Effect of Azolla pinnata meal on growth, immunity, faecal E. coli, antioxidant capacity and gut histomorphology in Japanese quails

Amidst increasing concerns regarding the incorporation of non-traditional protein sources in poultry diets as replacements for protein sources vital for human consumption, such as soybean meal, the utilization of Azolla leaf meal has garnered significant attention and popularity. The experiment comm...

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Main Authors: Abdul Hafeez, Darwish Khan, Shabana Naz, Rasha Alonaizan, Rasha K. Al-Akeel, Muhammad Israr, Rifat Ullah Khan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of Applied Animal Research
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Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09712119.2024.2310750
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author Abdul Hafeez
Darwish Khan
Shabana Naz
Rasha Alonaizan
Rasha K. Al-Akeel
Muhammad Israr
Rifat Ullah Khan
author_facet Abdul Hafeez
Darwish Khan
Shabana Naz
Rasha Alonaizan
Rasha K. Al-Akeel
Muhammad Israr
Rifat Ullah Khan
author_sort Abdul Hafeez
collection DOAJ
description Amidst increasing concerns regarding the incorporation of non-traditional protein sources in poultry diets as replacements for protein sources vital for human consumption, such as soybean meal, the utilization of Azolla leaf meal has garnered significant attention and popularity. The experiment commenced with 192 Japanese quail chicks (one day old), originated from a single hatch. Each chick was individually weighed and then randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups, namely control, supplementation of Azolla at the rate of 20 g/kg (Azolla 20), 40 g/kg (Azolla 40), and 60 g/kg (Azolla 60). Weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and dressing percentage were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in Azolla 40 and Azolla 60 compared to the control. No significant (P > 0.05) difference was found in antibody titre against New Castle disease virus, maleanodialdehyde (MDA) and faecal E. coli excretion. Further, villus height, crypt depth and ratio between them improved significantly (P < 0.05) in Azolla 60 compared to the control. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated a favourable impact of incorporating Azolla meal into the Japanese quail diet, leading to improved growth rates attributed to its positive influence on intestinal morphology. However, no significant effects were observed on immune response, lipid peroxidation, or faecal E. coli levels.
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spelling doaj-art-9169b3da23d44513b42e80c7249fd7fc2025-08-20T01:59:52ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Applied Animal Research0971-21190974-18442024-12-0152110.1080/09712119.2024.2310750Effect of Azolla pinnata meal on growth, immunity, faecal E. coli, antioxidant capacity and gut histomorphology in Japanese quailsAbdul Hafeez0Darwish Khan1Shabana Naz2Rasha Alonaizan3Rasha K. Al-Akeel4Muhammad Israr5Rifat Ullah Khan6Department of Poultry Science, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, PakistanDepartment of Poultry Science, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, PakistanDepartment of Zoology, Government College University, Faisalabad, PakistanDepartment of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaDepartment of Zoology, College of Science, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaProject Management, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UKCollege of Veterinary Sciences, Faculty of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Sciences, The University of Agriculture, Peshawar, PakistanAmidst increasing concerns regarding the incorporation of non-traditional protein sources in poultry diets as replacements for protein sources vital for human consumption, such as soybean meal, the utilization of Azolla leaf meal has garnered significant attention and popularity. The experiment commenced with 192 Japanese quail chicks (one day old), originated from a single hatch. Each chick was individually weighed and then randomly assigned to one of four treatment groups, namely control, supplementation of Azolla at the rate of 20 g/kg (Azolla 20), 40 g/kg (Azolla 40), and 60 g/kg (Azolla 60). Weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR) and dressing percentage were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in Azolla 40 and Azolla 60 compared to the control. No significant (P > 0.05) difference was found in antibody titre against New Castle disease virus, maleanodialdehyde (MDA) and faecal E. coli excretion. Further, villus height, crypt depth and ratio between them improved significantly (P < 0.05) in Azolla 60 compared to the control. In conclusion, our findings demonstrated a favourable impact of incorporating Azolla meal into the Japanese quail diet, leading to improved growth rates attributed to its positive influence on intestinal morphology. However, no significant effects were observed on immune response, lipid peroxidation, or faecal E. coli levels.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09712119.2024.2310750Growthintestinal histologycarcaseMDAimmunityfaecal E. coli
spellingShingle Abdul Hafeez
Darwish Khan
Shabana Naz
Rasha Alonaizan
Rasha K. Al-Akeel
Muhammad Israr
Rifat Ullah Khan
Effect of Azolla pinnata meal on growth, immunity, faecal E. coli, antioxidant capacity and gut histomorphology in Japanese quails
Journal of Applied Animal Research
Growth
intestinal histology
carcase
MDA
immunity
faecal E. coli
title Effect of Azolla pinnata meal on growth, immunity, faecal E. coli, antioxidant capacity and gut histomorphology in Japanese quails
title_full Effect of Azolla pinnata meal on growth, immunity, faecal E. coli, antioxidant capacity and gut histomorphology in Japanese quails
title_fullStr Effect of Azolla pinnata meal on growth, immunity, faecal E. coli, antioxidant capacity and gut histomorphology in Japanese quails
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Azolla pinnata meal on growth, immunity, faecal E. coli, antioxidant capacity and gut histomorphology in Japanese quails
title_short Effect of Azolla pinnata meal on growth, immunity, faecal E. coli, antioxidant capacity and gut histomorphology in Japanese quails
title_sort effect of azolla pinnata meal on growth immunity faecal e coli antioxidant capacity and gut histomorphology in japanese quails
topic Growth
intestinal histology
carcase
MDA
immunity
faecal E. coli
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/09712119.2024.2310750
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