Effects of supra-nutritional levels of vitamin E and vitamin C on growth performance and blood parameters of Japanese quails

Figures & data

Table 1. Ingredients, chemical composition, and energy of the experimental quail diet (from 1 to 42 d of age).

	Diet from 1 to 42 d
Ingredients, %
Corn	56.32
Soybean meal, 44% protein	33.32
Soybean oil	2.86
Salt	0.35
Limestone	5.35
Dicalcium phosphate	1.31
Vitamin and mineral premix^a	0.30
DL-methionine	0.14
Choline, 70%	0.05
Calculated analysis, % as fed
Metabolizable energy, kcal/kg	2900
Crude protein	20.00
Calcium	2.50
Available phosphorous	0.35
Methionine	0.45
Methionine + Cysteine	0.76
Lysine	1.07

^a Supplied the following per kilogram of diet: Cu, 8 mg; Fe, 50 mg; Mn, 70 mg; Zn 50 mg; I, 1.2 mg; Se, 0.2 mg; vitamin A, 14,000 U; vitamin D₃, 4000 U; vitamin E, 10 mg; vitamin K₃, 3.2 mg; vitamin B₂, 6 mg; vitamin B₁₂, 16 µg; niacin, 40 mg; pantothenic acid, 10 mg; antioxidant, 30 mg.

Table 2. Growth performance of Japanese quails fed diets with different dietary levels of vitamin E and C.

Treatment
Vitamin E,	Vitamin C,	BW, g			ADFI, g			ADG, g			G:F
mg/kg	mg/kg	1 d	21 d	42 d	1–21 d	22–42 d	1–42 d	1–21 d	22–42 d	1–42 d	1–21 d	22–42 d	1–42 d
600	600	8.83	80.60^e	195.65^f	11.45^bc	24.06^bc	16.06^bc	3.42^d	5.48^cd	4.45^e	0.30^cd	0.23^b	0.28^c
600	800	9.05	81.45^e	196.75^ef	11.61^b	24.06^bc	16.10^bc	3.45^d	5.49^cd	4.47^de	0.30^d	0.23^b	0.28^c
600	1000	8.83	82.75^d	197.05^ef	11.61^b	23.95^bc	16.08^bc	3.52^c	5.44^de	4.48^de	0.30^bcd	0.23^b	0.28^bc
800	600	8.88	80.73^e	197.30^ef	11.45^bc	23.67^c	15.86^c	3.42^d	5.55^bc	4.48^de	0.30^cd	0.24^a	0.28^ab
800	800	8.98	85.53^b	198.23^de	11.30^c	24.05^bc	16.02^bc	3.65^b	5.37^e	4.51^cd	0.32^a	0.22^b	0.28^bc
800	1000	8.85	86.58^a	199.60^cd	11.51^bc	24.18^bc	16.19^b	3.70^a	5.38^e	4.54^bc	0.32^a	0.22^b	0.28^bc
1000	600	8.95	83.80^c	201.48^b	11.58^b	23.63^c	15.96^bc	3.56^c	5.60^ab	4.58^b	0.31^ab	0.24^a	0.29^a
1000	800	8.83	85.43^b	201.25^bc	11.50^bc	24.30^b	16.18^b	3.65^b	5.52^cd	4.58^b	0.32^a	0.23^b	0.28^ab
1000	1000	8.93	86.35^ab	205.48^a	12.08^a	25.19^a	16.70^a	3.69^ab	5.67^a	4.68^a	0.31^bc	0.23^b	0.28^bc
Main effect
Vitamin E
600		8.90	81.60	196.48	11.56	24.02	16.08	3.46	5.47	4.47	0.30	0.23	0.28
800		8.90	84.28	198.38	11.42	23.97	16.02	3.59	5.43	4.51	0.31	0.23	0.28
1000		8.90	85.19	202.73	11.72	24.37	16.28	3.63	5.60	4.62	0.31	0.23	0.28
Vitamin C
600		8.88	81.71	198.14	11.49	23.79	15.96	3.47	5.54	4.51	0.30	0.23	0.28
800		8.95	84.13	198.74	11.47	24.14	16.10	3.58	5.46	4.52	0.31	0.23	0.28
1000		8.87	85.23	200.71	11.73	24.44	16.32	3.64	5.50	4.57	0.31	0.23	0.28
SEM		0.10	0.21	0.37	0.06	0.12	0.06	0.01	0.02	0.01	<0.01	<0.01	<0.01
p values
Vitamin E		1.00	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	.02	<.01
Vitamin C		.57	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	.02
Vitamin E × C		.44	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	.01

BW: body weight; ADFI: average daily feed intake; ADG: average daily gain; G.F: gain to feed ratio.

^a,b,c,d,e,f Means within a column with different superscript letters differ (p < .05).

Table 3. Blood serum parameters of Japanese quails fed diets with different dietary levels of vitamin E and C.

Treatment
Vitamin E, mg/kg	Vitamin C, mg/kg	Glucose, mg/dL	Uric acid, mg/dL	Total cholesterol, mg/dL	Triglycerides, mg/dL	HDL cholesterol, mg/dL	LDL cholesterol, mg/dL	LDL/HDL	AST, U/L	ALT, U/L	ALP, U/L	Total protein, g/dL	Albumin, g/dL
600	600	228.50^a	5.90^a	183.00	293.00	150.25^d	25.50^d	0.16^d	150.25	36.75	155.00	9.73	2.41^e
600	800	225.00^a	5.42^bc	174.00	281.50	178.75^b	60.75^b	0.34^ab	149.25	34.25	150.25	9.82	2.45^de
600	1000	225.25^a	5.41^bc	172.00	273.75	183.00^a	62.25^ab	0.34^a	146.50	36.00	155.00	9.87	2.46^de
800	600	228.75^a	5.71^ab	179.50	288.75	157.25^cd	35.00^cd	0.22^cd	143.50	32.25	146.50	9.73	2.49^d
800	800	219.50^ab	5.31^c	170.50	273.50	163.25^cd	47.00^bc	0.28^cd	137.75	28.50	148.00	9.89	2.65^ab
800	1000	189.75^c	4.80^de	165.50	257.00	179.00^ab	64.50^ab	0.35^ab	133.75	26.75	147.75	9.91	2.58^bc
1000	600	226.75^a	5.63a^bc	178.25	288.25	155.25^cd	34.25^cd	0.22^cd	139.75	33.00	142.75	9.78	2.57^c
1000	800	208.00^b	4.89^d	173.75	261.00	167.00^bc	45.00b^cd	0.27^bc	132.25	29.00	149.00	9.90	2.63a^bc
1000	1000	185.25^c	4.45^e	164.50	253.50	182.50^a	68.25^a	0.37^a	133.00	25.75	141.25	9.96	2.66^a
Main effect
Vitamin E
600		226.25	5.58	176.33	282.75^a	170.67	49.50	0.28	148.67^a	35.67^a	153.42^a	9.81^c	2.44
800		212.67	5.27	171.83	273.08^b	166.50	48.83	0.28	138.33^b	29.17^b	147.42^b	9.84^b	2.57
1000		206.67	4.99	172.17	267.58^b	168.25	49.17	0.28	135.00^b	29.25^b	144.33^b	9.88^a	2.62
Vitamin C
600		228.00	5.75	180.25^a	290.00^a	154.25	31.58	0.20^c	144.50^a	34.00^a	148.08	9.75^c	2.49
800		217.50	5.21	172.75^b	272.00^b	169.67	50.92	0.29^b	139.75^b	30.58^ab	149.08	9.87^b	2.58
1000		200.08	4.89	167.33^b	261.42^c	181.50	65.00	0.35^a	137.75^b	29.50^b	148.00	9.91^a	2.57
SEM		2.65	0.08	3.49	3.61	2.95	4.45	0.02	2.75	1.70	2.59	0.01	0.02
p values
Vitamin E		<.01	<.01	.23	<.01	.24	.98	.95	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01
Vitamin C		<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	.02	.01	.85	<.01	<.01
Vitamin E × C		<.01	<.01	.87	.11	.01	.05	.09	.68	.40	.16	.11	<.01
Treatment
Vitamin E, mg/kg	Vitamin C, mg/kg	Calcium, mg/dL	Phosphorous, mg/dL	Creatinine, mg/dL	TSH, mU/mL	RBC, 10^6/mL	Hemoglobin, g/dL	MCV, fL	MCH, pg	MCHC, g/dL
600	600	14.30	8.70	1.96^a	1.07	5.22^d	15.25	146.98	49.67	40.27
600	800	15.33	9.45	1.52^bc	1.09	5.21^d	15.35	147.44	50.05	40.56
600	1000	15.35	9.50	1.44^cd	1.17	5.44^cd	15.40	148.37	50.42	41.00
800	600	14.50	8.85	1.90^a	1.21	5.41^cd	15.78	148.38	50.76	41.30
800	800	15.48	9.70	1.55^bc	1.26	5.70a^bc	16.20	149.98	51.43	42.11
800	1000	15.73	9.83	1.31^cd	1.31	5.91^ab	16.25	150.26	51.76	42.10
1000	600	14.78	9.28	1.92^a	1.26	5.46b^cd	15.88	149.11	51.04	41.67
1000	800	15.73	9.75	1.76^ab	1.35	5.99^a	16.08	150.07	51.75	42.40
1000	1000	15.83	9.88	1.21^d	1.37	6.13^a	16.28	150.63	51.85	42.47
Main effect
Vitamin E
600		14.99^b	9.22^b	1.64	1.11^c	5.29^b	15.33^b	147.60^b	50.04^b	40.61^b
800		15.23^ab	9.46^a	1.58	1.26^b	5.67^a	16.08^a	149.54^a	51.32^a	41.83^a
1000		15.44^a	9.63^a	1.63	1.33^a	5.86^a	16.08^a	149.94^a	51.55^a	42.18^a
Vitamin C
600		14.53^b	8.94^b	1.92	1.18^b	5.37^b	15.63	148.16^b	50.49^b	41.08^b
800		15.51^a	9.63^a	1.61	1.24^ab	5.63^a	15.88	149.17^ab	51.08^a	41.69^a
1000		15.63^a	9.73^a	1.32	1.28^a	5.82^a	15.98	149.75^a	51.34^a	41.86^a
SEM		0.14	0.11	0.06	0.03	0.10	0.21	0.52	0.17	0.23
p values
Vitamin E		<.01	<.01	.48	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01
Vitamin C		<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	<.01	.14	<.01	<.01	<.01
Vitamin E × C		.92	.41	.01	.82	.09	.91	.88	.78	.78

HDL: cholesterol linked to high density lipoproteins; LDL: cholesterol linked to low density lipoproteins; AST: aspartate amino transferase; ALT: alanine amino transferase; ALP: alkaline phosphatase; TSH: thyroid stimulating hormone; RBC: red blood cells; MCV: mean corpuscular volume; MCH: mean corpuscular haemoglobin; MCHC: mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration.

^a,b,c,d,e Means within a column with different superscript letters differ (p < .05).