Influence of the Slaughter Method on the Hygienic Quality of Beef Cattle Meat and Animal Welfare Biomarkers

With the recent trend of global warming, HS-instigated diminishing could extremely jeopardize animal health, productivity, and farm profit. Marjoram essential oil (MEOE) is a worthy source of wide range phytogenic compounds that may improve heat tolerance, redox and inflammatory homeostasis, and immunity of newly weaned rabbits, specifically if included in the diets in a nano form. One hundred newly weaned rabbits were randomly distributed into four homogeneous groups. The first group (control group) included rabbits that received basal diet without supplementation. In contrast, the other three groups included rabbits that received basal diets supplemented with 200 (MEONE200), 400 (MEONE400), and 800 (MEONE800) mg MEONE/kg diet, respectively. Among MEONE-treated groups and control groups, MEONE400 group showed the highest (p < 0.001) growth performance traits, including final body weight, average daily gain, feed efficiency, and the performance index. Compared to the control, all MEONE-supplemented groups possessed lower rectal temperatures and respiration rates, recording the lowest values in the MEONE400 group. The oxidative stress biomarkers and immunoglobulins G and M were significantly improved in the MEONE400 and MEONE800 compared with the control and MEONE200 groups. The addition of MEONE (400 or 800 mg/kg) decreased the concentrations of serum interleukin-4 (p = 0.0003), interferon gamma (p = 0.0004), and tumor necrosis factor-α (p < 0.0001) but significantly elevated (p < 0.001) the activity of nitric oxide, amyloid A and lysozyme. Liver functions (lower concentrations of liver enzymes) were significantly improved in all MEONE-treated groups compared to the control group. There was a considerable significant effect of dietary supplementation of MEONE400 on economic efficiency. In conclusion, the addition of 400 mg/kg to the diets of newly weaned rabbits can be recommended as an affective intervention to mitigate the negative impacts of HS.

Section: Slaughtering and Carcass Characteristicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Struggling Thermal Stress Impacts on Growth Performance and Health Status of Newly Weaned Rabbits Using Nanoemulsion of Origanum majorana Considering the Economic Efficiency of Supplementation

El-Raghi

Hassan

Hashem

et al. 2023

“…Seven rabbits from each group were randomly chosen and starved for 12 h (only ad libitum water), then weighted and slaughtered. The Islamic method was followed for slaughtering the rabbits [ 38 ]. Following complete bleeding, the viscera, tail, and pelt were removed, and the carcass and all of its parts were then weighed as total edible parts.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effects of Dietary Supplementations of Vitamin C, Organic Selenium, Betaine, and Pomegranate Peel on Alleviating the Effect of Heat Stress on Growing Rabbits

Abu Hafsa,

Centoducati,

Hassan

et al. 2024

The aim of this study was to investigate the biological activity and sustainable biorefinery development of vitamin C, organic selenium, betaine, and pomegranate peel on the performance, cecal fermentation, and antioxidant status of growing rabbits to alleviate the negative impacts of heat stress. A total of 105 male rabbits at 35 days old with an average weight of 752.55 ± 27.56 g were randomly assigned to five groups (21 rabbits in each). The experimental dietary groups included a control group fed a basal diet without additives (control group) and four treated groups, A, B, C, and D, fed a basal diet supplemented with either a 1000 mg vitamin C/kg diet, a 25 mg organic selenium/kg diet, a 1000 mg betaine/kg diet, or a 20 g pomegranate peel/kg diet, respectively. No negative group (not heat-stressed) was included in the trial. Rabbits given A, B, C, and D supplements showed a significant increase (p < 0.05) in growth performance, nutrient digestion, concentration of total volatile fatty acids (VFA), acetic, and propionic acids, and total bacterial count, and a significant decrease (p < 0.05) in NH3-N concentration, Enterococcus, coliforms, and E. coli counts in the cecum of rabbits. Total protein, albumin, globulin, superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were significantly (p < 0.05) higher in groups supplemented with A, B, C, and D supplements compared to those in the control group. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, creatinine, urea, and malondialdehyde (MDA) were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in groups supplemented with A, B, C, and D supplements compared to those in the control group. In conclusion, the finding showed that the supplementation of vitamin C, organic selenium, betaine, and pomegranate peel played a significant role in alleviating heat stress and had a further beneficial impact on rabbit performance, cecal fermentation and microbiota, and antioxidant status. However, betaine supplementation had a superior positive effect on the nutritional and physiological profile of heat-stressed rabbits.

“…A BHA-3000 Veterinary Automatic Haematology Analyser (Getein, Biotech, Inc. Nanjing, China) was used to determine blood parameters (RBCH, Hb, PCV, WBC). On the other hand, LDH, CPK, AST, glucose, and cortisol were determined in serum as described by [25]. For CPK, glucose, cortisol, and LDH, we used an immunoassay analyser (Model Cobas 6000-C501; Roche, Rotkreuz, Switzerland) with commercial kits for CK (kit ref 07190794190, Roche), glucose (kit ref 04404483190), cortisol (kit ref 06687733190), and LDH (kit ref 03004732122).…”

Section: Assaysmentioning

confidence: 99%

Promotion of Pregnant Merino Ewes’ Welfare with the Introduction of a Drought- and High-Temperature-Resistant Cereal into Their Diet: Analysis of Tritordeum Meadow

Agüera,

Requena,

García-Moreno

et al. 2023

Self Cite

Tritordeum is a new cereal resistant to drought and high temperatures, and it is a very healthy crop. The aim of this study was to compare two different diets (tritordeum meadow vs. oat meadow) for grazing pregnant ewes to determine if there was any effect on the objective physiological indicators of animal welfare. A total of 150 pregnant Merino ewes (3–5 years) were randomly divided into two groups (n = 75 each) to be fed with two different meadows, being evaluated during the spring season. Red blood cells count, haemoglobin, packed cell volume, white blood cell count, neutrophiles/lymphocytes ratio, lactate dehydrogenase, creatinine phosphokinase, aspartate aminotransferase, glucose, cortisol, total plasma proteins, albumin, globulins, albumin/globulins ratio, alkaline phosphatase, glutamate dehydrogenase, IgA, and IgG were determined. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the welfare of pregnant ewes fed with tritordeum meadow was better than that of pregnant ewes fed with oat meadow. Tritordeum meadow had a positive influence on the physiological parameters of animal welfare studied in pregnant Merino ewes. Therefore, tritordeum meadow can be considered a functional feed, as it has a beneficial effect on health beyond its basic nutritional value. Farmers are recommended to feed a cereal such as tritordeum grassland to their sheep, as it not only ensures that the animals benefit from all the nutrients, but also prevents diseases and improves their quality of life. In addition, the cereal’s resistance to fungal diseases makes it suitable for use in sustainable production systems with a reduced environmental footprint.