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The current experiment aimed to study impacts of feeding on peppermint leaves powder (PLP) and its respective L-menthol crystal (LMC) supplementations on performance, plasma biochemistry, antioxidant, impregnability, microbial content, digestibility and digestive enzymes in laying Japanese quail. A total of 504 birds were randomly assigned to seven test groups, each one with 6 replicates and 12 birds. First group received a standard diet, whereas treatments from second to four obtained standard diet plus PLP at 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5%, respectively. While, five to seven groups received control diet plus LMC at levels being 17, 22 and 27 ppm, respectively. Birds fed diets that contain 27 ppm had the highest DC (p ≤ 0.001) of dry matter, organic matter, nitrogen free extract and protein retention, while the group fed with LMC at a level of 22 and 17 ppm recorded the higher digestibility coefficients (DC) of ether extract and crude fiber, respectively. Quail fed diets supplemented with PLP 2.0 % followed by LMC 27 ppm and PLP 2.5 %, respectively showed significantly (p ≤ 0.001) higher trypsin enzyme. All performance traits except feed intake (FI) were significantly influenced by PLP 2.5% followed by LMC 27 and 22 ppm, respectively compared to the standard treatment. Berds fed LMC 27 ppm had dramatically lower lipid, liver enzymes, Salmonella and Escherichia coli population (p ≤ 0.001) with the better thyroid function, antioxidant measures, Lactobacilli population amount, immune and best fertility and hatchability percentage. Finally, adding 27 ppm LMC followed by 2.5% PLP to the standard diet enhanced digestibility of nutrients, digestive enzymes, performance, antioxidant properties, plasma biochemical, immune, and microbial count in the gut in laying Japanese quails. With economical point of view, the diet with 2.5% PLP was the best.

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The current trial was aimed to examine impacts of feeding on peppermint leaves powder (PLP) and its respective L-menthol crystal (LMC) supplementations on production performance, blood biochemistry, antioxidant parameters, immunity indices, microbial content, digestibility and digestive enzymes in growing Japanese quail. At ten-day-old, 700 unsexed Japanese quail were randomly splated into seven treatments, every treatment had five replecates of twenty chicks per each. The 1 st treatment was given a normal diet (control), while other treatments from the 2 nd to the 4 th were given a standard diet with PLP at 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5%, respectively. Groups from the 5 th to the 7 th were received a control diet plus LMC at levels of 17, 22, and 27 part per million (ppm), respectively. Trypsin and amylase levels were significantly greater in the birds fed a diet containing 27 ppm LMC and 2.5% PLP compared to the control group, but lipase levels were not significantly different.. All nutrient digestibility (ND) and economic efficiency were significantly improved in chicks fed a diet supplemented with 27 ppm LMC compared to the control. Birds that given a diet supplemented with 27 ppm LMC and 2.5% PLP had the better-feed conversion ratio, live body weight and body gain, without any influence in feed intake. Finally, birds received 27 ppm LMC and 2.5% PLP had a dramatically lower lipid amount, liver enzymes, Escherichia coli and Salmonella population and the highest T3 and T4 levels, antioxidant parameters and Lactobacilli population number with the best impregnability compared to the control group. In conclusion, the addition of LMC at 27 ppm followed by PLP at 2.5%, to the basal diet improved the nutrients digestibility, digestive enzymes, performance, antioxidant, plasma biochemical, immunological indices, intestinal microbiota and economical efficiency in Japanese quails during growing phase.

Food and agricultural products require drying to ensure that their nutritional value is unaffected during handling and storage. Numerous techniques of drying are in use. This work compares drying with a heat pump dryer (HPD) and an electric heater dryer (EHD) for Egyptian onion slices. Empirical equations were obtained to calculate the change of moisture over time. This comparison used the following criteria: moisture content, energy consumption, moisture extraction rate, specific moisture extraction rate, and drying time. The onions were cut into slices 3 mm thick and 15 to 20 mm long. The slices were dried at temperatures of 50, 60, and 70 °C and drying air velocities of 0.2, 0.3, and 0.4 m/s. The results indicated that a drying of 83% to 26% moisture content on a wet basis or from 4.88 gmwater/gmdm to 0.35 gmwater/gmdm on a dry basis was achieved in one stage in the multiple stages of drying. The experiments showed that the energy savings resulting from using HPD was 22.2%. The best value for the R 2 of moisture content change over time was obtained by drying Egyptian onion slices according to different drying models for EHD and HPD.