Journal of Animal and Plant Research

Effect of Potenmic on Nutrient Digestibility and Energy utilization in Broiler chicks fed a Low Crude Protein-Metabolizable Energy Diet

Mushtaq Ahmad — 2025-07-23

The present study evaluated the efficacy of POTENMIC in improving nutrient digestibility and energy utilization in broiler chicks fed a reduced crude protein-metabolizable energy (CP-ME) diet. Conducted over 35 days at the University of Agriculture Peshawar, the trial employed 150 one-day-old broiler chicks distributed into five treatments: (1) Positive control (PC)with standard diet (22% CP, 3000 kcal/kg ME), (2) Negative control (NC)with low-protein diet (19% CP, 2900 kcal/kg ME), and (3–5) NC diets supplemented with POTENMIC at varying doses (NCPot1–NCPot3). Each treatment comprised three replicates (10 birds each), and birds were raised under uniform management conditions. Digestibility trials were conducted at 21 (grower phase) and 35 days (finisher phase) to determine crude protein (CP) retention and apparent metabolizable energy (AME) using total excreta collection methods. Dietary supplementation with POTENMIC significantly (P < 0.05) improved CP digestibility, with the highest values recorded in NCPot1 (21 days: 78.3%; 35 days: 82.1%) compared to NC (21 days: 70.5%; 35 days: 73.8%). Similarly, AME values were elevated (P < 0.05) in POTENMIC groups, particularly in NCPot1 (21 days: 2950 kcal/kg; 35 days: 3020 kcal/kg), underscoring its role in enhancing energy efficiency. The NC group exhibited the lowest nutrient utilization, confirming the challenges of low-protein diets. POTENMIC supplementation at 1 mL/1.5–3 L of water optimizes protein digestion and energy metabolism in broilers fed suboptimal diets, offering a viable strategy to reduce feed costs without compromising performance. This study provides critical insights into sustainable poultry nutrition strategies.

Effects of Rearing Systems and Dietary Regimens on Growth Performance, Carcass Yield, and Meat Quality of Japanese Quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Aqib Yaqoob Goraya — 2025-09-30

This experiment compared the impacts of cage and deep-litter rearing systems and three dietary plans (standard diet, energy-rich diet, and protein-optimized diet) on the growth performance, carcass yield, and meat quality of Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica). There were 720 one-day old quail chickens that were assigned to a 2x3 factorial with six treatment groups and four replicates per treatment (30 birds per replicate). The reared birds were 42 days old; growth parameters (body weight, feed intake, feed conversion ratio), carcass characteristics (dressing percentage, breast and thigh yield, abdominal fat), and meat quality parameters (pH values, color, water holding ability, tenderness, proximate composition, and sensory characteristics) were taken. The feeding system influenced the intake of feed and other parameters of activity substantially, whereas the diet plan had a great impact on the growth rate, carcass composition and meat proximal composition. Caged bird reared better than deep-litter in terms of body weight gain and feed conversion ratio, whereas deep-litter birds were more energetic and lean. The high-energy diet enhanced fat deposition and intramuscular fat leading to slightly reduced water-holding capacity and the sensory perception. The protein-optimized diet generated better yield in the breast muscle and low serum urea nitrogen (indicator of better protein utilization). There were major interplays between rearing system and diet in breast yield and meat tenderness. Comprehensively, the findings indicate that the rearing environment should be considered when formulating the diet in Japanese quail production to enhance the effectiveness of production and meat quality; the balance between the amount of energy and protein intake and housing must be optimized by the producer.

Effects of Methionine Supplementation on Growth, Productivity, and Health Parameters in Japanese Quails (Coturnix coturnix japonica)

Tariq Aziz — 2025-07-22

Methionine Amino acid that has a crucial role in synthesis of proteins, methylation and antioxidant protection of poultry. Japanese quails (Coturnix coturnix Japonica) due to their high productivity and economic status need optimum nutritional management to boost their performance. The present research is aimed at determining the impacts of different amounts of dietary methionine supplementation on egg production, growth performance, physiological parameters of health, and immune responses in Japanese quails. Two hundred and forty days-old quail chicks were assigned randomly and fed using four dietary treatments, namely, control (basic diet), and basic diets to which the control diet had been added 0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 percent methionine diet after six weeks. The parameters that were evaluated were body weight gain, feed intake, and feed conversion ratio (FCR), egg production characteristics, serum biochemical indices, and hematological indices, and antioxidant enzyme activities. Findings show that there was significant effect of methionine supplementation on body weight, FCR, egg production and percentages of hatching. Also, methionine increased serum proteins, decreased oxidative stress, and facilitated immune response. The best outcomes were attained with supplementation at 0.2%. These results indicate that moderate diets, which enrich methionine, positively improve the health and overall performance of Japanese quails.

A Safe Microbe No More? Emerging Antibiotic Resistance in Probiotic Bacillus subtilis

Akhtar Munir — 2025-08-16

Bacillus subtilis is a GRAS-type spore-forming bacterium that is prevalent in nature and gaining popularity in the probiotic supplementation. Although the one is non-pathogenic, recent research reports show alarming signs of antibiotic resistance (AR) features that can pose a risk to human health in terms of direct infection, environmental permanence, and horizontal gene transfer (HGT) to pathogens. This is a review that summarizes existing information on the AR mechanisms in B. subtilis, its transmission patterns, clinical significance, and regulation. We posit that its spores and unregulated use of probiotics make the bacteria a silent perpetrator in the worldwide antimicrobial resistance (AMR) epidemic. There is an urgent need to have an interdisciplinary cooperation across many fields, including microbiology, clinical practice, and policy, to reduce risks.