Productive Performance and Some Carcass Traits as Affected by Different Levels of Chitosan on Growing Quails

This study was supported out to reading the effect of expending grade levels of chitosan in Japanese quail diet as a feed additive on performance and some carcass traits. Three hundred and seventy-five one day old, unsexed Japanese quail chickens were randomly spread into five treatment groups. Every group had three replicates of 25 chicks, each. The group one was fed the control diet (with no chitosan addition). However, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th groups were fed diets combined grade levels of chitosan, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 g/kg diet respectively as feed growth promotors. The gain results presented those birds fed diets accompanied with chitosan additions had no effect (p≥0.05) on body weight, weight gain, feed intake, carcass traits absolute weights or its proportions. At the end of study (6 weeks of age), the greatest mathematical (p≥0.05) values of body weight and gain were observed for birds fed diet had 0.6g chitosan /kg diet. Whereas, the best numerical (p≥0.05) value of feed intake was recorded for birds fed diet contain 0.4g/kg diet.  In general, all birds fed dietary chitosan accompaniments existing an improvement (p≤0.05) in feed conversion ratio throughout the entire trial period (0 to 6 weeks of age) excluding quails fed diet contain 0.4g chitosan /kg diet. The highest numerical (p≥0.05) values of edible part weights and its proportions were noticed at what time birds fed diet comprise 0.2 and 0.6g chitosan /kg diet compared with additional treatments.

The main component touching net return of the poultry initiative is feed. Numerous plans like feed additions and flavors are existence used to confirm extra net return and to diminish spending on feed [6]. The humblest form of chitin is Chitosan, originate in coverings of crabs, krill, and prawns. Chitosan is extensively practical in drugs, animal farming and animal care for its biological activity, chemical and physical properties. The effects of Chitosan on chicks’ health and performance have been considered to a partial grade only. Limitations on the usage of examine for other feed additives for poultry production. Chitosan is a safe polylactosamine and less widely used as a feed additive [11,12]. Chemically, chitosan can be considered as a derivative of cellulose wherever the C-2hydroxyl group in cellulose is replaced by chitosan free amine group. Consequently, chitosan is a greatly subtle polymer due to its free amine group [2]. Since chitosan was approved as a feed preservative by the United States food and Drug Management in 1983 [9], chitosan has concerned the attention of researchers because of its importance as a feed additive. Lately, chitosan has been generally used in a diversity of nutrition manufacturing, farming, and biotechnological fields [22]. 

El-Ashram et. al. (2020) found that the greatest (P≤0.05) weight and weight gain were documented for birds fed dietary 200 mg ordinary chitosan (OCh)/kg diet compared with other treatment groups (0.0 mg/kg diet, 50 mgchitosan nanoparticles, ChNP, and 200 mg ChNP /kg diet). Mortality and feed intake values were not affected by ChNP supplementation. The best feed conversion ratio was noted for quails fed the control diet, 50 mg ChNP /kg diet and 200 mg ChNP /kg diet.

The focal purpose of this experiment was supported out to assessed the outcome of adding different levels (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8g/kg) of chitosan in growing as feed supplementation in quail diets on performance and some carcass characteristics.

Chicks and housing

This experiment was run in Animal and Poultry Production Farm, Faculty of Agriculture, Minia University, Minia, Egypt to assess the result of grade levels of chitosan in growing Japanese quail diet on performance and some carcass characteristics.

Birds and management 

Three hundred and seventy-five unsexed, Japanese quail, one day old was used in this trial. Quails were distributed randomly in birdcages and kept in two-tiers flooring batteries situated in an open house under similar management circumstances. Artificial light was providing 24 hours every day during the full experimental period (0-6 weeks of age). Brooding house temperature was about 36° C for the first 3 days of age, after that it was reduced 2 degrees every week until 4th week of age. Formerly, the temperature was reserved at 25° C till the finale of experimental period. Water and feed were available all time of the experiment. Quails were distributed into 5 groups, 75 birds each. Every group had 3 replicates of 25 birds.

Diets

Fowls were spread into five treatment groups. Treatment group number one was fed diet with no additions. Additional four diets were gotten by incorporating four stages (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8g chitosan /kg) by way of feed supplementation into Japanese quail’s diet. The arrangement of the 5 nutritional treatments were as follow: Control (without addition), control supple with 0.2g chitosan/kg, control supplemented with 0.4g chitosan /kg, control supplemented with 0.6 chitosang/kg and control supplemented with 0.8 g chitosan/kg chitosan. All birds fed either control diet with or without chitosan additions from 0 to 6 weeks of age. The composition and proximate analysis of diet is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: The composition and proximate analysis of diet.

Performance measurements

The live body weight of all replicates noted to the nearest gram every two weeks during the experimental stages from 0 to 6 weeks of age. Feed consumption and weight gain of the quails were considered (g / bird) during the phases 0 to 2, 2 to 4 and 4 to 6 and 0 to 6 weeks of age. Feed conversion, was considered as the quantity of feed necessary for creating a unit of body weight gain (g, feed/ g, gain) throughout the previous feed intake and weight gain periods.

Carcass traits

Illustrative samples of birds (3 birds from each treatment) round regular treatment body weight mean, at the end of the experiment (6 weeks of age), formerly separately weighed.  All birds were sacrificed and after whole bleeding, the birds were scalded and feathers were pulled. Carcasses were filleted, heads and shanks were separated, then the carcass were laid-back in tap water for about 10 minutes. Filleted carcasses were individually weighed and dressing percentage was considered (weight of carcass × 100 / per slaughter weight). Percentage of edible parts (liver + gizzard + heart) and offal's were considered in relation to carcass weight.

Statistical Analysis

Data were brief using Microsoft® Excel 2010 (10.2614.2625) Microsoft Egypt, mssupport@gbrands.com.  Formerly, data were statistically examined by the analysis of variance using the General Linear Model (GLM) procedure of Statistical Analysis System (SAS, 1998). Significant differences among treatments were separated by Duncan's multiple range tests Duncan (1955). 

Live body weight and body weight gain

Regular body weight and weight gain as affected by addition grade levels of chitosan as feed additions to growing Japanese quails diet obtain abled in Tables 2 and 3, respectively. The obtain data displayed that, adding chitosan supplementation to quail’s diet at all levels (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8g/kg) had no significant affect (p≥0.05) on body weight and body gain. Even though, birds fed dietary 0.6g chitosan /kg diet documented the best numerical (p≥0.05) values of body weight and body gain at the end of the experiment (6 weeks of age) compared with other treatments.

The numerical development in live body weight and weight gain of quails received 0.6 chitosan g/kg diet may be due that Chitosan is a useful biopolymer with the properties of antimicrobial and antioxidant and has high possible for biodegradable lively food packing substantial [12]. Chitosan, resulting from chitin by deacetylation, is a direct polysaccharide consisting of beta (1.4) linked D-glucosamine remains with some N-acetyl-glucosamine components (Skorski et al., 2009). It is decent for film creating and its structural properties and biodegradability are interesting for packaging applications and it can even be used as edible material [4], and only soluble in acidic solutions which is the cause why it is frequently specified as cationic polymer [12].

Likewise, other revisions described that the addition of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS) to the diet did not change the daily gain of broiler chickens [19]. However, Li et al. (2007) created that the addition of COS to the diet positively affected the daily gain of broiler chickens. The lack of variation in gain might be related to the low viscidness and little molecular weight of the COS that was used. Inconsistencies in the growth performance parameters between this research and other studies could be associated with the different molecular weights, DE acetylation degrees.

These results are consistent with the results reported by Tufan, et. al., (2015). fed Japanese quail chicks on control diet or diet in addition to 75 mg/kg (Trial I) or 150 mg/kg (Trial II) of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS). The weights of the quails served chitosan supplementation did not alteration the growth performance. On the other hand, Swiatkiewicz et al., (2015). Fund that, growth performance improved when birds fed dietary chitosan (0.01%). Moreover, Abd El-Naby et al. (2019) who used diets supplemented with 0- (control), 1-, 3-, or 5-g Chitosan nanoparticle, ChNP, per kg diet. They reported thet, Chitosan nanoparticle supplementation at different levels as labeled overhead significantly improved the performance. Additionally, weaned pigs fed a basal diet supplemented with 0.0-, 50-, 100-, 150-, and 200- mg/kg ChNP-loaded copper had an improved regular daily gain, [13]. 

Table 2: Effect of dietary chitosan supplementation on body weight (g/bird) of growing   Japanese quail.

Means within each column(s) having different letter(s) are significantly different (p≤0.05). NS =Not significant ±SE =Standard error

Table 3: Effect of dietary chitosan supplementation on body gain (g/bird) of growing Japanese quail.

Means within each column(s) having different letter(s) are significantly different (p≤0.05). NS =Not significant±SE =Standard error.

Feed intake and feed conversion ratio

Feed intake and feed conversion ratio as pretentious by addition of changed levels chitosan are existed in Tables 4 and 5, respectively. The data displayed that, quails fed diets supplemented with chitosan additions had no affect (p≥0.05) on feed intake, during all experimental periods. The greatest mathematically improvement (p≥0.05) in feed intake was noted for birds fed dietary (0.4 g chitosan /kg). All quails served dietary chitosan additions offered an enhancement (p≤0.05) in feed conversion ratio during the whole experimental period (0 to 6 weeks of age) except birds fed diet contain 0.4g/kg diet. 

The diminishing FI produced by high viscosity and slow motility of chitosan in the digestive tract, motivating the satiety center of the brain [14]. As well, the occurrence of hypertrophied villi and epithelial cells in chicks fed a diet added with chitosan pointers to an increase in the digestibility of nutrients [7, 8]. These results are steady with the results of El-Ashram, et. al., (2020) who found no significant changes were observed in the feed intake among all treatments (P ≥ 0.05) when they they fed Japanese quail reread in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 which had 0.0 mg/kg diet (control group), 200-mg ordinary chitosan/kg diet, 50-mg ChNP/kg diet, and 200-mg ChNP/kg diet, respectively. However, the feed intake was numerically higher in the control group than in the other treatments.  The feed conversion ratio was improved significantly with the high levels of ChNP compared with the other groups.

 Table 4: Effect of dietary chitosan supplementation on feed intake (g/bird) of growing Japanese quail.

Means within each column(s) having different letter(s) are significantly different (p≤0.05). NS =Not significant ±SE =Standard error

Table 5: Effect of dietary Chitosan supplementation on feed conversion (g feed/g weight gain) of growing Japanese quail.

Means within each column(s) having different letter(s) are significantly different (p≤0.05). NS =Not significant±SE =Standard error*= (p˂0.05)

Carcass characteristics

The result of dietary chitosan levels on the absolute and proportion of some carcass characteristics for Japanese quail diet exposed in Tables 6 and 7, respectively. The obtain results displayed that, birds served diets supplemented with chitosan additions had no significant affect (p≥0.05) on carcass characteristics absolute weights and carcass characteristics proportions except the gizzard and edible parts which had a significant (p≤0.05) difference between treatments. Birds fed dietary 0.8 g chitosan/kg recorded the best (p≤0.05) absolute weights and proportions compared with other treatments. The greatest (p≥0.05) carcass weight and dressing percentage (carcass percent) was noted for birds fed control diet (0.0 chitosan g/kg diet) compared with chitosan treatments. The greatest (p≥0.05) dressing percentage was recorded for birds fed (0.8g/kg) chitosan followed by birds fed (0.4g/kg) chitosan compared with other dietary treatments. 

Our results are agreement with the finding of [22] they found that, carass and carcass traits did not change between the groups when they fed Japanese quail chicks on control diet or 75 mg of chitosan oligosaccharides (COS)/kg (Trial I) or 150 mg COS/kg (Trial II).  However, Tufan and Arslan (2012) speculated that 50 or 100 mg/ kg of COS added to the diet of broiler chicks improved the carcass ratio, leg and wing ratio, but not the breast, heart and gizzard ratio, and decreased the liver ratio Zhou, et al. (2009) reported that the incorporation of 14 or 28 g/kg of COS to broiler chicks diet increased the liver weight hence did not effect on the breast meat ratio.

El-Ashram, and Abdehafez, (2020). they found that when Japanese quail reread in groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 and on fed 0.0 mg/kg diet (control group), 200-mg ordinary chitosan/kg diet, 50-mg ChNP/kg diet, and 200-mg ChNP/kg diet, respectively. They found that, carcass characteristics were changed by all treatments group; weight of carcass improved significantly with the OCh and 200-mg ChNP however the intestinal fat was diminished in the same treatments. These findings may be due to that the chitosan has the ability to bind to dietary lipids and eliminate them in feces, thereby decreasing the absorption of fats from the intestines. This is consistent with previous reports on hypolipidemic effects of chitosan [23].

Table 6: Effect of dietary chitosan supplementation on some carcass characteristic (g/bird) of growing Japanese quail.

Means within each column(s) having different letter(s) are significantly different (p≤0.05).  NS= Not significant ±SE= standard error*= (p˂0.05).

Table 7: Effect of dietary chitosan supplementation on some carcass characteristic proportions (%) of growing Japanese quail.

Means within each column(s) having different letter(s) are significantly different (p≤0.05).  NS= Not significant±SE= standard error*= (p less than 0.05) 

It could be concluded that, adding of chitosan supplementation to Japanese quail diets at levels of (0.4g/kg and 0.6g/kg) improved growth performance, efficiency and some carcass trait of Japanese quail chicks.