• Food Science of Animal Resources
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.1453-1461
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• 2024

The presence of cortisol residue in processed dairy milk may be a good parameter for assessing the quality of dairy milk products and an alternative indicator of the overall welfare of dairy cattle. Thus, this study investigated the impact of heat processing on milk cortisol concentration (MCC). In total, 36 milk samples (50 mL) were collected from three Holstein dairy cattle at a research farm over two consecutive days. The samples were divided into experimental groups: unheated, heated at 65℃ for 30 min, and heated at 121℃ for 5 min. Additionally, 11 commercial dairy milk products were purchased under three heating conditions: low temperature, low time (LTLT), ultra-short time (UST), and ultra-high temperature (UHT). MCC was analyzed using an enzyme immunoassay. The average farm MCC (ng/mL) for the unheated milk, milk heated at 65℃, and milk heated at 121℃ were 0.88±0.16, 0.86±0.19, and 0.80±0.15, respectively. MCC was not significantly affected by the heating process. The average market MCC (ng/mL) in LTLT, UST, and UHT were 0.16±0.07, 0.15±0.08, and 0.15±0.07, respectively. Overall, cortisol levels in fresh farm milk were unaffected by the heating process. Monitoring cortisol levels in processed milk could offer a valuable alternative indicator for assessing product quality and animal welfare, particularly when access to raw milk is limited.

• Journal of Animal Reproduction and Biotechnology
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.179-193
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• 2024

Background: Because oxidative stress can induce decreased quality of caprine semen during the storage, there has been limitation for the use of stored semen in the assisted reproductive technologies. The present study, therefore, assesses the potential of Annona muricata (A. muricata) to reduce semen storage associated-damages. Methods: Semen was collected by electro-ejaculation from ten bucks, and extended with Tris-egg yolk (TEY) supplemented with A. muricata leaf aqueous extract (SAE) at 20 (SAE20), 40 (SAE40), and 80 (SAE80) ㎍/mL. Sperm variables including motility, motion characteristics, viability, membrane functionality, and DNA integrity were assessed at different storage periods (6, 24, 48, and 72 hr). In addition, oxidative stress indicators in the extender supplemted with SAE were also assessed for each group. Results: By adding SAE at 80 ㎍/mL in TEY, the storage of goat buck semen was improved, resulting in reduced loss of sperm motility, viability, DNA fragmentation, and membrane integrity during chilled storage at 4℃ for up to 72 hr. In addition, enrichment of TEY extender with SAE significantly (p < 0.05) reduced malondialdehyde, an indicator of oxidative stress, compared to the negative control. Conclusions: Supplementation of SAE in TEY extender can reduce buck spermatozoa liquid storage associated damages due to oxidative stress.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.479-484
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• 2011

The study was conducted on 20 Holstein X Sahiwal cross bred dairy cows, with an average milk production of $2,752{\pm}113.79$ liters in $284{\pm}5.75$ days during a single lactation, that were divided in to two groups of 10 animals. We investigated the oxidative stress and antioxidant status during the transition period in dairy cows. In this study, plasma level of MDA was considered as an indicator of lipid peroxidation and SOD, catalase, GSH and GSHPx as antioxidants. The lipid peroxidation was significantly (p<0.001) higher in cows during early lactation as compared to the cows in advanced pregnancy. A significant positive correlation (r = +0.831, p<0.01) was determined between MDA and catalase in early lactating cows. In early lactating cows, blood glutathione was significantly lower than in advanced pregnant cows. However, early lactating cows showed non-significant negative correlation for all antioxidant enzymes with lipid peroxidation. In conclusion, dairy cows seemed to have more oxidative stress and low antioxidant defense during early lactation or just after parturition than advanced pregnant cows, and this appears to be the reason for their increased susceptibility to production diseases (e.g. mastitis, metritis, retention of fetal membranes etc.) and other health problems.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.706-711
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• 2022

Broiler chickens are exposed to various stresses throughout their lives, and those stresses affect their well-being and meat quality. Therefore, the farm breeding system is critical for reducing stress in broilers and improving animal welfare. This study was conducted to evaluate the difference between general farms and animal welfare farms and to evaluate feather corticosterone as an index for measuring stress. Samples of 28-day-old broilers (blood, feathers, and muscle) were collected from slaughter-houses, and corticosterone, along with HSP70, glycogen, and L-lactate, were extracted from feathers and serum as indicators of broiler stress levels and energy metabolism. The analysis results confirmed a significantly (p<0.01) higher feather cortisone level in the general farm group than in the welfare farm group, but no significance was detected for serum corticosterone. HSP70 levels did not differ in muscles and feathers. Glycogen levels were significantly higher in the general farm group than in the welfare farm group (p<0.01), but L-lactate levels showed no difference. Our results suggest that feather corticosterone can be used as an indicator to evaluate stress differences between general farms and animal welfare farms and that long-term stress can be assessed.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.16 no.7
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• pp.988-995
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• 2003

Physiological parameters were measured on six primiparous, non-pregnant Holstein cows prior to peak lactation over a 3-month summer season in southwestern Taiwan. The objectives were to characterize heat stress-induced change in functionality of mammary gland under natural climates of tropical summer and to establish physiological indices applicable to this environment in referring to this change. Environmental and physiological readings, milk and blood samples were taken at 15:00 h biweekly for totally five time points during the study. Climate readings showed that the afternoon humidex value reached the highest (53.5) around mid summer. Rectal temperature of cows taken simultaneously varied between $38.26^{\circ}C$ and $40.02^{\circ}C$ in parallel to humidex. Milk production declined drastically from 29.2 to 22.2 kg/d the first month entering summer but leveled up at end of the summer season suggesting effects exerted by heat stress rather than stages of lactation. Lactose content decreased linearly (p<0.05) with times in summer, from 4.69 to 4.38%. On the other hand, activity of N-acetylglucosaminidase (NAGase) in milk increased linearly to over two folds (p<0.05) during the same intervals. Elevations of fractional constituent of BSA in whey protein and serum cortisol level were also noticed in the course. Measurement of arteriovenous concentration (A-V) difference across the mammary gland demonstrated net uptake of glucose and net release of urea throughout the study period. The amount of urea released from mammary gland increased (p<0.05) progressively from 1.54 to 7.76 mg/dl during summer. It is concluded that gradual regression of mammary gland occurred along the humid tropical summer season. This regression is likely initiated through elevation of body temperature, which is irreversible above certain point. The increased release of urea from mammary gland during heat stress suggests its potential role as an early indicator of suboptimal mammary function.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.63 no.4
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• pp.815-826
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• 2021

The objective of the current study was to investigate the effects of stocking density (SD) and dietary supplementation of vitamin C on growth performance, meat quality, intestinal permeability, and stress indicators in broiler chickens. The study was conducted using a completely randomized design with a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement consisting of 2 different SD and 2 supplemental levels of dietary vitamin C. A total of 1,368 Ross 308 broiler chickens of 21 days of age with similar body weights (BW) were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 treatments with 6 replicates each. Different numbers of birds per identical floor pen (2.0 m × 2.4 m) were used to create 2 different SD levels of low SD (9 birds/m²) and high SD (18 birds/m²). The basal diet was formulated with no supplemental vitamin C to meet or exceed nutrient recommendations of the Ross 308 manual. The other diet was prepared by supplementing 200 mg/kg vitamin C in the basal diet. The study lasted for 14 days. At the end of the study, 3 male birds per replicate were selected to analyze meat quality, intestinal permeability, and stress indicators such as blood heterophil:lymphocyte (H:L) and feather corticosterone (CORT) concentrations. Results indicated that there were no interactions between different SD and dietary supplementation of vitamin C for all measurements. For the main effects of SD, birds raised at high SD had less (p < 0.01) BW, BW gain, and feed intake with increasing stress responses including greater blood H:L and feather CORT concentrations (p < 0.01) than those raised at low SD. Transepithelial electrical resistance in the jejunal mucosa was decreased (p < 0.05) at high SD, indicating an increase in intestinal permeability. However, the main effects of dietary supplementation of 200 mg/kg vitamin C were insignificant for all measurements. In conclusion, high SD of broiler chickens impairs growth performance and intestinal barrier function with increasing stress responses. However, dietary supplementation of vitamin C may have little beneficial effects on broiler chickens raised at the high SD condition used in the present study.

• Journal of Embryo Transfer
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.237-241
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• 2013

It is generally accepted that chronic stress impairs female reproduction. It negatively affects ovarian function and the number of ovulated oocytes. Chronic stress lowers the number of retrieved oocytes. Ovarian follicular development is regulated by both pituitary-derived gonadotropins and intraovarian regulatory factors. The main corticosteroids are cortisol, cortisone, 11-deoxycortisol and corticosterone, cortisol being one of the most commonly used welfare and stress physiological indicator. In this study, we investigated the effect of cortisol level on progesterone patterns and ovulation in the dog. Cortisol and progesterone level of serum were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. The day of ovulation was considered as the day when serum progesterone concentration was 6.0~8.0 ng/ml. In vivo dog oocytes were collected by flushing oviducts of mixed-breed bitches at three days after ovulation. We classified dogs as having group 1 (cortisol level, 0 ${\leq}$ or < $2{\mu}g/dl$), group 2 (corisol level, 2 ${\leq}$ or < $4{\mu}g/dl$), group 3 (cortisol level, 4 ${\leq}$ or < $6{\mu}g/dl$) and group 4 (cortisol level, $6{\mu}g/dl$ ${\leq}$). The patterns of progesterone were not different in four cortisol groups. The average numbers of retrieved oocytes was not different in four cortisol groups. These results suggest that different cortisol levels on estrus dogs do not affect ovulation, number of ovulated oocytes and progesterone changes.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.697-702
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• 2005

The aim of this study was to divide vocalizations of laying hens (Hy-Line Brown) into general vocalizations (GVs), heat stress-related vocalization (HSV), and cold stress-related vocalizations (CSVs) and to determine if they are classified by the discriminant function analysis method. Thirty laying hens, 65-wk-old, were recorded using digital video recorders 2 times from 10:00 to 14:00 h in each thermal environment (thermoneutral: $22.0{\pm}1.8^{\circ}C$, too hot: $32.0{\pm}2.0^{\circ}C$, too cold: $8.0{\pm}1.9^{\circ}C)$ after a 7 day acclimation period. When the laying hens were not recorded, they were kept in thermoneutral conditions. The GVs, HSV, and CSVs were divided based on the shapes of spectrums and spectrograms. The GVs, HSV, and CSVs were identified as 5, 1, and 3 types, respectively. Pitch, intensity, duration, formant 1, formant 2, formant 3, and formant 4 among the thermal environment-related vocalizations were significantly different (P<0.001). The discrimination rate determined by discriminant function analysis was 86.2%. These results suggest that HSV and CSVs are present and may be used as an indicator of the thermal environment.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.1207-1213
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• 2016

Heat stress negatively affects milk quality altering its nutritive value and cheese making properties. This study aimed at assessing the impact of seasonal microclimatic conditions on milk quality of Friesian cows. The study was carried out in a dairy farm from June 2013 to May 2014 at Beni-Suef province, Egypt. Inside the barn daily ambient temperature and relative humidity were recorded and used to calculate the daily maximum temperature-humidity index (mxTHI), which was used as indicator of the degree of heat stress. The study was carried out in three periods according to the temperature-humidity index (THI) recorded: from June 2013 to September 2013 (mxTHI>78), from October 2013 to November 2013 (mxTHI 72-78) and from December 2013 to April 2014 (mxTHI<72). Eighty Friesian lactating dairy cows were monitored in each period. The three groups of cows were balanced for days in milk and parity. Milk quality data referred to somatic cell count, total coliform count (TCC), faecal coliform count (FCC), Escherichia coli count, percentage of E. coli, and Staphylococcus aureus, percentage of fat, protein, lactose, total solid and solid non-fat. Increasing THI was associated with a significant decrease in all milk main components. An increase of TCC, FCC, and E. coli count from mxTHI<72 to mxTHI>78 was observed. In addition, the isolation rate of both S. aureus and E. coli increased when the mxTHI increased. The results of this study show the seriousness of the negative effects of hot conditions on milk composition and mammary gland pathogens. These facts warrant the importance of adopting mitigation strategies to alleviate negative consequences of heat stress in dairy cows and for limiting related economic losses.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.811-823
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• 2021

Objective: Eggshell color is an important indicator of egg quality for consumers, especially for brown eggs. Various factors related to laying hens and their environment affect brown eggshell coloration. However, there have been no studies investigating hepatic functions of laying hens with variable intensity of brown eggshell color. Therefore, this study was aimed to identify potential factors affecting brown eggshell coloration in aged laying hens at the hepatic transcriptomic level. Methods: Five hundred 92-wk-old Hy-line Brown laying hens were screened to select laying hens with different intensity of brown eggshell color based on eggshell color fans. Based on eggshell color scores, hens with dark brown eggshells (DBE; eggshell color fan score = 14.8) and hens with light brown eggshells (LBE; eggshell color fan score = 9.7) were finally selected for the liver sampling. We performed RNA-seq analysis using the liver samples through the paired-end sequencing libraries. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) profiling was carried out to identify their biological meaning by bioinformatics. Results: A total of 290 DEGs were identified with 196 being up-regulated and 94 being down-regulated in DBE groups as compared to LBE groups. The Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes (KEGG) analysis revealed that these DEGs belong to several biological pathways including herpes simplex infection (toll-like receptor 3 [TLR3], cyclin-dependent kinase 1, etc.) and influenza A (TLR3, radical S-adenosyl methionine domain containing 2, myxovirus [influenza virus] resistance 1, etc.). Genes related to stress response (ceremide kinase like) and nutrient metabolism (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxy-kinase 1, methylmalonic aciduria [cobalamin deficiency] cblB type, glycine receptor alpha 2, solute carrier family 7 member 11, etc.) were also identified to be differentially expressed. Conclusion: The current results provide new insights regarding hepatic molecular functions related to different intensity of brown eggshell color in aged laying hens. These insights will contribute to future studies aiming to optimize brown eggshell coloration in aged laying hens.