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Non-ruminantsFull-length research article Multivariate modeling strategies to predict nutritional requirements of essential amino acids in semiheavy second-cycle hens ABSTRACT -An experiment with 23 diets was performed to evaluate the effect of digestible lysine (Lys), digestible methionine + cysteine (Met+Cys), and digestible threonine (Thr) on egg production of H&N Brown second-cycle laying hens (SCLH) for 20 weeks (92-111 weeks of age) in cages under environmental conditions. Body weight (BW), feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), egg weight (EW), number of hen-housed eggs, and livability were also evaluated during the experiment. Diets were formulated from a central composite design that combined five levels of Lys, Met+Cys, and Thr ranging from 727 to 1159, 662 to 1055, and 552 to 882 mg/kg, respectively. Egg production (EP) data were evaluated through three different modeling strategies: egg production models, multivariate polynomial models, and artificial neural networks (ANN). A cascade-forward neural network with logsigmoid transfer function was selected as the best model according to goodness-offit statistics in both identification and validation data. One of the best scenarios for EP of H&N Brown SCLH under specific outdoor conditions was established at Lys, Met+Cys, and Thr levels of 1138, 1031, and 717 mg/hen• day, respectively. The ANN model may be an appropriate tool to study and predict EP of H&N Brown SCLH based on the combination of three different levels of essential digestible amino acids. The strategies included in this work may contribute to improving poultry performance based on modeling techniques to study other production parameters in terms of different nutritional requirements and productive conditions.

As a natural polymer, starches and their derivatives have received widespread attention in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries, particularly for their use as a coating material. In this sense, as an encapsulating agent, starches stand out, considering the number of compounds that they can trap. Additionally, they provide a nutritional contribution and may improve acceptance by patients. As such, this type of material may serve as an alternative to overcome gaps such as loss of activity of the active principles, low assimilation, or deterioration under environmental and physiological conditions. In this paper, we aim to present the state of the art and research trends on the use of starch as a wall material for the encapsulation of active principles of plant origin. It was found that the most-encapsulated active principles are essential oils and polyphenols; native or modified starches are typically used, either as the sole wall material or in combination with other polymers; and the most widely used methodology is spray drying. The reviewed studies indicate the potential of starches for their use in active ingredient encapsulation processes, improving their viability and expanding their range of applications in different industries, as well as showing a clearly increasing publication trend over the last 10 years. Graphical abstract

ResumenSe evaluó la actividad antimicrobiana de extractos etanólicos y fracciones en n-hexano, acetato de etilo, diclorometano y agua-etanol obtenidos a partir de semillas y cáscaras de Citrus sinensis y Citrus limonia, sobre los fitopatógenos Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Phytophthora cinnamoni y Rhizopus oryzae. El efecto inhibitorio de los diferentes extractos se midió sobre el crecimiento micelial, la esporulación y sobre los daños en la micromorfología de los microorganismos por los métodos densidad óptica y difusión en agar; los extractos fueron caracterizados por cromatografía de capa delgada, verificándose la presencia de metabolitos secundarios de tipo flavonoide, alcaloide y limonoide. Se presentó un comportamiento diferencial en cuanto a la actividad antimicrobiana de los diferentes tratamientos siendo los más activos los diclorometánicos de las cáscaras, y en este orden con mayor actividad en la fracción diclorometánica de C. limonia. Se observó efecto inhibitorio sobre los microorganismos, el cual fue dependiente de la concentración, apreciándose daños micromorfológicos sobre hifas y estructuras reproductivas, como esporangios y conidios a concentraciones cercanas a los 7 mg/ml. Los resultados sugieren que residuos de la agroindustria de cítricos como las cáscaras son fuente de metabolitos, con potencial antimicrobiano en el control de fitopatógenos de importancia agrícola.Palabras clave: bio-plaguicidas, metabolitos secundarios, microorganismos fitopatógenos, residuos cítricos AbstractThe antimicrobial activity of ethanol extracts and fractions in n-hexane, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane, and water-ethanol obtained from seeds and peels of Citrus limonia and Citrus sinensis, against Aspergillus niger, Botrytis cinerea, Phytophthora cinnamoni, and Rhizopus oryzae was evaluated. The inhibitory effect of various extracts was measured on mycelial growth, sporulation, and damage on microscopic morphology of microorganisms by the following methods: optical density and agar diffusion, determining the inhibitory effect on mycelial growth, sporulation, and microscopic morphology of plant pathogens; the extracts were characterized by thin layer chromatography, verifying the presence of secondary metabolites of flavonoid type, alkaloid, and limonoids. A differential behavior arises in the antimicrobial activity of different treatments, being the most active dichloromethane shells extracts, and in this order with increased activity in the dichloromethane fraction of C. limonia. The inhibitory effect on the microorganisms tested was observed at concentrations close to 7 mg/ml, the result of micromorphological damage on hyphae and reproductive structures such as sporangia and conidia, which were dependent on the extracts concentration. The results suggest that residues as agribusiness citrus peels are a source of metabolites with antimicrobial potential in controlling agriculturally important plant pathogens.