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Research Article
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Study the Effects of Different Levels of Energy and L-carnitine on Meat Quality and Serum Lipids of Japanese Quail |
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B. Parizadian,
M. Shams Shargh
and
S. Zerehdaran
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ABSTRACT
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Effects of various levels of energy and L-carnitine on meat quality and serum lipids of Japanese quail were examined. This experiment was carried out using 480 quails in a completely randomized design with two levels of energy (2900 and 3100 kcal kg-1) and three levels of L-carnitine (0, 250 and 500 mg kg-1) by factorial arrangement. Four replicates with 20 quails were allocated to each experimental treatment and birds were reared for 42 days. At the end of the experiment, two birds from each experimental unit were selected and after slaughter and separation of carcasses, thigh and breast samples were transferred to the freezer to asses meat quality parameters. The results showed that using of higher levels of energy increased the amount of blood cholesterol and triglyceride (p<0.05). The quails were fed with ration containing L-carnitine supplementation, had lower triglyceride in comparison with control group (p<0.05). Higher levels of energy increased the amount of crude fat and malonaldehyde in breast samples. The amount of malonaldehyde in breast samples after storage for 90 days and amount of crude fat and malonaldehyde in thigh samples after storage for 30 and 90 days were affected by different levels of L-carnitine, so that using of 250 mg kg-1 L-carnitine significantly reduced the amount of malonaldehyde in breast samples and crude fat and malonaldehyde in thigh samples (p<0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that the supplementation of diet with L-carnitine has positive effects on blood triglyceride and meat quality in Japanese quail.
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Received: April 24, 2011;
Accepted: June 25, 2011;
Published: August 08, 2011
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INTRODUCTION
Lipid oxidation is the primary cause of rancidity during frozen storage of
meat (Ryu et al., 2005). Skeletal muscle is particularly
susceptible to oxidative reactions, since it contains high concentration of
pro-oxidants (transition metals, haem containing proteins such as myoglobin,
hemoglobin) and lipid membrane which contain higher percentage of Polyunsaturated
Fatty Acids (PUFAs) (Kanner, 1994).
L-carnitine (β-hydroxy γ-trimethyl amino butyrate) is a water-soluble
quaternary amine that exists naturally in micro-organisms, plants and animals
and is required for the long chain fatty acid transfer from cytoplasm to mitochondrial
matrix for subsequent β-oxidation and energy production (Miah
et al., 2004). L-carnitine is used as feed additive in poultry diets
to increase yield and to improve feed efficiency (Rezaei
et al., 2007). Thus, L-carnitine supplementation to diets reduces long
chain fatty acid availability for esterification to triacylglycerols and storage
in the adipose tissue (Xu et al., 2003). Feeding
diets with supplemental fat to poultry can have distinct economic advantages
by providing increased energy levels at a lower cost. This is becoming a general
practice in poultry production (Russell et al., 2003).
Fats added to the diet of fast growing broilers are generally rich in PUFAs
(Lauridsen et al., 1997). Oils rich in PUFAs
have a higher metabolizable energy than animals fats because PUFAs are better
digested than saturated fatty acids (Blanch et al.,
1995). Increasing the PUFAs content of poultry diets increases the proportion
of unsaturated fatty acids in meat and other edible parts (Sarica
et al., 2007). Since lipid oxidation is a major problem in products
enriched with n-3 PUFAs, it can be a primary cause of quality deterioration
in meat and meat products (Lawlor et al., 2003).
L-carnitine has antioxidant properties. It functions by reducing the availability
of lipids for peroxidation by transporting fatty acids into the mitochondria
for β-oxidation to generate ATP energy (Nouboukpo et
al., 2010). This reduces the amount of lipids available for peroxidation
(Kalaiselvi and Panneerselvam, 1998). Furthermore, L-carnitine,
through its antioxidant properties, has been shown to increase the activity
and levels of antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and glutathione
peroxidase in the plasma of poultry (Neuman et al.,
2002).
Less study has been done to determine whether dietary L-carnitine supplementation
can influence the quail meat quality. Sarica et al.
(2007) reported that dietary L-carnitine supplementation (50 mg kg-1
of diet) decreased malonaldehyde amounts in the quail edible meat. The objective
of the current study was to determine the effects of different levels of energy
and L-carnitine on meat quality and serum lipids of Japanese quail.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This experiment was conducted using a 2x3 factorial design with two levels
of Metabolizable Energy (ME) (2900 and 3100 kcal kg-1) and three
levels of dietary L-carnitine (0, 250 and 500 mg kg-1) from Jun 8,
2010 to Nov 10, 2010 at Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural
Resources, Iran. In this study, 480 Japanese quail were randomly allocated to
six dietary treatments. Each treatment had four replicates with 20 birds per
cage (100x100 cm). Each cage was equipped with bell-drinker and a feeder. The
experimental diets were formulated to meet minimum nutrient requirements of
quails, as established by the National Research Council (NRC,
1994). The composition and the calculated nutrient content of the experimental
diets are presented in Table 1. Experimental diets (in mash
form) and water were provided ad libitum. House temperature was maintained
at 37°C for the first week and reduced 2°C weekly thereafter. A continuous
lighting program was provided during the experiment.
Sample collection: In day 42, 2 mL of blood was collected from jugular
vein from 8 birds in each treatment, then two quail from each pen, with body
weight similar to pen average body weight, was selected and slaughtered to determine
meat quality. The meet was separated manually from bone and then homogenized
using a blender with horizontal blades. Samples were then frozen and stored
in a freezer at -20°C until further analysis. These samples were analyzed
for moisture, pH, Water Holding Capacity (WHC), crude fat and 2-Thiobarbituric
Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS). Crude fat was calculated with using standard
methods outlined by AOAC (1990). Fat was extracted with
ethyl ether using a soxhlet apparatus.
Measurement of lipid oxidation: Lipid oxidation was measured by the
2-thiobarbituric acid distillation method of Tarladgis et
al. (1960) and results were expressed as 2-Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive
Substances (TBARS) in mg Malonaldehyde (MDA) kg-1 meat.
Table 1: |
Composition of experimental diets |
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Each kg of vitamin premix contained: Vitamin A, 3,500,000
IU: Vitamin D3, 1,000,000 IU: Vitamin E, 9000 IU: Vitamin K3,
1000 mg; Vitamin B1, 900 mg; Vitamin B2, 3,300 mg; Vitamin B3,
5,000 mg; Vitamin B5, 15,000 mg; Vitamin B6, 150 mg; Vitamin B9, 500 mg;
Vitamin B12, 7.5 mg; Biotin, 500 mg; Choline chloride, 250,000
mg and each kg of mineral premix contained: Mn, 50,000 mg; Fe, 25,000 mg;
Zn, 50,000 mg; Cu, 5,000 mg; I, 500 mg; Se, 100 mg |
TBARS values were measured on days 30 and 90 for raw quails thigh and breast.
Measurement of the water holding capacity: Water holding capacity was
estimated (Castellini et al., 2002) by centrifuging
1 g of the muscles placed on tissue paper inside a tube for 4 min at 1500 g.
The water remaining after centrifugation was quantified by drying the samples
at 70°C overnight. WHC was calculated as:
Measurement of moisture and pH: Moisture was determined using 1000C
oven for 16-18 h (AOAC, 1990). Meat pH was determined by
blending a 10 g sample in 100 mL distilled water for one minute and pH was measured
using a pH meter (Model Inolab pH level-1) (Ensoy et
al., 2004).
Serum lipids assay: Blood samples were centrifuged (at, 2,000x g for
10 min) and serum was separated and then stored at -20°C until assayed for
measuring serum lipids (cholesterol, High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and triglyceride)
using appropriate laboratory kits (Gowenlock et al.,
1988). Very Low-Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) cholesterol was calculated from
triglyceride by dividing the factor 5. The LDL cholesterol was calculated by
using the formula:
LDL cholesterol = Total cholesterol-HDL cholesterol-VLDL
cholesterol |
Statistical analysis: The data obtained from the experiment was analyzed
by using SAS (SAS, 1999) statistical programs with the
ANOVA. Significant differences among treatment means were separated using Duncan,
s multiple range test with a 5% probability (Duncan, 1955).
RESULTS Serum lipids: Effects of energy and L-carnitine on serum lipids of quails are presented in Table 2. The using of higher levels of energy significantly increased the amount of blood cholesterol, triglyceride and VLDL (p<0.05). The quails were fed with ration containing L-carnitine supplementation (250 mg kg-1) had lower triglyceride and VLDL in comparison with control group (p<0.05). The effect of L-carnitine on other serum lipids including, cholesterol, High-Density Lipoprotein (HDL) and Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL) were not significant (p>0.05). There was no interaction between energy density and L-carnitine level of diets in terms of serum lipids (p>0.05).
Breast meat quality 30 days after slaughter: Table 3
shows the effects of energy density and L-carnitine supplementation on breast
meat quality 30 days after slaughter. The effect of energy on breast meat quality
indexes such as WHC, pH and moisture were not significant (p>0.05).
Table 2: |
Effects of energy and L-carnitine on serum lipids of quail |
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Mean values in the same column with different superscript
letters were significantly different (p<0.05) HDL: High density lipoprotein,
VLDL: Very low density lipoprotein, LDL: Low density lipoprotein |
Table 3: |
Breast meat quality indexes 30 days after slaughter |
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Mean values in the same column with different superscript
letters were significantly different (p<0.05) |
But the effect of energy on crude fat and TBARS were significant (p<0.05),
so that quails were fed with ration containing 3100 kcal kg-1 ME
had higher amount of crude fat and malonaldehyde in breast samples 30 days after
slaughter (p<0.05). The effect of L-carnitine on breast meat quality indexes
such as WHC, pH, moisture, crude fat and TBARS 30 days after slaughter were
not significant (p>0.05). The interaction between dietary treatments were
not significant for breast meat quality indexes 30 days after slaughter (p>0.05).
Breast meat quality 90 days after slaughter: Table 4 shows the effects of energy density and L-carnitine supplementation on breast meat quality 90 days after slaughter. The effect of energy on breast meat quality indexes such as WHC, pH and moisture, 90 days after slaughter were not significant (p>0.05). But the effect of energy on crude fat and TBARS were significant (p<0.05), so that quails were fed with ration containing 3100 kcal kg-1 ME had higher amount of crude fat and malonaldehyde in breast samples 90 days after slaughter (p<0.05). The effect of L-carnitine on breast meat quality indexes such as WHC, pH, moisture and crude fat 90 days after slaughter were not significant (p>0.05). But the effect of L-carnitine on breast TBARS, 90 days after slaughter were significant (p<0.05), so that quails were fed with ration containing L-carnitine supplementation (250 mg kg-1) had lower amount of TBARS in comparison with control group (p<0.05). The interaction between dietary treatments were not significant for breast meat quality indexes 90 days after slaughter (p>0.05). Thigh meat quality 30 days after slaughter: Effects of energy and L-carnitine on thigh meat quality 30 days after slaughter are presented in Table 5. The effect of energy on thigh meat quality indexes such as WHC, pH and moisture were not significant (p>0.05). But the effect of energy on crude fat and TBARS were significant (p<0.05), so that quails were fed with ration containing 3100 kcal kg-1 ME had higher amount of crude fat and malonaldehyde in thigh samples 30 days after slaughter (p<0.05). The effect of L-carnitine on breast meat quality indexes such as WHC, pH and moisture 30 days after slaughter were not significant (p>0.05). But the effect of L-carnitine on thigh TBARS and crude fat 30 days after slaughter were significant (p<0.05), so that quails were fed with ration containing L-carnitine supplementation (250 mg kg-1) had lower amount of TBARS and crude fat in comparison with control group (p<0.05). The interaction between dietary treatments were not significant for thigh meat quality indexes 30 days after slaughter (p>0.05).
Table 4: |
Breast meat quality indexes 90 days after slaughter |
 |
Mean values in the same column with different superscript
letters were significantly different (p<0.05) |
Table 5: |
Thigh meat quality indexes 30 days after slaughter |
 |
Mean values in the same column with different superscript
letters were significantly different (p<0.05) |
Table 6: |
Thigh meat quality indexes 90 days after slaughter |
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Mean values in the same column with different superscript
letters were significantly different (p<0.05) |
Thigh meat quality 90 days after slaughter: Effects of energy and L-carnitine on thigh meat quality 90 days after slaughter are presented in Table 6. The effect of energy on thigh meat quality indexes such as WHC, pH and moisture were not significant (p>0.05). But the effect of energy on crude fat and TBARS were significant (p<0.05), so that quails were fed with ration containing 3100 kcal kg-1 ME had higher amount of crude fat and malonaldehyde in thigh samples 90 days after slaughter (p<0.05). The effect of L-carnitine on breast meat quality indexes such as WHC, pH and moisture 90 days after slaughter were not significant (p>0.05). But the effect of L-carnitine on thigh TBARS and crude fat 90 days after slaughter were significant (p<0.05), so that quails were fed with ration containing L-carnitine supplementation (250 mg kg-1) had lower amount of TBARS and crude fat in comparison with control group (p<0.05). The interaction between dietary treatments were not significant for thigh meat quality indexes 90 days after slaughter (p>0.05). DISCUSSION
Findings in this study are consistent with Rezaei et
al. (2007) who reported adding L-carnitine to diets significantly decreased
the level of serum Triglyceride (TG), cholesterol and VLDL in broiler chicks.
L-carnitine may increased fatty acid oxidation and thus reduced blood triglyceride
levels in quails. With increasing the transportation capacity of fatty acids
to inner mitochondrial membrane, the serum TG level was reduced. L-carnitine
supplementation to diets containing high level of fat, increases oxidation of
fatty acids and reduces the secretion of VLDL in liver, thus the level of serum
VLDL reduces.
Contrary to present study, Corduk et al. (2007)
reported that various levels of energy had no significant effect on the blood
parameters such as cholesterol and triglyceride. Furthermore, Arslan
et al. (2004) observed that L-carnitine administration via drinking
water did not influence serum total cholesterol, total lipid and triglyceride
of Japanese quail. The discrepancies between studies may result from different
levels of L-carnitine supplementation, basic carnitine levels in the raw ingredients,
the supply or absence of essential amino acids (Rodehutscord
et al., 2002), the possible effects of enzymatic breakdown of branched-chain
amino acids (Corduk et al., 2007), sparing effects
of carnitine with regard to its precursors (lysine and methionine), limited
intestinal absorptive capacity of carnitine and its considerable microbial degradation
in the intestine (Xu et al., 2003), interspecies
differences, age, sex, feeding programand the managerial or environmental conditions
of the animals (Celik and Ozturkcan, 2003).
In theory, dietary L-carnitine supplementation could play a role in reducing
undesirable carcass fat in poultry. It is suggested that if dietary fat sources
rich in long-chain fatty acids have been included in the diets at levels higher
than 10 g kg-1 and if different levels of L-carnitine were investigated,
the role of dietary L-carnitine supplementation in energy metabolism might have
been more evident, especially its effects on carcass parameters, abdominal fat
content and ether extract contents of total edible meat of quails (Rabie
and Szilagyi, 1998).
The abdominal fat and ether extract contents of total edible meat of the quails
might have been influenced by differences in the fatty acid composition of dietary
fat because L-carnitine has a key role in facilitating the transport of long-chain
fatty acids across the inner mitochondrial membrane for β-oxidation to
generate ATP, thereby reducing their availability for esterification to triacylglycerols
and storage in the adipose tissues (Rabie and Szilagyi,
1998).
These results are in agreement with findings of the previous study Sarica
et al. (2007). Sarica et al. (2007)
reported that feeding diets containing L-carnitine significantly decreased malonaldehyde
amounts in the edible meat. Also, various levels of energy had no significant
effect on the meat quality indexes such as pH and moisture. External factors
such as heat, trauma, infection, toxin and exercises can lead to increased free
radicals and other Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) (Halliwell
and Gutteridge, 1994). ROS, including hydrogen peroxide, superoxide and
hydroxyl, have the potential to induce considerable cell deaths via lipid peroxidation.
Decreasing MA amounts of edible meat observed in the present study in response
to L-carnitine supplementation might be attributed at least partly to an increased
rate of the transport of long-chain fatty acids into the mitochondria. Dietary
L-carnitine supplementation promotes the β-oxidation of these fatty acids
to generate ATP energy and improves energy utilization (Rabie
et al., 1997). Consequently, L-carnitine supplementation to diets
reduces the amount of long-chain fatty acids availability for esterification
to triacylglycerols and storage in the adipose tissue (De-Beer
and Coon, 2009).
CONCLUSION The supplementation of diet with L-carnitine has positive effects on blood triglyceride and meat quality by reducing MA amount in Japanese quail. But because of there are few research in Japanese quail, further investigation are required to identify the role of L-carnitine in the oxidation of long-chain fatty acids, its antioxidants properties and importance in energy metabolism in Japanese quail. ACKNOWLEDGMENT Research funded by Gorgan University of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Iran. We thank Mr. Mirshekar for technical assistance.
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