Japanese quail ( Coturnix coturnix japonica ) meat: characteristics and value addition

Carcass characteristics, physicochemical traits, texture and microstructure of young and spent quails meat

The purpose of the study was to compare young (6-wk-old) and spent (52-wk-old) Japanese quail in terms of body weight, carcass characteristics, and some meat quality traits. Whole carcasses were dissected, pectoral muscles and leg muscles were sampled for determination of basic chemical composition and L*a*b* color parameters, while m. pectoralis major was sampled for texture and microstructure traits. Age of quails had a significant effect on body weight, carcass weight, carcass yield, pectoral muscle, abdominal fat and skin with subcutaneous fat, and carcass remainders contents in eviscerated carcass. Spent quails had significantly higher intramuscular fat content in pectoral and leg muscles and protein content in breast muscle, and also lower content of water in breast and leg muscles than young quails. Slaughter age significantly affected lightness (L*) and redness (a*) of pectoral muscles, as well as texture traits (except for cohesiveness) and microstructure of m. pectoralis major, except for thickness of perimysium and endomysium. Regardless of age, quail sex had an effect on the carcass traits studied (except for leg muscle content), intramuscular fat content of pectoral and leg muscles, water content of leg muscles and yellowness of pectoral muscle. In addition, a significant effect of quail sex was found on cutting work, springiness, chewiness and marked microstructural characteristics, except for vertical fiber diameter. The interaction between age and sex was significant for most slaughter and microstructural characteristics and also WB-shear force of m. pectoralis major, and L*, b* pectoral muscles. Higher fatness of carcasses, higher intramuscular fat in meat, and poorer textural and microstructural characteristics of m. pectoralis major spent Japanese quail indicate poorer fulfillment of most consumers' requirements compared to carcasses and meat of young quails.

Growth of breast muscles in European and Japanese quail raised in meat production system: a morphological analysis

Growth curves have been described in the quail but with no attention to the muscle composing of the breast. The description of the characteristics of growth curves to body weight and to breast muscle was the aim of this study. Morphological development of Musculus supracoracoideus and Musculus pectoralis in European and Japanese quail was assessed from the final incubation of to 35 days. Gompertz models were adjusted with maximum growth rates to body weight, breast weight, and Musculus pectoralis and supracoracoideus weight at 17.6; 22.2; 23.5, and 21.4 days. The European quail had a higher body and breast weight at maturity. Musculus supracoracoideus developed faster in both subspecies but with larger Musculus pectoralis. Both musculus had a greater number of fibers type IIA and largest fibers IIB, with quadratically increasing in fiber diameter with age in both subspecies and muscles. At 35 days, results of meat quality indicated similarity between genders and subspecies, with darker and redness breast meat in Japanese quail. In conclusion, breast weight gain was a result of type IIA and IIB fiber hypertrophy in both muscles and, despite the difference in size and aptitude, Japanese and European quail showed similar body and muscle growth patterns.

Developmental Characteristics of Skeletal Muscle during the Embryonic Stage in Chinese Yellow Quail (Coturnix japonica)

The quail is an important research model, and the demand for quail meat has been increasing in recent years; therefore, it is worthwhile investigating the development of embryonic skeletal muscle and the expression patterns of regulatory genes. In this study, the expression of MyoD and Pax7 in the breast muscle (m. pectoralis major) and leg muscle (m. biceps femoris) of quail embryos on days 10 through 17 were determined using qRT-PCR. Paraffin sections of embryonic muscle were analyzed to characterize changes over time. Results showed that MyoD and Pax7 were expressed in both breast and leg muscles and played a significant role in embryonic muscle development. Compared to breast muscle, leg muscle grew faster and had greater weight and myofiber size. The findings suggested that embryonic day 12 (E12) may be a key point for muscle development. Correlation analysis showed that MyoD expression was significantly negatively correlated with muscle and embryo weight, whereas Pax7 gene expression had no significant correlation with these characteristics. These fundamental results provide a theoretical basis for understanding the characteristics and transition points of skeletal muscle development in quail embryos and an important reference for farmers raising quail from eggs.

Effects of Long-Term Storage on Hatchability and Incubation Length of Game Farmed Quail Eggs

The long-term storage of eggs before incubation is a common practice in some alternative poultry systems but needs to be performed under conditions that preserve egg viability. The effects of the long-term storage of game farmed quail (Coturnix coturnix) eggs on weight loss during the storage and incubation periods, chick weight at hatch, hatchability, and incubation length were investigated. The eggs were arranged in six treatments submitted to 0-, 7-, 14-, 21-, 28-, and 35-day storage periods at 15.8 °C and 80% relative humidity. The storage length reduced the hatchability of eggs (p < 0.05) when the storage was extended to 35 days, decreasing by more than half compared to eggs stored up to 28 days. Egg weight loss during storage progressively increased with the storage length (p < 0.05). Chick weight at hatching was reduced in eggs stored for more than 14 days (p < 0.05), and relative chick weight decreased significantly in eggs stored for 35 days (p < 0.05). Incubation length progressively increased with the storage length (p < 0.05), achieving less hatching synchrony in eggs stored for a longer time (p < 0.05). In conclusion, game quail eggs store well with little deterioration up to 28 days at 15.8 °C and 80% relative humidity, allowing for extended storage when shipping long-shelf-life eggs or assembling batches large enough to fully set an incubator in farms with small breeding flocks.

Zinc and L-Ascorbic Acid Dietary Supplementation Affected Antioxidant Status, Heat Shock Protein 70, and Some Immunoglobulins in Japanese Quail Under Heat Stress Conditions

This study assessed the impact of the dietary inclusion of L-ascorbic acid and organic zinc (Availa-Zn) on heat-stressed Japanese quails. Growth performance, antioxidant status, immune status, heat shock protein 70 (HSP70), and some blood biochemical parameters were assessed. One-day-old, unsexed Japanese quail chicks (n = 240) were randomly allocated into 4 dietary treatments (6 replicates per treatment; 10 birds per replicate). Birds were fed a basal corn-soybean meal diet (control treatment) with different supplemental levels of L-ascorbic acid and/or Availa-Zn (200 mg L-ascorbic acid/kg diet, 62 mg Availa-Zn/kg diet, and 200 mg L-ascorbic acid + 62 mg Availa-Zn/kg diet) from July to August 2020 for 35 days. The average minimum and maximum ambient temperatures varied from 85.4 to 98.8 °F, and the relative humidity was between 69 and 74%. Supplemented L-ascorbic acid and Availa-Zn, either as separate supplements or as combined supplements, increased bird growth performance, blood hemoglobin, thyroid hormones, total protein, globulin, total antioxidant capacity, HSP70, catalase, superoxide dismutase enzyme activity, and immunoglobulin A and G (P < 0.05), while heterophil/lymphocytes decreased (P < 0.01) during the entire rearing period (1-35 days). Most of the assessed parameters showed stronger responses when L-ascorbic acid and Availa-Zn were added together, which may suggest a synergistic effect. In conclusion, the combined supplementation of L-ascorbic acid and Availa-Zn at 200 and 62 mg/kg, respectively, could be considered an efficient dietary supplement to enhance Japanese quail growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune status, and general health under heat stress conditions.

Detection of a novel single nucleotide polymorphism in IGF2 gene with a negative impact on egg production and body weight in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica)

Background

Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) is one of three hormones that share high structural similarity to insulin. It is involved in several insulin-like growth-regulating and mitogenic activities. This study was conducted to genotype the coding regions of the IGF2 gene in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) using PCR-SSCP-sequencing, and to assess the possible association of the polymorphism of these regions with the main egg production traits. A total of 240 female birds with an equal number of three Japanese quail populations (Brown or BR, Black or BL, and White or WT) were included in this study.

Results

All the genotyped regions exerted no heterogeneity in their sequences with one exception detected in the exon 2. In this locus, a novel single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was detected in which “A” was substituted with “G” at 81 position with a silent effect (p.F79=SNP) on IGF2 protein. Association analyses indicated a significant (P < 0.05) relation of this SNP with egg number (EN) and bird weight (BW) in the analyzed populations, in which the birds with AG genotype had lower EN and BW than those with AA genotype. The p.F79=SNP was largely detected in the WT line than the other two lines.

Conclusion

The detected p.F79=SNP has a highly negative effect on EN and BW in Japanese quail. Thus, the implementation of the variations of the IGF2 gene can be a useful marker in the marker-assisted selection of Japanese quail. This is the first report to describe IGF2 gene variations in Japanese quail, which strongly suggests raising the birds from the BR line with AA genotype when breeders desire to raise Japanese quail for large-scale egg production.

Effects of dietary supplementation with breadfruit leaf powder on growth performance, meat quality, and antioxidative activity in Japanese quail

Background and Aim:

In an era of increasing concerns about food availability globally, poultry meat is being increasingly consumed rather than red meat given its quality in terms of pH, color, and tenderness, conferring consumer satisfaction. The choice of feed is a crucial factor in poultry production. This study investigated the effect of dietary supplementation with breadfruit leaf powder on growth performance, meat quality, and antioxidative activity in Japanese quail.

Materials and Methods:

A total of 120 day-old quail were used in this study and assigned equally into four treatment groups: Group C fed a basal diet and three treatment groups fed a basal diet supplemented with 2.5% (T1), 5% (T2), or 10% (T3) breadfruit leaf powder. The concentrations of breadfruit leaf powder were 2.5, 5, and 10 g/kg in the basal diet. Quail body weight and feed intake (FI) were evaluated at 1, 21, and 35 days of age at 7 a.m. Pectoral muscle was collected to determine pH, meat color, drip loss, cooking loss, water-holding capacity (WHC), tenderness, and antioxidant levels. All variables were analyzed statistically using ANOVA followed by Duncan’s post hoc test (significance set at p<0.05).

Results:

T3 showed increased body weight gain of quails at1-21 and 21-35 days (p<0.05). Feeding in the T3 group improved the feed conversion ratio compared with those in the C and T1 groups at the starter phase (p<0.05). Dietary treatment did not affect FI (p>0.05). In the present study, meat redness and WHC were improved in the T3 group (p<0.05). Meanwhile, drip loss, cooking loss, and meat tenderness were improved in the T2 group (p<0.05). The pH_{45 min}, pH_{24 h}, lightness, and yellowness were not influenced by the treatments (p>0.05). The antioxidative activities of superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde decreased in the T3 group (p<0.05), while no significant difference in glutathione peroxidase level (p>0.05) was identified.

Conclusion:

Ten grams/kilogram of breadfruit leaf powder, as administered in the T3 group, can be applied as a dietary supplement for Japanese quail to improve growth performance, meat quality, and antioxidative activity during the starter and grower periods.

Prevalence and Characteristics of Multidrug-Resistant Livestock-Associated Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA) CC398 Isolated from Quails (Coturnix Coturnix Japonica) Slaughtered for Human Consumption

Simple Summary

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is an important pathogen in both humans and animals worldwide. MRSA associated with livestock is a zoonotic pathogen that has been reported in several animals and, although its infections in humans are rare, this strain is recognized as an occupational hazard for people working in direct contact with livestock. Thus, we aimed to isolate MRSA from quails and to characterize their antimicrobial resistance and genetic lineages. One hundred swab samples were recovered from quails at the slaughterhouse. To investigate the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of MRSA in poultry, we conducted this study on 100 quails slaughtered for human consumption. The antimicrobial resistance was investigated in all isolates as well as virulence genes and genetic lineages. Twenty-nine MRSA were isolated. The results showed that all MRSA isolates had resistance to multiple antibiotics. All strains were classified as livestock-associated. Most strains belonged to a well-known livestock-associated lineage: CC398.

Abstract

Livestock-associated MRSA (LA-MRSA) is a zoonotic pathogen that has been reported in several animals, and it is often associated with clonal complex (CC) 398. We aimed to isolate MRSA from quails and to characterize their antimicrobial resistance and genetic lineages. One hundred swab samples were recovered from quails at the slaughterhouse. The swabs were inoculated onto CHROMagar™ MRSA agar plates for MRSA isolation. The presence of antimicrobial-resistant genes and virulence factors was investigated by PCR. All strains were typed by MLST, SCCmec-, spa- and agr-typing. From the 100 samples, 29 MRSA were isolated. All strains were resistant to penicillin, cefoxitin, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin and clindamycin and carried the blaZ, mecA, ermB and ermC genes. All strains, except one, showed resistance to tetracycline and harbored the tetM, tetK and tetL genes in different combinations. Twenty strains belonged to ST398 and SCCmec type V, and nine strains belonged to the new ST6831. Twenty-eight out of twenty-nine strains were ascribed to t011 and one to t108. As far as we know, this is the first report of MRSA from quails slaughtered for human consumption. Most strains belonged to ST398-t011, which is the most common LA-MRSA clone found in livestock in Europe.

Pharmacokinetics, bioavailability and tissue residues of doxycycline in Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica) after oral administration

This study aimed to determine the bioavailability, tissue residue and withdrawal time of doxycycline after oral administration in Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). Japanese quails received doxycycline at 20 mg/kg dose following either single intravenous or oral administration, or 5-day oral administration. Doxycycline concentrations in plasma, liver, kidney, muscle, and skin + fat were determined using high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet. The Withdrawal Time v1.4 software was used to calculate withdrawal times. Following single oral administration, terminal elimination half-life, area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to infinitive time, peak plasma concentration (C_max) and time to reach C_max were 10.98 h, 215.84 (h*µg)/mL, 15.33 μg/mL, and 2 h, respectively. The oral bioavailability was 25.84% in quails. In this study, the mean doxycycline concentration was below the maximum residue limit (MRL) at day 4 in skin + fat (0.120 µg/g), and at day 5 in kidney (0.41 µg/g), liver (0.26 µg/g), and muscle (<0.05 µg/g lowest limit of quantification). The highest concentrations of doxycycline after 5-day oral administration were found in kidney compared with other tissues and plasma. These results indicate that the withdrawal times required for doxycycline to reach concentrations <MRLs after 5-day oral administration at 20 mg/kg dose in Japanese quail are 6 days in Europe and China and 9 days in Japan.

Assessment of genetic diversity and genetic relationships of farm and laboratory quail populations in Japan using microsatellite DNA markers

Background

The Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) is an important poultry species owing to their high economic efficiency and biological advantages. The genetic diversity of farm quail populations has rarely been studied.

Objectives

This study aimed to assess the genetic diversity of farm quail populations and their genetic relationships, which could provide important information for designing breeding programmes to maintain egg and/or meat production efficiency.

Methods

Molecular phylogenetic and STRUCTURE analyses were conducted for seven farm populations and six laboratory lines using 50 microsatellite markers previously developed by us.

Results

The genetic diversity within each farm population was relatively high despite long‐term breeding within closed colonies. However, the genetic variation between populations was absent. Twenty highly polymorphic markers, selected based on Ne, He and F_ST values, enabled the construction of reliable phylogenetic trees and STRUCTURE plots.

Conclusions

In the farm populations analysed in the present study, gene flow between genetically distant populations is needed to restore genetic diversity between farm populations, which could exploit heterosis and decrease the risk of inbreeding depression. Our findings demonstrate that these markers are useful for examining the genetic structure of farm quail populations.

Effect of pennyroyal, savory and thyme essential oils on Japanese quail physiology

An experiment was conducted to show the effects of different levels of pennyroyal, thyme and savory essential oils dietary supplementation on performance, organs weight, intestinal morphology, and serum lipids in quails. A total of 550 day-old Japanese quail chicks were allocated into 11 dietary treatments of 5 replications (10 birds in each cage) under a randomized experimental design. The treatments were a basal diet (Control), or 3 levels (200, 300, and 400 ppm) of thyme essential oil (TO), or 3 levels (200, 300, and 400 ppm) of savory essential oil (SO), or 3 levels (200, 300, and 400 ppm) of pennyroyal essential oil (PO) added separately to the basal diet, or also the basal diet supplemented with 100 ppm of flavophospholipol. Body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were measured weekly and calculated totally for 35 d. The organs weight and morphology of intestine parts of one bird from each cage were measured on 35 d. At the same day, blood samples were collected and cholesterol and triglyceride values were separately determined for male and female quails. Although the addition of different levels of essential oils in quail's diet did not affect BWG, a significant decline in FI was observed in the group supplemented with 400 ppm of TO. At the same time, FCR significantly improved (P < 0.05) in the same group as well as in the group supplemented with the antibiotic. However, the organs weight was not significantly affected by the experimental treatments. Nevertheless, villi height of duodenum, jejunum and ileum was significantly increased and crypt depth was significantly decreased in the quails fed diets supplemented with different levels of TO and SO. The values of serum triglycerides decreased in both sexes in the groups that received diets supplemented with different levels of essential oils whereas the values of cholesterol decreased only in males of the essential oils supplemented groups. From the present observations it can be concluded that thyme and savory essential oils can improve FCR by decreasing FI through boosting the absorption of nutrients in intestine. These plant essential oils can replace antibiotic growth parameters without having any adverse effect on quail's health with thyme essential oil exerting the most effective activity.