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Fish have always been considered to be an excellent source of protein, minerals and a low-fat product. The present study was carried out to evaluate the sensory, chemical and bacterial quality as well as proximate chemical composition of the wild Nile tilapia in comparison with the cultured one available in Assiut fish-sale markets. A total of 99 (50 wild and 49 cultured) samples of fresh Nile tilapia fish were randomly collected from different fish-sale markets in Assiut city. Sensory evaluation revealed that all of the wild and cultured tilapia samples were organoleptically accepted. The mean sensory score value of the cultured samples was significantly (P<0.05) higher than that of the wild. The pH, total volatile bases "TVB" (mg N/100g fish flesh) and thiobarbituric acid "TBA" (mg malonaldehyde/kg fish flesh) mean values were 6.81±0.03, 17.81±0.5 and 1.84±0.17 in wild tilapia and 6.79±0.02, 21.38±0.63 and 1.02±0.08 in cultured tilapia, respectively. The incidence of coliforms, fecal coliforms, E. coli and Cl. perfringenes in wild tilapia samples was 88, 34, 0 and 0%, while in cultured samples it was 83.67, 40.82, 2.02 and 6.12%, respectively. The results of proximate chemical composition percentages revealed that the mean values of moisture, protein, fat, ash and carbohydrate were significantly (P<0.05) different in wild than in cultured tilapia. The calculated gross energy mean value (Kcal/100g fish flesh) was higher in cultured (100.73±1.44) than in wild (83.29±0.06) tilapia with a significant (P<0.05) difference between them. From the obtained results it could be concluded that from the quality point of view wild Nile tilapia is better than the cultured one. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat stress causes economic losses via decreasing feed intake, nutrient digestion, weight gain, feed conversion, immunity, carcass quality and increasing mortality in broilers. The aim of the study was to assess the ability of dietary additive combinations to ameliorate the detrimental effect caused by chronic heat stress (32 ± 2ºC for 24 h per d) on performance, carcass traits, metabolic status and economic efficiency of broiler chickens. A total of 420, one-day old Cobb-500 broiler chicks were assigned into seven treatment groups (n=60) of five replicates. Each replicate contained 12 unsexed chicks. The control groups did not receive any supplementation to the basal diet (thermoneutral control (TNC) and heat stress control (HSC) groups). The other groups received control diet supplemented with 1 % cumin plus 1 % turmeric powders (T1); 1.5 g/kg potassium chloride plus 2 g/kg sodium bicarbonate (T2); 1000 ppm propolis plus 15000 IU vitamin A (T3); 1200 ppb chromium plus 500 ppm vitamin C (T4) ; 1200 ppm betaine plus 500 ppm vitamin E (T5). The results indicated that at 42 d of age, all dietary additive combinations improved the growth performance indices, carcass traits, concentrations of serum antioxidant enzyme biomarkers, stress biomarkers and economic efficiency in comparison to HSC group. Based on the obtained results, it could be concluded that dietary supplementation with betaine and vitamin E followed by chromium and vitamin C combinations offers a good management practice for alleviating heat stress related depression in the performance of broiler chickens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Plasma-activated water (PAW) is an innovative promising technology which could be applied to improve poultry health. The current study investigated the effects of drinking water supply with PAW on quail behaviour, performance, biochemical parameters, carcass quality, intestinal microbial populations, and internal organs histopathology. A total of 54 twenty-one-day-old Japanese quail chicks were randomly allotted to three treatments provided with PAW at doses 0, 1 ml (PAW-1), and 2 ml (PAW-2) per one litter drinking water. Each treatment contained 6 replicates (3 birds/ cage; one male and two females)., Results: The results clarified that there were no significant (P > 0.05) changes in behaviour, and performance. For the biochemical indicators, the PAW-1 group showed significantly higher serum H 2 O 2 , total protein and globulin levels compared with the other groups (P = 0.015, < 0.001, and 0.019; respectively). PAW groups had significantly lower serum creatinine and urea levels than the control (P = 0.003). For the carcass quality, the internal organs relative weight between different treatments was not changed. In contrast, there was a significant increase in the meat colour, taste, and overall acceptance scores in PAW groups compared with the control one (P = 0.013, 0.001, and < 0.001; respectively). For the intestinal microbial population, lactobacilli count was significantly higher in PAW-2 compared with the control group (P = 0.014), while there were no changes in the total bacterial count between different treatment groups. Moreover, mild histological changes were recorded in the intestine, liver, and spleen of PAW groups especially PAW-2 compared with the control one., Conclusions: PAW offered benefits, such as reducing creatine and urea levels, improving meat characteristics, and increasing lactobacilli count, all of which are crucial for sustainable quail farming. Therefore, further research is needed., (© 2024. The Author(s).)