Abstract: Searching for new additives and nutritional strategies to improve broiler gastrointestinal functionality and consequently, animal performance, is an objective of many research centers and industries in the past decades. This search prompted new studies to identify biomarkers and develop new tools to evaluate the benefits of dietary additives and nutritional solutions strategies. An efficient biomarker must be strongly correlated to improvements in gastrointestinal functionality. Additionally, the biomarker should be stable, fast and easy to measure, preferably non-invasive and cost-effective. This review aims to show that the measurement of blood carotenoid level is a potential biomarker for broiler’s experimental trials, to evaluate nutritional additives as enhancers of gastrointestinal functionality and has a consistent correlation with animal performance and digestive efficiency. There are several factors that interfere with the bioavailability of carotenoids, then to use this biomarker it is necessary to isolate some factors such as diet and genetics, for example, to make it possible to consider changes in blood levels as an indirect measure of intestinal functionality. On the other hand, to extrapolate this measurement of blood carotenoid level to uncontrolled field situations, a wider range of variables should be evaluated so that it is possible to reach a similar conclusion regarding the health of the animals. PubDate: 16 November, 2023
Abstract: Beef farmers are faced with multiple production-related challenges which are complex. Although, Sanga and Zebu beef cattle are used in crossbreeding programs, deliberate efforts to improve polygenic traits are still limiting and, this is threatening their existence. Their potential to survive harsh conditions has not been genetically tested and proven, in the same vein, their meat characteristics are unknown. There is also a need to determine the relationship between farmers’ and consumer preferences for Sanga and Zebu beef. To solve such production-associated problems, there is a need to incorporate all factors which affect beef production when defining a beef breeding plan. There is thus, a need for research in areas such as feed resource utilization, maternal behaviour, greenhouse gas emission and thereof incorporate such information into breeding objectives. The balance between adaptive traits and economic traits in these animals is also unknown. Approaches such as the use of genomics to identify the expression of specific genes for particular diseases, behaviour attributes and other complex traits can be explored to produce beef with the required meat quality. Generally, Sanga and Zebu cattle have traits that compare favourably with other beef breeds, however, there is a need to synchronize selection and definition of breeding objectives to meet beef consumer demands on the market. Deliberate conservation of cattle genetic resources as well as improving productivity is germane. Consumer preference for these meaty breeds should predominate breeding objectives. Breeding goals and the development of a selection index for these breeds are germane. PubDate: 03 October, 2023
Open Access journal
