The aim of the study was to compare production results and quality of meat, as well as histological features of the jejunum in broiler chickens administered feed with 1% addition of zeolite or halloysite, with the addition of aluminosilicates to litter (4.50 kg/m 2 ) throughout the rearing. In the experiment, 300 male broilers were used for 6 wk. They were divided into 3 groups, each of 10 repetitions (10 birds each). Group 1 was a control, halloysite was added to feed and litter in group 2, while zeolite was applied instead of halloysite in group 3. After rearing, 10 selected birds from each group were slaughtered. Selected production properties and degree of footpad dermatitis were examined, and histomorphometric examination of the jejunum was performed. The lowest yield and the highest proportion of neck with skin in the carcass were demonstrated in group 2 ( P < 0.05). The lowest percentage of skin with subcutaneous fat was found in group 3 ( P < 0.05). A decrease in lightness (L∗) and yellowness (b∗) was demonstrated in group 2, while redness (a∗) was the lowest in group 3 ( P < 0.05). Group 2 was characterized by the lowest water-holding capacity in breast muscles, and in group 3, in leg muscles ( P < 0.05). In group 3, the highest fat content and the lowest water content in the breast muscles ( P < 0.05) were found. The leg muscles in groups 2 and 3 were characterized by the highest a∗, and in group 2, by b∗. The control group had the lowest protein and the highest fat content in leg muscles. In the intestine from group 2, a higher height ( P < 0.05) and surface area ( P < 0.01) of intestinal villi were found, in comparison to group 3. The width of intestinal villi was higher in groups 2 and 1 than in group 3 ( P < 0.05), similarly the depth of intestinal crypts. The addition of zeolite could be proposed because of the obtained production results, while the halloysite had a positive effect on the histomorphometric features of the jejunum.

The aim of this work was to assess the impact of a total dietary replacement of extracted soybean meal (SBM) on body weight gain and pork quality. DanBred hybrid piglets were divided into four groups of 10 piglets each. Groups I (males) and II (females) were the control groups and fed a standardized SBM-based complete feed. The experimental groups III (males) and IV (females) were offered a diet in which the SBM was replaced with extracted rapeseed meal (RSM) and legume plants (pea and yellow lupin). After 83 days of fattening, the animals were slaughtered. Based on the collected data, the daily weight gain (DWG), feed intake (FI), and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were calculated. In addition, longissimus dorsi muscle was subjected to physicochemical analyses, including the basic chemical composition. All the analyses were performed in accordance with the applicable methodologies. As a result of this experiment, no interactions were found between the experimental factors (sex and diet). The replacement of SMB by legumes and RSM resulted in a significant reduction in the final body weight of growing–finishing pigs. Additionally, daily body weight gain was reduced between 35–83 days, and through the whole fattening period (0–83 days). Most pork meat quality parameters were not affected by the type of mix feed and sex (p > 0.05). The fattening pigs that were fed legume seeds and RSM had significantly reduced fatness (p > 0.05) compared to the control pigs. In males, there was also a significantly lower pH45 (p < 0.05). It can be concluded that feeding pigs with diets containing legume plants and extracted rapeseed meal does not affect the pork meat quality, but it may worsen the body weight gain.

The objective of the study was to compare Muscovy and Pekin ducks for proximate analysis, colour attributes, tenderness, meat microstructure, and content of some minerals in meat and liver. The material of the study was sexed 51 Muscovy ducks and 47 Pekin ducks. At the end of the rearing period, 40 birds were selected for dissection. Duck genotype influenced the content of water, protein, fat, collagen, zinc, iron, haematin, and redness, chroma, hue angle, WB shear force, muscle fibre diameter and density of the breast muscle, and also protein, fat, magnesium, iron, haematin content, WB shear force and lightness of the leg muscle. The sex of ducks had an impact on the content of water, protein, fat, potassium, copper, on redness, chroma and muscle fibre diameter of breast muscle, and on water, protein, fat, sodium, potassium, magnesium and copper in liver content of the leg muscle. The genotype-sex interaction was significant for water, protein and sodium content, redness, chroma of breast muscles; for water, protein, sodium, magnesium and haematin content, redness and chroma of leg muscles; and for phosphorus content in the liver. Muscovy ducks had more favourable chemical composition and poorer tenderness and microstructural characteristics compared to the meat of Pekin ducks.