Polyphenols in Eucalyptus leaves improved the egg and meat qualities and protected against ethanol‐induced oxidative damage in laying hens

Abstract

Summary Polyphenols in Eucalyptus leaves (PE) were value resources due to various pharmacological activities, but data on the effect on laying hens are very scare. This study was conducted to determine the effect of PE on the laying performance, egg traits, meat quality, antioxidant status and liver tissues of laying hens. One hundred and twenty 256‐day‐old Yueqinhuang laying hens were randomly assigned to four treatment groups (different levels of PE at 0, 0.5, 0.8 and 1.2 g/kg diet) for 63 days with 15 replicates per group. Addition of 0.8 g/kg PE not only improved the egg trait by increasing the eggshell thickness and decreasing MDA production and cholesterol content in the egg yolk, but also significantly enhanced meat quality of hens, as suggested by the increase pH45 min (p < .01) and a* value, and decrease drip loss rate (p < .01). Meanwhile, under acute ethanol‐induced oxidative damage condition, supplementation of 0.8 g/kg PE enhanced the serum antioxidant status by increasing enzymatic activities (GSH‐PX, T‐SOD, T‐AOC), inhibited oxidative damage and provided protective effect to liver tissue. In conclusion, addition of 0.8 g/kg PE not only improved the egg traits and meat quality without obvious adverse effects, but also increased the serum antioxidant status of the hens and protected their liver tissue from ethanol‐induced oxidative damage. This study indicated that PE could be utilized as an effective feed additive for laying hens to improve health performance and egg traits.

RNA‐seq‐based quanitative transcriptome analysis of meat color and taste from chickens administered by eucalyptus leaf polyphenols extract

“…In the present study, we found that EPE treatment could increase the a * value of chicken breast meat, which indicates redness. This is in line with our previous findings in laying hen (Chen et al., 2018). MB redox forms and contents are important for determining muscle color and the MB redox forms in breast muscle have been previously analyzed (Alvarenga, Hopkins, Ramos, Almeida, & Geesink, 2019; Pogorzelska‐Nowicka, Godziszewska, Horbanczuk, Atanasov, & Wierzbicka, 2018).…”

“…There were no notably difference of between the control group and EPE group on ADG, ADFI, and FCR (data no shown), indicating nonnegative effects on chicken treated with EPE in agreement with previously report (Chen et al., 2018).…”

“…The extraction efficiency and total polyphenol content of EPE were 28.55 ± 2.14% and 30.56 ± 1.33%, respectively. HPLC analysis of EPE (Figure 1) showed its main components, which included oenothein B, hyperoside, and gallic acid, similar to our previous findings (Chen et al., 2018).…”

“…Our previous research indicated that eucalyptus leaf polyphenol extract (EPE) can enhance antioxidant enzymes and meat quality in vivo (Chen et al., 2018). EPE is a by‐product of eucalyptus leaves that contains flavonoids (Takasaki et al., 1990), triterpenoids, and their glycosides (Santos et al., 1997).…”

Dietary inclusion of dehydrated bocaiuva pulp increases the antioxidant potential of quail eggs

“…In addition, phenolic compounds may react with free radicals during the initiation step of oxidative processes and transform them into stable products, by donating hydrogen to them, avoiding oxidative damage, which extends shelf life and improves the quality of food products (Chen et al, ; Kumar et al, ). In fact, the antioxidant potential of several extracts from fruits and medicinal plants has been demonstrated (Singh, Dixit, Sharma, & Sharma, ; Souza et al, ).…”