Efficacy of dietary supplementation of nanoparticles-chromium, chromium-methionine and zinc-proteinate, on performance of Japanese quail under physiological stress

Abstract

The effects of dietary Nanoparticles-Chromium, Chromium methionine, and Zinc-proteinate on performance, blood characteristics and meat quality of physiologically stressed quails were studied. The stress was induced by adding dexamethasone (0.6 mg/kg BW) to diet when quails were between 17 and 22 days of age. Three hundred one-day chicks were randomly assigned to five groups comprising four replicates of 15 birds: negative control diet (no-stress, no-additive), positive control diet (stress, no-additive), and stress additive diets which included three diets containing 800 µg/kg of Nano-Cr, 800 µg/kg Cr-met, and 60 mg/kg Zn-pro. Performance and hematological parameters were affected by physiological stress (p < .05), but were not affected by dietary Nano-Cr, Cr-met or Zn-pro. During the stress period, feed consumption was improved by Zn-pro supplementation. By the end of the experiment, the ultimate pH value of the muscle in stressed birds, which were fed on the Cr-met diet, was higher than those treated with NC, but pH values were not affected by the treatments. Diets containing Nano-Cr and Zn-pro caused a reduction in malondialdehyde concentration in the thigh muscle. In summary, 800 µg/kg of Nano-Cr and 60 mg/kg of Zn-pro can reduce the negative effects of stress on meat quality.

Highlights

• Dietary dexamethasone induced physiological stress in quails.

• The supplementation of 60 mg/kg of Zinc proteinate had positive effect on feed intake of birds under physiological stress.

• Dietary Zinc proteinate and Nanoparticles-Chromium increased meat oxidative stability in birds which experienced physiological stress.

Keywords:

• Distress
• dexamethasone
• performance
• meat quality

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge SANA^® group Co. (Tehran, Iran) for donating chromium methionine.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The study was funded and supported by the University of Tehran.