Muhammad Asnan

Context: Optimizing dietary energy supply is critical for enhancing growth efficiency and reproductive development in replacement heifers under practical farm conditions. Aims: The current study offers information regarding the impacts of dietary energy inclusion on growth performance, nutrient digestibility, follicular development, as well as economics in Sahiwal and crossbred heifers. Methods: A total of 24 heifers comprising 12 Sahiwal and 12 crossbred replacement heifers, aged 18 ± 2 months with a bodyweight of 250 ± 10 kg, were divided into a 2 × 3 factorial with four animals each over 42 days, including a 2-week adaptation period. Three isonitrogenous and calorie-dense total mixed rations were developed with 10%, 15% and 20% molasses. The data on weight gain, dry matter consumption, feed ratio, digestibility, and folliculogenesis was collected during the study. Experimental data were collected and analyzed using ANOVA in Minitab. Key results: The results indicated that increased energy supplementation contributed majorly (P < 0.05) to increased dry matter intake, improved bodyweight gain, and nutrient utilization. Major differences in nutrient digestibility were found between breeds (P < 0.05). Moreover, folliculogenesis (P < 0.05) was positively affected by energy-rich diets, which showed the effect of reproductive readiness of growing heifers. Higher energy diets had an economic effect by increasing the total feed cost and cost per unit gain and decreasing the overall performance index. Conclusions: Higher dietary energy improves biological performance and follicular development in heifers; however, excessive energy supply compromises feed efficiency and economic returns. Implications: Moderate dietary energy levels appear most suitable for balancing growth, reproductive development, and economic efficiency in replacement heifers under practical farm management.

The aim of this experiment was to investigate the efficacy of phytobiotic supplementation (PS), consisting on Allium sativum, Calendula officinalis, Echinacea purpurea, Emblica officinalis, Ocimum sanctum, powdered American ginseng, Withania somnifera active ingredients, on growth performance, acquired immunity, blood metabolites, carcass characteristics and nutrient digestibility of broiler birds. Two hundred and sixty, day-old broiler chicks (Ross-308) were divided into five treatments (T0; 0, T1; 0.75, T2; 1, T3; 1.25 and T4; 1.5 mL L-1 concentrations of PS in drinking water, respectively. Broiler growth performance was recorded weekly. Two birds from each replicate were slaughtered on day 21st and 35th to evaluate antibody titers, immune organ index (thymus, bursa and spleen). Samples for blood metabolites, carcass characteristics, nutrient digestibility and bone mineralization were collected on the 35th day. Collected data was analyzed using analysis of variance under a completely randomized design. PS had improved (P

Necrotic enteritis is an important disease of poultry that causes economic loss to the broiler industry. Clostridium perfringens is an important bacterium that is responsible for causing necrotic enteritis. Antibiotics are mainly used to control C. perfringens but due to resistance antibiotics are banned in many countries like Canada, Hong Kong, and the European Union. Many alternatives such as probiotics, essential oils, and postbiotics have been developed to control C. perfringens. Among them, probiotics are very important because they can increase beneficial bacteria in the intestine, create a competitive environment in the gut region, and prevent the adhesion and colonization of pathogenic bacteria such as C. perfringens. Probiotics cause immune system modulation, reducing inflammatory markers such as cytokines. Lactobacillus based probiotics also cause weight gain, improve feed conversion ratio, and decrease mortality in poultry which in turn increase profit margin. Several studies have reported that when poultry populations were challenged with C. perfringens then these probiotics prevented intestinal lesions, provided anti-inflammatory effects to the intestine, prevented damage to the villi, and did not allow C. perfringens to form its colony in the intestine. The main aim of this review paper is to explain the updated information on necrotic enteritis, the damages caused to the gut, and the mechanism of actions through which Lactobacilli work against C. perfringens.

About one-third of the global food supply is wasted. Brewers’ spent grain (BSG), being produced in enormous amounts by the brewery industry, possesses an eminence nutritional profile, yet its recycling is often neglected for multiple reasons. We employed integrated metagenomics and metabolomics techniques to assess the effects of enzyme treatments and Lactobacillus fermentation on the antioxidant capacity of BSG. The biotreated BSG revealed improved antioxidant capability, as evidenced by significantly increased (p < 0.05) radical scavenging activity and flavonoid and polyphenol content. Untargeted metabolomics revealed that Lactobacillus fermentation led to the prominent synthesis (p < 0.05) of 15 novel antioxidant peptides, as well as significantly higher (p < 0.05) enrichment of isoflavonoid and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathways. The correlation analysis demonstrated that Lactiplantibacillus plantarum exhibited strong correlation (p < 0.05) with aucubin and carbohydrate-active enzymes, namely, glycoside hydrolases 25, glycosyl transferases 5, and carbohydrate esterases 9. The fermented BSG has potential applications in the food industry as a culture medium, a functional food component for human consumption, and a bioactive feed ingredient for animals.