Search

The aim of the study was to compare the effects of chicory root inulin-rich meal (containing polyphenolic fraction as well) and pure fructooligosaccharides (FOS) on necrotic colitis induced with trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) in Wistar rats. Both chicory preparations significantly reduced the pH of colonic digesta and favourably lowered the caecal activity of bacterial β-glucuronidase as well as the caecal concentration of putrefactive short-chain fatty acids in comparison to the control TNBS rats. Both chicory preparations enhanced the production of total short-chain fatty acid (SCFA pool) and concentration of anti-inflammatory propionic acid in the caecal digesta. Nevertheless, only dietary chicory meal favourably increased the total SCFA concentration and thus decreased the pH of caecal digesta. Increased caecal SCFA production may explain observed greater reduction in mucosal necrosis and increase in glandular mucosal regeneration in rats fed a diet with chicory root meal. Both chicory preparations beneficially regulated physiological parameters in the lower part of the rat intestinal tract after TNBS-induced colitis, however the dietary treatment with chicory meal showed stronger reduction of mucosal disturbances caused by colitis. Those beneficial effects might be related to higher polymerization of inulin vs. FOS and presence of biologically active compounds in the meal, i.e., phenolic compounds, which have strong impact on intestinal microbial activity and thus indirectly alleviated mucosal disturbances caused by colitis.

Lupine (Lupinus angustifolius L.) protein (in wholemeal and protein isolates) was biodegraded using Pediococcus acidilactici in submerged and solid‐state fermentation conditions. The changes in the molecular weight of lupine protein fractions, amino acid (AA) profile, biogenic amine formation, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties, and protein digestibility in vitro and in vivo (in Wistar rats) were evaluated. After biotreatment, lower molecular weight peptides (from 10 to 20 kDa) were established, and the free AA content increased. Biodegradation improved the antioxidant properties, modulated the antimicrobial properties, and led to higher in vitro and in vivo digestibility and functionality of the lupine in treated rats (significant increase in body weight of Wistar rats, and increased acetic acid concentration and lowered Escherichia coli count in the caecum). Overall, the biodegradation of lupine protein can transform the plant protein, producing enhanced functionality and bioavailable products.

The purpose of the study was to compare in vivo effects of dietary supplementation with blackcurrant pomaces containing variable level of phenolic compounds on blood and internal organ parameters in rats. Forty-eight growing Wistar rats were allocated to six treatment groups in which they were fed ad libitum for 4 weeks the following diets: standard chow (group S), high-fructose diet (group F), standard chow supplemented with 7.7% of either rich in polyphenols unprocessed blackcurrant pomace (UB) or polyphenol-deprived processed pomace (PB) (groups SUB and SPB respectively), and high-fructose diet with 7.7% of either UB or PB (groups FUB and FPB respectively). Blackcurrant pomace, irrespective of its phenolic content, selectively modulated the enzymatic activity of the colon microflora, reducing the activity of enzymes with potentially harmful properties and promoting activities of enzymes that might increase the use of carbohydrates that escaped digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract. Although both pomaces increased antioxidant status of the liver and blood serum, the unprocessed pomace showed a greater ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation in heart and kidney than the pomace that was less abundant in polyphenols. Both of the examined pomaces had a positive influence on serum lipid profile, but better hypocholesterolemic effect was observed after supplementation of the diet with unprocessed preparation. The biochemical action of unprocessed pomace in the normalization of fructose-induced disturbances was more distinct than those of pomace remaining after extraction.

The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of different dietary fruit pomaces in reducing lipid oxidation in the meat of turkeys fed diets with a high content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs). Over a period of 4 weeks before slaughter, turkeys were fed diets with the addition of 5% dried apple, blackcurrant, strawberry and seedless strawberry pomaces (groups AP, BP, SP and SSP, respectively) and 2.5% linseed oil. Pomaces differed in the content (from 5.5 in AP to 43.1 mg/g in SSP) and composition of polyphenols Proanthocyanidins were the main polyphenolic fraction in all pomaces, AP contained flavone glycosides and dihydrochalcones, BP contained anthocyanins, and SP and SSP-ellagitannins. The n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio in all diets was comparable and lower than 2:1. In comparison with groups C and AP, the percentage of n-3 PUFAs in the total fatty acid pool of white meat from the breast muscles of turkeys in groups BP, SP and SSP was significantly higher, proportionally to the higher content of α-linolenic acid in berry pomaces. The fatty acid profile of dark meat from thigh muscles, including the n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio, was similar and lower than 3:1 in all groups. Vitamin A levels in raw breast muscles were higher in group AP than in groups C and BP (P

This study investigated differences in the architecture of intestinal mucosa, digestive and fermentation processes in laying hens fed diets in which soybean meal (SBM) was replaced with increasing levels of yellow lupine seeds (YL) for 16 weeks. Two hundred twenty-four Lohmann Brown hens aged 32 weeks were placed in battery cages and were assigned to four dietary treatments (56 replicates in each, 1 hen per replicate). Diets containing 100, 200 or 300 g/kg YL (YL100, YL200 and YL300, respectively) were compared with a control soybean-wheat-based diet (YL0). Diets containing YL did not negatively affect the key variables of hens performance. Increasing dietary inclusion levels of YL caused a linear increase in duodenal mucosa thickness (P = 0.046), crypt depth (P = 0.016) and villus height (P = 0.066). In the jejunum, a quadratic effect of YL inclusion was noted for mucosa thickness (P = 0.021) and crypt depth (P = 0.007), with the lowest values in groups YL100 and YL200. The dietary YL significantly decreased the weight of the small intestine with digesta vs. YL0. Dietary treatments had no effect on the hydration, pH and viscosity of the small intestinal contents or the weight of cecal tissue and contents. Dietary YL treatments linearly increased the dry matter content of cecal digesta (P = 0.029), and decreased cecal pH (P = 0.028) and ammonia concentrations (P = 0.001). Dietary YL led to a linear increase in the activity of microbial enzymes, including α-glucosidase, α- and β-galactosidase, α-arabinopyranosidase and β-xylosidase (all P

SUMMARY The objective of this study was to determine whether different levels of dietary Na from NaCl affect gut function, tibia mineralization, and footpad dermatitis incidence in young turkeys. Male B.U.T. 9 turkeys (n = 308) were fed diets with very low, low, medium, and high NaCl addition, providing 0.07, 0.12, 0.17, and 0.22% Na and 0.23, 0.30, 0.40, and 0.49% Cl. Only the very low NaCl treatment negatively (P < 0.05) affected the growth rate and feed conversion in 8-wk-old turkeys. Both very low and low dietary NaCl levels adversely affected the density index and the elastic strength of the tibia. Dry matter concentrations in the small intestine and digesta viscosity were found to decrease along with increasing NaCl addition. The moisture content of cecal digesta and excreta was not affected by dietary treatments, although significantly lower footpad dermatitis scores were noted in groups fed the very low and low NaCl diets. A high salt level was associated with an increase in cecal pH, NH3 concentrations, and β-glucuronidase activity (P < 0.05 vs. other groups). It may be concluded that the medium level of NaCl addition seems to be the best dietary option because the other treatments decreased the BW of 8-wk-old turkeys (very low NaCl level), reduced tibia strength (very low and low NaCl levels), or negatively affected cecal metabolism (high NaCl level).

The aim of this experiment was to investigate whether a low-dietary application (15 mg/kg) of an alkaloid preparation containing quaternary benzo[c]phenanthridine alkaloids and obtained from Macleaya cordata (Sangrovit) influenced caecal metabolism, growth performance and long-chain fatty acid composition of breast meat. One-day-old broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were fed a diet without supplement or with a 15 mg/kg dose of Sangrovit (C and A groups respectively) for 5 weeks. Although the A treatment was not accompanied by an enhanced final body weight of broilers, the intake of a diet with Sangrovit influenced the caecal microflora activity. The addition of Sangrovit to a diet decreased potentially harmful β-glucuronidase and β-glucosidase activities (p

The aim of this study was to determine the fatty acid profile of apple seed oil and its effects on the caecal functions, blood lipids, and markers of antioxidant status and inflammation in rats. A nutritional experiment was performed on Wistar rats allocated to 3 groups of 8 animals each. The animals were fed with a diet containing different sources of fat: pork lard (group LA), rapeseed oil (group RO) and apple seed oil (group AO). Apple seed oil was rich in linoleic acid and oleic acids (57 % and 32.3 % of total fatty acids, respectively). The short chain fatty acid concentration in the caecal digesta was comparable among all groups, whereas the ammonia concentration was lower in groups AO and RO than in group LA (0.32 and 0.3, respectively vs 0.42 mg/g). The plasma alanine (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) activities also decreased in the AO and RO groups (ALT, 19.34 and 19.81, respectively vs 30,7 U/L and AST, 115.1 and 107, respectively vs 138.3 U/L) The plasma triacylglycerols (TG) concentration and the atherogenic index (ATI) of plasma were significantly decreased in the AO group compared to the LA group (TG, 1.79 vs 2.62 mmol/L and ATI, 0.095 vs 0.313). Apple seed oil is a valuable source of unsaturated fatty acids and its dietary addition has slightly better metabolic effects on rat organism than does rapeseed oil.

In four studies, we evaluated the influence of dietary MOS on the performance of turkeys and their intestinal health status at various stages of the production. Turkey growth, feed efficiency and large intestine parameters were examined after 4-, 8- and 16-week administration of diets with different levels (0.1 to 1.0%) of a MOS. The experimental 4- and 8-week feeding with various levels of MOS (up to 0.5%) did not affect the productivity of the birds, yet medium (0.4 and 0.2% in the first and second 8-wk periods, respectively) and high (1.0 and 0.4% in the first and second 8-wk periods, respectively) levels of dietary MOS were found to significantly increase live body weight after feeding for 16 weeks. At the age of 8 weeks, we observed a similar effect of MOS and inulin on the productivity parameters. The caecal metabolism was affected by dietary mannan variously depending on the dose of MOS and the age of birds. Generally, the dietary mannan-oligosaccharides more considerably changed caecal metabolism at early ages. At 4 weeks of age, we found some positive effects of adding MOS to the diet, such as lowering ammonia concentration and decreasing β-glucuronidase activity in the caeca, as well as some negative effects, including decreased bacterial glycolytic activity and raised pH of digesta. In our 8-week experiment, non-linear changes were observed in the parameters of caecal digesta at different doses of MOS. It seems that dietary supplementation with 0.25% MOS, compared to other doses, exerted a specific effect on gut-colonizing microflora enhancing its proliferation and activity, which has been reflected in a higher concentration of Lowry's protein and an increased glycolytic activity. After feeding the turkeys for 16 weeks, their caecal metabolism was affected by dietary MOS to some extent. Although MOS did not change the caecal pH or the bacterial enzyme activity, when applied at medium and higher doses it decreased ammonia as well as SCFA concentration (mainly acetate) in the caecal digesta. Dietary MOS had no significant effect on the caecal populations of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, whereas the populations of caecal E. coli were observed to decrease, especially upon medium and high experimental concentrations.

In two experiments, the response of rats to feeding with diets containing grapefruit flavonoids was examined. In the first experiment, during 8 weeks, four diets without or with 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4% extract of flavonoid from grapefruit (from 0.05 to 0.2% DM pure flavonoids) were applied. In the second experiment, during 10 days, diets with oxidised fat (100 meq O2/kg) and without or with 0.4% extract of flavonoid were applied. The obtained results showed that the addition of 0.1–0.4% extract of flavonoid from grapefruit did not affect the diet intake and the body weight gain of rats, and slightly increased the antioxidative potential of serum (decreased the MDA content but had no significant effect on the PGx and SOD activities). The addition strongly affected functioning of the blind gut ecosystem causing an increased filling with contents, an increase in the intestinal wall mass and pH, as well as a decrease in the microbiological activity of β-glucuronidase and an increase in the α-galactosidase activity.

The objective of the experiment was to determine whether small amounts of proanthocyanidins (0.1 and 0.3%) may increase the antioxidative properties of the rat diet without exerting an antinutritional effect. Proanthocyanidins of faba bean seed coats were extracted with a mixture of acetone and water (70:30) and lyophilized. The amount of proanthocyanidins was two- or fourfold higher in the experimental diets as compared to the control diet. The addition of proanthocyanidin extract had no significant effect on the coefficients of digestibility of crude protein, daily nitrogen retention and the coefficient of biological value of diet protein. In the blood serum of rats fed diets supplemented with proanthocyanidin extract, there was a slightly higher content of vitamin E and alanine aminotransferase activity, while the content of vitamin A and aspartate aminotransferase activity were similar to those of the control group. In the contents of the rat gut (caecum), a lower activity of â -glucuronidase was foun...

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different dietary sodium levels on serum macroelement concentrations, growth performance and incidence of foot pad dermatitis (FPD) in female turkeys raised to six weeks of age. The influence of a lowsodium diet (without additional sodium) and diets supplemented with NaCl to increase sodium content by 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 g kg–1 was compared. The dietary electrolyte balance (DEB) was high (242-248 mEq kg–1) due to a high potassium content (11.0 g kg–1). Turkeys fed the low-sodium diet were characterized by significantly lower concentrations of chloride (p=0.002) and phosphorus (p

This study compared the effects of supplementation with a polyphenol-rich pomace from strawberry (US) and a strawberry pomace without most of these compounds (PS) on gastrointestinal, blood, and tissue biomarkers in rats fed diets differing in carbohydrate contents for 4 wk. The diets were: corn starch (group CS), high fructose (60% by weight; group F), starch with 7.7% of either US or PS (groups CS+US and CS+PS, respectively), and high fructose with 7.7% of either US or PS (groups F+US and F+PS, respectively). An interaction (P < 0.05) was observed between diet type and strawberry preparation, showing that upon fructose feeding, US had a greater effect than PS on lowering serum insulin, liver total cholesterol, and conjugated dienes. Additionally, the F+US group had lower serum FFA than the F+PS group (P < 0.05). The extraction of polyphenols diminished the physiological effect associated with strawberry intake, suggesting that the fiber component of the pomace was also active in reducing metabolic complications following fructose feeding to rats.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of dietary administration of a fructooligosaccharide preparation rich in kestose and nestose on growth performance and gastrointestinal parameters in young turkeys. The kestose and nestose preparation was obtained through bioconversion of sucrose using fungi fructosyl transferase and contained in DM 39.9% of kestose, 17.6% of nystose, as well as 26.5% of glucose and 14.7% of sucrose. Three dietary levels of the sum of kestose and nystose (0.3, 0.6, and 1.2%) were fed to growing turkeys for 8 wk. When compared with the control treatment, addition of the kestose and nestose preparation had no effect on feed intake, feed conversion, and BW. The kestose and nestose-supplemented diet, especially the medium level of kestose and nystose, influenced microbial metabolism, especially in the ceca. Compared with the control group, the medium level of kestose and nestose decreased relative weight of gizzard (from 18.67 to 16.51 g/kg of BW) and weight of small intestine tissue (from 23.3 to 19.6 g/kg of BW) and increased weight of ceca digesta (from 3.51 to 4.77 g/kg of BW) as well as activities of microbial beta-glucosidase (an increase from 0.22 to 0.38 U/g) and alpha-galactosidase (an increase from 0.90 to 1.61 U/g), pH of digesta (a decrease from 6.13 to 5.79), concentration of NH3 (an increase from 0.60 to 0.98 mg/g), and concentration of total short-chain fatty acids (an increase from 81.1 to 107.7 micromol/g) in the cecal digesta. A high content of kestose and nestose in the diet caused a decrease in ileal and cecal pH (to 5.42 and 5.49, respectively).

Background The objective of the present study was to examine the influence of adding various amounts beetroot (Beta vulgaris) crisps on gastrointestinal function, antioxidant status and blood and liver lipid profiles in a high fat diet-induced dyslipidaemic rat model; Results The intake of a dyslipidaemic diet increased the serum total cholesterol, total cholesterol-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio, atherogenic index, hepatic total cholesterol and triacylglycerols, suppressed production of short-chain fatty acids and decreased total antioxidant status and blood glutathione peroxidase activity. Oral administration of all tested amounts of beetroot crisps prevented the rise in serum total cholesterol and triacylglycerols levels. The treatment with the addition of 3% crisps also decreased hepatic total cholesterol level and activity of AST in serum. The experimental addition of crisps likewise resulted in a tendency towards a higher total SCFA pool and activity of glutathione peroxidase and a lower serum glucose level (p = 0.080, p = 0.061 and p = 0.067, respectively); Conclusions Results of the presented study suggest that the addition of beetroot crisps could alleviate metabolic changes in dyslipidaemic diet-administered rats.

The objective of this study was to determine the physiological re- sponses and growth performance of turkeys fed 20% whole wheat (WW) in two feeding programmes, diets A and B, consistent with the NRC (1994) and B.U.T. (2012) recommendations, respectively. In diet B, in successive feeding periods (weeks 5-18), the soyabean meal content was increased by 2.89% to 5.13%, the wheat content was decreased by 5.29% to 8.18%, and the concentrations of L-lysine, DL-methionine and L-threonine were considerably increased. A total of 896 four-week-old Big-6 male turkeys with similar initial body weights were randomly assigned to four equal dietary treatment groups, with seven replicate pens per treatment. The birds had free access to water and pelleted diets that contained no WW or 20% WW. After 14 weeks of feeding, the body weight gains (BWG) of turkeys were similar in all dietary treatments. From week 13 to 18, WW contributed to a significant ( P = 0.040) increase in the feed conversion ratio (FCR), whereas the increase in FCR noted over the entire experiment was nearly significant ( P = 0.065). Dietary inclusion of WW had no effect on the weights of the gizzard, small intestine, or caecum, and it enhanced fermentation in the caecum, including increasing α-glucosidase activity and the concentra- tions of total short-chain fatty acids, and decreasing the pH of caecal digesta (all P = 0.001). No significant differences were noted in the parameters of gastroin - testinal function and BWG between turkeys fed diets A and B. Diet B did, how- ever, significantly (P = 0.045) improve FCR over the entire experiment.

Different levelsof dietary fructooligosaccharide (FOS) administered for 8 wk to commercial male turkeys were evaluated for their efficacy on performance and physiological response in the digestive tract. Special attention was paid to cecal metabolism. The following levels of FOS were used in a diet: 0.5, 1, and 2%. After 8 wk of experimental feeding, the diet intake, body weight, and feed efficiency ratio were similar in all groups examined. The pH of ileal and cecal contents were reduced by dietary treatments, especially when 2% of dietary FOS was used. The highest ammonia and Lowry's protein concentrations were associated with elevated amounts of FOS preparation in a diet (1 and 2%). Bacterial enzyme activity remained statistically unaffected by experimental treatments; however, a slight beneficial decrease in the activity of β-glucosidase and β-glucuronidase was observed after ingestion of the FOS preparation. The addition of FOS to a diet did not affect short-chain fatty acid concentration but gave greater short-chain fatty acid pool in the ceca of turkeys, especially in the case of the highest dose of FOS.