Poultry Science最新文献

{"title":"Effect of dietary inclusion of chitosan on growth performance and blood indices of broiler chickens.","authors":"Jacqueline Onumah, Mamudu Halidu Agolisi, Peter Osei Boamah, Ebenezer Nartey, Frank Idan, Blessing Sulemana, Philomena Ayinsakya Akurubire","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107898","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107898","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated the effect of dietary low-molecular-weight chitosan (LMWCHT) on the growth performance, carcass traits, cecal microbial populations, and blood indices of broiler chickens. A completely randomised design was used to assign 96 unsexed day-old Cobb 500 broiler chicks to four dietary treatment groups. Each treatment consisted of four replicate pens with six birds per pen (n = 4 pens per treatment). Following a 7-day commercial starter diet period, the birds were fed diets supplemented with LMWCHT at 0.00 (control), 0.25, 0.50, or 0.75 g/kg for a 35-day experimental period (Days 8 to 42). Growth performance metrics, averaged on a pen basis, showed that LMWCHT supplementation significantly altered average daily gain (ADG), final body weight, and average daily feed intake (P < 0.05). Broilers fed 0.50 g/kg LMWCHT exhibited the highest ADG and body weight, whereas those fed 0.75 g/kg optimised the feed conversion ratio. Cecal microbial analysis revealed that LMWCHT significantly reduced Escherichia coli counts compared to the control group (P < 0.05) without establishing a graded dose response among the inclusion levels, while lactic acid bacteria populations remained statistically unaffected (P = 0.212). Dietary LMWCHT significantly modified the haematological and serum biochemical profiles (P < 0.05), altering haemoglobin, neutrophils, monocytes, albumin, globulin, and total protein concentrations. Although the 0.50 g/kg inclusion level maintained serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) within the standard physiological range, ALT elevations observed at 0.25 and 0.75 g/kg suggest a narrow threshold for hepatic tolerance. These results indicate that while LMWCHT alters specific performance, blood, and cecal E. coli parameters, the inclusion levels must be carefully calibrated to balance growth efficiency with systemic physiological safety.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 12","pages":"107898"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149147874","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Loss of hepatic circadian organization in fatty liver syndrome identifies CLOCK as a regulator of lipid homeostasis in laying hens.","authors":"Chencan Zhai, Kunlong Qi, Zheliang Liu, Baolin Tan, Wei Zhu, Liuting Wu, Gang Shu, Yingjie Wang, Xiaoling Zhao","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107877","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107877","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fatty liver syndrome (FLS) is a major metabolic disorder in laying hens, but how hepatic lipid dysregulation is linked to circadian disruption remains unclear. Here, we investigated the role of circadian regulation in FLS pathogenesis and focused on the core clock gene Clock Circadian Regulator (CLOCK). In a high-fat diet-induced FLS model in Lohmann pink layers, affected birds showed hepatomegaly, hepatic lipid accumulation, elevated serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, alanine aminotransferase, and aspartate aminotransferase, increased hepatic pro-inflammatory gene expression, and reduced interleukin-10 (IL-10) expression. FLS was also accompanied by reduced laying performance, delayed and dispersed oviposition, and altered temporal profiles of reproductive hormones. Time-series liver transcriptomics across six circadian time points showed extensive transcriptional remodeling in FLS, with dysregulated genes enriched mainly in lipid metabolic and circadian pathways. Pathway analyses indicated increased fatty acid biosynthesis together with reduced fatty acid degradation, glycerophospholipid metabolism, and ether lipid metabolism. Rhythmicity analysis further revealed a marked collapse of hepatic circadian organization: the number of rhythmically expressed genes decreased from 1,046 in controls to 81 in FLS, and core clock genes including CLOCK, cryptochrome 2 (CRY2), and basic helix-loop-helix family member e40 (BHLHE40) lost rhythmic expression. Series Test of Cluster analysis, weighted gene co-expression network analysis, and protein-protein interaction analysis consistently placed CLOCK at the center of the circadian regulatory network associated with hepatic metabolic disturbance. Functional assays in primary chicken hepatocytes showed that CLOCK overexpression reduced lipid accumulation, intracellular total cholesterol and triglyceride levels, and expression of lipogenic genes, while increasing peroxisome proliferation-activated receptor alpha (PPARα) expression and altering multiple circadian regulators. In an oleic acid-induced steatosis model, CLOCK overexpression similarly reduced lipid deposition and inflammatory gene expression, while increasing IL-10, nicotinamide phosphoribosyl transferase (NAMPT), and Sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) expression. This study provides mechanistic insight into the circadian basis of FLS and highlights CLOCK as a potential molecular target for the prevention and intervention of metabolic liver disorders in poultry.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 12","pages":"107877"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149184098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Biotechnological upgrading of palm kernel meal for poultry nutrition: Challenges and opportunities.","authors":"Ahmed Mijiyawa, Elham Ghashghaei, Uchechukwu Edna Obianwuna, Okasha Hamada, Yendouhamtchié Nadiedjoa, Maxwell Ansong Okai, Lijing Sun, Muhammad Faisal Riaz, Felix Kwame Amevor, Dossêh Jean Apôtre Afayibo, Were Pitala, Hai Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107899","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107899","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In recent years, fluctuations in the cost of traditional feed ingredients for poultry farming have compelled producers to explore alternative raw materials to reduce costs. Palm kernel meal (PKM), a by-product of the palm oil extraction industry, is one such alternative. Although PKM is often deemed a low-quality ingredient for poultry feed due to its low energy density and high content of non-starch polysaccharides, particularly β-mannans, its availability and lower price relative to other meal products make it a viable option. This review highlights the nutritional challenges and demonstrates how biotechnology can convert a cumbersome waste product into a valuable feed ingredient. The data focuses on the use of exogenous enzymes, with an emphasis on the synergistic action of β-mannanases and multicarbohydrase cocktails. The use of solid-state fermentation (SSF) with fungal and bacterial strains was also discussed. These bioprocesses efficiently break down complex fibrous matrices, increase the content of crude protein through microbial biomass synthesis and release bioactive manno-oligosaccharides (MOS) in situ. In vivo studies demonstrate that incorporating processed PKM maintains and improves production performance. The released MOS act as prebiotics, stimulating the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, preventing the growth of pathogens, and improving intestinal mucosal architecture. Although biotechnological valorization offers a promising way to transform PKM into a high-value functional ingredient for poultry feed, this technology has certain limitations. These include substrate variability and high scaling costs. Further research is needed into industrial-scale SSF processes, as well as the optimization of eco-efficient enzyme combinations and sequential fermentations.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 12","pages":"107899"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149138049","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dry olive cake, an olive by-product, as a functional fiber source in diets for laying pullets: effects on growth and gut health.","authors":"Eduardo Ruiz, Fuensanta Hernández, Josefa Madrid, Cristian Jesús Sánchez, Ana Montalbán, Lucía Ayala, Nieves Ortega, Silvia Martínez-Miró","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107906","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107906","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The European Union is the world's largest producer of olives (Olea europaea), generating substantial amounts of by-products that require revalorization. Among these, dry olive cake is rich in dietary fiber and phenolic compounds, making it a promising ingredient for poultry nutrition. This study evaluated the effects of including 2% dry olive cake in laying pullet diets compared with a control diet, assessing performance, apparent total tract retention (ATTR), intestinal morphology, gene expression, cecal microbiota, and volatile fatty acids (VFA) after 28 days of trial. Two diets were formulated: a control diet with 2% sepiolite and a diet with 2% dry olive cake (DOC), administered to 6-weeks-old pullets housed in 12 cages (6 replicate cages per dietary treatment, with three birds per cage). DOC improved ATTR (P<0.05), while performance remained unaffected (P>0.05). Gut morphology improved in the duodenum, where crypt depth decreased and the villus length-to-crypt depth ratio increased (P<0.05). Gene expression analysis revealed downregulation of inflammatory genes (IL-2, TNF-α, IFN-γ) and RARRES1, alongside upregulation of genes related to barrier function (MUC2), antimicrobial defense (AvBD4), and fatty acid transport (FAT-CD36) (P<0.05). Cecal microbiota showed trends toward distinct community structures (Jaccard and Bray-Curtis indices; P<0.10), with higher richness (Chao1 and Fisher; P<0.05), greater Butyricicoccaceae, and reduced Proteobacteria (P<0.05). These changes were accompanied by greater total VFA production, particularly acetic, propionic, butyric, and valeric acids, with a higher proportion of butyrate (P<0.05). Overall, 2% dry olive cake improved gut health, microbiota, and nutrient utilization without affecting performance, supporting its potential as a sustainable, functional fiber source in the feed of laying pullets.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 12","pages":"107906"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149138063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Resistance, virulence, and population genomic structure of avian pathogenic Escherichia coli from poultry airsacculitis in South Africa.","authors":"Zhuohao Wang, Naima Ameris Guthauser, David Gerber, Vincent Perreten","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107885","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107885","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A total of 109 avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) were isolated from poultry with airsacculitis in 21 different farms in South Africa between June 2021 and January 2022. All isolates were sequenced using Illumina technology and one representative strain from each detected sequence type (ST) was sequenced using Oxford Nanopore technology (ONT) to obtain complete genomes for single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) analysis. Whole genome sequences (WGS) were used for molecular serotyping, sequence typing, virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes detection, core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST)-based phylogeny, and cgSNP. The MICs of 15 antibiotics were tested by broth microdilution. A total of 21 serotypes and 18 STs were detected, with O78:H4-ST117 (n=29), O36:H5-ST5764 (n=10), and O78:H4-ST15549 (n=9) being the most common. Comparative genomic analyses revealed that some strains within the same serotype-ST combinations were genetically closely related (<20 cgSNPs) and were isolated within the same farm and across different farms. Each serotype-ST combination exhibited specific virulence and resistance profiles. Of 172 genes covering 51 virulence factors identified, 15 of them were shared by all strains. Resistance to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, nalidixic acid, tetracycline, and trimethoprim was most frequent, each occurring in over 50% of the strains. Multidrug resistance to 3-9 antimicrobials was observed in 58.7% of the isolates. Antimicrobial resistance phenotype was associated with the presence of acquired resistance genes and mutations. This study provided an in-depth WGS-based characterization of genomic features revealing a high number of different virulence and antimicrobial resistance genes, also highlighting a possible vertical and horizontal transmission of several APEC lineages in the poultry chain in South Africa.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 12","pages":"107885"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149216586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Replacing a farm-mixed diet with a commercial complete feed increases laying rate and is associated with physiological and cecal microbial changes in late-laying local crossbred hens.","authors":"Wenze Song, Liuyang Han, Jia Shi, Xinyue Yang, Ziheng Zhou, Ligang Wang, Debing Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107900","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107900","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study examined the response to replacing a farm-mixed diet with a commercial complete feed in late-laying local crossbred hens. A total of 60 hens, approximately 350 d of age, were assigned to a 2 × 2 factorial design with genetic background and diet as factors, with 15 individually housed hens per treatment combination. The trial lasted 42 d. Laying performance was recorded throughout the trial, and egg quality was assessed on d 21 and 42. Serum indices were measured in 4 hens per treatment combination at each sampling time; reproductive traits, hepatic gene expression, and cecal microbiota were assessed on d 42. The diets had similar metabolizable energy and crude protein concentrations but differed in other nutrients and ingredients. The complete feed increased laying rate during both periods (P < 0.01). On d 21, diet affected egg length-to-width ratio, albumen height, Haugh unit, and yolk color. On d 42, diet affected yolk color, and genetic background × diet interactions were detected for albumen height and Haugh unit (P < 0.05). The complete feed decreased serum malondialdehyde and increased total superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities on d 21; catalase and total superoxide dismutase activities were higher on d 42 (P < 0.05). Serum anti-Müllerian hormone was lower with the complete feed at both times (P < 0.05), whereas large white follicle counts were higher (P < 0.05). Hepatic CAT, GPX1, and SOD1 expression showed genetic background × diet interactions (P < 0.05). Cecal community structure differed among treatment combinations (P = 0.001); taxon-level comparisons were exploratory. The design does not identify the individual dietary components responsible for these responses. Replacing the farm-mixed diet increased laying rate and was accompanied by selected physiological and microbial differences, although production-scale studies that measure feed intake and feed cost per egg are needed before this feeding strategy can be recommended.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 12","pages":"107900"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149216572","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Protective effects of sanguinarine-baicalin salt in broilers challenged with avian pathogenic Escherichia coli O78.","authors":"Zikai Guo, Yisong Liu, Xiaoran Wang, Zhennan Guo, Pi Cheng, Jianguo Zeng, Hua Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107878","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107878","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) O78 causes acute colibacillosis in broilers and contributes to mortality, impaired growth, and multi-organ injury. This study evaluated the in vitro antibacterial activity and in vivo protective effects of sanguinarine-baicalin salt (SBS) in broilers subjected to an acute systemic APEC O78 challenge. Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), bacterial growth, and biofilm formation were assessed in vitro. In vivo, broilers were intraperitoneally challenged with APEC O78 on days 11-13 and treated with dietary SBS at 5-320 mg/kg diet from day 14. Survival, growth performance, organ injury, serum biochemical and inflammatory indices, intestinal morphology, jejunal gene expression, cecal microbiota, and exploratory hepatic proteomic responses were evaluated. The MIC of SBS was 256 μg/mL, compared with 32 μg/mL for amoxicillin. SBS delayed bacterial growth but did not significantly inhibit biofilm formation under the tested conditions. In vivo, SBS improved survival, with the 20 mg/kg diet group showing the lowest treatment-period mortality. The 20-40 mg/kg diet range generally produced the most favorable overall responses, including improvements in growth performance, liver and spleen indices, and serum ALT, CREA, UA, and inflammatory cytokines. SBS treatment was also associated with improved intestinal morphology, increased transcription of barrier-related genes, reduced transcription of TLR4/NF-κB-related inflammatory genes, and changes in cecal microbial composition. Exploratory hepatic proteomics revealed APEC-associated alterations and treatment-associated shifts involving proteins related to cellular stress, redox homeostasis, tissue structure, and hepatic lipid and energy metabolism. Overall, dietary SBS showed protective effects against acute systemic APEC O78 challenge, accompanied by systemic, hepatic, and intestinal host responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 12","pages":"107878"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149184071","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effects of dietary mineral manipulation on productive performance and eggshell quality in laying hens during the late laying period.","authors":"Shahab Pourlorestani, Mehran Torki, Reza Mahdavi","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107880","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107880","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study evaluated mineral-based dietary interventions as a strategy to mitigate the age-related decline in egg production and quality commonly observed in late-cycle Lohmann Selected Leghorn laying hens. A completely randomized design was used with 294 hens at 90 wk of age assigned to 7 dietary treatments for 56 d:(1) basal control diet; (2) basal diet supplemented with 4 g/kg MgO; (3) basal diet supplemented with 50 mg/kg MnSO₄; (4) basal diet supplemented with 30 mg/kg ZnSO₄; (5) basal diet supplemented with MgO, MnSO₄, and ZnSO₄ at the respective levels; (6) basal diet containing 25% less available P than the control; and (7) basal diet containing 15% more Ca than the control. Supplementation with Mg or Mn increased feed intake, whereas the combined Mg + Mn + Zn treatment reduced feed consumption (P ≤ 0.05). All dietary treatments improved feed conversion ratio throughout the experimental period, and increased egg production during 94-98 wk of age (P ≤ 0.05), with no effect on egg mass (P > 0.05). The high-Ca diet increased specific gravity and shell thickness, Mg supplementation increased shell weight, and Mn supplementation enhanced shell thickness (P ≤ 0.05). Zinc supplementation, alone or in combination with Mg and Mn, reduced the incidence of damaged eggs (P ≤ 0.05).Dietary treatments had no significant effect on internal egg quality traits (P > 0.05), with the sole exception of Haugh unit values, which were significantly higher in hens supplied the high-Ca diet (P ≤ 0.05). Overall, targeted mineral interventions, particularly increased dietary Ca and supplementation with Mg, Mn, or Zn, improved selected production and eggshell quality traits in aged laying hens.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 12","pages":"107880"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149138113","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary Moringa oleifera oil improves growth performance through modulation of intestinal functionality and physiological homeostasis in Japanese quail.","authors":"Ahmed A E Abd Elgwad, Osama M Abdel Monem, Khairiah M Alwutayd, Waleed Alhujaili, Mariam A Alkhateeb, Nawal Al-Hoshani, Rania A El Hadi Mohamed, Nada K Alharbi, Mohammad M H Khan, Fayez M Reda","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107892","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107892","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Dietaat.odulation of intestinal functionality has emerged as an effective nutritional strategy for enhancing poultry productivity by improving digestive efficiency, maintaining microbial balance, and supporting normal physiological functions. Therefore, this study investigated whether dietary supplementation with Moringa oleifera oil could improve intestinal functionality and, consequently, the productive and physiological performance of growing Japanese quail. A total of 375 one-week-old quail chicks were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments receiving a basal diet supplemented with 0, 100, 200, 300, or 400 mg Moringa oleifera oil/kg diet for 35 days. Dietary supplementation significantly enhanced intestinal functionality by increasing digestive enzyme activities, lowering intestinal pH, and reducing pathogenic microbial populations (P < 0.05). These improvements were accompanied by favorable hematological and biochemical changes, including increased red blood cell count, hemoglobin, total protein, globulin, high-density lipoprotein, and serum concentrations of potassium, calcium, zinc, and iron, together with reduced glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, very-low-density lipoprotein, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine, and urea concentrations (P < 0.05). Birds fed Moringa oleifera oil also exhibited enhanced immune responses, as indicated by increased lysozyme activity, immunoglobulin Y, immunoglobulin M, and complement component C3 concentrations. In addition, antioxidant status was improved through increased activities of catalase, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, reduced glutathione, and total antioxidant capacity, together with a reduction in malondialdehyde concentration (P < 0.05). These responses were associated with higher body weight, body weight gain, and improved feed conversion ratio, while feed intake remained unaffected. Overall, dietary supplementation with Moringa oleifera oil was associated with changes in growth performance and selected intestinal, biochemical, antioxidant, and immune-related variables in growing Japanese quail. Although several responses were most pronounced at 300 mg/kg, responses differed among traits.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 12","pages":"107892"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13676206/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149138058","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evaluation of housefly (Musca domestica) larvae meal and frass as alternative protein sources in late-phase laying hens: Effects on ileal digestibility and energy utilization.","authors":"Abolfazl Salehizadeh, Mehran Torki, Maryam Darbemamieh, Seyed Davood Sharifi","doi":"10.1016/j.psj.2026.107904","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psj.2026.107904","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The present study evaluated the effects of housefly (Musca domestica) larvae meal (HFLM) and housefly larvae plus frass (HFLF), with or without a commercial synbiotic-enzyme supplement, on apparent ileal nutrient digestibility and apparent ileal digestible energy (AIDE) in Lohmann LSL-Lite laying hens. Two 10-week feeding trials were conducted, each involving 192 hens at 56 weeks of age, using a 4 × 2 factorial design with four inclusion levels (0, 5, 10, and 15%) of HFLM or HFLF and two synbiotic-enzyme supplementation levels (0 and 0.05%). In Experiment 1, HFLM inclusion did not affect nutrient digestibility or AIDE (P > 0.05), and no HFLM × synbiotic-enzyme interactions were observed. Synbiotic-enzyme supplementation reduced ash digestibility by 24.1% (42.20 vs. 55.63%; P = 0.0312), whereas it increased nitrogen-free extract digestibility (NFE) by 37.1% (72.81 vs. 53.09%; P = 0.0099) and AIDE by 23.2% (2836.2 vs. 2301.5 kcal/kg; P = 0.0240). In Experiment 2, significant HFLF × synbiotic-enzyme interactions were detected for crude protein (CP), ether extract (EE), ash, NFE, and AIDE (P ≤ 0.0401). The 10% HFLF diet supplemented with 0.05% synbiotic-enzyme produced the highest CP (87.49%), EE (79.15%), ash (70.72%), and NFE (87.49%) digestibility values and AIDE (3402.29 kcal/kg), representing increases of 42.3%, 99.8%, 69.6%, 116.8%, and 96.1%, respectively, relative to the corresponding lowest observed values. The lowest CP, NFE, and AIDE values were observed with 5% HFLF without supplementation, whereas the lowest EE and ash digestibility occurred with 15% HFLF with and without supplementation, respectively. HFLF inclusion also affected crude fiber (P = 0.0100) and calcium (P = 0.0166) digestibility, which increased by 36.4% and 52.4%, respectively, at 10% HFLF compared with the control. Overall, under the conditions of the present study, HFLM inclusion up to 15% did not adversely affect apparent ileal nutrient digestibility or energy utilization. The responses to HFLF varied with synbiotic-enzyme supplementation, with 10% HFLF plus 0.05% supplementation showing favorable nutrient digestibility and energy utilization responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":20459,"journal":{"name":"Poultry Science","volume":"105 12","pages":"107904"},"PeriodicalIF":4.5,"publicationDate":"2026-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149184023","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}