Effect of a Diet Supplemented with the Moringa oleifera Seed Powder on the Performance, Egg Quality, and Gene Expression in Japanese Laying Quail under Heat-Stress

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of three concentrations of the Moringa oleifera seed powder as a feed supplement on the productive performance and egg quality traits of laying Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) exposed to heat stress. The expression patterns of the genes estrogen receptors (ESR2), follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR), prolactin receptor (PRLR), and steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (STAR) were estimated in ovaries, using a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. A total of 200 laying quail aged seven weeks were randomly allocated to the following four experimental groups—the control (CNT), T1, T2, and T3 groups; each group comprised 50 quail females with 5 replicates (10 per group). The CNT group was fed a basal diet, whereas the T1, T2, and T3 groups were fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.1%, 0.2%, and 0.3% M. oleifera seed powder, respectively. The results revealed that the T3 group showed the highest hen-day egg production (%) as well as the highest egg yolk index. Feed intake and feed conversion ratio improved significantly (p < 0.05) with increased concentrations of the M. oleifera seed powder supplementation. Furthermore, the mRNA expressions of ESR2, FSHR, and STAR increased significantly in the T3 group, compared to those in the CNT group. Alterations in ovarian gene expressions corresponded to the reproductive patterns of the treated Japanese quail. Thus, it was concluded that the supplementation of the Japanese quail feed with 0.3% M. oleifera seed powder during the laying period might enhance resistance to heat stress and consequently improve egg productivity.

The Influence of Dehulling on the Nutritional Quality of Lupine Seeds (Lupinus albus L.) and the Effect of Their Use in the Feed of Laying Quails on the Live Performance and Quality of Eggs

“…The decrease in performance response registered for quails from the WLS 25 group was assumed to occur due to the high level of cell wall compounds from the hulls, combined with the presence of non-starch polysaccharides in the kernel, being known for their negative influence on the digestion and absorption of nutrients from poultry feed [14,22]. Results similar to ours (egg intensity, feed consumption, FCR, egg weight) have been previously reported in the case of using standard compound feeds in the feeding of laying quails [69][70][71][72][75][76][77][78][79][80][81][82][83][84].…”

“…The weight of quail eggs obtained in this research were in the value range of 11.2-14.6 g usually reported for this species [75][76][77][80][81][82]. According to scientific data, the proportion of morphological components in the structure of the whole egg is the following: for albumen, 54.1-60.8%; for yolk, 29.3-35.1%; and for eggshell, 9.0-16.1% [71,72,74,76,84].…”

The effects of clove seed (Syzygium aromaticum) dietary administration on carcass characteristics, meat quality, and sensory attributes of broiler chickens

“…Thus, organic and conventional poultry production requires alternative strategies to enhance poultry growth and performance ( Diaz-Sanchez et al., 2015 ). Herbs, spices, and various other natural plant compounds are being assessed as effective alternatives to antibiotics and approximately do have promoting growth effects, antibacterial properties, and other health-related advantages ( Ionescu, 2017 ; Al-Sagheer et al., 2019 ; Abou-Elkhair et al., 2020 ; Naiel et al., 2020 ).…”

“…The wide-ranging consumer refusal of synthetic additives has been rising in current times ( Kirkpinar et al., 2014 ). For these aforementioned reasons, supplementation of poultry rations with natural components to enhance production is extensively assumed in the world ( Abou-Elkhair et al., 2020 ). Consequently, the herb spices and their bioactive constituents have gained importance in poultry production because of their valuable impacts on the growth, production, immune status, and meat quality without leaving residues in the product or the rearing environment ( El-Hack and Alagawany, 2015 ; El-Hack et al., 2015 ; Abd El-Hack et al., 2016 ; Hussein et al., 2019 ).…”

Effect of dietary pomegranate peel powder on productive traits, blood chemistry, economic efficiency and the expression of FSHR and LH-β genes in two strains of laying Japanese quail

“…Unfortunately, we could not find any previous study that refers or explains the analysis of mRNA expression of (FSHR) and (LH-β) genes for laying quails fed with diet containing PP powder. Reham et al (2020) stated that diet supplemented with 0.3% Moringa oleifera seed powder upregulated the expression of mRNA of FSHR in laying quail, which is associated with higher egg production. Another study showed that breeding geese fed on diet supplemented with 80 mg/kg vitamin E gives the highest egg number which is associated with the increase in mRNA expression of FSHR and LHR genes (Yin et al 2019).…”