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METABOLISM AND NUTRITION |

* Laboratory of Animal Biotechnology, Interdisciplinary Graduate School of Science and Technology, Shinshu University, Minamiminowa-mura, Nagano 399-4598, Japan; and
Matsumoto Institute of Microorganisms Co., Ltd., 2904 Niimura, Matsomoto-city, Nagano 3901241, Japan
1 Corresponding author: htsujii{at}gipmc.shinshu-u.ac.jp
| ABSTRACT |
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Key Words: dietary Rhodobacter capsulatus cholesterol triglyceride egg-yolk laying hen
| INTRODUCTION |
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| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Birds, Management, and Diets
A total of 40 Hy-Line Brown ready-to-lay pullets with almost the same BW were collected from a local commercial flock. They were caged individually into wire cages (25 x 40 cm) with individual feed-trough and common water-trough. The birds were reared in accordance with university guidelines for animal experimentation. Birds were fed a balanced commercial layer diet as their daily requirement since 6 wk prior to commencement of the study for adaptation and reaching a standard level of egg production. The basal diet contained (in percentage): ground yellow corn, 56; soybean meal, 14.5; sesame meal, 7; corn gluten meal, 2.5; rice polish, 8; fish meal, 1; calcium carbonate, 7.68; dicalcium phosphate, 1.32; common salt, 0.45; animal fat, 1; and vitamin premix, 0.25. The determined and calculated (AOAC, 1985) nutrient composition of the basal diet was 2,935 kcal/kg of ME, 16.46% CP, 2.9% Ca, 0.34% available P, 0.54% Met + Cys, 0.71% Lys, and 86 µg/g of cholesterol (enzymatically). The laying hens of 23-wk-old were assigned into 4 treatment groups under the completely randomized design, so that there were 10 laying hens in each group. The diets were supplemented with 4 levels of R. capsulatus; 0% as control group and 0.01, 0.02, and 0.04% as treatment groups. The diets were provided daily at 120 g per bird (considering 5% excess of requirement) during the 8-wk feeding period. Clean drinking water was supplied ad libitum, and birds were exposed to a 16-h incandescent light period.
Sample Collection
The laying hens were weighed individually prior to blood collection at the beginning and at the end of each 15 d of the feeding period. Daily feed intake was recorded, and feed conversion efficiency (feed intake: mass production) was calculated during the 8-wk feeding period. Daily egg production and individual egg weight was recorded to determine the hen day egg production and the egg mass production (g/d/hen). Eggs from each group of laying hens were collected at the beginning and at the end of each 10 d of the feeding period for measuring egg quality (egg weight, shell weight, eggshell thickness, yolk weight, yolk index, yolk color, and Haugh unit), as well as for analysis of yolk cholesterol and triglycerides. Yolk index was calculated as the ratio of yolk height to yolk width. Yolk color was evaluated using a colorimetric fan (Roche), and color was scored according to their intensity. Haugh unit was calculated using the Haugh (1937) formula.
Blood Collection
Blood samples (2.0 mL) from each individual layer were collected at the beginning and at the end of each 15 d of the feeding period. Blood was collected from the brachial wing vein using sterilized syringes and needles. After 1 h standing at room temperature, serum was isolated by centrifugation at 1,150 x g for 10 min. Serum samples were stored at 80°C until further analysis.
Liver and Muscle Collection
At the end of the 8-wk feeding period, the laying hens were decapitated, and liver, breast (pectoralis major), and thigh (biceps femoris) muscles were collected and washed with normal saline, blotted dry on filter paper, and weighed before freezing for storage.
Yolk, Liver, and Muscles Sample Preparation
One gram of each egg yolk was homogenized with 15 mL of chloroform-methanol 2:1 (by volume), sonicated, and filtered as previously described (Elkin and Rogler, 1990). From each liver and muscle sample, 1 g was homogenized with 12-mL of chloroform-methanol 2:1 (by volume) and filtered directly into a 50-mL volumetric flask using a glass microfiber filter. Following rehomogenization and refiltration, the liver and muscle filtrates were diluted to a final volume of 50-mL with chloroform-methanol 2:1 (by volume). Then the obtained samples were stored at 80°C until further analysis.
Enzymatic Analysis
Cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and glucose concentrations in the serum were determined enzymatically using commercially available reagent kits (Wako cholesterol 439-17501, Wako triglycerides 432-40201, Wako HDL-cholesterol 431-52501, and Wako glucose 439-90901, respectively, Wako Pure Chemical Industries Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). The atherogenic index was calculated as the ratio of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol to HDL cholesterol. Cholesterol and triglycerides concentrations in the egg-yolk, liver, and muscles (breast and thigh) were determined using the same reagent kits as those used for serum analysis.
Statistical Analysis
The experiment was conducted under the completely randomized design. Data were analyzed for using the Fishers protected least significant difference test. The NCSS (Number Cruncher Statistical System, NCSS Statistical Software, Kaysville, UT) Version 5.01 computer software package was used for all statistical analysis. All data are expressed as means ± SEM. Differences were considered significant at the level of P < 0.05.
| RESULTS |
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| DISCUSSION |
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In the present study, after 60-d feeding of a 0.04% R. capsulatus supplemented diet, triglyceride concentrations in egg-yolk and serum were reduced (16 and 11%, respectively), a significantly decrease compared with the control diet. Our previous study (Tsujii et al., 2007) also demonstrated that triglyceride concentrations in rat serum tended to decrease in the R. capsulatus supplemented diet after the 42 d of feeding period. In the study, the hypocholesterolemic effect of R. capsulatus was expressed after the 4 wk of feeding period in serum first, and then in egg-yolk; a certain period may be needed to accumulate hypocholesterolemic factors from R. capsulatus into blood stream. Higher level of carotenoids 4.2% (Kobayashi and Kurata, 1978) in R. capsulatus improved egg-yolk color where yolk-color was increased depending on the quantity of supplemented R. capsulatus in diets. It might be speculated that carotenoids from R. capsulatus can be well absorbed and transfer into yolk and markedly increase yolk color.
The hypocholesterolemic and other beneficiary effects of R. capsulatus demonstrated in this study were not clearly understood. However, R. capsulatus contains many known and unknown factors, which are speculated to be associated directly or indirectly with the hypocholesterolemic and other beneficiary performances of laying hens. In fact, R. capsulatus is a rich source of carotenoids (Kobayashi and Kurata, 1978); some of the carotenoids are known as hypocholesterolemic agent. Beta-carotene has a hypocholesterolemic effect in rats and seems to displace cholesterol in the transport of lipoproteins (Amen and Lachance, 1974). Yeum and Russell (2002) reported that carotenoid-rich diets are associated with reducing serum cholesterol concentration. Dietary carotenoids are absorbed by intestinal cells and incorporated into triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (chylomicrons) and released into the circulation. Triglycerides are depleted from circulating chylomicrons through the activity of lipoprotein lipase, resulting in the formation of chylomicron remnants.
Another mechanism through which R. capsulatus may exert its hypocholesterolemic action is via bile acids. The cholic and deoxycholic bile acids are produced from cholesterol by hepatocytes and are conjugated with glycine and taurine, respectively. These acids enter the small intestine, where they are absorbed and directed to the liver, and a decrease in bile acid recycling would ultimately result in a lowering of serum cholesterol concentration because cholesterol is used for bile acid synthesis (St-Onge et al., 2000). However, this study did not measure the amount of bile acid synthesis to support this speculation. Rhodobacter capsulatus may stimulate binding of cholesterol with bile acids, and inhibition of micelle formation combined with the effect of fermentation on short chain fatty acids production are mechanisms that have been proposed to explain the potential cholesterol-lowering effects (Jenkins et al., 1991). Rhodobacter capsulatus may change enzymes, which are associated in regulating cholesterol synthesis, oxidation, or elimination for lowering cholesterol in laying hens.
In conclusion, dietary supplementation of R. capsulatus decreases cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in serum and egg-yolk as well as increasing HDL-cholesterol concentration in serum and markedly improving yolk color. The supplementation of R. capsulatus in layer diets under the present study did not appear to cause any adverse effects on egg production and egg quality compared with the same parameters for the control laying hens. It is postulated that the known and unknown factors present in R. capsulatus are presumably responsible for the hypocholesterolemic effect on laying hens. Therefore, the dietary supplementation of R. capsulatus may lead to the development of low-cholesterol chicken eggs as demanded by health-conscious consumers.
Received for publication July 27, 2006. Accepted for publication November 10, 2006.
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