The effect of feeding rosemary, oregano, saffron and &#945-tocopheryl acetate on hen performance and oxidative stability of eggs

In this study the effects of feeding rosemary, oregano, saffron and α-tocopheryl acetate on hen performance and egg quality were investigated. One hundred-twenty Lohmann laying hens, 32 weeks old, were divided into five groups replicated four times with six hens per replicate. One group was given a basal diet and served as control (CON). The experimental diets given to the other four groups were based on the basal diet but contained an additional 200 mg α-tocopheryl acetate/kg (TOC), or rosemary at 5 g/kg diet (ROS), oregano at 5 g/kg diet (ORE) or saffron at 20 mg/kg diet (SAF). At the end of the feeding trial that lasted 56 days, hen performance and some egg quality characteristics were determined, whereas the oxidative stability of the refrigerated stored shell eggs and liquid yolks were also examined. Results showed no significant differences in egg production, feed intake, feed conversion ratio, egg weight and shape, yolk shape, Haugh units and shell thickness among treatments. However, yolk colour was significantly improved in the SAF group compared to all other groups. The extent of lipid oxidation in shell eggs differed among the dietary treatments, but did not change with storage time. In liquid yolk at pH 6.2, lipid oxidation was higher in the CON group compared to all other groups. The ORE group presented lower oxidation rate than the ROS group, but higher than the SAF group, which in turn exhibited higher oxidation rate than the TOC group. When liquid yolk was acidified to pH 4.2, the lipid oxidation profile remained unchanged but the rate was much more intense. Keywords: Rosemary; oregano; saffron; α-tocopherol acetate;egg quality; hen performance; oxidative stability South African Journal of Animal Sciences Vol. 35 (3) 2005: pp.143-15

DDC (dopa decarboxylase (aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase))

Review on DDC (dopa decarboxylase (aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase)), with data on DNA, on the protein encoded, and where the gene is implicated

The oxidizing power of the dark side: Rapid nocturnal aging of biomass burning as an overlooked source of oxidized organic aerosol

Oxidized organic aerosol (OOA) is a major component of ambient particulate matter, substantially affecting both climate and human health. A considerable body of evidence has established that OOA is readily produced in the presence of daylight, thus leading to the association of high concentrations of OOA in the summer or mid-afternoon. However, this current mechanistic understanding fails to explain elevated OOA concentrations during night or wintertime periods of low photochemical activity, thus leading atmospheric models to under predict OOA concentrations by a factor of 3-5. Here we show that fresh emissions from biomass burning rapidly forms OOA in the laboratory over a few hours and without any sunlight. The resulting OOA chemical composition is consistent with the observed OOA in field studies in major urban areas. To estimate the contribution of nocturnally aged OOA in the ambient atmosphere, we incorporate this nighttime-aging mechanism into a chemical-transport model and find that over much of the United States greater than 75% of the OOA formed from fresh biomass burning emissions underwent nighttime aging processes. Thus, the conceptual framework that OOA is predominantly formed in the presence of daylight fails to account for a substantial and rapid oxidation process occurring in the dark

Chemical evolution of primary and formation of secondary biomass burning aerosols during daytime and nighttime

Organic matter (OM) can constitute more than half of fine particulate matter (PM) and affect climate and human health. Natural and man-made biomass burning is an important contributor to primary and secondary OM (POA and SOA) with an increasing trend. Aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) are two complementary methods of identifying the complex chemical composition of OM in terms of mass fragments and functional groups, respectively. AMS offers a relatively higher temporal resolution compared to FTIR (performed on PTFE filters). However, the interpretation of AMS mass spectra remains complicated due to the extensive molecular fragmentation. In this study, we used collocated AMS and FTIR measurements to better understand the evolution of biomass burning POA and SOA due to different mechanisms of chemical aging (e.g., homogeneous gasphase oxidation and heterogeneous reactions). Primary emissions from wood and pellet stoves were injected into a 10 m3 environmental chamber located at the Center for Studies of Air Qualities and Climate Change (CSTACC) at ICE-HT/FORTH. Primary emissions were aged using hydroxyl and nitrate radicals with atmospherically relevant exposures. PM1 was analyzed by a highresolution time-of-flight (HR-ToF) and was also collected on PTFE filters over 20-minute periods before and after aging for off-line FTIR analysis. AMS and FTIR measurements agreed well with regards to the concentration of OM and some biomass burning tracers (levoglucosan and lignin; Yazdani A., 2020b) and the OM:OC ratio. Chamber wall loss rates were estimated using AMS OM concentration and were used to split the contribution of POA and SOA. The estimated FTIR and AMS spectra of SOA produced by reactions of biomass burning volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with OH were found to have prominent acid signatures. Organonitrates, on the other hand, appeared to be important for SOA produced by the nitrate radical. We found that with continued aging, SOA evolves and becomes similar to the oxygenated OA (OOA) in the atmosphere. We also found that POA composition also evolves with aging. Our estimates show that up to 10 % of POA mass undergoes aging. Biomass burning tracers such as lignin and levoglucosan in addition to hydrocarbons are among the POA compounds that are lost the most in biomass burning POA (up to 6 times more than OM decrease due to chamber wall losses; Fig. 1). This diminution is observed for both semi-volatile (levoglucosan and hydrocarbons) and non-volatile (lignin) POA species, implying the importance of gasparticle partitioning, heterogeneous reactions, and photolysis for POA evolution in the atmosphere. This result can be important since chemical transport models usually do not consider POA heterogeneous reactions. Figure 1. Trends of individual AMS mass fragments (with contribution to OM> 0.3 %) during aging with UV (starting from time zero). All mass fragments have been normalized by their concentration before the with start of aging and corrected for the chamber wall losses. Important mass fragments are shown in color. This work was supported by the project PyroTRACH (ERC- 2016-COG) funded from H2020-EU.1.1. - Excellent Science - European Research Council (ERC), project ID 726165 and funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation (200021_172923). References Yazdani, A., Dudani, N., Takahama, S., Bertrand, A., Prévôt, A. S. H., El Haddad, I., and Dillner, A. M.: Characterization of Primary and Aged Wood Burning and Coal Combustion Organic Aerosols in Environmental Chamber and Its Implications for Atmospheric Aerosols, Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics Discussions, pp. 1– 32

Differentiating between primary and secondary organic aerosols of biomass burning in an environmental chamber with FTIR and AMS

Fine particulate matter (PM) affects visibility, climate and public health. Organic matter (OM), which is hard to characterize due to its complex chemical composition, can constitute more than half of the PM. Biomass burning from residential wood burning, wildfires, and prescribed burning is a major source of OM with an ever-increasing importance. Aerosol mass spectrometry (AMS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) are two complementary methods of identifying the chemical composition of OM. AMS measures the bulk composition of OM with relatively high temporal resolution but provides limited parent compound information. FTIR, carried out on samples collected on Teflon filters, provides detailed functional groupinformation at the expense of relatively low temporal resolution. In this study, we used these two methods to better understand the evolution of biomass burning OM in the atmosphere with aging. For this purpose, primary emissions from wood and pellet stoves were injected into the Center for Studies of Air Qualities and Climate Change (C-STACC) environmental chamber at ICE-HT/FORTH. Primary emissions were aged using hydroxyl and nitrate radicals (with atmospherically relevant exposures) simulating atmospheric day-time and night-time oxidation. A time-of-flight (ToF) AMS reported the composition of non-refractory PM1 every three minutes and PM1 was collected on PTFE filters over 20-minute periods before and after aging for off-line FTIR analysis. We found that AMS and FTIR measurements agreed well in terms of measured OM mass concentration, the OM:OC ratio, and concentration of biomass burning tracers – lignin and levoglucosan. AMS OM concentration was used to estimate chamber wall loss rates which were then used separate the contribution of primary and secondary organic aerosols (POA and SOA) to the aged OM. AMS mass spectra and FTIR spectra of biomass burning SOA and estimates of bulk composition were obtained by this procedure. FTIR and AMS spectra of SOA produced by OH oxidation of biomass burning volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were dominated by acid signatures. Organonitrates, on the other hand, appeared to be important in the SOA aged by the nitrate radical. The spectra from the two instruments also indicated that the signatures of certain compounds such as levoglucosan, lignin and hydrocarbons, which are abundant in biomass burning POA, diminish with aging significantly more than what can be attributed to chamber wall losses. The latter suggests biomass burning POA chemical composition might change noticeably due to heterogeneous reactions or partitioning in the atmosphere. Therefore, the common assumption of stable POA composition is only partially true. In addition, more stable biomass burning tracers should be used to be able to identify highly aged biomass burning aerosols in the atmosphere

Effect of the dietary inclusion of the growth promoter avoparcin on the performance and carcass characteristics of growing goat kids

Μελετήθηκε η επίδραση της αβοπαρκίνης ως αυξητικού παράγοντα στην πάχυνση των απογαλακτισμένων εριφίων, ηλικίας 8,5 μέχρι 20,5 εβδομάδων. Χρησιμοποιήθηκαν 32 εγχώρια ερίφια του τΰπου Capra prisca, που διαχωρίστηκαν σε δυο ομάδες (ομάδα μαρτύρων και ομάδα αβοπαρκίνης με αρχικό μέσο σωματικό βάρος 11,61 ± 1,16 kg και 11,57 ± 1,47 kg, αντίστοιχα) των 16 ζώων (8 αρσενικά και 8 θηλυκά) η καθεμιά. Όλα τα ερίφια διατράφηκαν βασικά με το ίδιο σιτηρέσιο, το οποίο αποτελούνταν από σανό μηδικής (μέση ημερήσια κατανάλωση 170 g/ερίφιο) και μίγμα συμπυκνωμένων ζωοτροφών (χορηγούμενο κατά βούληση). Τα ερίφια της ομάδας της αβοπαρκίνης έπαιρναν επιπλέον με την τροφή τους 20 mg αβοπαρκίνης/kg μίγματος συμπυκνωμένων ζωοτροφών. Η πρόσληψη αβοπαρκίνης από τα ερίφια βελτίωσε σημαντικά (Ρ<0,05) το σωματικό βάρος (ΣΒ) των εριφίων της ομάδας της αβοπαρκίνης έναντι εκείνου της ομάδας των μαρτύρων κατά 10,57% (19,24 ± 2,33 kg και 17,40 ± 2,30 kg, αντίστοιχα), την αύξηση σωματικού βάρους κατά 32,30% (7,66 ± 1,42 kg και 5,79 ± 1,74 kg, αντίστοιχα), τη μέση ημερήσια κατανάλωση της τροφής, σε ξηρή ουσία (ΞΟ), κατά 14,24% (551,80 ± 31,60 g ΞΟ και 483,02 ± 28,94 g ΞΟ, αντίστοιχα), το δείκτη μετατρεψιμότητας τροφής των εριφίων κατά 13,62% (6,09 ± 0,47 kg ΞΟ τροφής/kg αύξησης ΣΒ και 7,05 ± 0,56 kg ΞΟ τροφής/kg αύξησης ΣΒ, αντίστοιχα) και το βάρος σφαγίου κατά 14,86% (11,44 ± 1,48 kg και 9,96 ± 1,76 kg, αντίστοιχα). Δεν επηρέασε όμως σημαντικά (Ρ > 0,05) την απόδοση των εριφίων σε σφάγιο και τη χημική σύσταση του οΰτε τις κατά βάρος εκατοστιαίες αναλογίες του λεπτού εντέρου, του μείζονος επίπλου, των πνευμόνων, της καρδιάς, του ήπατος και του σπλήνα στο σωματικό βάρος.A trial was conducted with 32 indigenous goat kids (Capra prisca) 8,5 weeks old to examine the effectiveness of dietary avoparcin as growth promoting factor. The kids were randomly allocated into two groups (control- and avoparcin group with initial mean body weight of 11,61 ±1,16 kg and 11,57±1,47 kg, respectively) comprising of 16 kids (8 male and 8 female) each. For a period of 12 weeks, kids in the control group were given lucerne (alfalfa) hay (mean daily consumption 170 g/head) and an appropriate compound diet (given ad libitum), while kids in the avoparcin group were fed the same diet except that the compound diet was supplemented with avoparcin (20 mg/kg). Avoparcin supplementation significantly (P<0.05) improved final mean body weight by 10.57% (19.24 ± 2.33 kg vs. 17.40 ± 2.30 kg), body weight gain (BWG) by 32.30% (7.66 ± 1.42 kg vs. 5.79 ± 1.74 kg), mean daily feed consumption in dry matter basis (DM) by 14.24% (551.80 ± 31.60 g DM vs. 483.02 ± 28.94 g DM), feed conversion ratio by 13.62% (6.09 ± 0.47 kg DM consumption/kg BWG vs. 7.05 ± 0.56 kg DM consumption/kg BWG) and carcass weight by 14.86% (11.44 ± 1.48 kg vs. 9.96 ± 1.76 kg). Moreover, no significant differences (P>0.05) were noticed neither in carcass yield and carcass chemical composition nor in percentages of small intestine-, major omentum-, lung-,heart-, liver- and spleen weight in the body weight

Sources of water-soluble Brown Carbon at a South-Eastern European Site

Atmospheric brown carbon (BrC) is a highly uncertain, but potentially important contributor to light absorption in the atmosphere. Laboratory and field studies have shown that BrC can be produced from multiple sources, including primary emissions from fossil fuel combustion and biomass burning (BB), as well as secondary formation through a number of reaction pathways. It is currently thought that the dominant source of atmospheric BrC is primary emissions from BB, but relatively few studies demonstrate this in environments with complex source profiles. A field campaign was conducted during a month-long wintertime period in 2020 on the campus of the University of Peloponnese in the southwest of Patras, Greece which represents an urban site. During this time, ambient filter samples (a total of 35 filters) were collected from which the water-soluble BrC was determined using a semi-automated system similar to Hecobian et al. (2010), where absorption was measured over a 1 m path length. To measure the BrC, a UV-Vis Spectrophotometer was coupled to a Liquid Waveguide Capillary Cell and the light absorption intensity was recorded at 365 and 700 nm. The latter was used as a reference wavelength. We found that the average BrC absorption in Patras at a wavelength of 365 nm was 8.5 ± 3.9 Mm-1 suggesting that there was significant BrC in the organic aerosol during this period. Attribution of sources of BrC was done using simultaneous chemical composition data observations (primarily organic carbon, black carbon, and nitrate) combined with Positive Matrix Factorization analysis. This analysis showed that in addition to the important role of biomass burning (a contribution of about 20%) and other combustion emissions (also close to 20%), oxidized organic aerosol (approximately 40%) is also a significant contributor to BrC in the study area. Reference Hecobian, A., Zhang, X., Zheng, M., Frank, N., Edgerton, E.S., Weber, R.J., 2010. Water-soluble organic aerosol material and the light-absorption characteristics of aqueous extracts measured over the Southeastern United States. Atmos. Chem. Phys. 10, 5965–5977. https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-10-5965-201

Effect of Genex, a feed additive containing organic acids and herb extracts, on the performance of broiler chickens

Σε αυτήν την πειραματική εργασία εξετάστηκε η επίδραση του Genex, μιας πρόσθετης ύλης ζωοτροφών που περιέχει μυρμηκικό και προπιονικό οξυ, τα άλατα τους με αμμωνία και εκχυλίσματα βοτάνων, στις αποδόσεις κρεοπαραγωγών ορνιθίων. Χρησιμοποιήθηκαν 17.340 ορνίθια τύπου Cobb, ηλικίας ημέρας,τα οποία κατανεμήθηκαν τυχαία σε 3 ομάδες και εγκαταστάθηκαν σε δάπεδο με στρωμνή από ροκανίδια. Καθ' όλη τη διάρκεια του πειραματισμού, που ήταν 40 ημέρες, τα ορνίθια της ομάδας των μαρτύρων διατράφηκαν με συνήθη τροφή του εμπορίου, εκείνα της δεύτερης ομάδας με την ίδια βασική τροφή στην οποία είχε προστεθεί φλαβομυκίνη σε αναλογία 8 g/τόννο, ενώ στην τροφή της τρίτης ομάδας είχε προστεθεί Genex σε αναλογία 3 kg / τόννο μέχρι την ηλικία των 21 ημερών και 4 kg /τόννο από την επόμενη ημέρα και μέχρι τη λήξη του πειραματισμού. Για την εκτίμηση των αποδόσεων των κρεοπαραγωγών ορνιθίων προσδιορίστηκαν τα σωματικά βάρη, η κατανάλωση τροφής, ο δείκτης μετατρεψιμότητας τροφής, η θνησιμότητα των πτηνών και ο δείκτης παραγωγικότητας. Ακόμη μετρήθηκε η ρυθμιστική ικανότητα των τροφών που χορηγήθηκαν στις ομάδες των ορνιθίων καθώς και όλων των πρώτων υλών. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι τα ορνίθια που πήραν Genex με την τροφή τους εμφάνισαν ευνοϊκότερη αύξηση σε σχέση με τους μάρτυρες, ενώ παρουσίασαν την ίδια αύξηση με εκείνα στα οποία χορηγήθηκε με την τροφή τους φλαβομυκίνη.In this experimental study, the performance of broiler chickens fed diets supplemented with Genex, a feed additive containing organic acids and their ammonium salts, essential oils and plant extracts, was evaluated. A total of 17,340 one day-old Cobb chicks randomly divided into three groups and housed in floor pens of a commercial farm, were used in a feeding trial that lasted 40 days. One group was fed on a basal commercial diet, the second group on the same diet supplemented with 8 g flavomycin /ton of feed, while the third group was given the basal diet supplemented with Genex at 3 kg/ton till 21 days of age and 4 kg/ton thereafter. In this trial the buffering capacity of the tested diets and their ingredients was also measured. Results based on the body weight growth, the feed conversion ratios, the mortality rate and the productivity index suggested that supplementation of the feed with Genex exerted a growth-promoting effect comparable to that of flavomycin

Oxidative Potential of Atmospheric Particles at an Eastern Mediterranean Site

Aerosol oxidative potential (OP; the inherent ability of ambient particles to generate reactive oxygen species in vivo) may be linked to the health effects of population exposure to aerosol and is a metric of their toxicity. The goal of this work was to quantify the water-soluble OP of particles in an urban area in Patras, Greece and to investigate its links with source emissions or components of this particulate matter (PM). A field campaign was conducted during a monthlong wintertime period in 2020 (January 10 to February 13) on the campus of the University of Peloponnese in the southwest of Patras. During this time, ambient filter samples (a total of 35 filters) were collected. To measure the water-soluble OP we used a semiautomated system similar to Fang et al. (2015) based on the dithiothreitol (DTT) assay. The accuracy of our system was validated by measuring the DTT activity of 11 phenanthrequinone (PQN) solutions on both our system and the identical semi-automated validated system at the National Observatory of Athens (NOA). These two sets of analysed DTT activities (current vs. NOA system) were significantly correlated (R2=0.99) with a slope of 1.15 ± 0.04 and an intercept close to zero. We found that the average water-soluble OP in Patras was 1.5 ± 0.3 nmol min-1 m-3, ranging from 0.7 to 2 nmol min-1 m-3. The OP measured in Patras during the campaign is higher than reported values from similar wintertime studies in other urban areas such as Athens (Paraskevopoulou et al., 2019). The average watersoluble OP during a summer study for Patras was significantly lower and equal to 0.18 ± 0.02 nmol min-1 m- 3. Taking into account the average PM1 mass concentrations for these two periods (summer: 6 μg m-3 and winter: 23 μg m-3) it is clear that the increase in OP was two times the increase in PM mass making the wintertime aerosol more toxic. Additionally, the water-soluble brown carbon (BrC) was determined using an offline semi-automated system, where absorption was measured over a 1 m path length. The average BrC absorption in Patras at a wavelength of 365 nm was 8.6 ± 3.9 Mm-1 suggesting that there was significant BrC in the organic aerosol during this period. The coefficients of determination, R2, in Table 1 are used as a metric of the potential relationships between the various carbonaceous aerosol components and the DTT activity. The results suggest that the OP is not dominated by a single source or component, but that there are multiple components contributing to it during the study period. Interestingly, the highest correlation coefficient (R2 = 0.46) was found between the OP and Brown Carbon. This is consistent with recently published results for an urban site in Atlanta where the oxidative potential measured with the DTT method also had stronger correlations with BrC during the winter (Gao et al., 2020)

Effect of the feed supplement Bio-Mos, a mannan-oligosaccharide, on the performance of broiler chickens

Σε αυτή την εργασία εξετάστηκε η επίδραση του Bio-Mos, μιας πρόσθετης ύλης ζωοτροφών που περιέχει άπεπτους ολιγοσακχαρίτες με βάση τη μαννόζη, στις αποδόσεις κρεοπαραγωγών ορνιθίων, όταν προστίθεται στην εναρκτήρια τροφή τους. Χρησιμοποιήθηκαν 53.040 ορνίθια τύπου Cobb, ηλικίας ημέρας, τα οποία κατανεμήθηκαν τυχαία σε δυο ομάδες, οι οποίες χωρίστηκαν σε τέσσερις υποομάδες. Τα ορνίθια της μιας ομάδας (Μάρτυρας) διατράφηκαν μέχρι τη δέκατη ημέρα με συνήθη εναρκτήρια τροφή του εμπορίου, ενώ εκείνα της άλλης ομάδας (Ομάδα Bio-Mos) με την ίδια εναρκτήρια τροφή, στην οποία είχε προστεθεί Bio-Mos σε αναλογία 1,5 g/kg· Από την ηλικίατων 11 ημερών και μέχρι τη λήξη του πειραματισμού που είχε διάρκεια 40 ημερών, στα ορνίθια και των δυο ομάδων χορηγήθηκε η ίδια τροφή ανάπτυξης και πάχυνσης, στην οποία δεν είχε προστεθεί Bio-Mos. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι τα ορνίθια της ομάδας του Bio-Mos είχαν σημαντικά (Ρ<0,05) μεγαλύτερο σωματικό βάρος σε σύγκριση με εκείνα της ομάδας του Μάρτυρα κατάτη δέκατη ημέρα της ηλικίας τους (295 έναντι 254 g) καθώς και κατά την τεσσαρακοστή ημέρα της ηλικίας τους (2108 έναντι2017 g). Η κατανάλωση τροφής από τα ορνίθια της ομάδας του Bio-Mos, καθ' όλη τη διάρκεια του πειραματισμού, ήταν σημαντικά (Ρ<0,05) μεγαλύτερη από ό,τι εκείνων της ομάδας του Μάρτυρα(3647 έναντι 3612 g) και συνοδεύτηκε με καλύτερο δείκτη μετατρεψιμότητας της τροφής (1,73 έναντι 1,79). Τέλος, η θνησιμότητα των ορνιθίων ήταν χαμηλότερη για τα πτηνά της ομάδας του Bio-Mos σε σχέση με αυτά της ομάδας των μαρτύρων (2,5 έναντι 2,9%), ωστόσο η διαφορά αυτή δεν ήταν στατιστικά (Ρ>0,05) σημαντική.The effect of the mannan-oligosaccharide Bio-Mos on broiler chicken performance, after its incorporation in the starter diet was evaluated. A total of 53,040 one day-old Cobb chicks, randomly divided into two groups with four replicates each, were used in a feeding trial that lasted 40 days. One of the groups (Control group) was fed on a basal commercial starter diet, while the other (Bio-Mos group) was given up to day 10 of age the same diet supplemented with the mannan-oligosaccharide Bio-Mos at the level of 1.5 g/kg of feed. From day 11 of age and thereafter, Bio-Mos administration was discontinued and both groups were given the same basal commercial grower and finisher diets. Results showed that chickens in the Bio-Mos fed group exhibited a significant (P<0.05) improvement in body weight compared to control at day 10 (295 vs 254 g) and day 40 (2108 vs 2017 g) of age. Feed intake per bird from day-old to day 40 of age showed a significant (P<0.05) increase in the Bio-Mos group compared to control (3647 vs 3612 g), whereas feed conversion ratios also demonstrated a significant (P<0.05) improvement for the Bio-Mos group (1.73 vs 1.79). Mortality rate was lower in the Bio-Mos group compared to control (2.5 vs 2.9%), however, the difference was not statistically (P>0.05) significant