Applied research note: Optimized corticosterone extraction following feather dissolution by keratinase
SUMMARY: The study aimed to develop and validate a robust, non-invasive method for assessing corticosterone (CORT) concentrations in poultry feathers as an indication of lifelong stress. Traditional sample preparation using methanol extraction showed high variability, prompting the exploration of a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-03-01
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| Series: | Journal of Applied Poultry Research |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105661712400103X |
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| _version_ | 1832591840396705792 |
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| author | Nikolas R. Faust Rosemary L. Walzem |
| author_facet | Nikolas R. Faust Rosemary L. Walzem |
| author_sort | Nikolas R. Faust |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | SUMMARY: The study aimed to develop and validate a robust, non-invasive method for assessing corticosterone (CORT) concentrations in poultry feathers as an indication of lifelong stress. Traditional sample preparation using methanol extraction showed high variability, prompting the exploration of a keratinase-based protocol. Three protocols were compared: methanol extraction (MP), original keratinase (KP), and an optimized keratinase protocol (OKP). The OKP significantly reduced intra-assay variability to 5.4 % compared to 61 % (MP) and 33 % (KP). Feather CORT levels were reliably quantified using the OKP, showing linear recovery of spiked samples (R² = 0.97). No significant correlation was found between plasma and feather CORT concentrations, underscoring the potential of feather sampling for long-term, as opposed to acute, stress assessment in poultry. This optimized method provides a valuable tool for animal welfare studies, enabling accurate and consistent measurement of feather CORT levels across different poultry strains and conditions. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-60233d0eeccc4ffba46785a5bb23ca84 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1056-6171 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Applied Poultry Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-60233d0eeccc4ffba46785a5bb23ca842025-01-22T05:41:06ZengElsevierJournal of Applied Poultry Research1056-61712025-03-01341100505Applied research note: Optimized corticosterone extraction following feather dissolution by keratinaseNikolas R. Faust0Rosemary L. Walzem1Poultry Science Department, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USAPoultry Science Department, Graduate Faculty of Nutrition, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Corresponding author.SUMMARY: The study aimed to develop and validate a robust, non-invasive method for assessing corticosterone (CORT) concentrations in poultry feathers as an indication of lifelong stress. Traditional sample preparation using methanol extraction showed high variability, prompting the exploration of a keratinase-based protocol. Three protocols were compared: methanol extraction (MP), original keratinase (KP), and an optimized keratinase protocol (OKP). The OKP significantly reduced intra-assay variability to 5.4 % compared to 61 % (MP) and 33 % (KP). Feather CORT levels were reliably quantified using the OKP, showing linear recovery of spiked samples (R² = 0.97). No significant correlation was found between plasma and feather CORT concentrations, underscoring the potential of feather sampling for long-term, as opposed to acute, stress assessment in poultry. This optimized method provides a valuable tool for animal welfare studies, enabling accurate and consistent measurement of feather CORT levels across different poultry strains and conditions.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105661712400103XCorticosteroneFeather analysisKeratinaseELISAPoultry welfare, Stress assessment |
| spellingShingle | Nikolas R. Faust Rosemary L. Walzem Applied research note: Optimized corticosterone extraction following feather dissolution by keratinase Journal of Applied Poultry Research Corticosterone Feather analysis Keratinase ELISA Poultry welfare, Stress assessment |
| title | Applied research note: Optimized corticosterone extraction following feather dissolution by keratinase |
| title_full | Applied research note: Optimized corticosterone extraction following feather dissolution by keratinase |
| title_fullStr | Applied research note: Optimized corticosterone extraction following feather dissolution by keratinase |
| title_full_unstemmed | Applied research note: Optimized corticosterone extraction following feather dissolution by keratinase |
| title_short | Applied research note: Optimized corticosterone extraction following feather dissolution by keratinase |
| title_sort | applied research note optimized corticosterone extraction following feather dissolution by keratinase |
| topic | Corticosterone Feather analysis Keratinase ELISA Poultry welfare, Stress assessment |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S105661712400103X |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT nikolasrfaust appliedresearchnoteoptimizedcorticosteroneextractionfollowingfeatherdissolutionbykeratinase AT rosemarylwalzem appliedresearchnoteoptimizedcorticosteroneextractionfollowingfeatherdissolutionbykeratinase |