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Polyphenols in Animal Nutrition: Biological Effects

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A special issue of Animals (ISSN 2076-2615). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Nutrition".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 29206

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Susana Chamorro

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Guest Editor

Department of Genetics, Physiology and Microbiology (Animal Physiology Unit), Faculty of Biology, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, 28040 Madrid, Spain
Interests: nutrition and health; polyphenols; antioxidants; intestinal microbiota; metabolism; bioavailability

Dr. Carlos Romero

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Guest Editor

Universidad Católica de Ávila, Ávila, Spain
Interests: nutrition and livestock products quality

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plants and their biologically active constituents provide numerous opportunities for improving animal health. Among these constituents, the polyphenols which are also present in agro-industrial by-products display antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which may have potential in the prevention or treatment of oxidative stress. Another growing area of interest is related to the interactions between these bioactive compounds and the intestinal microbiota and, consequently, their antimicrobial and/or prebiotic potential. However, polyphenols might also interact with other nutrients and metabolites, thereby affecting nutrient efficiency and animal performance. To understand their biological effects and in order to optimize the health benefits without resulting in performance impairment, it is necessary to investigate the metabolism and bioavailability of polyphenols and to identify the bioactive substances that can reach target tissues.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a number of documents focused on the evaluation of the biological effects of polyphenols including health, productive performances, animal welfare, and the quality of their derived products. Papers dealing with the characterization of sources of polyphenols likely to be included in animal (farm and pet) diets, and the metabolism and bioavailability of polyphenols in different species will also be welcome.

Dr. Susana Chamorro
Dr. Carlos Romero
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Animals is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

polyphenols
animal nutrition
health
antioxidant
intestinal microbiota
bioavailability
metabolites
animal product quality

Published Papers (9 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 843 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Productive Performance, Egg Quality and Yolk Lipid Oxidation in Laying Hens Fed Diets including Grape Pomace or Grape Extract

by Carlos Romero, Ignacio Arija, Agustin Viveros and Susana Chamorro

Animals 2022, 12(9), 1076; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani12091076 - 21 Apr 2022

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 1899

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to assess in laying hens the effect of including grape pomace (GP, at 30 or 60 g/kg) or grape extract (GE, at 0.5 or 1.0 g/kg) on egg production, feed conversion ratio, protein and polyphenol digestibility, egg weight, egg quality, yolk fatty acid profile and oxidative stability of yolk lipids. No differences were detected among diets for egg production (83.8%, on average) or egg mass (56.8 g/d, on average). However, the average egg weight was lower (p = 0.004) for dietary treatments GP 30, GP 60 and GE 0.5 (67.5 g, on average) than for control hens (68.5 g). Accordingly, in hens fed the GP diets the proportion of XL eggs was lower (p = 0.008) than in control hens, while the proportion of M eggs was higher (p < 0.001) in hens fed the diets GP 30, GP 60 and GE 0.5 than in the control group. The dietary inclusion of both GP and GE decreased daily feed intake (120.9 vs. 125.3 g/d, p < 0.001) and the feed conversion ratio (2.09 vs. 2.18, p = 0.01). Feeding GP at 60 g/kg or GE reduced excreta protein digestibility (54.7 vs. 62.8%, p < 0.001), whereas all GP and GE diets showed higher excreta polyphenol digestibility than the control treatment (57.2 vs. 41.0%, p < 0.001). While yolk colour score was increased with all grape diets (8.12 vs. 7.34, p < 0.001), the dietary inclusion of GP, either at 30 or 60 g/kg, and that of GE at 1.0 g/kg increased the Haugh units of the albumen (80.8 vs. 76.4 Haugh units, p = 0.001). Shell thickness remained unaffected by dietary treatments (365.2 μm, on average). When included in the diet at 60 g/kg, GP reduced the proportion of saturated fatty acids in the yolk (31.6 vs. 32.9%, p = 0.001) and that of monounsaturated fatty acids (39.5 vs. 41.4%, p < 0.001), while it increased the percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (28.9 vs. 25.7%, p < 0.001). In fresh eggs, no significant differences were found for the malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration (0.146 mg/kg, on average). In stored eggs, the MDA amount was lower in the eggs of the laying hens fed GP at 60 g/kg than in the eggs of the control hens (1.14 vs. 1.64 mg/kg, p = 0.025). In conclusion, the inclusion of grape pomace, either at 30 or 60 g/kg, and grape extract at 1.0 g/kg in the diet of laying hens improved some egg quality traits, but feeding grape pomace resulted in a lower average weight of eggs. Nevertheless, feeding laying hens with diets containing grape pomace resulted in a higher antioxidant potential in egg yolk than dietary inclusion of grape extract. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyphenols in Animal Nutrition: Biological Effects)

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14 pages, 892 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Dietary Resveratrol Supplementation on Growth Performance and Anti-Inflammatory Ability in Ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) through the Nrf2/HO-1 and TLR4/NF-κB Signaling Pathways

by Hao Yang, Yingjie Wang, Mengru Liu, Xiao Liu, Yihan Jiao, Sanjun Jin, Anshan Shan and Xingjun Feng

Animals 2021, 11(12), 3588; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11123588 - 18 Dec 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2425

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of dietary resveratrol on the growth performance and anti-inflammatory mechanism in ducks. A total of 280 one-day-old specific pathogen-free male ducklings (Anas platyrhynchos) with an average body weight of 35 ± 1 g were randomly divided into two dietary treatment groups with different supplementation levels of resveratrol for growth performance experiments: R₀ and R₄₀₀ (0 and, 400 mg kg⁻¹ resveratrol, respectively). At the age of 28 days, 16 ducks were selected from each treatment group and divided into four subgroups for a 2 × 2 factorial pathological experiment: R₀; R₄₀₀; R₀ + LPS; R₄₀₀ + LPS, (0 mg kg⁻¹ resveratrol, 400 mg kg⁻¹ resveratrol, 0 mg kg⁻¹ resveratrol, 400 mg kg⁻¹ resveratrol + 5 mg lipopolysaccharide/kg body weight). The results showed that resveratrol significantly improved final body weight and average daily gain (p < 0.01) and alleviated the lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammatory response with a reduction in IL-1β and IL-6 in the plasma and the liver (p < 0.05). Resveratrol improved mRNA levels of Nrf2 and HO-1 and decreased the mRNA levels of TLR4 and NF-κB in duck liver (p < 0.05). Dietary resveratrol can improve growth performance and reduce inflammation through the Nrf2/HO-1 and TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathways in duck. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyphenols in Animal Nutrition: Biological Effects)

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11 pages, 285 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Hepatoprotective Effects of Vernonia amygdalina (Astereaceae) Extract on CCl₄-Induced Liver Injury in Broiler Chickens

by Bemela Mawulom Tokofai, Kokou Idoh, Oyegunle Emmanuel Oke and Amegnona Agbonon

Animals 2021, 11(12), 3371; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11123371 - 25 Nov 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2154

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Vernonia amygdalina leaf extract (VALE) on the carbon tetrachloride-induced hepatotoxicity (CCl₄) in broiler chickens. A total of 360-day-old broilers were divided into 4 treatments of 90 birds each consisting of 6 replicates of 15 birds each. The treatments were birds offered 1 mL/kg BW saline (control group), 100 mg/kg BW VALE, 1 mL/kg BW CCl₄ (CCl₄-treated group), and 100 mg/kg BW VALE + 1 mL/kg BW CCl₄ (VALE + CCl₄ group). Blood samples were collected at 42 days of age and analyzed for the liver enzymes: alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and selected biochemical parameters. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design. The results obtained showed that VALE had the potential to mitigate the adverse effects of CCl₄ on protein and lipid metabolism as reflected in the low serum malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, which is a marker of lipid peroxidation. The aqueous extract of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) at a dose of 100 mg/kg body weight showed a moderate hepatoprotective effect by reducing serum AST levels (p < 0.05). The levels of serum AST, ALP, ALT, and GGT were significantly increased in CCl₄-treated birds compared to the control group, reflecting carbon tetrachloride-induced liver damage. The VALE + CCl₄ group showed a significantly higher amount of ALP compared to birds treated with carbon tetrachloride, suggesting a hepatoprotective effect. To conclude, Vernonia amygdalina aqueous extract can be used to confer protection against hepatotoxicity, which can induce severe hepatocellular damage in birds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyphenols in Animal Nutrition: Biological Effects)

12 pages, 293 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Combining Grape Byproducts to Maximise Biological Activity of Polyphenols in Chickens

by Carlos Romero, Maria Nardoia, Agustín Brenes, Ignacio Arija, Agustín Viveros and Susana Chamorro

Animals 2021, 11(11), 3111; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11113111 - 30 Oct 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1401

Abstract

Grape seeds (GS) and grape skins (GK) are natural sources of polyphenols with antioxidant capacity. An experiment was conducted to investigate in chickens the effect of including GS and GK (40 g/kg), individually or combined in different proportions (20 g/kg GS–20 g/kg GK; 30 g/kg GS–10 g/kg GK; 10 g/kg GS–30 g/kg GK), in a corn-soybean diet on growth performance, ileal and excreta contents of total extractable polyphenols (TEP) and tannins, ileal digestibility of protein, plasma and meat α-tocopherol concentration and lipid oxidation (assessed by measuring the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, TBARS) of stored thigh meat. Neither growth performance parameters nor ileal digestibility of protein were affected by dietary treatments. As compared with control birds, chickens fed the grape byproduct diets showed higher ileal (p < 0.001) and excreta (p < 0.001) TEP and tannins contents. Dietary inclusion of grape byproducts increased α-tocopherol concentration both in plasma (p < 0.001) and in thigh meat (p < 0.01 at 1 d; p < 0.001 at 7 d), as compared with the control group. The highest plasma α-tocopherol concentrations were reached with the 30 g/kg GS–10 g/kg GK and 20 g/kg GS–20 g/kg GK combinations. On day 1 of meat storage, no differences on meat α-tocopherol concentration were found among the grape byproducts treatments but on day 7 of storage, the 20 g/kg GS–20 g/kg GK and 10 g/kg GS–30 g/kg GK combinations led to the highest α-tocopherol concentrations in chicken thigh meat. After seven days of refrigerated storage of meat, the TBARS value was lower in chickens fed the grape byproducts diets than in control birds (1.27 vs. 2.49 mg MDA/kg, p < 0.001). Moreover, among the different grape byproduct treatments, the lowest MDA values were reached with the diets containing GK at rates from 20 to 40 g/kg. In conclusion, dietary incorporation of 40 g/kg of GS and GK added separately or combined increased the plasma and meat α-tocopherol content. Furthermore, the combinations of GS and GK with a proportion of GK of at least 50% optimised α-tocopherol concentration both in plasma and in thigh meat and mitigated lipid oxidation in 7-day stored meat. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyphenols in Animal Nutrition: Biological Effects)

14 pages, 559 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Purple Corn Anthocyanin Affects Lipid Mechanism, Flavor Compound Profiles, and Related Gene Expression of Longissimus Thoracis et Lumborum Muscle in Goats

by Xingzhou Tian, Qi Lu, Shengguo Zhao, Jiaxuan Li, Qingyuan Luo, Xu Wang, Yangdong Zhang and Nan Zheng

Animals 2021, 11(8), 2407; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11082407 - 14 Aug 2021

Cited by 29 | Viewed by 3050

Abstract

The current study aimed to investigate the effect of anthocyanins on muscle flavor compound profiles in goats. Goats in three groups were fed a basic diet or a diet supplemented with 0.5 g/d or 1 g/d anthocyanin-rich purple corn pigment (PCP). Compared to the control group, plasma total cholesterol was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in the anthocyanin groups. The feeding of anthocyanin increased (p < 0.05) flavor compound types and total alcohol level, whereas it decreased (p < 0.05) total hydrocarbons, aromatics, esters, and miscellaneous compounds in the longissimusthoracis et lumborum muscle (LTL). Adding PCP to the diet enriched (p < 0.05) vegetal, herbaceous, grease, and fruity flavors compared to the control group. The 0.5 g/d PCP group had increased (p < 0.05) abundance of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, but there was a decreased (p < 0.05) level of lipoprotein lipase in LTL. Collectively, this study indicated that anthocyanin can improve mutton flavor by decreasing plasma lipid parameters and by modulating the abundance of several flavor-related genes of goats. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyphenols in Animal Nutrition: Biological Effects)

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14 pages, 296 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Annatto seeds as Antioxidants Source with Linseed Oil for Dairy Cows

by Jesus A. C. Osorio, João L. P. Daniel, Jakeline F. Cabral, Kleves V. Almeida, Karoline L. Guimarães, Micheli R. Sippert, Jean C. S. Lourenço, Francilaine E. De Marchi, João P. Velho and Geraldo T. Santos

Animals 2021, 11(5), 1465; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11051465 - 20 May 2021

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2893

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of annatto seeds, linseed oil and their combination on DMI, apparent total tract digestibility, antioxidant capacity and milk composition of dairy cows. Four lactating Holstein cows (120 ± 43 days in milk; 15.98 ± 2.02 kg of milk/day, mean ± SD) were allocated in a 4 × 4 Latin square with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement (with or without annatto seeds at 15 g/kg of dry matter (DM); with or without linseed oil at 30 g/kg of DM) and provided four different diets: control (no annatto seeds or linseed oil); annatto seeds (15 g/kg of DM); linseed oil (30 g/kg of DM); and a combination of both annatto seeds and linseed oil. Annatto seeds reduced DM intake, and milk yield, protein and lactose, but increased content of fat, total solids and short chain fatty acid, with no effect on total antioxidant capacity of milk. Linseed oil supplementation decreased medium chain fatty acid proportion and n-6/n-3 ratio, conversely it increased long chain fatty acids and n-3 fatty acid content of milk, ether extract intake and total-tract digestibility. Thus, linseed oil supplementation in dairy cow diets improved the milk FA profile but decreased milk fat concentration, whereas annatto seeds did not influence antioxidant capacity and depressed feed intake and milk yield. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyphenols in Animal Nutrition: Biological Effects)

15 pages, 819 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Flavonoids Extracted from Citrus aurantium on Performance, Behavior, and Rumen Gene Expression in Holstein Bulls Fed with High-Concentrate Diets in Pellet Form

by Montserrat Paniagua, Francisco Javier Crespo, Anna Arís and Maria Devant

Animals 2021, 11(5), 1387; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11051387 - 13 May 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1712

Abstract

Flavonoid supplementation may modify the behavior and rumen inflammatory response of fattening bulls, and this could be related to the concentrate presentation (mash or pellet) form. In the present study, 150 Holstein bulls (183.0 ± 7.53 kg BW and 137 ± 1.8 d of age) were randomly allocated to one of eight pens and assigned to control (C) or (BF) (Citrus aurantium, Bioflavex CA, HealthTech Bio Actives, Spain, 0.4 kg per ton of concentrate of Bioflavex CA, 20% naringin). Concentrate (pellet) intake was recorded daily, and BW and animal behavior fortnightly. Animals were slaughtered after 168 d of study, and ruminal epithelium samples were collected for gene expression analyses. Treatment did not affect animal performance; however, BF supplementation reduced agonistic interactions and oral non-nutritive behaviors and increased the time devoted to eating concentrate and ruminating activity (p < 0.05). The gene expression of some genes in the rumen epithelium was greater or tended to be greater in BF than C bulls (bitter taste receptor 16, cytokine IL-25, β-defensin; p < 0.10; pancreatic polypeptide receptor 1 and tumor necrosis factor alpha; p < 0.05). In conclusion, flavonoid supplementation modifies the expression of genes in the rumen epithelium that could be related to inflammation and animal behavior modulation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyphenols in Animal Nutrition: Biological Effects)

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Review

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26 pages, 3469 KiB

Open AccessReview

Growth Performance, Meat Quality and Antioxidant Status of Sheep Supplemented with Tannins: A Meta-Analysis

by José Felipe Orzuna-Orzuna, Griselda Dorantes-Iturbide, Alejandro Lara-Bueno, Germán David Mendoza-Martínez, Luis Alberto Miranda-Romero and Héctor Aarón Lee-Rangel

Animals 2021, 11(11), 3184; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11113184 - 08 Nov 2021

Cited by 19 | Viewed by 3004

Abstract

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of dietary supplementation with tannins (TANs) on productive performance, carcass characteristics, meat quality, oxidative stability, and blood serum antioxidant capacity of sheep through a meta-analysis. Using Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and PubMed databases, a systematic search was performed for studies published in scientific journals that investigated the effects of TANs supplementation on the variables of interest. Only studies with weaned or older sheep were included. The data analyzed were extracted from 53 peer-reviewed publications. The sheep included in the present study were between 2 and 6 months old, and between 12 and 31 kg of body weight. The effects of TANs were analyzed using random-effects statistical models to examine the standardized mean difference (SMD) between treatments with TANs and control (no TANs). Heterogeneity was explored by meta-regression and a subgroup analysis was performed for covariates that were significant. Supplementation with TANs did not affect dry matter intake, pH, color (L* and b*), Warner–Bratzler shear force, cooking loss and meat chemical composition (p > 0.05). Supplementation with TANs increased daily weight gain (SMD = 0.274, p < 0.05), total antioxidant capacity (SMD = 1.120, p < 0.001), glutathione peroxidase enzyme activity (SMD = 0.801, p < 0.001) and catalase (SMD = 0.848, p < 0.001), and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration in blood serum (SMD = −0.535, p < 0.05). Supplementation with TANs decreased feed conversion rate (SMD = −0.246, p < 0.05), and the concentration of MDA (SMD = −2.020, p < 0.001) and metmyoglobin (SMD = −0.482, p < 0.05) in meat. However, meat redness (SMD = 0.365), hot carcass yield (SMD = 0.234), cold carcass yield (SMD = 0.510), backfat thickness (SMD = 0.565) and the Longissimus dorsi muscle area (SMD = 0.413) increased in response to TANs supplementation (p < 0.05). In conclusion, the addition of tannins in sheep diets improves productive performance, antioxidant status in blood serum, oxidative stability of meat and some other characteristics related to meat and carcass quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyphenols in Animal Nutrition: Biological Effects)

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44 pages, 1664 KiB

Open AccessReview

Dietary Polyphenol Supplementation in Food Producing Animals: Effects on the Quality of Derived Products

by Valentina Serra, Giancarlo Salvatori and Grazia Pastorelli

Animals 2021, 11(2), 401; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/ani11020401 - 05 Feb 2021

Cited by 67 | Viewed by 8715

Abstract

The growing interest in producing healthier animal products with a higher ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fatty acids, is associated with an increase in lipoperoxidation. For this reason, it is essential to attenuate oxidative deterioration in the derived products. Natural antioxidants such as polyphenols represent a good candidate in this respect. The first part of the review highlights the occurrence, bioavailability, and the role of polyphenols in food-producing animals that, especially in intensive systems, are exposed to stressful situations in which oxidation plays a crucial role. The second part offers an overview of the effects of polyphenols either supplemented to the diet of monogastric and ruminants or added directly to meat and dairy products on the physicochemical and sensorial properties of the product. From this review emerges that polyphenols play an important, though not always clear, role in the quality of meat and meat products, milk and dairy products. It cannot be ruled out that different compounds or amounts of polyphenols may lead to different results. However, the inclusion of agro-industrial by-products rich in polyphenols, in animal feed, represents an innovative and alternative source of antioxidants as well as being useful in reducing environmental and economic impact. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polyphenols in Animal Nutrition: Biological Effects)

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