improve its solubility and stability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of canthaxanthin microencapsulation on yolk color and canthaxanthin deposition in egg yolk of laying hens. A total of 288 Hyline Brown laying hens (48 wk of age) were allocated to 4 groups with 6 replicates of 12 hens each, and fed a basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with 5 mg/kg canthaxanthin microencapsulated with modified starch (CMMS), gelatin (CMG), and sodium lignosulfonate (CMSL), respectively. Canthaxanthin supplementation did not affect laying performance of hens, but improved (P < 0.05) yolk color of fresh, fried, boiled, and stored (4 and 25°C) eggs. The improvement of yolk color of fresh eggs was greatest in the CMSL group and least in the CMG group (P < 0.05). Both CMMS and CMSL resulted in higher (P < 0.05) yolk canthaxanthin concentration than CMG. The CMSL resulted in higher (P < 0.05) yolk color score of fried eggs than CMMS and CMG and higher (P < 0.05) yolk color score of boiled eggs than CMG, but no difference was observed in stored eggs among three canthaxanthin groups. In conclusion, CMMS and CMSL were more effective in yolk pigmentation than CMG, and CMSL was slightly better than CMMS.

Albumen Quality of Fresh and Stored Table Eggs: Hen Genotype as a Further Chance for Consumer Choice

Simple Summary

Consumer interest in food products and their origins is increasing. Knowledge of egg production and quality of purebred hens during the productive period is required for a niche market sustaining and encouraging biodiversity and the peculiarities of the products that consumers can appreciate. Egg production and quality of the eggshell and albumen in fresh and stored eggs of two Italian dual-purpose purebreds (Ermellinata di Rovigo (ER); Robusta maculata (RM)) and two hybrid genotypes (Hy-Line Brown (HB); Hy-Line White (HW)) reared outdoors were compared throughout the laying period. RM breed (brown eggshell) showed fresh and stored eggs with a good eggshell thickness, and Haugh Units (HU) quite stable along the production period; RM total egg mass was lower than ER (light brown eggshell) which showed fresh and stored eggs with more variable HU, due also to a possible effect of lower eggshell thickness and pigmentation, and shape index. The hybrids produced a higher total egg mass than the purebreds and showed an intermediate variation of the egg quality, with HU higher than those of ER and RM only in 1 d eggs, but not in stored eggs.

Abstract

The quality of fresh (1 d) and stored (7–14–21 d, 21 °C) eggs was studied in Italian dual-purpose breeds (Ermellinata di Rovigo (ER), Robusta maculata (RM)) and hybrids (Hy-Line Brown (HB), Hy-Line White36 (HW)), reared outdoors (4 m²/bird) and fed commercial feed. The eggs were analyzed at 4 ages, throughout different seasonal environmental conditions, from summer (31, 35 weeks; 25 °C) until autumn (39, 43 weeks, 15 °C). Each genotype showed significant (p < 0.01) changes in egg quality. In 1 d eggs, the eggshell thickness changed in RM and HW (quadratic), decreased linearly in ER; Haugh Units (HU) changed (ER–cubic) and decreased (hybrids-linear). In 7 d and 14 d eggs, HU linearly (p < 0.01) decreased, except in RM. In 21 d eggs, HU (ER linear decrease; HB, HW quadratic) changed. Significant negative correlations between albumen pH and height were seen in ER (at 1 d, 14 d, 21 d) and HW (at each storage time) eggs, and in RM and HB only in 1 d eggs. RM showed a quite stable albumen quality and a lower total egg mass than ER which showed a more variable albumen quality, due also to a lower eggshell thickness and shape index. The hybrids produced a higher total egg mass than the purebreds and showed an intermediate variation of the egg quality, with an albumen quality higher than those of ER and RM only in 1 d egg, as a result of a higher albumen weight.

Characterization of structure and protein of vitelline membranes of precocial (ring-necked pheasant, gray partridge) and superaltricial (cockatiel parrot, domestic pigeon) birds

Of all the known oviparous taxa, female birds lay the most diverse types of eggs that differ in terms of shape, shell pigmentation, and shell structure. The pigmentation of the shell, the weight of the egg, and the composition of the yolk correlate with environmental conditions and the needs of the developing embryos. In this study, we analyzed the structure and protein composition of the vitelline membrane (VM) of ring-necked pheasant, gray partridge, cockatiel parrot, and domestic pigeon eggs. We found that the VM structure is characteristic of each species and varies depending on whether the species is precocial (ring-necked pheasant and gray partridge) or superaltrical (cockatiel parrot and domestic pigeon). We hypothesize that a multilayer structure of VM is necessary to counteract the aging process of the egg. The multilayer structure of VM is only found in species with a large number of eggs in one clutch and is characterized by a long incubation period. An interesting discovery of this study is the three-layered VM of pheasant and partridge eggs. This shows that the formation of individual layers of VM in specific sections of the hen's reproductive system is not confirmed in other species. The number of protein fractions varied between 19 and 23, with a molecular weight ranging from 15 to 250 kDa, depending on the species. The number of proteins identified in the VM of the study birds' eggs is as follows: chicken-14, ring-necked pheasant-7, gray partridge-10, cockatiel parrot-6, and domestic pigeon-23. The highest number of species-specific proteins (21) was detected in the VM of domestic pigeon. This study is the first to present the structure and protein composition in the VM of ring-necked pheasant, gray partridge, cockatiel parrot, and domestic pigeon eggs. In addition, we analyzed the relationship between the hatching specification of birds and the structure of the VM.

Egg Yolk Antioxidants Profiles: Effect of Diet Supplementation with Linseeds and Tomato-Red Pepper Mixture before and after Storage

This study evaluated the effect of dietary incorporation of linseed alone or along with dried tomato paste-pepper powder mix on egg physical characteristics, antioxidant profiles, lipid oxidative status, and yolk coloration before and after storage at 4 °C for one month. Sixty Novogen White laying hens, 27 weeks-old, were divided into three groups and given 100 g/hen/day of a standard diet (C), standard diet containing 4.5% of ground linseed (L), linseed diet containing 1% of dried tomato paste and 1% of sweet red pepper (LTP). Linseeds increased (p < 0.05) egg yolk antioxidant capacity but not lipid oxidative stability (p > 0.05). However, dietary inclusion of LTP did not improve fresh egg yolk antioxidant activity and lipid oxidation stability (p > 0.05). With reference to the stored eggs, only antioxidant activity measured by phosphomolybdenum reduction and lipid oxidative stability were influenced (p < 0.05) by the dietary treatment. Fresh egg yolk of hens fed on linseeds tended to have a slightly more yellow, redder, and less light color than the eggs of hens fed with the control diet. Dietary supplementation of LTP increased (p < 0.05) the Roche yolk color fan (RYCF) score and redness (a*) and decreased (p < 0.05) lightness (L*) without affecting (p > 0.05) saturation (C*). Storage of hens’ eggs fed on the control diet did not influence (p > 0.05) yolk color.

Effects of Chitosan Coating Structure and Changes during Storage on Their Egg Preservation Performance

To explore the influences of chitosan coating structure and structure changes during storage on egg preservation, eggs coated by chitosan solution for single time (CS1), two times (CS2), and three times (CS3) were prepared separately and stored with untreated eggs (CK1), eggs washed by water (CK2) and eggs treated by acetic acid solution (CK3) at 25 °C, 80% RH. The weight loss, Haugh unit, yolk index, albumen pH, eggshell morphologies and infrared (FTIR—Fourier Transform Infrared) spectra of all the samples were monitored. CS2 and CS3 presented the lowest weight loss, highest Haugh unit and yolk index, stabilized pH, and the highest thickness of chitosan coating layers (>2 μm) among all the groups, which extended egg shelf life for 20 days longer compared to CK1 and CK2. CS1 with very thin chitosan coating showed similar egg qualities with CK3, which are second only to CS2 and CS3. Furthermore, destructions were found on chitosan coatings during storage as revealed by the eggshell morphologies and FTIR spectra, which caused the quality deterioration of eggs. The results demonstrated that eggs with the thickest coating showed the best qualities during storage, while destructions on coating layers led to the quality drop of eggs.