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Some herbs can be used as phytogenic additives as they naturally contain specific bioactive phytochemicals that are effective in controlling coccidiosis and some other poultry diseases due to their immunostimulatory effects and they can be also nutritious. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of Artemisia absinthium (WW) meal inclusion to a diet on the production performance, oocyst output and minerals content of meat in broilers infested by Eimeria oocysts. Ross 308 broilers were randomly assigned to four dietary groups. Broilers in the control group were fed basal diets without coccidiostat or WW. Broilers of the R group were fed starter and grower diets supplemented with coccidiostat robenidine. Broilers in the W3 and W6 groups were fed diets containing 3 and 6% of WW in feed, resp. At the age of 16 days, all broilers were infested by oocysts of Eimeria spp. to induce a mild coccidiosis infection. The WW meal had no effect on the production performance and carcass traits of broilers (P > 0.05). However, the used levels of administered WW meal were not effective in reducing the number of oocysts faecal output in infested broilers. Administration of coccidiostat robenidine prevented the development of Eimeria oocysts in the intestine as long as 4 days after the cessation of feeding the medicated diet to broilers (P < 0.05). As for minerals of breast meat, broilers of the W3 group displayed a higher Ca level compared to those in the R group (P < 0.05). On the contrary, the R group showed the highest Cu level compared to all other dietary groups assessed (P < 0.01). It can be concluded that for the coccidiosis control in poultry production, it is advisable to monitor the content of specific bioactive substances with proven anticoccidial activity when using WW products.

Agricultural methane emissions strongly contribute to global greenhouse gas production. Under these circumstances, meeting international climate goals, including the Global Methane Pledge or the European Green Deal, requires developing targeted mitigation strategies. However, research using advanced clustering techniques in a multilevel context remains scarce and mostly limited to CO₂ emissions. This lack of time-series studies addressing regional variability hinders efforts to develop effective mitigation strategies. This study addresses three main research questions: (i) What are the main trends in agricultural methane emissions in the EU-27 countries from 2013 to 2022? (ii) How can the EU countries be classified based on agricultural methane emissions per capita? (iii) What is the impact of selected agricultural and economic indicators, including the number of live bovine animals and land use, on the clustering of methane emissions? Combining hierarchical and k-means clustering with trend analysis, this research integrates data from Eurostat and the World Bank, thereby classifying the EU-27 countries into four clusters based on their agricultural practices and methane emissions profiles. The results highlight distinct emission patterns across the EU-27 regions, with farming systems characterised by high stocking rates and intensive production generating the highest per capita emissions. By contrast, extensive systems with lower animal density exhibit reduced methane intensities. These findings underscore the need to devise effective, region-specific, data-driven policies and strategies for mitigating methane emissions.

The experiment was done on 180 (2 × 90) Cherry Valley ducks that were fattened until 42 days of age with parity of females and males in the group. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of substituting dehulled lupin seed meal, Zulika variety, for soybean meal and its impact on the fatty acid content of breast and thigh muscle fat. Feeding lupin diets resulted in a significant (P ≤ 0.05) increase in monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) in Cherry Valley ducks, as well as significant (P ≤ 0.05) increase in polyunsaturated fatty acids n-3 (PUFA n-3) in breast and thigh muscle fat. There was no effect of the tested diets on PUFA n-6 content in muscle fat. The results confirm that lupin meal in the diet enhances the dietary value of Cherry Valley duck muscle due to the higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, with respect to the use of duck meat for human consumption.

The somatic cell count (SCC) in raw milk is an important indicator of health and hygienic quality. Artificial reduction of the SCC (ARSCC) in milk, for the apparent improvement of milk quality for commercial reasons, is an undesirable phenomenon and a violation of authenticity both in the factual sense and legislatively. Analytical methods need to be developed to identify ARSCC as well as to assess the effects that ARSCC may have on milk. The aim of the work was to quantify the effects of ARSCC on cow’s milk as a food raw material. The results presented are some of the first on the given problem. Raw bulk tank cow milk was sampled in two experiments, each time for the whole year (2021–2022 and 2023–2024, n = 66 and n = 53, respectively) from herds of Czech Fleckvieh and Holstein cows, 1 : 1. ARSCC in experiment 1 (n = 66) slightly reduced the fat content, in experiment 2 (n = 53) it did not, otherwise the milk indicators with the exception of SCC were almost (1) and completely (2) identical. All samples were negative for the presence of inhibitory substance residues. ARSCC under the specified technological conditions reduced SCC (1) from 772 ± 906 10³/ml to 376 ± 630 10³/ml, by –51.3% (P < 0.001) and (2) from 592 ± 798 10³/ml to 304 ± 468 10³/ml, by –48.5% (P < 0.001). Under these circumstances, the milk fermentation ability improved (1) from 28.52 ± 4.72 °SH to 31.0 ± 4.65 °SH, by 8.66% (P < 0.001) and (2) from 32.51 ± 2.61 °SH to 33.80 ± 2.88 °SH, by 3.97% (P < 0.001). Curd firmness was better for SCC ≤ 400 10³/ml compared to higher SCC by 5.26% (P < 0.001). Nevertheless, it is not possible, for hygienic and health reasons, to allow such milk for human consumption and it is necessary to find effective identification analytical methods for ARSCC.

Negative energy balance (NEB) in dairy cows during early lactation significantly contributes to metabolic and infectious diseases, traditionally diagnosed via costly and time-consuming serum non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA) analysis. This study aimed to develop a practical and cost-effective diagnostic test for NEB based on milk components analysed routinely. Data from 692 Holstein cows (5–35 days in milk) located at five Czech dairy farms were analysed using multiple logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Results showed that 99 cows (14.3%) were classified as NEB+ (NEFA > 0.6 mmol/l). Cows in the NEB+ group exhibited a significantly higher milk fat content (P < 0.001) and milk fat-to-protein ratio (P < 0.001), and lower lactose concentrations (P < 0.001) compared to NEB− cows. Key indicators of lipomobilisation, such as C18:1, C18:0, and monounsaturated fatty acids (FA), were significantly higher (P < 0.001) in NEB+ cows, while saturated, short-chain, and medium-chain FA were lower (P < 0.001). The developed prediction models, incorporating milk fat and specific FA (e.g. C18:1, C18:0, C14:0), demonstrated high diagnostic efficacy. The area under the ROC curve (AUC) values ranged from 0.84 to 0.92 for individual farms and reached 0.83 for the combined dataset. Using the Index of Union method, optimal cut-off points yielded sensitivities between 0.72 and 0.86, and specificities between 0.72 and 0.85. For the overall model, both sensitivity and specificity were 0.76. In conclusion, the proposed diagnostic test, leveraging milk components, offers a reliable and practical tool for early NEB detection in dairy cows. This facilitates timely intervention, thereby mitigating adverse health and economic impacts. Further validation with larger and more diverse datasets is recommended.

Selenium (Se) supplementation is a common practice in dairy nutrition. However, the use of biofortified feedstuffs remains a not fully realized strategy to enhance the Se content of animal derived products. This study explored an on-farm biofortification approach by incorporating Se-enriched maize silage into the total mixed ration (TMR) of dairy cows. Sixty Holstein cows were divided into a control group (CON), receiving a conventional diet with selenite supplementation (0.6 mg/kg Se in TMR), and an experimental group (EXP), in which conventional silage was replaced with high-Se silage (0.9 mg/kg Se in TMR). The trial lasted 22 weeks, including one week of adaptation and four weeks after supplementation, when Se concentrations in milk, Se transfer efficiency, and key milk components critical for the production of Se-enriched dairy products were assessed. The higher Se concentration in the TMR had no adverse effects on milk composition or antioxidant status. Milk Se concentration in the EXP group increased rapidly, reaching 68 µg/l within two weeks, significantly higher (P < 0.005) than in the CON group (27 µg/l). Se transfer efficiency to milk was also higher in the EXP group (13.9%) compared to the CON group (8.8%). The diverse Se species in biofortified silage, confirmed through the speciation analysis, may have contributed to these outcomes. However, the gradual decline in milk Se after the initial peak warrants further investigation into physiological factors or changes in silage Se speciation during storage.

Environmental conditions are known to influence the dairy cow health, with most research focusing on the detrimental effects of heat stress. However, the impact of non-summer weather patterns in temperate climates on udder health carry-over between lactations is not well understood. This pilot study evaluated the effect of various weather factors (temperature, humidity, precipitation, sunshine) during 1-day to 90-day periods before dry-off on udder health in the first month post-calving (represented by somatic cell count, conductivity, lactose, and mastitis incidence) in 199 Holstein cows in Central Europe. The scope of the experiment was limited to one farm and one year of observations. Moreover, we also evaluated milk quality, milkability, and udder health parameters during the same periods before dry-off on udder health after calving. We aimed to identify viable indicators across available automatically collected data from weather stations and milking parlour analysers. We found that the long-term (30- to 90-day) exposure to colder temperatures, high humidity, and low sunshine duration before dry-off was significantly associated with worse udder health after calving. In contrast, short-term weather conditions (1- to 7-day) had no significant effect. Monitored milk quality and udder health parameters showed a significant relation to udder health after calving during the immediate periods before dry-off, while milkability parameters were insignificant. If lactose was decreased or protein content, conductivity, and somatic cell count were elevated during the 1- and 7-day period before dry-off, cows after calving showed worse udder health. These findings identify prolonged cold and damp conditions as a significant environmental risk factor for poor udder health in the subsequent lactation, expanding our understanding beyond the conventional focus on heat stress.

The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of papaya peel addition on the quality and in vitro ruminal digestion of napier grass silage. Fresh napier grass was mixed with papaya peel at 0% (control), 15%, 30%, and 45% of fresh weight and ensiled under anaerobic conditions. After fermentation, silages were analysed for pH, organic acids, ammonia-N, and nutrient composition. In vitro ruminal fermentation was conducted using the rumen fluid collected from buffaloes to assess gas production, volatile fatty acid profiles, and hydrogen release. The results showed that papaya peel addition significantly affected silage fermentation and nutrient composition. The inclusion at 15% lowered pH and increased lactic acid concentration compared with the control (P < 0.05). Higher inclusion levels (30% and 45%) reduced neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre content, increased total digestible nutrients and relative feed value (P < 0.05). In vitro ruminal fermentation showed that, compared with the control, hydrogen production was significantly reduced in the 15% treatment, and the acetate-to-propionate ratio was highest in the 45% treatment as a result of decreased propionate acid concentration (P < 0.05). Our results suggested that co-ensiling napier grass with papaya peel improved fermentation quality and feed value, with 15% addition yielding the most desirable balance of fermentation characteristics and ruminal fermentation outcomes. This approach provides a practical strategy for enhancing the forage preservation and utilising fruit-processing by-products in tropical livestock systems.

This study evaluated the effects of dietary yeast culture (YC) supplementation on lamb growth performance and meat quality. After 14 days of acclimation, 20 three-month-old lambs (30.46 ± 1.77 kg) were randomly assigned to the control (CON, basal diet) or YC-supplemented group (0.625 g/kg DM) for 50 days. While YC induced no significant improvements in growth parameters (average daily gain, average daily feed intake, and feed to gain ratio; P > 0.05), it enhanced the longissimus thoracis (LT) meat quality by elevating the L* (lightness) and a* (redness) values (P < 0.05), reducing shear force (P < 0.05), increasing intramuscular fat (EE, P < 0.05), and decreasing crude protein (P < 0.05). YC modified fatty acid profiles by reducing atherogenic saturated fatty acids (P < 0.05) and elevating C16:1 (P < 0.05). Transcriptional analysis revealed the depot-specific regulation: YC suppressed subcutaneous adipogenesis via downregulation of PPARγ/SREBP-1/HSL and upregulation of LPL and promoted intramuscular fat deposition in LT through the coordinated activation of PPARγ/SREBP-1/FAS/ACC and inhibition of LPL (P < 0.05). These findings demonstrate the capacity of YC to optimise meat sensory attributes and lipid healthfulness through tissue-specific metabolic modulation, supporting its application as a functional feed additive in precision lamb production.

Equine obesity currently represents a significant welfare concern, with its development influenced by seasonal changes in the nutritional value of pasture, which substantially affect the animals’ energy balance. The aim of this study was to evaluate the seasonal dynamics of pasture nutritional composition, assess the balance between energy requirements and actual intake of horses during the grazing season, and determine the impact of these factors on body weight and body condition. Pasture was analysed across three seasonal periods: T1 (May), T2 (July), and T3 (September). The highest concentration of digestible energy in pasture was recorded in T1 (10.81 MJ/kg DM), while the lowest was observed in T2 (9.67 MJ/kg DM). In T1, digestible energy intake (DE_i; 98.02 MJ/day) was markedly higher than the energy requirement (61.94 MJ/day), resulting in a positive energy balance (36.08 MJ/day). This surplus was accompanied by a significant increase in body weight from 444.6 kg to 534.7 kg (P = 0.006 1) and an increase in body condition score (BCS) from 5.1 to 6.7 (P = 0.000 1). In the subsequent periods (T2 and T3), when the energy balance was close to equilibrium (–0.02 and 0.14 MJ/day), no further significant changes were observed in body weight (534.7 vs 535.0 kg; P > 0.05) or BCS (6.7 vs 6.6; P > 0.05). Changes in BCS showed a strong positive relationship with the difference between DE intake and requirement (r = 0.696 1; P = 0.000 7). The results confirm that seasonal energy surplus, particularly at the beginning of the grazing season, represents a significant risk factor for body fat accumulation in adult horses maintained on ad libitum pasture.

Arginine (Arg) is an essential amino acid that can improve the reproductive capacity, intestinal development, and growth performance of pigs. N-carbamylglutamate (NCG) and N-acetylglutamate (NAG) can activate carbamyl phosphate synthetase I and the Δ1 pyrrolin 5 carboxylate synthetase in mitochondria, promoting the synthesis of citrulline from glutamine and proline, citrulline is the main precursors for the synthesis of Arg, and subsequently increasing the endogenous synthesis of Arg to produce nitric oxide (NO) and polyamines. Compared with Arg, NCG has a longer half-life and does not inhibit the absorption of basic amino acids such as histidine or lysine; thus, it has been developed as a feed additive. This paper reviews the application of NCG as a feed additive in pig production and its possible theoretical mechanism.

Folic acid (FA) plays an important role as a cofactor and coenzyme in animal growth and development, and in the regulation of gene expression and methylation. However, the epigenetic mechanism by which dietary FA supplementation regulates lipid metabolism in broilers remains largely unknown. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effects of FA on genome-wide DNA methylation profiles in broiler liver and to identify differentially methylated genes (DMGs) and pathways associated with lipid metabolism. Reduced representation bisulphite sequencing (RRBS) was performed to analyse genome-wide DNA methylation profiles in liver tissues of broilers supplemented with 0 (control, C group), 5 (M group) or 10 mg/kg (H group) FA in basal diet for 42 days. The genome-wide methylation analysis showed that the average percentage of each sample of CpG (5'-C-phosphate-G-3') methylation efficiency was 29.47%. A total of 1 402 differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were detected between C and M groups, including 745 hyper-DMRs and 657 hypo-DMRs, Compared with the C group, 410 hyper-DMRs and 436 hypo-DMRs were identified in the H group. Additionally, 511 hyper-DMRs and 560 hypo-DMRs were found between the M and H group. Furthermore, a total of 134 DMGs exhibited DMRs in the promoter region across all three comparison groups, including 27 upregulated DMGs and 20 downregulated DMGs. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis of DMRs revealed that the associated genes are mainly involved in H3-K4 demethylation, histone lysine demethylation, peptidyl-lysine methylation, histone demethylation, lysine N-methyltransferase activity, fat cell proliferation, cellular lipid metabolic processes, fatty-acyl-CoA binding. In addition, key Kyoto Encyclopaedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were primarily associated with the Toll-like receptor signalling pathway, fatty acid metabolism, butanoate metabolism, retinol metabolism. Taken together, these results demonstrated that FA supplementation affects genome-wide DNA methylation profiles in the liver of broilers, suggesting an underlying epigenetic mechanism for its regulation of hepatic lipid metabolism.

The aim of this study was to improve the understanding of the contribution of components typically found in milk, but which are not often included in analyses, to the nutritional status of dairy cows. This was undertaken by analysing the amount and composition of milk produced by Simmental dairy cows, a dual-purpose breed farmed in the Czech Republic. Apart from the more frequently analysed group of components in milk, a less frequently analysed group of components were also investigated. This group, typically, consists of the following components: urea, casein, citric acid, beta hydroxy butyrate (BHB) ketones and free fatty acids. The average content of urea, casein and citric acid in milk is 25.75 mg/100 ml, 2.96%, 0.15%, respectively. The influence of environmental factors on these indicators was evaluated, as well as the degree of hereditary establishment. These less frequently analysed components (indicators), as well as the more frequently analysed components of milk, are subject to several external influences, especially the influence of the breeder, the year and the season of calving. The content of these components varied significantly statistically during the lactation period and also in the order of lactation. The influence of a cow’s individuality and the degree of additive genetic background are evident, with estimated heritability coefficients ranging from 0.04 for the BHB ketone content to higher values, e.g., 0.28 for citric acid or 0.31 for the lactose content in milk. The relationships between the components of milk and the daily milk yield were also evaluated, and statistically significant negative correlations were found between the content of casein and the daily milk yield (–0.47) and between the lactose content and the number of somatic cells (–0.37).

The aim of this study was to validate selected precision livestock farming (PLF) methods of nutrition and feeding management of high-yielding Holstein dairy cows. In a feeding trial with 36 dairy cows, the effect of replacing 0.1 kg of sodium bicarbonate in the control total mixed ration (TMR-C) with 1 kg of wheat straw in the experimental total mixed ration (TMR-S) on the physiological status of cows and the amount of milk produced (milk yield, MY) was investigated. Feed intake time (FT), as measured using tensometric feed troughs (TFT), was significantly longer with TMR-S (188 min) than with TMR-C (157 min). Differences between TMR-C and TMR-S were not significant for FT or rumination time (RT), as measured by a sensor in the collar (VSC). There was only a weak correlation between the two technologies (TFT vs. VSC) for FT (r = 0.27). Differences between TMR-C and TMR-S were not significant for values measured in rumen fluid (pH, acid and ammonia levels) nor for values measured by sensors in the milking parlour (MY, fat and protein percentage of milk). Milk analysis in the laboratory showed that the cows fed TMR-C had higher urea (26.6 vs. 22.7 mg/100 ml) and free fatty acid (0.87 vs. 0.33 mmol/100 g) levels in milk. Moderate correlations were between TMR intake and MY (r = 0.55); between MY and milk fat (r = –0.46); between milk fat and milk protein (r = 0.63); and between milk fat and milk protein measured by sensors and in the laboratory (r = 0.47 and r = 0.42, respectively). In view of the above results, further research and data validation for each technology are needed.

Nitric oxide (NO) plays numerous essential physiological functions in terrestrial animals. In mammals, NO production from l-arginine is catalysed by the enzyme NO synthase (NOS). In recent years, data have begun to emerge on NOS expression and the physiological significance of NO in ectothermic vertebrates such as fish. However, there are relatively fewer data compared to the mammalian system. Although it is already well known that animal molybdoenzymes can convert nitrate and nitrite into NO, there is almost no information on the content and properties of molybdoenzymes in fish organs in the scientific literature. In this regard, the objectives of the present work were to detect the activity of classical molybdoenzymes xanthine oxidase (XO) and aldehyde oxidase (AO) in the liver and to study their possible activity to reduce nitrate and nitrite to nitrogen monoxide. In this work, the intrinsic activity of XO and AO was examined by using their substrates. At the same time, their nitrate (NR) – and nitrite reductase (NiR) activity were determined. It was determined that XO and AO in the fish liver are mainly represented by the molybdenum-free forms. The presence of an additional source of molybdenum can activate both the intrinsic and the NR and NiR activities. The NiR activity of XO and AO was higher than their NR activity. The data shows that treatment at a concentration of sodium molybdate and glutathione of 1.0 mM increases all activities of XO and AO. The optimal conditions for maximum activation of exogenous molybdate for XO and AO were reached by heating at 70 °C for 5 minutes. The activity of XO increased almost 4.7 times, and the activity of AO 7.7 times compared with its intrinsic activity without heat treatment. NO is formed from nitrite by the enzymes XO and AO much more than from nitrate.

Hens of the laying hybrid ISA Brown were used in the study with the objective to evaluate eggshell quality, microbial contamination of eggshells, and penetration of microorganisms into the egg content in different housing systems (enriched cage: 60 hens, 10 hens per cage, 750 cm² per hen vs free range: 60 hens, 9 hens per m²) and at different hen ages (26 vs 51 weeks) during storage time (0, 2, 7, 14, and 21 days). A significant interaction between the housing system and age was observed in egg weight and most of eggshell quality measurements. However, microbial contamination and penetration were affected mostly by the housing system and storage time. The numbers of Escherichia coli (P < 0.001, 4.51 vs 2.75 log cfu/eggshell) and Enterococcus (P < 0.001, 2.56 vs 1.11 log cfu/eggshell), and the total number of microorganisms (P < 0.001, 5.04 vs. 3.65 log cfu/eggshell) were higher in free range eggs compared to enriched cage eggs, respectively. The counts of Escherichia coli (P < 0.001, 4.23 vs 2.91 log cfu/eggshell) and Enterococcus (P < 0.001, 2.31 vs 1.27 log cfu/eggshell) decreased with storage time. A positive correlation between the total number of pores and penetration of Escherichia coli in both housing systems was observed in the albumen. It can be concluded that the housing system and age of laying hens significantly affected eggshell quality. Microbial contamination presumably affects the penetration of microorganisms. The correlation between the number of pores and penetration is assumed to be affected by the microbial species.

Modern pig feeding systems allow the collection of highly detailed feeding data for each animal. These data enable the examination of individual feeding behaviours to assess an animal's wellbeing. As such, four different treatments ‒ undisturbed control, starving (no feed for 24 h, restrictive feeding), feed change (changes in feed composition) and social stress (exchanging of animals between the pens and short-term reduction of accessible water) ‒ were designed to simulate typical short-term disturbances in a practical stable routine. Each treatment was conducted over 2 pens with 12 animals each. Zootechnical performance and feed intake behaviour measures were assessed for each animal. Treatments did not affect zootechnical performance. Results showed that short-term disturbances did not influence feed intake behaviours, such as daily feed intake, amount of intake per feeder visit, number of daily feeder visits and daily feeding action with highest feed intake. Animals developed individual feeding patterns that persisted through artificial short-term disturbances. However, data suggested that an individual animal's behavioural pattern was strongly influenced by the group (pen) due to group dynamics among animals.

Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), including omega-3, are known to yield health benefits to mammals, including bulls and human beings. This meta-analysis was done to determine the influence of omega-3 fatty acids (OMFA) on bull semen quality. The research question formulated for this meta-analysis was centred on the Population-Intervention-Comparison-Outcome (PICO) framework. To determine the influence of omega-3 fatty acids on semen quality, a meta-analysis was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The different effects were analysed using a random effects model. The variations among the included studies were tested using heterogeneity (I²). Semen volume (MD = 0.28, 95% CI: 0.13; 0.44), sperm concentration (MD = 71.12, 95% CI: 15.97; 126.26), live sperm (MD = 11.93; 95% CI: 7.30; 16.55), sperm motility (MD = 9.24, 95% CI: 7.39; 11.09) and plasma membrane integrity (MD = 11.60, 95% CI: 6.30; 16.89) increased dramatically in the omega-3 fatty acid-supplemented group. Notably, the progressive motility (MD = 1.19, 95% CI: –3.24; 5.61) was the only sperm parameter showing a non-significant influence when omega-3 fatty acids were supplemented. It was then concluded that the omega-3 fatty acid supplementation can be used to improve most of the semen parameters in bulls.

Flow cytometry (FC) is a very powerful method for the assessment of spermatozoa quality in multiple livestock species, including bulls. Nowadays, many flow cytometric tests are available for quality detection of bull sperm. These tests are based on fluorochromes (fluorescent tags or dyes) and the use of correct concentrations of fluorochromes is an essential aspect of the successful optimization of experimental methodology. Modern flow cytometers are much more affordable, such that spermatologists are now able to use FC methodology (and even image cytometry) in their studies. The present review aims to give a summary of current flow cytometric methodologies used to assess bull sperm quality by flow cytometry. Namely, we give here the concentrations of fluorochromes used in the studies related to bull sperm quality evaluation by flow cytometry published in the last three years (from 2021 to 2023). Importantly, in the present review, the concentration of fluorochromes is unified and presented using comparable molarity units. Furthermore, the rationale of each flow cytometric methodology for particular fluorescent tests, and the citation for the corresponding original methodology, are given. This review will help spermatologists shorten the time needed for the optimization of their flow cytometry methodology for the assessment of bull sperm quality.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary levels of soluble and insoluble fibre on the performance and digestive development of slow-growing broilers during the starter period. A total of 400 one-day-old Isa Label^TM male chicks were used that were distributed in a completely randomized factorial design 2 × 2 + 1 (inclusion of 2% or 4% of corncobs as a source of insoluble fibre IF and citrus pulp as a source of soluble fibre (SF); and a control treatment) with eight replicates of 10 birds each. The addition of IF to diets improved the weight gain and feed conversion of broilers at 7 and 21 days of age. Both fibre sources added to diets resulted in higher relative weights of proventriculus + gizzard, liver, small and large intestine. The diets containing an SF source presented positive effects on the duodenal mucosa. In addition, positive effects on the caecal villus to crypt ratio were observed in broilers fed diets containing different types of fibre. It is concluded that dietary inclusion of IF up to 4% maintains the performance, nutrient metabolism and improves the development of the proventriculus + gizzard in slow-growing broilers. However, for improving the morphological and histomorphological parameters of slow-growing broilers in the starter phase the addition of SF sources is recommended.

Poultry are monogastric animals that share a fat tissue structure that is strikingly comparable to the fat in animal feed. This indicates that the kind and source of fat in animal diets can significantly impact the accumulation and composition of fatty tissue in the resulting carcass. Hence, feeding (or dietary) manipulation is one of the best and commonly employed management strategies to improve of gut health and function in broiler production. Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) are fatty acids with six to twelve carbon atoms that are prevalent in coconut and palm kernel oils. Much research is being conducted on nutritional approaches to enhance gut health and lower the usage of antibiotics in poultry farming. The use of MCFAs as an antibiotic substitute has been shown to have significant positive effects on broilers’ health and performance due mainly to their short pathways of absorption and oxidation. However, the fatty acid makeup of these feed additions may vary, and the results are sometimes inconsistent. Although supplementing hen diets with MCFAs can lower intermuscular and abdominal fat, the precise mechanics are not entirely understood. The distinct metabolic roles of fatty acids in chickens are linked to both the degree of saturation and the length of the chain. Detailed information on the effect of MCFAs on the growth performance, antimicrobial properties, and fat deposition in broiler chickens are summarised.

This study is focused on the comparison of production efficiency (growth, survival, and development) and economic evaluation of large-scale larvae culture in pikeperch (Sander lucioperca) using Artemia (Group A) compared to using rotifers and the subsequent combination of rotifers and Artemia (Group R) as a first exogenous feed following weaning and intensive culture of juveniles. Both experimental groups were stocked with the same initial density (100 pcs per litre) of larvae at 4 days post hatching (DPH). Each group was cultured in triplicate until 65 DPH. Assessed parameters included FBW (final body weight), FTL (final total length), SGR (specific growth rate), SR (survival rate), CR (cannibalism rate), SBI (swim bladder inflation rate), and TDR (total deformity rate). Production costs were confronted with total number of all produced and high-quality juveniles to determine the cost per one juvenile. Juveniles in Group A displayed more rapid growth (significantly higher FBW, FTL and SGR). On the other hand, parameters concerning quality of the fish (SBI, SR, Share of high quality juveniles and TDR) were significantly higher in Group R. Statistical difference in CR also benefits Group R. Production of bigger share of high-quality juveniles in Group R decreased overall production cost per one high-quality juvenile by 59.7%, from 0.72 EUR in Group A to 0.29 EUR in Group R. Use of established feeding protocols confirmed significant production and economic improvements in pikeperch larvae culture and production of high-quality juveniles. Even though the price of rotifer cultivation significantly exceeded the price of Artemia purchase and cultivation, the production cost of high-quality pikeperch juveniles significantly decreased.

This study was practical work in a commercial beef cattle enterprise to offer beef producers different options in a total mixed ration (TMR) design. This study was conducted to determine the effects of withdrawing maize silage from TMR during the finishing period on weight gain, carcass yield and beef quality of meat in beef cattle. Fifty-two Holstein Friesian x Belgian Blue crossbred bulls were used in this study for 126 days. These bulls were divided into four feeding methods described as (i) no maize silage in TMR (C1), (ii) maize silage was withdrawn from TMR two months before slaughter (S1), (iii) maize silage was withdrawn from TMR one month before slaughter (S2), and (iv) maize silage was included in TMR until slaughter (C2). Results showed that the fattening performance of experimental bulls was not affected by treatments, except some colour parameters of the muscle. Also, its chemical composition, pH, water holding capacity, drip loss, thawing loss, cooking loss, shear force, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and radical scavenging activity were not affected by treatments. To conclude, the withdrawal of maize silage from TMR did not affect fattening performance and meat quality, suggesting that there is no need to withdraw maize silage from TMR during the finishing period of fattening in beef cattle.

The fatty acid (FA) composition of milk fat can be positively influenced by the modification of dairy farming and the possible selection of raw material for processing. The question arises as to whether the benefits of a better FA composition will be maintained even after processing dairy products. Thus, the aim was to obtain a more favourable FA composition by a targeted selection of cow’s milk (grazing vs stabled herds) and then compare FAs of milk and fermented product (yoghurt). Bulk tank milk of grazing herds had significantly better FA composition than milk of stabled herds (for example, C16:0 28.07% vs 32.27%, P < 0.001; C18:3n-3 0.83% vs 0.41%, P < 0.001; C18:2 cis-9, trans-11 (conjugated linoleic acid; CLA) 1.02% vs 0.41%, P < 0.01). The differences between the FAs in milk and yoghurt samples were negligible (in relative values from 0.04% to 5.21%). The correlations between milk and yoghurt for nutritionally important FAs were high, from 0.925 0 (C18:2n-6) to 0.998 8 (CLA; both P < 0.001). The minimal effect of milk fermentation on the original FA composition of milk fat was found. In conclusion, systematic selection of raw cow’s milk or modification of farming conditions can also provide a nutritionally desirable composition of final dairy products.

Negative energy balance (NEB) after calving leads to unique metabolic changes in cows and it provides important information on the period when nutrient output prevails over nutrient intake associated with a number of physiological changes in the organism suitable for detection using biochemical blood analyses. The aim of this paper is to summarise current knowledge of the changes in blood parameters during the period of NEB in relation to non-esterified fatty acids, ketone bodies, and immunologic and stress indicators. The impact of these changes on bovine reproduction and health is also discussed in the sequel. The period of NEB is still a very pertinent area of research as it provides a new insight into connections between physiological systems, to wit, ​​immunology, manifestation of various stress indicators, including oxidative stress, and heat shock proteins inter alia. Understanding the physiological changes during NEB is crucial for successful management of the transition period and subsequent overall good animal health and productivity.

The present experiment studied the effects of egg composition (egg yolk content; Y) of two different chicken genotypes (selected by computed tomography; CT) on hatched chick growth performance, slaughter traits, and meat quality. Three thousand five hundred eggs per genotype were scanned by CT. Then, for each genotype, eggs were selected according to their Y content: low (21.0 ± 0.88 – 350 eggs), medium (24.5 ± 0.15– 350 eggs) and high (28.3 ± 0.98 – 350 eggs). The remaining eggs were excluded from the study. At 11 weeks of age, 15 chickens per group were slaughtered, carcasses were dissected and breast and legs were excised and dedicated to meat quality evaluations. Many parameters were influenced in the meat-type (EE) chickens, including slaughter, breast and leg weights, and abdominal fat content, whereas only the breast incidence on slaughter weight was affected in Tetra-H hybrid. In neither genotype were the meat traits affected by Y content. Two exceptions were represented by leg thawing loss, higher in low Y group compared to medium and high Y group, and by tibia length, longer in high Y content group than in the medium one, both for EE chickens. Similar findings were observed for the meat fatty acid (FA) profile, as only some single FA were influenced by Y content, however, apparently without a specific physiological meaning. The present work demonstrated that the Y content, measured by CT, allowed to select high-quality meat-type animals characterised by the best productive performances in terms of growth rate, live weight, slaughter weight, breast and thigh weights, and with lower abdominal fat content. These findings would bring positive advantages to hatcheries in terms of chick quality and also to farmers in terms of economic revenues: They would rear robust animals that would guarantee a higher probability of survival in the first rearing period and would be characterised by a high slaughter weight at the end of the productive cycle.

Growth traits belong to the most important economic traits in livestock. One of the genes involved in vertebrate growth and development is insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1). Therefore, in our study we hypothesised that within the sequence of rabbit IGF1 gene it is possible to identify a polymorphism that may influence growth, carcass or meat traits in rabbits. We identified 6 polymorphisms (g.89259430T>C; g.89259338C>G; g.89259328T>C; 89210029A>G; 89210349C>G and g.89194199C>T) within introns of the IGF1 gene. One polymorphism, g.89194199C>T, was analysed using polymerase chain reaction high-resolution melting (PCR-HRM). We performed the association analysis on 370 animals (males to females 1 : 1) of different breeds: New Zealand White × Flemish Giant crossbreds (NZW × FG), Termond White (TW) and Flemish Giant (FG). Results showed that for growth and slaughter traits in TW populations a significant association (P = 0.003) was found for slaughter weight (SW) when CT genotypes showed significantly higher values compared to CC genotypes (2 878.0 g ± 107.0 and 2 678.0 g ± 34.0, respectively). For TW rabbits we found a significant association (P = 0.009) for dissected bone weight in hind leg (HB) when CT genotypes (127.0 g ± 5.8) had significantly higher values compared to CC genotypes (112.0 g ± 2.4). For carcass traits and physical characteristics of meat we found for musculus longissimus lumborum in TW rabbits that the b* parameter value 45 min after slaughter was significantly higher (P = 0.001) for CT genotypes (1.88 ± 0.05) compared to CC genotypes (0.05 ± 0.02). We conclude that the use of identified SNP in breeding may be limited to some breeds.

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of low-protein diet supplemented with exogenous protease on performance and intestinal health of broilers. A total of 560 one-day-old male Arbor Acres broiler chickens were randomly divided into 5 treatments with 8 replicates (12 birds per replicate) in a completely randomised design. The treatments were as follows: (1) maize-soybean meal basal diet (CON); (2) negative control with crude protein being 1% lower than in CON (NCON); (3) NCON + 12 000 U/kg coated alkaline protease (NCAP); (4) NCON + 16 000 U/kg alkaline protease (NAP); (5) NCON + 16 000 U/kg keratinase (NKA). The remaining 80 birds (10 replicates, 8 birds per replicate) were randomly assigned to endogenous indicator measurements. The results indicated that the NCON diet resulted in a higher feed-to-gain ratio and reduced protein digestibility, ileal amino acid digestibility, and intestinal morphological parameters (P < 0.05). Supplementation of different exogenous proteases significantly improved the apparent and true ileal digestibility of specific amino acids, enhanced jejunal chymotrypsin activity, and promoted intestinal morphological development, including increased villus height and villus height-to-crypt depth ratio (P < 0.05). Our findings suggested that the addition of exogenous protease improved the intestinal morphology of broilers.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oil palm empty fruit bunch (OPEFB) extract on in vitro rumen fermentation, fatty acid profile, and microbial population. Rumen fluid was obtained from three female dairy goats fed a similar diet of 60% Napier grass and 40% commercial pellets. The substrate used for the fermentation was a Napier grass and commercial pellet mixture (60 : 40 in dry matter) and the treatment diets were: CON (substrate without OPEFB extract), OPEFB-5 (substrate with 5% of OPEFB extract), OPEFB-10 (substrate with 10% of OPEFB extract). The characteristics of rumen fermentation including pH, fermentation kinetics, total gas production, volatile fatty acid (VFA) production, fatty acid (FA) production, and microbial populations were examined. Results showed that OPEFB supplementation decreased rumen acetate concentration, increased isoacid concentrations as well as palmitic acid concentration. Meanwhile, the population of total bacteria, protozoa, and B. fibrisolvens decreased with the OPEFB supplementation. OPEFB-5 resulted in a moderate amount of acetate, isobutyrate, isovalerate concentration, insoluble fraction of gas production (but degradable), estimated potential gas production as well as B. fibrisolvens population when compared with the control and OPEFB-10 diet. Therefore it is suggested that the supplementation of OPEFB extract at 5% is suitable and practical to be used in ruminant feed without causing an imperative effect on rumen fermentation.

This research explores the addition of mangrove (Sonneratia alba) fruit to reduce the production of methane and the total population of protozoa. The dosage for adding mangrove fruit is 0% (without addition), 1.5%, 3%, and 4.5% in sugarcane tops-based feed. Results include ruminal product fermentation, gas and methane emissions, total protozoa, microbial protein production, microbial biomass, and nutrient digestibility. The research findings showed that an additional 1.5% to 4.5% dose can reduce methane gas emissions and the total number of protozoa. The total number of protozoa at 4.5% (T3) reached 9.89 × 10⁴ cells/ml and methane gas was 56.1 ml/g DM (dry matter); 8.41 ml/g OM (organic matter). This effect is attributed to the tannin content in mangrove fruit, which exhibits antimicrobial properties. However, increasing doses also reduced nutrient digestibility. The findings suggest that incorporating 1.5–4.5% mangrove (Sonnetaria alba) fruit as a source of tannins causes a positive impact which reduces protozoa populations and methane production without changing the ruminal fermentation product. However, the addition of mangrove fruit in this study caused also reduced nutrient digestibility.