Effects of Using Processed Amaranth Grain with and without Enzyme on Performance, Egg Quality, Antioxidant Status and Lipid Profile of Blood and Yolk Cholesterol in Laying Hens

Abstract

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of feeding Amaranthus hybridus chlorostachys grain (AG) with (+E) and without enzyme (−E) on performance, egg quality, antioxidant status and lipid profile of blood serum and yolk cholesterol in laying hens. A total of 960 white leghorn (Hy-line W-36) commercial layers (56 weeks) were divided into 10groups with 8 replicates per group (12 birds per replicate, including 3 adjacent cages with 4 birds each). A completely randomized design was implemented with a 5 × 2 factorial arrangement of treatments consisting of five levels of AG (0, 100, 200, 300 and 400 g/kg) and two levels of multienzyme complex addition (0 −E and 0.25 +E g/kg) fed to the hens for 12 weeks (2 wk. adaptation + 10 wk. main experiment). Feed intake (FI) and percentage of hen day production (HDP) were not affected by main effect of the AG level, but egg mass (EM) and egg weight (EW) were decreased (p < 0.01), and the feed conversion ratio (FCR) was impaired (p < 0.01). EM, EW and FCR were improved by enzyme addition (p < 0.01). EM, EW and FCR were affected (p < 0.01) by the interaction of AG and enzyme addition. The highest value of EM and the lowest value of FCR were observed in hens on the diet containing 200 g/kg AG with enzyme addition. Egg yolk cholesterol content was reduced (p < 0.05) by up to 10% with increasing levels AG in experimental diets. The egg quality traits, including Haugh units of protein quality, strength and shell thickness, were not affected by the main effects or interaction of AG and enzyme consumption. Amaranth feeding led to a decrease (p < 0.05) in triglyceride (TG) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) while also promoting increases (p < 0.05) in the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC) of the blood. A comparison of the effects of contrasts showed that functional parameters (except FI), yolk cholesterol, antioxidant parameters (except MDA) and blood lipid profile had differed significantly (p < 0.05) between the hens fed amaranth versus those not fed amaranth. These findings indicate that feeding a diet containing up to 200 g/kg of AG with enzyme addition can improve EW, EM and FCR. Feeding laying hens diets containing AG also positively influenced blood traits and antioxidant status in laying hens while reducing egg yolk cholesterol content.

A Comparison of the Effects of Raw and Processed Amaranth Grain on Laying Hens’ Performance, Egg Physicochemical Properties, Blood Biochemistry and Egg Fatty Acids

“…However, Longato et al [ 75 ] by feeding amaranth of more than five percent led to an improvement in the blood lipid profile in broilers. Hosseintabar-Ghasemabad et al [ 19 ] concluded in their studies that feeding amaranth led to a decrease in LDL and triglycerides and, in parallel, an increase in HDL, as well as a significant improvement in the atherogenic index and antioxidant status of the blood, which is completely in agreement with the present study. However, many studies have shown that a number of compounds lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides, including crude fiber, tocopherols, phytosterols, linoleic acid and squalene, which are abundant in plant food sources such as amaranth [ 53 ], and can lead to cholesterol reduction in different animal models, a finding consistent with the results of the present research on laying hens.…”

“…The latest research by Rodríguez-Ríos et al [ 45 ] showed that the consumption of amaranth grain has very high potential for reducing cholesterol and triglycerides in egg yolk. Hosseintabar-Ghasemabad et al [ 19 ] later showed a 10% reduction in egg cholesterol by using amaranth, which is in line with the results of the present research. In a literature review of the role of amaranth in animal nutrition by Peiretti [ 6 ], it is mentioned that this edible plant can be used to produce products of animal origin with low cholesterol.…”

“…Rodríguez-Ríos et al [ 49 ] fed autoclaved amaranth at levels of 15, 30 and 45% and concluded that the use of a 15% level of amaranth can lead to maintained production performance, which is in agreement with the present study (the type and level amaranth section). Hosseintabar-Ghasemabad et al [ 19 ] reported that feeding-processed amaranth up to level 20% has no negative effect on performance, and if an enzyme additive is used in diets containing amaranth, it leads to the strengthening of synergistic effects and subsequent improvement in performance, which is consistent with the results of the current research and the differences can be attributed to the enzyme addition.…”

“…The trial treatments included the control group, three levels of raw amaranth grain (ARaw) (5, 10, and 15%) and three levels of processed amaranth grain (A120°C) (5, 10, and 15%) based on dry matter. The trial diets were formulated based on linear programming by User-Friendly Feed Formulation Done Again (UFFDA) software [ 19 ] and according to the catalogue of leghorn hen’s requirements ( Table 1 ).…”

“…Popiela et al [ 18 ], by feeding extruded amaranth grain at levels of 0, 5 and 10% with 60 Lohmann brown laying hens, showed that the use of 5% amaranth led to an increase in performance and no negative effect on the quality of the eggs. Hosseintabar-Ghasemabad et al [ 19 ] hypothesized that amaranth, as a valuable edible plant source, has potential to meet the nutritional requirements of poultry, and their research findings showed that feeding-processed amaranth to laying hens can lead to the production of low-cholesterol eggs without any negative effect on egg quality. It also improved the antioxidant status and atherogenic index (LDL/HDL) of egg-laying birds.…”