Heat detoxification of Jatropha cucas meal and its effect on productive and reproductive performance of quail

Youssef A Attia; Mayada R Farag; Mohammed A Al-Harthi; Fulvia Bovera; Adel D Alqurashi; Alessandro Di Cerbo; Mahmoud Alagawany

doi:10.1016/j.psj.2023.103072

Heat detoxification of Jatropha cucas meal and its effect on productive and reproductive performance of quail

Poult Sci. 2023 Dec;102(12):103072. doi: 10.1016/j.psj.2023.103072. Epub 2023 Sep 1.

Authors

Youssef A Attia¹, Mayada R Farag², Mohammed A Al-Harthi¹, Fulvia Bovera³, Adel D Alqurashi¹, Alessandro Di Cerbo⁴, Mahmoud Alagawany⁵

Affiliations

¹ Department of Agriculture, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.
² Forensic Medicine and Toxicology Department, Veterinary Medicine Faculty, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44111, Egypt.
³ Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Napoli Federico II, via F. Delpino,1, 80137, Napoli, Italy.
⁴ School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine, University of Camerino, Matelica 62024, Italy.
⁵ Poultry Department, Agriculture Faculty, Zagazig University, Zagazig 44511, Egypt. Electronic address: dr.mahmoud.alagwany@gmail.com.

Abstract

Jatropha is a large, multipurpose, drought-tolerant plant with many traits and great potential as a biofuel crop. It originates from Central America but is now distributed throughout the tropics, including Africa and Asia. The study determines whether the dietary inclusion of raw Jatropha cucas meal (RJM, 3.5%) had negative impacts on the reproductive and productive performances of male Japanese quail as well as whether these impacts could be mitigated by heating the jatropha meal at 100°C for 24 or 48 h (JH₂₄ or JH₄₈ respectively). One hundred twenty healthy mature male quails at the age of 12 wk were assigned randomly to 4 treatments. Every treatment had 6 replicates, with 5 birds per replicate. The RJM caused a considerable decline in fertility and a high mortality rate in quail, whereas heat-treated jatropha meal (JH₂₄ or JH₄₈) decreased these unwanted effects. The RJM significantly increased triglycerides, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), while reducing total protein and albumin. These values returned to normal in the JH₂₄ and JH₄₈ groups. The RJM significantly reduced the testosterone and increased estradiol and hepatic content of vitellogenin (Vtg) and estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) while they were normal in JH₄₈ group. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities, and the reduced glutathione (GSH) content in testicular tissues were significantly reduced in the RJM group when compared to control. Protein carbonyl (PC), malondialdehyde (MDA), and 8-hydroxy 2 deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) levels were significantly increased in the RJM group when compared to control. Heating of JM for 48 h reduced the 8-OHdG and MDA levels toward the control level better than JH24 and restored PC to normal. Based on the obtained results, The toxic components in JM could be eliminated through heat treatment, and extending the treatment duration to 48 h is recommended for transforming the potentially harmful jatropha meal into an alternative protein source for livestock nutrition.

Keywords: Jatropha cucas; heat detoxification; quail; reproductive performance.

MeSH terms

Animal Feed / analysis
Animals
Antioxidants
Chickens
Coturnix
Diet / veterinary
Hot Temperature
Jatropha*
Quail*

Substances

Antioxidants