This study was conducted to examine the effects of a combined supplementation of Aspergillus awamori (AA) and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in feed on growth and egg quality. Hens (28-week old) were fed on a basal diet as control group; diets supplemented with 0.05% AA, 0.10% LAB, or a combination of AA and LAB (6 birds/group) for 6 weeks. The growth performance of the birds was improved by all the treatments. Synergistic effects of AA and LAB were observed on feed intake, egg production, total egg weight and feed conversion (p < .05). Weights and heights of yolk and albumin was not affected by treatment while, yolk fat, shell weight and thickness were increased (p < .05). On the other hand, egg yolk total cholesterol was decreased and synergistically by the combination of AA and LAB (p < .05). Serum glucose, total cholesterol, ALT and triglyceride were reduced by all the treatment groups. Conversely, serum superoxide dismutase (SOD) was synergistically increased by the combination. Ca, P and Zn concentration in yolk was increased by AA and LAB and synergistically increased by the combination (p < .05). Interestingly, saturated fatty acids (SFA) were decreased while; unsaturated fatty acids (USFA) were increased in egg yolk in all groups. In conclusion, the combined supplementation of AA and LAB synergistically had no effect on the growth of laying hens. In addition, AA and LAB modify the egg yolk fatty acid profile by increasing unsaturated fatty acid and reducing saturated fatty acid. ARTICLE HISTORY

Contamination by microscopic fungi and mycotoxins in different bee pollen samples, which were stored under three different ways of storing as freezing, drying and UV radiation, was investigated. During spring 2009, 45 samples of bee-collected pollen were gathered from beekeepers who placed their bee colonies on monocultures of sunflower, rape and poppy fields within their flying distance. Bee pollen was collected from bees' legs by special devices placed at the entrance to hives. Samples were examined for the concentration and identification of microscopic fungi able to grow on Malt and Czapek-Dox agar and mycotoxins content [deoxynivalenol (DON), T-2 toxin (T-2), zearalenone (ZON) and total aflatoxins (AFL), fumonisins (FUM), ochratoxins (OTA)] by direct competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). The total number of microscopic fungi in this study ranged from 2.98 ± 0.02 in frozen sunflower bee pollen to 4.06 ± 0.10 log cfu.g(-1) in sunflower bee pollen after UV radiation. In this study, 449 isolates belonging to 21 fungal species representing 9 genera were found in 45 samples of bee pollen. The total isolates were detected in frozen poppy pollen 29, rape pollen 40, sunflower pollen 80, in dried poppy pollen 12, rape pollen 36, sunflower 78, in poppy pollen after UV radiation treatment 54, rape 59 and sunflower 58. The most frequent isolates of microscopic fungi found in bee pollen samples of all prevalent species were Mucor mucedo (49 isolates), Alternaria alternata (40 isolates), Mucor hiemalis (40 isolates), Aspergillus fumigatus (33 isolates) and Cladosporium cladosporioides (31 isolates). The most frequently found isolates were detected in sunflower bee pollen frozen (80 isolates) and the lowest number of isolates was observed in poppy bee pollen dried (12 isolates). The most prevalent mycotoxin of poppy bee pollen was ZON (361.55 ± 0.26 μg.kg(-1)), in rape bee pollen T-2 toxin (265.40 ± 0.18 μg.kg(-1)) and in sunflower bee pollen T-2 toxin (364.72 ± 0.13 μg.kg(-1)) in all cases in frozen samples.

The general objective of this in vitro study was to examine the effect of bee pollen on the release of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and steroid hormone progesterone, and expression of markers of proliferation (PCNA) and apoptosis (caspase-3) in porcine ovarian granulosa cells. Concentrations of IGF-I and progesterone were determined by RIA method and expression of PCNA and caspase-3 by immunocytochemistry. Bee pollen addition at the dose of 10 ng/mL significantly (P<0.05) inhibited IGF-I release by porcine ovarian granulosa cells. This growth factor was not influenced by 100 and 1000 ng/mL doses of bee pollen. Progesterone release by cells was not influenced by bee pollen addition at the doses of 10, 100 and 1000 ng/mL as used in our study. Similarly expression of PCNA and caspase-3 was not affected by bee pollen addition. The present study shows dose-dependent regulation of IGF-I by experimental bee pollen addition in vitro. Progesterone release, expression of PCNA and caspase-3 in porcine ovarian granulosa cells was not induced by pollen. Our results contribute to new insights regarding the possible effect of bee pollen on IGF-I release, which is important for regulation of porcine ovarian functions.

The aim of this study was to examine possible effects of bee pollen added to the feed mixture (FM) on rat ovarian functions (secretion activity and apoptosis). We evaluated the bee pollen effect on the release of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and steroid hormones (progesterone and estradiol), as well as on the expression of markers of apoptosis (Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3) in rat ovarian fragments. Female rats (n = 15) were fed during 90 days by FM without or with rape seed bee pollen in dose either 3 kg/1000 kg FM or 5 kg/1000 kg FM. Fragments of ovaries isolated from rats of each group (totally 72 pieces) were incubated for 24 h. Hormonal secretion into the culture medium was detected by RIA. The markers of apoptosis were evaluated by Western blotting. It was observed that IGF-I release by rat ovarian fragments was significantly (p < 0.05) decreased; on the other hand, progesterone and estradiol secretion was increased after bee pollen treatment at dose 5 kg/1000 kg FM but not at 3 kg/1000 FM. Accumulation of Bcl-2 was increased by bee pollen added at 3 kg/1000 kg FM, but not at higher dose. Accumulation of Bax was increased in ovaries of rats fed by bee pollen at doses either 3 or 5 kg/1000 kg FM, whilst accumulation of caspase-3 increased after feeding with bee pollen at dose 5 kg/1000 kg FM, but not at 3 kg/1000 kg FM. Our results contribute to new insights regarding the effect of bee pollen on both secretion activity (release of growth factor IGF-I and steroid hormones progesterone and estradiol) and apoptosis (anti- and pro-apoptotic markers Bcl-2, Bax and caspase-3). Bee pollen is shown to be a potent regulator of rat ovarian functions.

Coconut oil has a high content of lauric acid, which has selective antibacterial activity. This study aimed to explore the effect of coconut oil ingestion on the gastrointestinal microbiomes of pigs. A 14-day-long feeding experiment included 19 pigs in two groups (9 on a normal diet and 10 on a diet supplemented with coconut oil). At the start and end of the experiment, a rectal swab sample was taken from each pig in both groups, and total bacterial DNA was extracted. We used 16S rRNA high-throughput amplicon sequencing to evaluate the microbiome changes during the feeding experiment. A total of 446 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were detected in the whole sample set. Shannon’s indices of bacterial diversity did not change significantly during the experiment. Changes in the bacterial community during the study period and in response to the coconut oil treatment were highly significant (p < 0.001). During the study, an increase in the abundance of Lactobacillus was detected in the group treated with coconut oil. An increase in Alloprevotella, Bifidobacteriales, and Lactobacillales and a decrease in Corynebacterium, Mitsuokella, Psychrobacter, and Pseudomonadales were attributed to the coconut oil treatment. Although the addition of coconut oil to pig feed did not affect Shannon’s index of diversity, it had a positive effect on the abundance of bacterial groups that are considered to be commensal and/or probiotic.