This study aimed to evaluate the influence of age and cyclical heat stress for 1 hour per day on the levels of serum proteins, metabolites, and enzymes in broiler chickens of 21-42 days of age. We used 420 male broiler chickens, Cobb Avian48TM breed, in a completely randomized experimental design, composed of two treatments and six replicates. The treatments consisted of two thermal environments: one in which broiler chickens were raised under natural conditions of temperature and humidity for the first 42 days of age (control) and another in which chickens were subjected to heat stress at 36°C, from days 16 to 42, for 1 hour per day (1200-1300 hours). At 21, 28, 35, and 42 days of age, approximately 5 mL of blood was collected by cardiac puncture in two birds per replicate. In each serum sample, levels of total protein, albumin, globulin, albumin:globulin ratio, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyltransferase (GGT) activity and uric acid, creatinine, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoproteins (HDL), very low density lipoproteins (VLDL), low-density lipoproteins (LDL), and glucose levels were determined. Concerning the environment and the age, no significant differences in the levels of glucose, uric acid, ALT, triglycerides, and very low density lipoproteins were observed. There was a significant interaction between the environment and the age for cholesterol and LDL values. At 21 days of age, cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) were higher in birds under stress than in the control treatment birds, which did not occur in other age groups. Aspartate aminotransferase activity was higher in chickens under cyclical heat stress than in chickens subjected to control treatment and displayed a cubic response regarding the environment. The age of the birds influenced the values of total protein, albumin, globulin, albumin:globulin (A:G) ratio, creatinine, GGT, and HDL. In conclusion, cyclical heat stress, at 36ºC, for one hour, from days 16 to 42 of age increases serum AST, whereas cholesterol and LDL-C levels increase only at day 21, indicating that birds may have adapted to heat stress. Age influenced the activity of AST and GGT and levels of creatinine, total protein, albumin, globulin, A:G ratio, cholesterol, HDL-C, and LDL-C. Key words: Poultry. Cholesterol. Liver enzymes. Glucose. ResumoObjetivou-se avaliar a influência da idade e do estresse cíclico por calor durante uma hora por dia, nas concentrações das proteínas, metabólitos e enzimas séricas em frangos de corte de 21 a 42 dias de idade. Foram utilizados 420 pintos de corte machos, da linhagem Cobb Avian48 TM , em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado, composto de dois tratamentos e seis repetições. Os tratamentos foram constituídos de dois ambientes térmicos: um para frangos de corte criados em condições naturais de temperatura e umidade do primeiro ao 42° dia de idade (controle); e outro para estressados por calor à 36 °C do 16° ao 42° dia, durante uma hora do dia (12h00m às 13...

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The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of different times of heat exposure on the quality and sensorial parameters of broilers (Pectoralis major) of broilers of the Cobb® and Hubbard Flex® strains. A total of 560 Hubbard Flex® and 560 Cobb® strains broilers were housed in a completely randomized design in four thermal environments. The broilers of the control environment were created according to thermal recommendation for the strain. On the other hand, the animals from the other environments were submitted to heat stress of 1h, 2h and 3h daily, respectively, starting at 11h00 from the 14th day of age. The variables pH 90 minutes (pH 90 min), 24 hours (pH 24 h) post mortem; Color (obtained by luminosity L*, a* and b*), drip loss 24 (DL 24 h) and 72 hours (DL72 h); Shearing force (FC) and acceptance and preference tests were analyzed. The data were submitted to analysis of variance and the means were compared by the Tukey test at 5%. Heat cyclic stress did not influence pH 90 min, pH 24 h, L*, a* and b*, DL 24 h, DL 72 h, FC. The Cobb® chicken breast presented higher pH 24 h, a* and b* compared to Hubbard Flex. In sensory evaluation, the evaluators could detect the lighter color fillets in the majority. The overall acceptance was firstly by breast fillet PSE and in the second acceptance test the sample chosen was normal. It was concluded that the daily exposure of the chicken to the heat, for up to three hours, did not influence any of the evaluated parameters. In the Cobb line the chicken breast fillets are more reddish and yellowish and of a higher pH 24 h than the Hubbard strain. The consumer has no parameter of comparison between normal chicken breast and PSE.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different times of exposure to heat on bone parameters and organ morphometry of Cobb Slow ® and Hubbard Flex ® broilers exposed to high temperatures for 1, 2 or 3 h daily, from 14 days of age. A total of 1120 one-day-old male chicks (half of each line; average weight of 44 g) were housed into 32 cages with 35 birds each, in a randomizedblock experimental design. From the first to the 13th day of age, the birds remained under the thermal conditions recommended for their lines; thereafter, from the 14th day, the shed was separated into four parallel sections of 5.60 × 10.20 × 2.8 m delimited by double-sided plastic curtains along the width of the shed. Cyclic heat stress was generated by average temperatures of 36 ºC from 14-20 days, 35 °C from 21-27 days, 34 °C from 28-34 days and 33 °C from 35-42 days. The total length, width, density and mineral matter of the tibia; the size of the duodenum, jejunum and ileum; and the weights of the bursa of Fabricius and spleen were measured. No interaction effect between thermal environment and line was observed. Heat stress for up to 3 h daily, from the 14th to the 41st day of age, led to a longer but narrower tibia. There was no influence on small intestine morphometry. The Hubbard line presented longer and wider tibiae as well as higher relative and absolute weights of the bursa. In conclusion, heat stress from 2 h daily modifies the structure of the tibia in broilers, which increases in length and reduces in width, but heat exposure has no influence on the small intestine or lymphoid organs. The Hubbard line shows better tibia development than the Cobb line as well as different primary lymphoid responses, represented by a heavier bursa.

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