Impact of Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum [L.] Gaertn.) Seeds in Broiler Chicken Diets on Rearing Results, Carcass Composition, and Meat Quality

Effects of dietary Silybum marianum powder on growth performance, egg and carcass characteristics, immune response, intestinal microbial population, haemato-biochemical parameters and sensory meat quality of laying quails

The study aimed to assess the effects of different dietary Silybum marianum (SM, milk thistle) powder levels on growth performance, productivity, immunity, small intestine, haemato-biochemical parameters, meat quality, and egg and carcass characteristics of laying quails. The experimental subjects consisted of one hundred and eight 43-day-old quails divided into 3 treatments (0, 0.75, and 1.50% SM) with 4 replicates each. The egg characteristics and growth performance of the quails were evaluated. Quails were euthanized for evaluation of carcasses, microbiota, and sensory characteristics of meat. Blood samples were analyzed for haematology and biochemical profile. SM at 0.75% and 1.50% significantly (P < 0.05) increased feed intake, enhanced egg characteristics (number, weight, width, length, volume, weight of egg yolk, and eggshell thickness), jejunum and ileum length, spleen weight, lactobacillus population, sensory characteristics of meat, red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin, erythrocytic indices, concentration of albumin, globulin and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). SM at 0.75% and 1.50% decreased (P < 0.05) carcass weight (abdominal fat, heart, neck, and pancreas), feed conversion ratio (FCR) based on eggs produced, percentages of heterophils and lymphocytes, concentration of lactate dehydrogenase, population of coliforms clostridia, and Escherichia coli. Aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase, alkaline phosphatase, and creatine kinase were not significantly (P > 0.05) altered by 0.75% and 1.50% SM. SM at both levels (0.75% and 1.50%) may improve growth, egg characteristics, immune response, intestinal morphology and microbiota, meat quality and erythropoiesis, and also lead to decreased cholesterol in laying quails. Economics can be improved, too. The authors recommend adding 1.0% of SM to quail diet.

Silymarin effectively prevents and treats Eimeria tenella infection in chicks

Silymarin, a botanical medicine derived from milk thistle seeds and is known to improve chicken growth and gut health when added to the feed. However, its role in the prevention and treatment of chicken coccidiosis remains unclear. This study investigated the efficacy of various doses of silymarin in preventing and treating Eimeria tenella infection in chicks. A total of 180 one-day-old specific pathogen-free chicks were randomized into six groups of 30 chicks each, no treatment (NC group); E. tenella infection (CC group); diclazuril medication during d 14 to 21 and E. tenella infection (DC group); and three groups infected with E. tenella and administered low, medium, or high doses of silymarin during d 12 to 21. All groups except NC were infected with E. tenella on d 14, with indicators observed on d 21. The growth performance was higher in the silymarin treated groups than that in the CC group, and the oocyst count per gram of manure, blood stool, and cecal lesion scores decreased. The medium-dose silymarin group exhibited the best treatment effect. Additionally, the silymarin groups displayed improved histological, morphology, and intestinal barrier integrity. The amounts of proinflammatory factors and harmful bacteria in the cecum were also reduced. Additionally, the activity of serum and cecal antioxidant enzymes, as well as the abundance of beneficial gut microbiota, increased in the cecum. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that silymarin can prevent and treat E. tenella infections. These data provide a scientific and conceptual basis for the development of a botanical dietary supplement from silymarin for the treatment and control of coccidiosis in chicks.

Regression-derived optimal milk thistle in growing quail's diet

A study was conducted to evaluate the nutritional benefits of milk thistle (Silybum marianum) in quail nutrition as an additive containing antioxidant compounds such as silymarin. A total of 300, 14-d old Japanese quail chicks were randomly allotted to 5 treatments with 6 replicates and 10 birds each. The experimental diets, including a basal diet and 4 diets containing 10, 20, 30, and 40 g/kg milk thistle, were used from d 14 to 35 and spline and segmented models were applied to fit data. The optimized values of dietary milk thistle (breakpoints) for optimum amounts of serum albumin (ALB), total protein (TP), glucose (Glu), magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), iron (Fe), and water holding capacity (WHC) in meat samples, as predicted by the regression models, were 24.14, 20.00, 20.00, 24.50, 20.00, 10.43, 23.75, and 25.85 g/kg of diet, respectively, based on maximum R2 and minimum Sy.x. While the breakpoints for minimum cooking loss, drip loss, malondialdehyde after 10 and 30 d (MDA10 and MDA30), triglyceride (TG), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), cholesterol (CHOL), uric acid (UA), and creatinine (CRT) were 27.00, 15.82, 15.78, 33.09, 27.39, 17.99, 20.00, 20.00, 20.90, and 32.57 g/kg of diet, respectively. The use of spline models revealed an objective estimate of the optimal amounts of milk thistle for optimizing physiological responses in growing quails. The present analysis showed that higher dietary levels of milk thistle were needed for optimizing meat quality compared to other physiological responses.

The Effects of Dietary Silybin Supplementation on the Growth Performance and Regulation of Intestinal Oxidative Injury and Microflora Dysbiosis in Weaned Piglets

Oxidative stress is the major incentive for intestinal dysfunction in weaned piglets, which usually leads to growth retardation or even death. Silybin has caught extensive attention due to its antioxidant properties. Herein, we investigated the effect of dietary silybin supplementation on growth performance and determined its protective effect on paraquat (PQ)-induced intestinal oxidative damage and microflora dysbiosis in weaned piglets. In trial 1, a total of one hundred twenty healthy weaned piglets were randomly assigned into five treatments with six replicate pens per treatment and four piglets per pen, where they were fed basal diets supplemented with silybin at 0, 50, 100, 200, or 400 mg/kg for 42 days. In trial 2, a total of 24 piglets were randomly allocated to two dietary treatments with 12 replicates per treatment and 1 piglet per pen: a basal diet or adding 400 mg/kg silybin to a basal diet. One-half piglets in each treatment were given an intraperitoneal injection of paraquat (4 mg/kg of body weight) or sterile saline on day 18. All piglets were euthanized on day 21 for sample collection. The results showed that dietary supplementation with 400 mg/kg silybin resulted in a lower feed conversion ratio, diarrhea incidence, and greater antioxidant capacity in weaned piglets. Dietary silybin enhanced intestinal antioxidant capacity and mitochondrial function in oxidative stress piglets induced by PQ. Silybin inhibited mitochondria-associated endogenous apoptotic procedures and then improved the intestinal barrier function and morphology of PQ-challenged piglets. Moreover, silybin improved intestinal microbiota dysbiosis induced by the PQ challenge by enriching short-chain fatty-acid-producing bacteria, which augmented the production of acetate and propionate. Collectively, these findings indicated that dietary silybin supplementation linearly decreased feed conversion ratio and reduced diarrhea incidence in normal conditions, and effectively alleviated oxidative stress-induced mitochondrial dysfunction, intestinal damage, and microflora dysbiosis in weaned piglets.

Use of Milk Thistle in Farm and Companion Animals: A Review

Milk thistle, Silybum marianum, is a medicinal plant grown for its bioactive compounds with well-documented antioxidant and hepatoprotective properties. Milk thistle has a well-established pharmacological reputation for treatments of human liver disease, but it is also used in animals. This review summarizes the experimental evidence of milk thistle's effects on animals when administered as silymarin extract (feed additive) or a feed ingredient, if administered as seed or expeller/cake with the seed residue still containing the bioactive components. The use as a feed additive or feed ingredient is motivated by the complexity of silymarin registration as a veterinary drug. In farm animals, the drug improves the animals' performance and product quality and oxidative stability, supports liver function during the productive life-cycle, improves gut-health and morphology, and can reduce intestinal pathogens. In dogs and cats, the treatment is focused on acute and chronic liver diseases including the detoxification processes and support of drug treatments including chemotherapy. In equine athletes, milk seed cake showed positive effects and a faster return of cortisol to the resting values before exercise occurred. In aquaculture, it confirms its usefulness in supporting animal health and performance. In certain studies it is not clear what has been administered, and the composition and doses are not always clearly reported. A few studies reported no effects, but none reported problems connected to milk thistle administration. However, the overall picture shows that the use of milk thistle results in improved or restored health parameters or better animal performance.

Effects of Dietary Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum) Supplementation in Ducks Fed Mycotoxin-Contaminated Diets

The medicinal plant milk thistle (Silybum marianum) has been widely used due to its hepatoprotective properties. The main objective of our study was to investigate the health protective effects of dietary milk thistle seed (MS), oil (MO), and seed cake (MSC) in ducks fed diets naturally contaminated with deoxynivalenol (DON; 3.43-3.72 mg/kg feed) and zearalenone (ZEN; 0.46-0.50 mg/kg feed). Female White Hungarian ducks were randomly allocated to four dietary treatments consisting of the control diet (C), the control diet supplemented with 0.5% MS, 0.5% MSC, or 0.1% MO. The feeding of experimental diets did not result in mortality cases, clinical signs of mycotoxicosis, or in differences of clinical chemistry values of blood serum. The positive effect of MO on vacuolar hepatocyte degeneration exceeded that of the MSC on d14 and both MS and MSC on d42. Each treatment was equally effective in the decrease of the severity of solitary cell death and infiltration of lympho- and histiocytes in the liver on d28 as well as in the prevention of lymphocyte depletion in the spleen and bursa of Fabricius on d14. In conclusion, the applied treatments have been proven effective in the prevention of histopathological changes caused by DON and ZEN.

Omega-6: Its Pharmacology, Effect on the Broiler Production, and Health

Lipids and oils are the primary sources of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids (MUFA and PUFA), which are necessary for human and animal health. Omega-3 and omega-6 are essential nutrients for broilers. Omega-6 members, such as linolenic acid, are essential for broilers and must be obtained through feed. Vegetable oils are the primary source of omega-6 added to broiler feeds. Unsaturated fatty acids are better digested and absorbed than saturated fatty acids and generate more energy at a lower cost, boosting productivity. Feeding supplements with omega-6 can increase the fatty acid content in meat and increase weight, carcass, viscera, and FCR. The quality of meat taste and antioxidant content was also improved after giving omega-6 and influencing mineral metabolism. Broiler reproductive performance is also enhanced by reducing late embryonic mortality, hence enhancing fertility, hatchability, sperm quality, and sperm quantity. Meanwhile, for broiler health, omega-6 can lower cholesterol levels, triglycerides, very low-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein. It also supports support for T-helper cell (TH)-2-like IgG titers, increasing prostaglandins, eicosanoids, and antioxidants. In addition, it also supports anti-inflammation. Other researchers have extensively researched and reviewed studies on the effects of omega-6 on poultry. Meanwhile, in this review, we provide new findings to complement previous studies. However, further studies regarding the effects of omega-6 on other poultry are needed to determine the performance of omega-6 more broadly.

Effect of Feed Additives Supplementation on the Growth Performance, Gastrointestinal Tract Characteristics, and Carcass Composition in Turkey Hens

In order to increase growth performance and carcass composition, including meat quality, as demanded by modern customers, alternative feed additives are sought after as a result of the withdrawal of antibiotics employed as growth promoters in poultry feeding. Therefore, we conducted a study to see how effective three feed additives added to the diets and water of turkey hens were. The experiment consisted of 200 Big 6 turkey hens divided into two equinumerous groups (C and E), with five subgroups in each. The 14-week-long growth performance study comprised five feeding periods. Both groups of birds were fed complete feed rations with mineral and vitamin supplements. The factor differentiating the groups were effective microorganisms and Humokarbowit added to the birds' diets and garlic extract added to the drinking water in the experimental group (E) only. It was demonstrated that the included feed additives in the diets and water of turkey hens significantly increased (by 10%) the FBW and decreased (by 14%) the FCR throughout the rearing period. Birds from the E group scored significantly higher (by 3.6%) on the dressing percentage, and their muscularity and fattening grade were improved. Turkey fed rations containing the evaluated feed additives had a smaller share of the gastrointestinal tract in the body weight and a shorter duodenum and caecum (p ≤ 0.05). The muscles of turkey hens from group E featured a lower pH₂₄ and were of lighter colour (p ≤ 0.05). To sum up, the use of effective microorganisms and Humokarbowit in the diets and garlic extract in the drinking water of turkey hens should be recommended in view of improved growth performance and carcass composition.

Improving survival, growth, feed utilization, antioxidant status, and fatty acids profile of European seabass, Dicentrarchus labrax, larvae fed silymarin, Silybum marianum, supplemented weaning diet

To sustain normal development, high survival, and rapid growth, marine fish larvae require a diet rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids, which could decrease the risk of reactive oxygen species accumulations. Consequently, a 60-day feeding experiment was conducted to determine the effect of silymarin (SM) supplementation in weaning diets on the growth performance, survival, antioxidant enzyme activities, and fatty acids profile of European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) larvae. Four isonitrogenous and isolipidic diets were investigated using SM at levels of 0, 200, 400, and 600 mg kg−1 (SM0.00, SM200, SM400, and SM600, respectively). The findings showed that, in a dose-dependent manner, increasing dietary levels of SM enhanced survival, growth, and feed utilization. In the SM600 group, the weight gain, survival, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) improved by 123.21, 11.66, and 38.72%, respectively, compared to the control group. The dose-response analysis demonstrated a strong positive correlation (R2=0.96) between SM levels and weight increase, and a strong negative correlation (R2=0.88) between SM levels and FCR. The antioxidant enzyme activities of larvae given SM-enriched diets were significantly greater than those of the control group. Compared to the control group, the CAT and SOD improved by 81.77 and 5.08 % in the SM600 group. In addition, the saturated fatty acid content reduced while the unsaturated fatty acid content increased, particularly in the SM600 group. The results indicate that supplementing the micro diet of European seabass larvae during weaning with SM at a dose of 600 mg kg-1 increases growth, survival, antioxidant status, and fatty acid profiles.

Efficiency of Soybean Products in Broiler Chicken Nutrition

Simple Summary

The studies show how replacing soybean meal with soybean expeller cake or extruded full-fat soybean in feed rations for broiler chickens affects rearing results (weight gain, intake and conversion of feed), carcass composition (dressing percentage, musculature, fattens) and meat quality (physical properties: pH, colour, water holding capacity; the chemical composition: basic components, fatty acids and organoleptic value: flavour, tenderness, palatability and juiciness). Based on the results the use of soybean expeller cake in broiler chicken starter/grower diets can be recommended as it allowed for obtaining the best production and slaughter results. However, from the point of view of the human diet, extruded full-fat soybean should be suggested since it best modified the lipid fraction of muscles.

Abstract

The study aimed to determine the overall effect of replacing soybean meal completely with soybean expeller cake or extruded full-fat soybean in feed rations for broiler chickens on their carcass composition and meat quality. The experiment involved one hundred and twenty Ross 308 broiler chickens randomly allocated to three equinumerous groups (SBM, SEC, EFS). Each group was divided into five subgroups—each consisting of eight birds of both sexes (1:1). From Day 1 to Day 21 of life the birds were fed with loose starter rations, and from Day 22 to Day 42 they were fed grower rations based on a wheat meal, protein products and mineral and vitamin admixtures. The experimental factor was a protein raw material comprising: SBM group—soybean meal from GM (genetically modified) seeds, SEC—soybean expeller cake from n-GM seeds, and EFS—extruded full-fat soybean from n-GM seeds. The experimental diets were isocaloric and isonitrogenous. It was demonstrated that replacing soybean meal with SEC or EFS in feed rations for broiler chickens led to a significant (p < 0.05) weight gain on Day 42 of rearing by 4.57% and 2.88%, respectively. The chickens fed diets with EFS had worse (more than 4.14%) feed conversion rate (FCR) in comparison to the others (p < 0.05). Broiler chickens from the SBM and SEC groups showed a higher share of breast and leg muscles (by 4.74% and 7.54%) and a lower share of abdominal fat (by 31.1%) and skin with subcutaneous fat (by 18.8% and 13.4%) in comparison with birds from the EFS group (p < 0.05). The highest content of intramuscular fat with the best fatty acids profile was determined in the muscles of birds fed with diets containing EFS, while the muscles of chickens receiving SEC scored the highest. The results provide grounds for recommending SEC in broiler chicken nutrition as it allowed for obtaining the best production and slaughter results, whereas—from the point of view of the human diet—EFS should be recommended since it best modified the lipid fraction of muscles.