Effects of egg weight and in ovo injection of <i>α</i>-tocopherol on chick development, hatching performance, and lipid-soluble antioxidant concentrations in quail chick tissues
Lipid-soluble antioxidants can be more effective for chick development when provided via in ovo (IO) injection than when supplemented to the maternal diet. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of egg weight (EW) and IO injection of <i>α</i>-tocopherol on chick development,...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2018-04-01
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| Series: | Archives Animal Breeding |
| Online Access: | https://www.arch-anim-breed.net/61/179/2018/aab-61-179-2018.pdf |
| Summary: | Lipid-soluble antioxidants can be more effective for chick development when
provided via in ovo (IO) injection than when supplemented to the maternal
diet. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of egg weight (EW) and
IO injection of <i>α</i>-tocopherol on chick development, hatching
performance and lipid-soluble antioxidant concentrations in residual yolk sac
(RYS), liver and brain tissues of quail chicks. Eggs were obtained from quail
breeders at days 72 and 128 of age and incubated at 37.8 °C and 60 %
relative humidity. Each egg was numbered and weighed prior to
incubation, and the average EW of all eggs was 11.76 ± 0.05 g. The eggs
were divided into light (< 11.76 EW; EWL) and heavy
(> 11.76 EW; EWH) groups (148 eggs per EW). Each EW group was divided into two IO
groups: the control (non-injection) group and <i>α</i>-tocopherol group, in
which 3.75 mg of <i>α</i>-tocopherol per egg was injected into the yolk sac
followed by a 120 h incubation period. There were 64 eggs for each EW–IO
treatment combination (16 eggs per EW per tray). The chick and RYS weights were significantly lower in the EWL group than in the EWH
group. A significant EW by IO interaction suggested that IO increased the
eggshell temperature of light quail eggs. The non-injected light eggs had a
shorter hatching time due to the interaction of EW with IO. Hatchability,
embryonic mortalities, and the cumulative hatching rate were not affected by
EW or IO. The chick and middle toe lengths increased following IO
administration (<i>P</i> < 0.05), which indicated that IO administration had
positive effects on chick quality. However, shank length decreased following
IO administration with an unchanged relative asymmetry (RA). IO significantly
affected the absolute weights of the liver and heart and the relative weight
of the heart, which was lower in the <i>α</i>-tocopherol group than in the
control group. IO administration had no effect on total retinol and
carotenoid concentrations in the RYS, liver and brain. Vitamin E, <i>α</i>-tocopherol and <i>δ</i>-tocopherol concentrations in the RYS, liver and
brain were significantly higher in the <i>α</i>-tocopherol-treated chicks
than in the control chicks. The highest brain <i>α</i>-tocopherol
concentration was found in the <i>α</i>-tocopherol-treated chicks of the EWH
group, indicating a significant interaction between EW and IO. The highest
total lipid-soluble antioxidant concentrations were obtained following IO
<i>α</i>-tocopherol treatment (<i>P</i> < 0.05), in the order brain < liver < RYS,
but this pattern was not observed with <i>δ</i>-tocopherol. In conclusion, IO injection of <i>α</i>-tocopherol into the
yolk sac affected the concentrations of tissue-specific lipid-soluble
antioxidants in the RYS and tissues of newly hatched quail chicks, and EW had
effects on various parameters. |
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| ISSN: | 0003-9438 2363-9822 |