Volume 23 (2023): Edition 3 (July 2023)

In the nanotechnology era, nanotechnology applications have been intensifying their prospects to embrace all the vigorous sectors persuading human health and animal. The safety and concerns regarding the widespread use of engineered nanomaterials (NMs) and their potential effect on human health still require further clarification. Literature elucidated that NMs exhibited significant adverse effects on various molecular and cellular alterations. Epigenetics is a complex process resulting in the interactions between an organism’s environment and genome. The epigenetic modifications, including histone modification and DNA methylation, chromatin structure and DNA accessibility alteration, regulate gene expression patterns. Disturbances of epigenetic markers induced by NMs might promote the sensitivity of humans and animals to several diseases. Also, this paper focuses on the epigenetic regulators of some dietary nutrients that have been confirmed to stimulate the epigenome and, more exactly, DNA histone modifications and non-histone proteins modulation by acetylation, and phosphorylation inhibition, which counteracts oxidative stress generations. The present review epitomizes the recent evidence of the potential effects of NMs on histone modifications, in addition to in vivo and in vitro cytosine DNA methylation and its toxicity. Furthermore, the part of epigenetic fluctuations as possible translational biomarkers for uncovering untoward properties of NMs is deliberated.

This review aimed to provide a critical and systematic evaluation of the scientific literature about the effect of tree arrangements of the silvopasture system on the thermal environment, behaviour, and performance of cattle. We conducted a search using Web of Science and Google Scholar to identify the key literature of the theme. Peer-reviewed published articles written in English, comparing one or more tree arrangements of SPS to treeless pasture or comparing shaded and sunny areas within the SPS, were selected. The resulting manuscripts (n=191) underwent a four-step PRISMA appraisal process. This process resulted in a final sample of 37 articles, which were used for recording metadata, bibliometric analysis, and assessment of the results, using the software R. Of the 37 articles, 20 studies evaluated dairy cattle (behaviour: 14; performance: 7) and 17 evaluated beef cattle (behaviour: 6; performance: 12). The main behaviours evaluated were grazing (95%) and ruminating (90%), while weight gain (89%) was the main performance variable evaluated. The cooccurrence network analysis highlighted that the studies related the animals’ response to improving the thermal environment promoted by silvopasture systems. The main difference among tree arrangements evaluated by the studies was tree density, which ranged from 5 to 800 trees/ha; most studies covered SPS with row of trees (single row, n=16 and multiple rows, n=19). Most studies (n=32) were carried out in Brazil. The evidence of this review showed that regardless of tree arrangement, the silvopasture system improves the thermal environment for cattle, although some effects on behaviour and performance are inconclusive.

Commercial broilers have a short production cycle and a high requirement for energy (3000 kcal/kg in starter phase and 3200 kcal/kg in finisher phase). Therefore, the need to add energy rich lipids to their diet is inevitable. Digestibility of fat depends on its multiple properties: chain length, the composition of fatty acids, ratio of saturated/unsaturated fatty acids and free fatty acids. The high cost of vegetable oils and less availability due to their consumption in human diet are the main reasons for searching for cheaper alternative fat sources. Animal oils like poultry and fish oil are the by-product of rendering plants and after refining, they are used in poultry diets as an energy source. Due to presence of impurities and free fatty acids, the digestibility of animal fat is lower. There is a limited amount of bile acids and lipase available during early age and when birds are reared on high energy diet (finisher phase). Supplementation of emulsifier or lipase in broilers’ diet increase fat utilisation. Emulsifiers increase fat digestibility by increasing active surface area of lipid droplets. Lysolecithin and lysophospholipids are produced from hydrolyses of lecithin and phospholipids by phopholipase A2. The bile acids are mainly composed of cholic acid, hyodeoxycholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid and have strong emulsification properties. Triacylglyceryl acylase (lipase) is an enzyme involved in catalysis and the hydrolysis of lipids. It can be concluded that use of emulsifier and lipase in broiler diet improves growth performance, nutrient digestibility and intestinal histology in broilers.

Towards the sustainable aquaculture production, more recent technologies have been developed in the past few years. The application of effectives microbes (EM) in controlling water quality, the application of biofloc technology, aquamimicry, black soldier fly (BSF) as supplemental protein feed, application of triploidy, polyploidy, vaccines, probiotic and prebiotic, Internet of Things (IoT) in monitoring the water quality in the farm operation, monosex culture and neo-female application also being applied in the aquaculture operation. The developments of these recent technologies were towards achieving the sustainable aquaculture production, prevention of the disease outbreak, help in increasing the yield of crops harvested as well as towards the green environmental developments. This review paper emphasizes the most recent technologies developed in aquaculture in the past few years until these days. The developments of the new technology in aquaculture also in order to support the sustainable development goals (SDGs) proposed by the United Nation focused on SDG1 (no poverty) and SDG2 (zero hunger) from the increase of aquaculture production achieved through the recent developed technology. Ultimately, this review paper can generate new knowledge and information to the aquaculturist and aquafarmers on the new technologies and developments in aquaculture which could help benefit in the cultures operation and increase production in the near future.

Numerous studies on the replacement of fishmeal with plant protein sources in tilapias have been undertaken. In order to quantify the effect of replacing fishmeal with plant protein sources on the growth performance of tilapias, a meta-analysis approach was applied. Despite the high heterogeneity and funnel plot asymmetry, the meta-analysis showed that replacing fishmeal with plant protein sources has a significant positive effect on the growth performance of tilapias. Thus, tilapias appear to be preadapted to utilizing plant protein sources. Furthermore, the feed value, nutritional quality and cost of the commonly used plant ingredients (soybean, sunflower, canola, cottonseed, kikuyu and azolla meals) were explored. The Solver function in Excel was used to formulate least-cost diets using the plant meals. Azolla had the highest nutritional index (9.7436). This was attributed to its excellent amino acid profile that exceeded the requirements of tilapias. Nutritional index and feed value were lowest in kikuyu because of its poor amino acid profile as it registered the lowest amino acid index (0.4918). These results indicate that the amino acid profile is more important in the determination of nutritional quality than the percent protein content. Azolla and soybean meal are good candidates for the replacement of fishmeal in the diets of tilapias.

The use of antibiotics for the control of infections has not only been banned by FDA for use in food-producing animals, but also several countries have prohibited their use in aquaculture because of several reasons such as the occurrence of antibiotic-tolerant microorganisms, accumulation of antibiotic residues in fish and shrimp flesh, and aquatic environmental effluence concerns. These issues have led researchers and aquaculture scientists to conduct several studies to find antibiotic alternatives. Numerous substitutes have been evaluated, such as probiotics, synbiotics, prebiotics, postbiotics, phytogenics, essential oils, and several others. Results show that these supplements demonstrate proven efficacy in enhancing immune responses, reducing mortalities resulting from experimental infections, and reducing antibiotic usage in medicated aquafeed. Nonetheless, using antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) to control fish diseases and as antibiotic alternatives is a promising and interesting research topic. AMPs are a vital class of small peptides that could stimulate the innate immune system against challenging pathogens and also possess significant potent defensive responses against a variety of infectious and noninfectious pathogenic agents, including bacteria, parasites, fungi, and viruses. Regarding their source origin, AMPs can be classified into six main types: mammalian-, amphibian-, insect-, aquatic-, plant-, and microorganism-derived AMPs. On account of their unique structure, they can display an essential function in therapeutic strategies against infectious diseases affecting fish and shrimp. Reports showed several kinds of AMPs had a wide spectrum of antimicrobial properties. These effects are besides their prominent immunostimulatory functions. Thus, they may be considered a functional alternative to antibiotics in aquaculture. This article provides information on the current knowledge about the modes of action, sources, classification, functions, and potential applications for the development of aquatic animal health. The information included in this context will be valuable to enhance the sustainability of aquaculture.

Canine mammary carcinoma (CMC) is the most common neoplasm in bitches, and it shares many biological similarities with breast cancer in humans. Drug resistance, high epigenetic mutations, and relapse rates are among the challenges which eventually urge the need for a veterinary oncologist to discover new therapeutic approaches that are more effective and safer. Therefore, in this review, we also cover the current therapeutic strategies from human medicine for the future perspectives of tumor immunotherapy in veterinary medicine. These strategies have great potential to be employed as therapeutic or prophylactic options due to their ability to modulate a specific and potent immune response against CMC. As we acquire a better understanding of canine tumor immunology, we can move towards a brighter prognosis. Additionally, we report on the recent successful studies in breast cancer that may benefit canines as well.

One of the minor studied stress factors in cattle breeding is noise. Noise is any unwanted chronic or intermittent sound and the amount and type of noise sources are related to the cattle production system. The aim of the review was to highlight the literature regarding noise as a robust environmental stressor and the following impact on the behavioural, physiological and performance reactions of cattle. In addition, it was shown how often this problem is discussed in the scientific literature. Review was conducted with a search strategy of peer-reviewed articles written in English before June 2022. The systematic searches were performed using the Web of Science and Scopus databases with the integration of Boolean operators to string together words or phrases. It is recommended to create an environment around cows in which the acoustic stimuli affecting the animals are under their control. Therefore, if the sound source cannot be eliminated, animals should be able to choose places with a lower sound intensity appropriate for the perceptual abilities of cattle. On the other hand, attention is paid to the positive aspects of some groups of sound signals i.e. positive nature of music for cows and people during milking. The scientific publications analysed by the methodology drew attention to the repeatability of the discussed results. Further research on this subject should be considered because developing farms use modern solutions in barns which can negatively affect the acoustic comfort of cows, and their impact has yet to be determined.

Fish is a unique source for human consumption and also the food industry. In this sense, different nanobiotechnology-based applications especially have been used for providing food safety, improving the taste and preferences of fish meat, keeping the nutritional components in fish meat for human consumption, and eliminating nutritional losses with cooking. Nanofibers, nanoparticles, nanoliposomes, and nanoemulsions are good candidates for preserving fish meat from microbial spoilage and oxidative deterioration. Nanoliposomes particularly fabricated with seaweeds have delayed (free fatty acid, peroxide value, etc.) the rapid undesired formation in fish meat or fish oil. Besides nanoliposome, being revealed that especially nanoparticles (from biopolymer) and nanoemulsions mostly obtained from citrus oils effectively delay the rapid oxidation in fish meat. Also with these applications, the nutritional quality of processed products has been protected. In this regard, it is reported that nanofiber applications integrated with sous-vide cooking or baking of fish meat like salmon meat samples effectively can protect against nutritional losses in fish meat. Probiotic bacteria such as L. rhamnosus and L. reuteri which are encapsulated in nanobiotechnology-based material can be successfully used both to preserve the meat and to improve the functional properties of raw or processed/cooked fish meat. These nanobiotechnological approaches improve food safety by limiting microbiological spoilage such as mesophilic and psychrophilic for fish meat samples. The mentioned nanopreservation approaches provide a better solution as compared with conventional methods with fewer materials usage in the food industry. Some studies also support that this is a cost-effective method, especially in terms of food additive usage in foods. Above all, these mentioned processes related to food nanobiotechnology can improve food safety, and limit nutritional losses due to cooking procedures, so this review suggests that the nanobiotechnology-based approaches can be a guiding role for further applications in the food industry.

The development and optimization of nanobiotechnology has recently contributed to the elaboration of a wide spectrum of nanoparticlebased strategies that are reliable and feasible for a broad panel of practical applications in different disciplines of biological, agricultural, nutritional, biopharmaceutical, and biomedical research fields. Taking into account the aforementioned facts, the primary goal of this article is to provide an insightful interpretation of not only the topical and coming trends, but also the research highlights related to devising less time- and labor-consuming processes, less cytotoxic procedures, and the most – relatively speaking – effective and inter-disciplinary nano-applications that are being implemented in veterinary medicine, reproductive biotechnology, and their combinations with livestock breeding and animal production.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary n-3 fatty acids and ginger (Zingiber officinale) supplementation on semen quality, sperm fatty acids, and reproductive performance of roosters. Seventy-two roosters (30 weeks old) were randomly allocated into 4 dietary treatments including 1) basal diet as the control group (F0G0), 2) basal diet supplemented with 20 g/kg fish oil (F2G0), 3) basal diet supplemented with 30 g/kg ginger powder (PG) (F0G3), and 4) basal diet supplemented with 20 g/kg fish oil and 30 g/kg ginger powder (F2G3) for 10 consecutive weeks. The levels of sperm linolenic acid, EPA, and DHA were higher in fish oil-fed roosters (P<0.05). A lower percentage of sperm linoleic and arachidonic acids were recorded in F2G0 and F2G3 groups (P<0.05). At 38 weeks of age, a higher sperm volume was found in F0G3 roosters than in the F0G0 and F2G0 groups. From week 34 to the end of the experiment, sperm viability, sperm abnormality, and sperm motility were significantly improved in the GP-fed roosters (F0G3 and F2G3 groups) (P<0.05). Significantly lowest sperm concentration overall the experiment was observed in the F2G0 group (P<0.05). Higher testosterone levels and lower malondialdehyde (MDA) content were recorded in F0G3 and F2G3 groups in comparison to the F2G0 (P<0.05). Also, the fertility rate of collected eggs from F0G3 and F2G3 groups was higher compared to F2G0 group (P<0.05). In conclusion, although the use of fish oil in roosters’ diets alone had a negative effect on some parameters related to reproductive performance, the use of ginger powder alone or along with fish oil improved semen quality and fertility potential.

This study aimed to determine the effect of dietary chitosan supplementation on the productive and reproductive performance of New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits. Forty healthy weaned female rabbits were randomly distributed into four experimental groups (10 females per group) and fed ad libitum for six months. A basal diet without chitosan supplementation was used as a control. The other three experimental groups were fed a basal diet plus 0.2, 0.4, or 0.6 g chitosan/kg diet. After eight weeks, three females from each group were sacrificed for morphological observation of ovarian tissues. The remaining animals were used for reproductive studies by a maximum of three parities. Morphological observation of ovaries demonstrated that females fed a diet containing 0.2 g/kg chitosan had increased ovarian diameter and elevated number of mature follicles compared with the control and the other experimental groups. Receptivity, conception rate, and kindling interval were significantly (P˂0.05) higher in females fed diets containing 0.2 and 0.4 g/kg chitosan compared to the other groups. Moreover, there was a trend toward a higher average milk yield throughout the lactating period in females fed a diet containing 0.2 g/kg chitosan (P=0.904). Diets containing up to 0.4 g/kg chitosan were positively correlated with increased receptivity rate and several parities. However, diets containing up to 0.4 g/kg chitosan were negatively correlated with decreased receptivity time, kindling interval, litter size at weaning, mortality rate at weaning, bunny weight at weaning, and milk yield. The present study’s findings indicate that diets containing 0.2 g/kg chitosan improved reproductive efficiency in female NZW rabbits.

This study evaluated the effects of inclusion of raw, hydrobarothermally treated and fermented rapeseed cake (RRC, HRC and FRC, respectively) in diets fed to laying hens. Hydrobarothermal treatment decreased the hydroxyglucobrassicin and neoglucobrassicin content of rapeseed cake (RC), whereas fermentation significantly reduced the content of all glucosinolates (GLS) and phytate phosphorus (PP) concentration. Both HRC and FRC increased the serum concentrations of total protein (TP) and globulin (GLB), compared with group C. Group HRC hens had desirably lowest blood triacylglycerol (TAG) levels and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) activity. Group FRC hens were characterized by the lowest alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, and the highest concentrations of phosphorus (P) and triiodothyronine (T3). Regardless of its form, RC improved ether extract (EE) digestibility, and decreased dry matter (DM) digestibility and calcium (Ca) retention. In comparison with group C, RRC, HRC and FRC decreased cecal digesta weight and enhanced the activity of bacterial α-galactosidase and ß-galactosidase; HRC also increased ammonia concentration in the ceca and reduced β-xylosidase activity. The activity of α-glucosidase and α-arabinopiranosidase was highest, and the activity of bacterial β-glucuronidase was lowest in the ceca of group FRC hens. The cecal concentrations of acetic acid, propionic acid, and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFA s) were highest in birds fed a diet containing RRC and lowest in group HRC. In conclusion, RC fermentation considerably reduces the concentrations of GLS and PP. A diet containing 20% FRC is more recommended than diets containing RRC and HRC because it exerted a beneficial effect on metabolic parameters and intestinal function in laying hens.

The present study aimed to assess the effects of three probiotic-supplemented diets on growth, cecal fermentation, blood biochemical, and intestinal morphological features in growing rabbits reared under summer conditions. Rabbits were allotted into four groups: G1 rabbits were fed the basal diet (control), G2 rabbits received Enterococcus faecium (EF) and Clostridium butyricum (CB) complexes (1 × 10⁸ and 2.5 × 10⁶ cfu/kg diet, respectively), G3 rabbits were given CB (2.5 × 10⁶ cfu/kg diet) and yeast complexes (1 g/kg diet), and G4 rabbits received EF (2 × 10⁸ cfu/kg diet) and yeast (1 g/kg diet). G2 rabbits exhibited the highest performances in terms of enhanced body weight and weight gain, protein efficiency ratio and feed conversion ratio (P<0.05). Serum total protein, globulin, immunoglobulin M, and highdensity lipoprotein concentrations were higher in probiotic-fed rabbits than those in controls. Additionally, lipid profile parameters were significantly reduced in the probiotic-fed rabbits, with the lowest concentrations measured in G4 rabbits (P<0.05). Rabbits given EF and CB had the highest total volatile fatty acid (VFA ) and propionic acid levels and the lowest ammonia concentrations. Increased villi length and muscular layer thickness and reduced crypt depth were observed in rabbits receiving EF and CB compared with the values obtained in controls (P<0.05). In summary, supplementing fattening rabbit diets with EF and CB, as a novel formulation, might be a promising and easy method to enhance growth performance under hot climate conditions by improving the feed utilization, immune response, serum lipid profile, cecal VFA production, and duodenal morphology.

The present experiment aimed to evaluate the effect of partial replacement of corn with chocolate byproducts, protected fats, or their mixture supplemented with zinc in the diet of lactating cows on feed utilization and lactation performance for 90 days. Fifty multiparous Holstein cows (565±25 kg BW, 3±1 parity, 7±1 days in milk, and a previous milk production of 35±2.9 kg/d), were randomly assigned to 5 treatments in a completely randomized design. The control diet contained (per kg DM): 412 g concentrate feed mixture, 412 g corn silage, and 176 g berseem hay. The control diet was supplemented with 1 g of zinc daily (Zinc diet). In the other diets, each kg of crushed corn grain was replaced with (DM basis) 600 g chocolate byproducts (CH diet), 400 g protected fats (PF diet), or 500 g of chocolate byproducts and protected fats mixture (1:1 DM basis) (CHPF diet). Both amounts of protected fats and chocolate byproducts had the same energy concentration as 1 kg of corn. The total mixed ration was prepared and distributed using a horizontal mixer system after mixing for 20 min. Chemical analysis showed that the replacement minimally affected the composition of the total mixed rations. Additionally, treatments did not affect feed intake. Compared to the control treatment, the zinc treatment did not affect milk production, milk composition, or feed efficiency. Increased (P<0.05) daily production of milk and component yields, and feed efficiency as well as fat concentration were observed by the CH, PF and CHPF treatments. Without affecting other measured blood parameters or hematocrit, treatments increased (P<0.05) the concentrations of total proteins, albumin, glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, and zinc in the blood of cows. Additionally, the CH, PF, and CHPF treatments increased (P<0.01) the digestibility of nutrients compared to the control treatment. It is concluded that the addition of zinc to the control did not affect cow performance; however, its addition to chocolate byproducts, protected fats, or their mixture to partially replace corn improved the performance of cows.

This study aimed to evaluate the methane-reducing potential of individual and combined treatments of low levels of nitrate (NIT) and a mixture of capric/lauric acid (CL) in dairy cows. Both in vitro and in vivo experiments were conducted. In the in vitro experiment, the anti-methanogenic effects of NIT (1.825 mmol/l) and CL (250 mg/l; capric acid, 125 mg/l + lauric acid, 125 mg/l) were evaluated in a 2 × 2 factorial design using consecutive batch incubations with rumen fluid. The NIT and CL reduced (P<0.05) methane production by 9.2% and by 21.3%, respectively. However, combining NIT with CL did not show (P>0.05) any benefit in methane reduction compared to the use of CL alone. In the in vivo experiment, eight multiparous dry Holstein cows were fed two diets in a crossover design for two 21-day periods (14 days of adaptation and 7 days of sampling). The treatments were: 1) silage-based basal diet + 100 g stearic acid per cow/d (CON) and 2) silage-based basal diet + 50 g capric acid + 50 g lauric acid per cow/d (CL). Gas emissions were measured using open-circuit respiration chambers. Methane production (g/d) was reduced (by 11.5%; P = 0.012) when the diet was supplemented with CL. However, supplementation with CL increased ruminal ammonia-N concentration (by 28.5%; P = 0.015) and gas ammonia production (g/d; by 37.2%; P = 0.005). Ruminal pH, protozoa count, and total and individual volatile fatty acid concentrations (VFA ) did not differ (P>0.05) between the treatments. Treatment did not affect the intake and apparent total tract digestibility (P>0.05). In conclusion, our results suggest that low CL levels have anti-methanogenic potential. However, low levels of CL may compromise nitrogen use efficiency.

This study aimed to research the effect of the seedless grape pomace (GP) added to feed mixture on meat quality, metabolic profile, and antioxidant status of Merinolandschaf lambs. The 90-day-old lambs in the control group (C, n=10) were fed feed mixture without GP while in experimental groups they were fed with 10% (GP10, n=10) or 20% (GP20, n=10) of GP in feed mixture for 30 days. There was a significant increase in L*, a* values and hue angle as well as a decrease in b* values of lamb carcasses in GP10 and GP20 compared to C group. When lambs were fed GP glucose concentrations decreased, while non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) and β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) increased on the 30th day in GP10 and GP20 compared with C group. A significant increase in SOD activity on day 30 and GPx activity on day 15 in lambs’ blood of GP10 and GP20 compared with C group was determined. Also, an increase in DPPH in lamb GP10 and GP20 compared with C was determined. The obtained results of the meat quality, metabolic profile and antioxidant status parameters of lamb meat showed that the use of 10% GP in the diet is justified, while 20% of GP was questionable.

Rosmarinic acid (RS) and Lactobacillus rhamnosus (LR) were added singularly or in combination to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) diets to test their efficacy in the protection against ammonia stress. Fish (31.4±0.6 g) were randomly allocated to six groups in three replicates, as follows: T₁: basic food as control, T₂: LR with a concentration of 1.5 × 10⁸ CFU /g, T₃: LR with a concentration of 3 × 10⁸ CFU/g, T₄: 1 g RS/kg, T₅: 3 g RS/kg, and T₆: 1.5 × 10⁸ CFU/g LR + 1 g RS/kg and T₇: 3 × 10⁸ CFU/g LR + 3 g RS/kg. After 60 days feeding, fish were exposed to ammonia stress. After the feeding period, the supplemented fish had the highest final body weight (FW), weight gain (WG), and specific growth rate (SGR), and the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR) as compared with the control group (P<0.05). Amylase, protease and lipase activities were noticed markedly higher in fish supplemented with 1.5 × 10⁸ CFU/g LR + 1 g RS/kg and 1.5 × 10⁸ CFU/g LR diets compared to the control (P<0.05). Generally, fish in supplemented diets, particularly T₂ and T₆ groups, had the highest lysozyme, alternative complement activity (ACH₅₀), total Ig, nitroblue tetrazolium test (NBT), myeloperoxidase (MPO), complement component 3 (C3), complement component 4 (C4), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx). On the other hand, T₂ and T₆ groups had the lowest malondialdehyde (MDA), glucose, and cortisol concentrations as well as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzyme levels when compared with the control (P<0.05). After ammonia stress, fish in the supplemented groups, particularly T₂ and T₆, generally showed significantly higher values of lysozyme, ACH50, total Ig, NBT, MPO, C3, C4, SOD, CAT, GPx and lower levels of MDA, glucose, cortisol, ALT, ALP, LDH when compared with the control (P<0.05). In conclusion, a combined administration of RS and L. rhamnosus effectively improved growth performance and health status as well as enhanced the resistance of rainbow trout against ammonia toxicity.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary probiotic supplementation of Lactobacillus helveticus on growth, digestive enzymes, and hematological, biochemical, immune, and antioxidant parameters, as well as intestinal microbiota of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Fish (35.46±0.9 g) were fed with different levels of dietary L. helveticus: control, 1 × 10⁶, 1 × 10⁷, 1 × 10⁸, and 1 × 10⁹ at high stocking density (80 kg m⁻³) for 60 days. Results indicated that growth performance significantly improved in probiotic supplemented fish (P<0.05). Digestive enzyme parameters revealed that supplementation could significantly increase amylase, protease, and lipase (P<0.05). The treated groups showed significant improvements in serum immune parameters including lysozyme (LYZ), alternative complement (ACH₅₀), respiratory burst activity (RBA), and myeloperoxidase (MPO) (P<0.05). Total protein (TP), albumin (ALB), and globulin (GLO) increased in fish fed experimental diets (P<0.05). Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity was significantly lower in fish fed dietary additives (P<0.05) while white blood cells (WBC), lymphocytes, neutrophils, hematocrit (Hct), red blood cells (RBC) were significantly enhanced (P<0.05). Fish fed with supplemented diets showed significantly enhanced antioxidant status, catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD). Malondialdehyde (MDA) content was significantly lower in fish fed dietary additives (P<0.05). Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) in the treatment groups were significantly increased (P<0.05). In conclusion, dietary supplementation of L. helveticus reduced detrimental effects of high stocking density on growth performance and immune response. It appears that L. helveticus can be recommended as a beneficial probiotic feed additive for rainbow trout.

The use of pesticides to eliminate pests and weeds has raised concerns about water pollution and adverse effects on aquatic organisms, so many efforts have been made to increase the resistance of fish to these pesticides by using a proper nutrition strategy. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the growth performance, antioxidant, and immune responses of fish exposed to Imidacloprid insecticide (C₉H₁₀ClN₅O₂) by different doses of Chlorella vulgaris dry powder to the diet of common carp (Cyprinus carpio). In this study, 600 common carp with a medium weight (18.10±0.2 g; mean ± SE) were prepared and after adaptation and determination of lethal concentration of Imidacloprid, for 56 days in 6 treatments and each with 3 replications were classified and tested (Control (T1), 5% Chlorella vulgaris dry powder and no pollution (T2), 10% Chlorella vulgaris dry powder and no pollution (T3), No Chlorella vulgaris dry powder and 12.5% LC₅₀ Imidacloprid (T4), 5% Chlorella vulgaris dry powder plus 12.5% LC₅₀ Imidacloprid (T5) and 10% Chlorella vulgaris dry powder plus 12.5% LC₅₀ Imidacloprid (T6)). After 96 hours of exposure to distinct concentrations of the insecticide, the total mortality was measured and the Imidacloprid median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) over 96 hours was calculated (266.2 mg/l) using Probit analysis. According to the result, common carp fed T2 had the highest final weight (FW), weight gain (WG), and specific growth rate (SGR), and the lowest feed conversion ratio (FCR) among the groups (P<0.05). Fish in the T2 group had the highest total proteins, albumin and globulin (P<0.05). Fish in the group T4 had the highest cortisol, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels in the blood, while fish fed T2 and T3 had low values (P<0.05). The alternative complement pathway (ACH₅₀) was significantly higher in T2 and T3 than other groups (P<0.05). Blood total immunoglobulin (Ig) and lysozyme activity were high in T2 and T3 groups, and had the lowest values in the T4 group (P<0.05). The superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) showed the highest activities in T2 (P<0.05). T4 group had the highest malondialdehyde (MDA) level, while T2 and T3 groups had the lowest MDA level (P<0.05). The highest amylase, protease and lipase were in the T2 group, while the lowest values were in the T4 group (P<0.05). In conclusion, dietary Chlorella vulgaris protects common carp from Imidacloprid insecticide, since it improved growth performance, antioxidant and immune responses of fish.

Plant protein ingredients are increasingly included in mullet feeds and are expected to be contaminated with mycotoxins (AFB₁). Thus, this study investigated the protective role of Saccharomyces cerevisiae against oxidative stress and hepato-renal malfunction induced by AFB₁ contamination in mullets. Four diets were formulated, where the first was kept as the control diet, and the second was supplemented with S. cerevisiae at 5 × 10⁶ cells/g. The third diet was supplied with AFB₁ at 1 mg/kg, and the fourth was supplemented with S. cerevisiae and AFB₁. Mullet fed the control or both AFB₁ and S. cerevisiae (yeast/ AFB₁) had similar FBW, WG, SGR, and FCR (P˃0.05). Mullet treated with S. cerevisiae without AFB₁ contamination showed the highest FBW, WG, and SGR (P<0.05), while fish in the AFB₁ group had lower FBW, WG, and SGR and higher FCR than fish in the control and yeast/ AFB₁ groups (P<0.05). Using yeast with AFB₁ prevented pathological hazards and improved intestinal structure. Further, yeast combined with AFB₁ reduced the degenerative changes and enhanced the histological structure except for a mild inflammatory reaction around the bile duct. Fish in the control or yeast/ AFB₁ group had higher HB, PCV, RBCs, and WBCs than fish in the AFB₁ group (P<0.05). Fish fed the control, or the yeast/ AFB₁ diets had similar total protein and albumin levels with higher values than fish contaminated with AFB₁ (P<0.05). Fish fed the control and yeast/ AFB₁ diets had similar ALT, AST, urea, and creatinine levels (P˃0.05) and were lower than fish contaminated with AFB₁. Additionally, fish fed the control and yeast/ AFB₁ diets had similar CAT, GPx, SOD, and MDA (P˃0.05) and were lower than fish contaminated with AFB₁ (P<0.05). In conclusion, incorporating S. cerevisiae ameliorated the negative impacts of AFB₁ toxicity on mullets’ growth, hepato-renal function, and antioxidative capacity.

Brine water drained from the desalination stations represents environmental concerns because of its extremely high salinity. Artemia (brine shrimp) is one of the crustaceans that can live in increased saline water. So, it can live in the desalination brine water. This study investigated the possibility of growing Artemia (Artemia franciscana), an essential live food for the aquaculture industry, in the brine water disposed of during the desalination process. Nine reproductive characteristics were examined for Artemia growing in desalination brine water, compared to seawater. Both types of water were brought from the Rumaila water desalination facility on the Mediterranean Sea in Marsa Matrouh, Egypt. The experiment included brine water of salinities: 50, 60, 70, and 80 ppt and two seawater salinities: 38 and 50 ppt. The food source used was the rice bran suspension to feed Artemia during the experiment. The results illustrated that the pre-reproductive and reproductive periods and % offspring encysted had higher values in higher salinities of brine water than seawater. The rate of offspring encysted in the brine water of 70 ppt reached 72.42%, followed by the brine water of 60 ppt. The results showed that the Artemia could grow in the brine water of the desalination plants till the adult stage. The results show no significant difference between both types of water in some variables.

Different inclusion levels of cockroach meal Nauphoeta cinerea (CM) were investigated in diets for tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) reared in biofloc systems in substitution of the soybean meal. Five treatments were evaluated (0, 5, 10, 15 and 20% of CM inclusion) using three experimental units per treatment. The experiment lasted for five weeks with units stocked with 10 juveniles (3.00±0.25 g) per replicate. Water quality, zootechnical performance, bacteriological profile, and proximate composition were analyzed and monitored. Zootechnical data was submitted to a regression analysis up to second order. No differences were verified regarding feed conversion, survival and productivity. The CM presented high protein levels (66.84%), high estimated gross energy (5270 kcal kg⁻¹), low lipids (6.07%) and mainly long-chain saturated fatty acids. Different bacteriological profiles were identified including species which may be potentially pathogenic and responsible for degrading organic matter. The overall results indicated that it is possible to include CM up to 10% in diets for tilapia juveniles raised in biofloc systems.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the heat stress influence on milk production from primiparous and multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows and to estimate economic losses associated with the decrease in the farm’s milk yield. The cows selected for the study were in the middle phase of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd lactation and were characterized by similar daily milk production. Additionally, the animals were kept in the same conditions and fed with the same feeds throughout the season. The analysis covered two 30-day periods – “cold” (April), in which no days with THI >70 were noted, and “hot” (July), in which THI was above 70 for 90% of the days (74.4 on average). The average daily drop in milk production noted in the hot period was 1.25 kg/cow for multiparous cows and 2.78 kg/cow for primiparous cows. The average daily financial loss resulting from a drop in milk production was €0.55/day/cow in primiparous and €0.46/day/cow in multiparous animals. The calculated daily loss in the profit on production of 1 kg of milk was €0.27/day/kg for primiparous and €0.24/day/kg for multiparous animals. Based on test results, economic losses were simulated depending on the daily milk yield and the size of the primary cattle herd. For the multiparous cows, the estimated losses ranged from €6.07/day (farm sizes 25 cows and average daily milk yield 25 kg) to nearly €219/day (900 cows/25 kg). In larger facilities (900 cows) with an average daily milk yield of 55 kg, the daily loss will be about €481. The obtained results confirmed the assumptions made that with a change in microclimate conditions in the barn, a decrease in the daily production and changes in the milk chemical composition were noted, and the economic efficiency of the studied activity decreased.

The aim of our study was to evaluate the technological (pH, water holding capacity, cooking loss, oxidation-reduction potential, water activity, color parameters, and microbiological purity) and nutritional suitability of the meat of selected lamb breeds by analyzing the indicators (fatty acid profile, fat nutritional indices, lipid oxidation, basic meat composition) that determine the quality of lipids present in the meat. A comparative analysis of meat from native Polish breeds Uhruska, Świniarka, and Wrzosówka showed that these breeds are characterized by high-quality meat. The chemical composition of meat did not significantly differ between the studied breeds. However, the fatty acid composition and atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indices of meat differed significantly between the breeds with the meat of Wrzosówka lambs having a distinct advantage and the most significant potential to protect against cardiovascular problems. Furthermore, the meat of Wrzosówka breed had color parameters that are most desired by consumers. The results presented here are of practical importance as combining meat from different breeds of lambs can allow achieving high product quality. The meat of Wrzosówka breed can be successfully used for producing such products and can serve as flagship meat for export to other European and global markets.