Administration of Thamnidium elegans for effective utilization of agroindustrial materials (wheat bran) creates new perspectives for animal cereal diet enriched with fungal γ-linolenic acid (GLA). The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of adding prefermented cereal product containing a high amount of gamma-linolenic acid into the feed on broiler chickens' performance, fatty acids profile and oxidative stability in chilled breast meat. Seventy eight COBB 500 oneday old broiler chicks were randomly divided into 2 treatment groups with three replications and fattened for 42 days. During the first 21 days, all broilers consumed the starter diet. After three weeks, broilers were fed the grower diet; controls were fed without the addition of prefermented cereal product; and the experimental group was supplemented with 3% of prefermented product. Higher final body weight (2 688 vs. 2 604 g) and feed conversion ratio were recorded in the experimental group (P > 0.05). The increased GLA content in the experimental diet (0.095 g·kg -1

This experimental study investigated the effect of feeding of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis L.) and combination of hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha L.) and yarrow (Achillea millefolium L.) on growth performance of chicken, meat composition, fatty acid profile and oxidative stability. Ninety one-dayold commercial broiler chicks (ROSS 308) were divided into 3 groups, and fed 41 days, as follows: control (C) with standard diet without antioxidants supplementation; second group (L) with standard diet supplemented with ground lemon balm (2%) and third group (HY) with standard diet supplemented with ground hawthorn (1%) and yarrow (1%). Final body weight and total feed intake were not influenced by plant supplementation. However, feed conversion ratio was the lowest (P<0.05) at HY. Carcass yields were not affected (P>0.05) by plants supplementation, but the proportions of various carcass parts (breast and leg) were higher in L and HY groups. Feeding of plants had no effect on the chemical composition of thigh meat. However, in breast meat fed by HY diet higher content of dry matter and crude protein (P<0.05) was found. In breast (L) the proportion of monounsaturated fatty acids was decreased and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) proportion was increased compared with control group (P<0.05). In thigh HY the proportion of saturated fatty acids was increased and PUFA was decreased compared with control. Results of thiobarbituric value method showed that supplementation with lemon balm, and mainly combination of hawthorn and yarrow in the diet significantly influenced reduction of lipid oxidation processes in thigh during chilling storage (4°C, 11 days).

Plant extracts and fungal fermented feed with gamma-linolenic acid-rich microbial oils are perspective additives for use in animal nutrition as appetite and digestion stimulants, stimulants of physiological functions, for the prevention and treatment for certain pathological conditions, and as antioxidants. The activity of antioxidant enzymes and the level of reduced glutathione were measured in the plasma and in liver, heart and kidney mitochondria after 42 days of feeding broiler chickens both regular and combination diets. These were selected based on our previous experience. The administration of agrimony and gamma-linolenic acid resulted in a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase activity in all four bodies in contrast to plant extracts. We conclude that the decrease in activity is due to decreased production, and hence dismutation, of superoxide radicals to peroxides followed by lower activity of glutathione peroxidase, which was not seen in the case of only plant extract administration. Generally, higher glutathione reductase activity would be in response to increased demands on reduced glutathione as a cofactor for the reaction catalysed by glutathione peroxidase and the utilization of glutathione itself. However, measured levels of reduced glutathione showed no change. The results argue against any oxidative stress conditions. The application of agrimony extract appears to be suitable for the antioxidant effect against peroxidation of gamma-linolenic acid. As the efficacy of measuring the effects of diets on the oxidative stability of meat caused by selected antioxidant enzymes is rather low, additional data from the experiment will be processed to clearly assess the influence of this combination of diets.

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The purpose of this study was to compare the content of total polyphenols and antioxidant properties of wines from the Sobrance wine region. White wines generally showed lower content of polyphenols and also posses lower scavenging capacity against DPPH radical than red wines. However, when we compared antioxidant properties of wines to protect polyunsaturated fatty acids against oxidation using to TBA method, no differences were detected. The antioxidative capacity of white wines was comparable to red wines and was higher than antioxidant capacity of ascorbic acid solution (0.2 %). The best antioxidant properties were recorded in Cabernet sauvignon (2010) and Frankovka modra (2009) wines.

doi:10.5219/204