ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation pelleted Tenebrio molitor (TM) powder with chokeberry by-product (CBP) meal on duck production and meat quality traits. A total of 180 0-day-old Pekin ducks were allocated randomly between three dietary groups viz., control, Treatment 1, and Treatment 2, with three pens per group and twenty birds per pen, characterized by increasing levels of pelleted TM powder with CBP meal in concentration of 0%, 1.5%, and 3%, respectively, and reared until 42 days of age in a completely randomized design. On day 42, the ducks were sacrificed, and breast and thigh muscles were used for meat quality evaluations. Feeding pelleted TM powder with CBP meal resulted in a significant difference in final body weight, weight gain and feed conversion ratio (p<0.05). Additionally, a significant difference was observed in the pH of the breast meat samples (p<0.05). As the only significant difference between the breast and thigh meat, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryhydrazyl radical scavenging was influenced significantly by the dietary inclusion of pelleted TM powder with CBP meal (p<0.05). However, the values of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances and meat color in both breast and thigh meat were insignificant (p>0.05) different among all groups. To conclude, the inclusion of up to 3 % of pelleted TM powder with CBP meal in the diets of ducks did improve the growth production and antioxidant characteristics effects, which could decrease TBARS and reflected by changes in 1,1-diphenyl-2- picrylhydrazyl free DPPH radical scavenging values.

ABSTRACT Drinking hydrogen-rich water shows a remarkable antioxidant effect in preventive and therapeutic applications. However, there is no previous report and information on ammonia (NH3) production and duck litter quality when hydrogen water was supplied to ducks. This study verified the effects of supplying hydrogen water to ducks on NH3 production and duck litter quality in a duck rearing environment. A total of 1,200 0-d-old Pekin ducks were divided into 2 groups of similar body weight (3 replicates with 200 ducks per pen) and used for 42 days. The two groups consisted of general water and hydrogen water in the water supply system, as the control and treatment groups, respectively. There were no statistical differences between two groups for NH3 contents for the five weeks (p>0.05), except for week 6. For litter quality, no effects (p>0.05) between the two water groups were found in the pH, total nitrogen (TN), ammonia-N (VBN), and VFA content of litter. The only significant difference observed in duck litter quality was litter moisture contents (p<0.05). Lastly, mineral and heavy metal contents did not significantly differ between the two water groups. As the first pen trials evaluating the effects of hydrogen water on duck litter, these results verify that supplying hydrogen water to ducks did not influence ammonia and duck litter quality.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of three different forms (powder, pellet, and coated pellet) of red ginseng marc (RGM) and fermented red koji (FRK) feed additive on the blood parameters and fatty acid (FA) profiles of laying hens, after two months of dietary supplementation. A number of 240 40-week-old Hy-line Brown laying hens were randomly designated to four dietary treatments, each with six replicates of 10 hens each, in a completely randomized design. The control group was fed a basal diet, and the other three treatments groups were fed 1% RGM powder mixed with FRK, pellets of 1% RGM with FRK, and coated pellets of 1% RGM with FRK. The powder and coated pellet diets contained the lowest total cholesterol and glucose levels, respectively, whereas the coated pellet diet contained the highest HDL cholesterol level, compared to the basal diet of the control group. For FA profiles, significant differences (p<0.05) were observed among the groups with regard to the percentages of myristoleic acid, palmitoleic acid, margaric acid, margaroleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, a-linolenic acid, eicosenoic acid, and docosahexaenoic acid. Moreover, addition of different forms of the RGM and FRK blend to the hen’s diets showed an increase (p<0.05) in the relative percentages of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and the UFA: SFA ratio and a decrease (p<0.05) in the relative percentages of saturated fatty acids (SFA) in the egg yolk, compared to the control group. In conclusion, dietary coated pellets of RGM and FRK as a feed additive blend had a beneficial effect on serum cholesterol and FA profiles in laying hens.

ABSTRACT The present study evaluated the effects of aronia powder on growth performance and fatty acid profiles of ducks. A total of 90 ducks (one-day-old pekin, 48 males and 42 females) were distributed according to a completely randomized design into two treatments (control and 1% aronia powder) with 3 replicates of 15 birds per pen for 42 d. Apart from the feed:gain ratio, the other growth performance parameters, including initial body weight, final body weight, weight gain, and feed intake, did not differ significantly between treatments (p>0.05). In addition, there was no significant difference (p>0.05) in fatty acid profiles between treatments. However, oleic acid (C18:1), linoleic acid (C18:2), and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) were significantly different (p<0.05) between treatments. Our results revealed that feeding ducks with 1% aronia powder improved the weight gained and the feed:gain ratio, but did not affect the fatty acid profiles of duck breast meat.

ABSTRACT This study evaluated the effects of aluminum chloride (AlCl3) on pH and volatile fatty acid levels in duck litter over the course of a three-week experimental period. Ninety one-day-old Pekin ducks (45 males and 45 females) were distributed into three treatments with three replicates each (10 ducks per replicate) using a completely randomized design. Two treatments were top-dressing duck litter with thin layers (1-2 cm) of 50 g or 100 g of AlCl3 per kg of litter, respectively; the control group received no litter treatment. Although no significant differences in propionic acid levels (p>0.05) were observed in any of the treatments, overall pH values for the 50 g and 100 g AlCl3 treatments were both lower (p<0.05) than those of the control group. Additionally, the two AlCl3 treatments revealed a corresponding influence (p<0.05) on acetic acid levels during the last two weeks of the experimental period. These results indicate that aluminum chloride amendments (at a suggested rate of 100 g per kg of duck litter) are potentially useful in lowering the pH of duck litter, thereby decreasing acetic acid production as an indicator of odor emissions.

ABSTRACT In this study, 240 one-d-old Arbor Acres broiler chicks (160 males and 80 females) were randomly allocated in a completely randomized design with four treatments and four replicates. Broilers were fed from hatching to 28 d of age four diets: a basal diet (control), 2% red ginseng marc, 1% fermented red ginseng marc with red koji, and 2% liquid red ginseng. Growth performance and fatty acid profiles in broiler were evaluated. Supplementing diets with different types of red ginseng did have significant effects (p<0.05) on initial body weight, due to differences in the birth weights of birds, including weight gain, and mortality. However, no significant differences between the treatments (p>0.05) were found for final body weight, feed intake, and feed conversion. In addition, supplementing broiler diets with different types of red ginseng did not significantly influence (p>0.05) fatty acid profiles in either breast or thigh meats. We concluded that growth performance (weight gain and mortality) was most enhanced in diets supplemented with 1% fermented red ginseng powder combined with red koji.