Cuban Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 56, No. 2, April-June, 2022, ISSN: 2079-3480
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CU-ID: https://cu-id.com/1996/v56n2e07
Animal Science

Digestive and carcass indicators of Rhode Island Red chickens, which intake processed Mucuna pruriens, in two rearing systems. Technical note

 

iDMadeleidy Martínez-Pérez1Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Carretera Central km 47 ½, Apartado Postal 24, San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, Cuba *✉:mademar@ica.co.cu

iDL. Sarmiento-Franco2Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (CCBA), Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, km 15.5, Carretera Mérida-Xmatkuil. Mérida, Yucatán, México

iDR.H. Santos-Ricalde2Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (CCBA), Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, km 15.5, Carretera Mérida-Xmatkuil. Mérida, Yucatán, México

iDMagaly Herrera Villafranca1Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Carretera Central km 47 ½, Apartado Postal 24, San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, Cuba

iDY. Londres Silot1Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Carretera Central km 47 ½, Apartado Postal 24, San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, Cuba


1Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Carretera Central km 47 ½, Apartado Postal 24, San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, Cuba

2Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (CCBA), Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, km 15.5, Carretera Mérida-Xmatkuil. Mérida, Yucatán, México

 

* Email:mademar@ica.co.cu

ABSTRACT

Digestive and carcass indicators are studied in Rhode Island Red chickens in two rearing systems. A total of 120 animals were used, which intake a diet with 15 % of processed Mucuna pruriens, distributed according to a completely random design. Two treatments were established: rearing in captivity and free, with grazing on native vegetation. A total of 30 birds per treatment were sacrificed. The carcass, gastrointestinal tract, gizzard, and empty small and large intestines were weighed. The weight of the small and large intestine increased 0.72 g/kg of live weight in the animals that had free access to grazing. The rest of the indicators did not differ between treatments. It is concluded that the free rearing of Rhode Island Red chickens, which intake processed Mucuna pruriens, modifies the organ related to fiber digestion. This is due to the intake of native vegetation, and does not influence on carcass yield.

Key words: 
birds, captivity, free, treated mucuna, gastrointestinal tract, carcass yield

Received: 29/6/2021; Accepted: 29/4/2022

Conflict of interests: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest between them.

Author’s contribution: M. Martínez-Pérez: Research, Methodology, Writing - original draft. L. Sarmiento-Franco: Conceptualization, Acquisition of funds, Research. R. H. Santos-Ricalde: Conceptualization, Acquisition of funds, research. M. Herrera-Villafranca: Formal analysis. Y. London Silot: Formal Analysis.

CONTENT

The continuous growth of the population in the world has a great challenge for the supply of proteins. According to Evaris et al. (2020)Evaris, E. F., Sarmiento-Franco, L. & Castro, C. S. 2020. “Productive performance and carcass yield of egg type male chickens raised with outdoor access in the tropics”. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 52: 3225-3232, ISSN: 1573-7438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11250-020-02348-w. , the poultry industry is the largest sector of agriculture, representing the main source of animal protein for many countries. In recent years, consumer interest in chicken meat that comes from alternative rearing systems, such as free rearing has grown. These animals, which are generally from local lines, exclusively intake food from plant origin, and the use of growth promoters is prohibited in their rearing. In this type of system, the stress of the growing birds is reduced, which contributes to improving the quality of meat (Faria et al. 2012Faria, P.B., Vieira, J.O., Souza, X.R., Rocha, M.F.M. & Pereira, A.A. 2012. “Quality of broiler meat of the free-range type submitted to diets containing alternative feedstuffs”. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia. 64(2): 389-396, ISSN: 1678-4162. Available: https://www.bvs-vet.org.br/vetindex/periodicos/arquivo-brasileiro-de-medicina-veterinaria-e-zoote/64-(2012)-2/qualidade-da-carne-de-frangos-de-corte-do-tipo-caipira-submetidos-a-di/. ).

The use of feed with the use of alternative raw matters is a way to adequately and economically replace the traditional foods used in poultry farming. Legumes, such as mucuna (Mucuna pruriens), could make chicken production viable in free-range rearing systems. These plants have an acceptable nutritional quality, in addition to the possibility of using different methods to reduce their antinutritional factors (ANFs) (Sarmiento-Franco et al. 2019Sarmiento-Franco, L., López-Sántiz, F., Santos-Ricalde, R. & Sandoval-Castro, C. 2019. “Mucuna pruriens seeds given in broiler diets on growth performance and carcass yield”. Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios, 6(16): 121-127, ISSN: 2007-901X. http://dx.doi.org/10.19136/era.a6n16.1815. ). The objective of this research was to study digestive and carcass indicators in Rhode Island Red chickens, which intake a diet with 15 % processed Mucuna pruriens, in two rearing systems.

A total of 120 one-day-old male Rhode Island Red chickens were used. They were housed in 10 metal cages on the floor (2 m2), with a wood chip bed, with 12 birds each. The first four weeks, the animals were kept under artificial light for 24 hours. From the seventh, the birds from five cages had free access to the grazing area during the day (08:00 - 17:00 h), while the rest remained in captivity. The dimensions of the paddock were 24 m2, there where shrubs and native vegetation, typical of warm, subhumid climate conditions (AW0), in Yucatan, Mexico. The chickens were vaccinated against Newcastle, pox and Gumboro.

The experimental treatments consisted of rearing the animals in captivity and free, with grazing on native vegetation. Diet and water were supplied in an ad-libitum feeding system. Circular feeders and automatic plastic drinkers were used, respectively.

The grains of M. pruriens, ash variety, were processed according to Sarmiento-Franco et al. (2019)Sarmiento-Franco, L., López-Sántiz, F., Santos-Ricalde, R. & Sandoval-Castro, C. 2019. “Mucuna pruriens seeds given in broiler diets on growth performance and carcass yield”. Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios, 6(16): 121-127, ISSN: 2007-901X. http://dx.doi.org/10.19136/era.a6n16.1815. methodology: soaking in water for 24 h in plastic trays (1:10) (L/W) and then cooking at 100 °C for 60 min. Then, they were dried in an oven at 60 °C for 72 h and milled in a hammer mill (JF 2D, Brazil) until reaching a particle size of 3 mm. They were stored in nylon bags until their use. The chemical composition of the processed mucuna was: dry matter (DM) 90.53 %, crude protein (CP) 27.24 %, gross energy (GE) 16.45 MJ/kg, acid detergent fiber (ADF) 13.05 %, neutral detergent fiber (NDF) 27.22 %, total phenols 2.46 % and tannins 0.37 %.

The experiment was carried out for 17 weeks and was divided into stages. At the starting (one to six weeks of age), commercial balanced starter food was offered: crude protein (CP) 20 %, ether extract (EE) 2 %, crude fiber (CF) 7 %, moisture 12 %, ashes 6 % and nitrogen free extract (NFE) 53 %). From seven weeks of age and up to 14 weeks, a diet that included processed grain meal of M. pruriens was prepared. Its formulation was carried out according to the NRC (1994)NRC (National Research Council). 1994. Nutrient Requirements of Poultry. Ninth revised edition. Washington D.C. Editorial National Academic Press. 176 p, ISBN: 978-0-309-04892-7. https://doi.org/10.17226/2114. requirements. Table 1 shows the chemical composition of the meal. From this stage, and up to 17 weeks of age, finished commercial balanced food was offered for chickens (CP 18 %, EE 2 %, CF 6 %, humidity 12 %, ashes 9 % and NFE 53 %).

Table 1.  Chemical composition of the diet corresponding to the period from 7 to 14 weeks of age for Rhode Island Red chickens
Raw matter Composition, %
Corn meal 59.04
Soybean cake meal 22.04
Processed mucuna meal 15.00
Soybean oil 1.05
Dicalcium phosphate 0.86
Calcium carbonate 1.50
Common salt 0.28
Coccidiostatic 0.05
Mycotoxin binder 0.10
Vitamins1 premixture 0.03
Minerals2 premixture 0.05
Total 100.00
Calculated contributions, %
CP 18.03
ME (MJ/kg) 12.72
Ca 0.83
P 0.35

1Content kg-1: vitamin A 8000 UI, D 2500 UI, E 8 UI, K 2 mg, B12 0.002 mg, riboflavin 5.5 mg, calcium pantothenate 13 mg, niacin 36 mg, choline 500 mg, folic acid 0.5 mg, thiamin 1 mg, piridoxine 2.2 mg, biotin 0.05 mg.

2Content kg-1 of diet: manganese 65 mg, iodine 1 mg, iron 55 mg, copper 6 mg, zinc 55 mg, selenium 0.3 mg

For the analysis of the digestive and carcass indicators, a total of 30 animals of 17 weeks of age per treatment were selected. They were sacrificed by the jugular vein incision method. From each cage, three birds were random selected and the animal represented the experimental unit.

After slaughter, the abdominal cavity was opened and the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) organs were removed. The digestive content was manually removed and subsequently, the entire GIT, gizzard, empty small intestine (SI) and large intestine (LI) were weighed. Results were expressed as relative to live weight (LW, g/kg LW).

The carcass was separated from the feathers, head and legs. It was weighed on a digital scale (SARTORIUS, Germany). With these data, the yield was calculated, according to the equation:

C a r c a s s   y i e l d % = C a r c a s s   w e i g t h ( k g ) L i v e   w e i g t h   b e f o r e   s l a u g h t e r ( k g ) × 10 0  

Analysis of variance was performed according to a completely random design. The t Student’s test was used for p<0.05. The statistical package INFOSTAT (Di Rienzo et al. 2012Di Rienzo, J.A., Casanoves, F., Balzarini, M.G., Gonzalez, L., Tablada, M., Robledo, C.W. InfoStat versión 2012. Grupo InfoStat, FCA, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina. Available: http://www.infostat.com.ar.) was applied for data analysis.

Table 2 shows the relative weights of the empty digestive organs of the GIT and those of the carcass of Rhode Island Red chickens in the two rearing systems. There were not differences between treatments for the indicators under study, except in the LI weight, which was higher for the birds that were free.

Table 2.  Digestive and carcass indicators of Rhode Island Red chickens, which intake processed Mucuna pruriens, in two rearing systems
Indicators Captivity Free SE ± p-Value
Live weight, kg 2.25 2.21 0.03 0.4188
Gastrointestinal tract, g/kg 95.38 93.60 3.03 0.6823
Gizzard, g/kg 21.56 21.83 3.75 0.8923
Small intestine, g/kg 19.34 20.34 0.64 0.2815
Large intestine, g/kg 5.11 5.83 0.22 0.0276
Carcass weight , g/kg 650.35 646.94 3.75 0.5231
Carcass yield, % 65.04 64.69 0.38 0.5225

Values between columns significantly differ at p < 0.05

The higher LI weight for chickens raised free could be related to the intake of native vegetation. This has in its cell walls cellulose, non-starch polysaccharides, pectin and lignin, which are part of the fibrous fraction in vegetables. Birds have adaptive characteristics that allow them to make use of the fibrous components, digested mainly in the caecum of the animals, since the caecal flora is stimulated.

According to Elling-Staats et al. (2022)Elling-Staats, M.L., Gilbert, M.S., Smidt, H. & Kwakkel, R.P. 2022. “Caecal protein fermentation in broilers: a review”. World's Poultry Science Journal, 78(1): 103-123, ISSN: 1743-4777. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00439339.2022.2003170. , in birds there are two sac-shaped caecum, which are at the junction of the ileum with the colon. At least 13 different types of bacteria live in them: 90 % is represented by Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. As a final product, short-chain fatty acids are generated, mainly acetate; in addition to propionate and butyrate. These contribute to cover between 11-18 % of the energy needed for avian basal metabolism. They are regulators of the immune system and cell proliferation. Butyrate also acts as an energy source for colonocytes (Williams et al. 2019Williams, B.A., Mikkelsen, D., Flanagan, B.M. & Gidley, M.J. 2019. “Dietary fibre: moving beyond the “soluble/insoluble” classification for monogastric nutrition, with an emphasis on humans and pigs”. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 10: 45-57, ISSN: 2049-1891. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40104-019-0350-9. ). As a result, the walls weight of this section of the digestive tract eventually increases (Adebowale et al. 2019Adebowale, T.O., Yao, K. & Oso, A.O. 2019. “Major cereal carbohydrates in relation to intestinal health of monogastric animals: A review”. Animal Nutrition, 5: 331-339, ISSN: 2405-6383. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2019.09.001. ).

The rest of the relative weights of the different sections of the GIT did not vary between treatments. Akinmutimi and Okwu (2006)Akinmutimi, A.H. & Okwu, N.D. 2006. “Effect of Quantitative Substitution of Cooked Mucuna utilis Seed Meal for Soybean Meal in Broiler Finisher Diet”. International Journal of Poultry Science, 5(5): 477-481, ISSN: 1682-8356. http://dx.doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2006.477.481. did not observe differences for the weights of the digestive organs, when using cooked mucuna in the finishing stage of broiler chickens. This comparison suggests that the residual FANs and the fibrous fraction of mucuna do not exert observable effects on the digestive organs, which occurred thanks to the processing to which the seed was subjected. According to Sarmiento-Franco et al. (2019)Sarmiento-Franco, L., López-Sántiz, F., Santos-Ricalde, R. & Sandoval-Castro, C. 2019. “Mucuna pruriens seeds given in broiler diets on growth performance and carcass yield”. Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios, 6(16): 121-127, ISSN: 2007-901X. http://dx.doi.org/10.19136/era.a6n16.1815. , when mucuna grains are soaked in water and subsequently cooked, the concentration of L-DOPA and other toxic metabolites is reduced to 41 %.

Carcass yield did not differ between treatments. Similar results were obtained by Evaris et al. (2020)Evaris, E. F., Sarmiento-Franco, L. & Castro, C. S. 2020. “Productive performance and carcass yield of egg type male chickens raised with outdoor access in the tropics”. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 52: 3225-3232, ISSN: 1573-7438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11250-020-02348-w. , when they used Rhode Island Red chickens in a free system with corn-soybean-based diets. Free-range systems are known to improve poultry welfare (Chen et al. 2018Chen, S., Xiang, H., Zhu, X., Zhang, H., Wang, D., Liu, H., Wang, J., Yin, T., Liu, L., Kong, M., Zhang, J., Ogura, S. & Zhao, X. 2018. “Free dietary choice and free-range rearing improve the product quality, gait score, and microbial richness of chickens”. Animals, 8(6): 84-97, ISSN: 2076-2615. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani8060084. ). However, the results regarding the quality of the final products and productivity are still contradictory. Additional studies in this area are needed to obtain more details.

It is evident that, in the diets of this genetic line, the use of alternative foods, such as processed mucuna, does not have a marked influence on carcass indicators. Similar results were obtained by Faria et al. (2012)Faria, P.B., Vieira, J.O., Souza, X.R., Rocha, M.F.M. & Pereira, A.A. 2012. “Quality of broiler meat of the free-range type submitted to diets containing alternative feedstuffs”. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia. 64(2): 389-396, ISSN: 1678-4162. Available: https://www.bvs-vet.org.br/vetindex/periodicos/arquivo-brasileiro-de-medicina-veterinaria-e-zoote/64-(2012)-2/qualidade-da-carne-de-frangos-de-corte-do-tipo-caipira-submetidos-a-di/. in chickens with the naked neck gene. These authors used 10 % leucaena, rice bran and sweet potato in free-range systems.

It is concluded that the free range rearing of Rhode Island Red chickens, which intake processed Mucuna pruriens, modifies the GIT section related to the digestion of the fiber that comes from the intake of native vegetation. However, this does not influence on carcass yield.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

 

Thanks to TWAS-CONACYT, Mexico, for the partial financing of the research.

References

 

Adebowale, T.O., Yao, K. & Oso, A.O. 2019. “Major cereal carbohydrates in relation to intestinal health of monogastric animals: A review”. Animal Nutrition, 5: 331-339, ISSN: 2405-6383. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2019.09.001.

Akinmutimi, A.H. & Okwu, N.D. 2006. “Effect of Quantitative Substitution of Cooked Mucuna utilis Seed Meal for Soybean Meal in Broiler Finisher Diet”. International Journal of Poultry Science, 5(5): 477-481, ISSN: 1682-8356. http://dx.doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2006.477.481.

Chen, S., Xiang, H., Zhu, X., Zhang, H., Wang, D., Liu, H., Wang, J., Yin, T., Liu, L., Kong, M., Zhang, J., Ogura, S. & Zhao, X. 2018. “Free dietary choice and free-range rearing improve the product quality, gait score, and microbial richness of chickens”. Animals, 8(6): 84-97, ISSN: 2076-2615. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani8060084.

Di Rienzo, J.A., Casanoves, F., Balzarini, M.G., Gonzalez, L., Tablada, M., Robledo, C.W. InfoStat versión 2012. Grupo InfoStat, FCA, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina. Available: http://www.infostat.com.ar.

Elling-Staats, M.L., Gilbert, M.S., Smidt, H. & Kwakkel, R.P. 2022. “Caecal protein fermentation in broilers: a review”. World's Poultry Science Journal, 78(1): 103-123, ISSN: 1743-4777. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00439339.2022.2003170.

Evaris, E. F., Sarmiento-Franco, L. & Castro, C. S. 2020. “Productive performance and carcass yield of egg type male chickens raised with outdoor access in the tropics”. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 52: 3225-3232, ISSN: 1573-7438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11250-020-02348-w.

Faria, P.B., Vieira, J.O., Souza, X.R., Rocha, M.F.M. & Pereira, A.A. 2012. “Quality of broiler meat of the free-range type submitted to diets containing alternative feedstuffs”. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia. 64(2): 389-396, ISSN: 1678-4162. Available: https://www.bvs-vet.org.br/vetindex/periodicos/arquivo-brasileiro-de-medicina-veterinaria-e-zoote/64-(2012)-2/qualidade-da-carne-de-frangos-de-corte-do-tipo-caipira-submetidos-a-di/.

NRC (National Research Council). 1994. Nutrient Requirements of Poultry. Ninth revised edition. Washington D.C. Editorial National Academic Press. 176 p, ISBN: 978-0-309-04892-7. https://doi.org/10.17226/2114.

Sarmiento-Franco, L., López-Sántiz, F., Santos-Ricalde, R. & Sandoval-Castro, C. 2019. “Mucuna pruriens seeds given in broiler diets on growth performance and carcass yield”. Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios, 6(16): 121-127, ISSN: 2007-901X. http://dx.doi.org/10.19136/era.a6n16.1815.

Williams, B.A., Mikkelsen, D., Flanagan, B.M. & Gidley, M.J. 2019. “Dietary fibre: moving beyond the “soluble/insoluble” classification for monogastric nutrition, with an emphasis on humans and pigs”. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 10: 45-57, ISSN: 2049-1891. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40104-019-0350-9.

Cuban Journal of Agricultural Science Vol. 56, No. 2, April-June, 2022, ISSN: 2079-3480
 
Ciencia Animal

Indicadores digestivos y de canal de pollos Rhode Island Red, que consumieron Mucuna pruriens procesada, en dos sistemas de crianza. Nota técnica

 

iDMadeleidy Martínez-Pérez1Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Carretera Central km 47 ½, Apartado Postal 24, San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, Cuba*✉:mademar@ica.co.cu

iDL. Sarmiento-Franco2Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (CCBA), Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, km 15.5, Carretera Mérida-Xmatkuil. Mérida, Yucatán, México

iDR.H. Santos-Ricalde2Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (CCBA), Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, km 15.5, Carretera Mérida-Xmatkuil. Mérida, Yucatán, México

iDMagaly Herrera Villafranca1Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Carretera Central km 47 ½, Apartado Postal 24, San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, Cuba

iDY. Londres Silot1Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Carretera Central km 47 ½, Apartado Postal 24, San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, Cuba


1Instituto de Ciencia Animal, Carretera Central km 47 ½, Apartado Postal 24, San José de las Lajas, Mayabeque, Cuba

2Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia (CCBA), Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán, km 15.5, Carretera Mérida-Xmatkuil. Mérida, Yucatán, México

 

* Email:mademar@ica.co.cu

RESUMEN

Se estudian los indicadores digestivos y de canal en pollos Rhode Island Red en dos sistemas de crianza. Se utilizaron 120 animales, que consumieron dieta con 15 % de Mucuna pruriens procesada, distribuidos según diseño completamente aleatorizado. Se establecieron dos tratamientos: crianza en cautiverio y en libertad, con pastoreo en vegetación nativa. Se sacrificaron 30 aves por tratamiento. Se pesó la canal, el tracto gastrointestinal, la molleja y los intestinos delgado y grueso vacíos. El peso del intestino delgado y grueso aumentó 0.72 g/kg de peso vivo en los animales que tuvieron libre acceso al pastoreo. El resto de los indicadores no difirió entre tratamientos. Se concluye que la crianza en libertad de pollos Rhode Island Red, que consumieron Mucuna pruriens procesada, modifica el órgano relacionado con la digestión de la fibra. Esto se debe al consumo de vegetación nativa, y no influye en el rendimiento de la canal.

Palabras clave: 
aves, cautiverio, libertad, mucuna tratada, tracto gastrointestinal, rendimiento en canal

El continuo crecimiento de la población en el mundo plantea un gran desafío para el suministro de proteínas. Según Evaris et al. (2020)Evaris, E. F., Sarmiento-Franco, L. & Castro, C. S. 2020. “Productive performance and carcass yield of egg type male chickens raised with outdoor access in the tropics”. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 52: 3225-3232, ISSN: 1573-7438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11250-020-02348-w. , la industria aviar es el mayor sector de la agricultura, que representa la principal fuente de proteína animal para muchos países. En los últimos años, ha crecido el interés de los consumidores por la carne de pollo que proviene de sistemas alternativos de crianza, como la cría al aire libre o en libertad. Estos animales, que por lo general son de líneas locales, consumen exclusivamente alimentos de origen vegetal, y en su crianza está prohibido el uso de promotores del crecimiento. En este tipo de sistema, disminuye el estrés de las aves en crecimiento, lo que contribuye a mejorar la calidad de la carne (Faria et al. 2012Faria, P.B., Vieira, J.O., Souza, X.R., Rocha, M.F.M. & Pereira, A.A. 2012. “Quality of broiler meat of the free-range type submitted to diets containing alternative feedstuffs”. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia. 64(2): 389-396, ISSN: 1678-4162. Available: https://www.bvs-vet.org.br/vetindex/periodicos/arquivo-brasileiro-de-medicina-veterinaria-e-zoote/64-(2012)-2/qualidade-da-carne-de-frangos-de-corte-do-tipo-caipira-submetidos-a-di/. ).

El uso de piensos con la utilización de materias primas alternativas es una manera de sustituir, adecuada y económicamente, los alimentos tradicionales que se utilizan en la crianza aviar. Las leguminosas, como la mucuna (Mucuna pruriens), pudieran viabilizar la producción de pollos en los sistemas de crianza al aire libre. Estas plantas presentan una calidad nutricional aceptable, además de que existe la posibilidad de emplear diferentes métodos para reducir sus factores antinutricionales (FANs) (Sarmiento-Franco et al. 2019Sarmiento-Franco, L., López-Sántiz, F., Santos-Ricalde, R. & Sandoval-Castro, C. 2019. “Mucuna pruriens seeds given in broiler diets on growth performance and carcass yield”. Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios, 6(16): 121-127, ISSN: 2007-901X. http://dx.doi.org/10.19136/era.a6n16.1815. ). El objetivo de esta investigación fue estudiar indicadores digestivos y de canal en pollos Rhode Island Red, que consumieron dieta con 15 % de Mucuna pruriens procesada, en dos sistemas de crianza.

Se utilizaron 120 pollos Rhode Island Red, machos, de un día de edad. Se alojaron en 10 jaulas metálicas en piso (2 m2), con cama de viruta de madera, con 12 aves cada una. Las primeras cuatro semanas, los animales se mantuvieron con luz artificial durante 24 horas. A partir de la séptima, las aves de cinco jaulas tuvieron libre acceso al área de pastoreo durante el día (08:00 - 17:00 h), mientras que el resto se mantuvo en cautiverio. Las dimensiones del cuartón fueron de 24 m2, donde estaban presentes arbustos y vegetación nativa, propia de las condiciones de clima cálido, subhúmedo, (AW0), en Yucatán, México. Los pollos se vacunaron contra Newcastle, viruela y Gumboro.

Los tratamientos experimentales consistieron en la cría de los animales en cautiverio y en libertad, con pastoreo en vegetación nativa. La dieta y el agua se suministró en un sistema de alimentación ad-libitum. Se utilizaron comederos circulares y bebederos plásticos automáticos, respectivamente.

Los granos de M. pruriens, variedad ceniza, se procesaron según la metodología de Sarmiento-Franco et al. (2019)Sarmiento-Franco, L., López-Sántiz, F., Santos-Ricalde, R. & Sandoval-Castro, C. 2019. “Mucuna pruriens seeds given in broiler diets on growth performance and carcass yield”. Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios, 6(16): 121-127, ISSN: 2007-901X. http://dx.doi.org/10.19136/era.a6n16.1815. : remojo en agua por 24 h en cubetas plásticas (1:10) (p/v) y posteriormente, cocción a 100 °C por 60 min. Luego, se secaron en estufa a 60 °C durante 72 h y se molieron en molino de martillo (JF 2D, Brasil) hasta alcanzar un tamaño de partícula de 3 mm. Se almacenaron en sacos de nailon hasta el momento de su utilización. La composición química de la mucuna procesada fue: materia seca (MS) 90.53 %, proteína bruta (PB) 27.24 %, energía bruta (EB) 16.45 MJ/kg, fibra detergente ácido (FDA) 13.05 %, fibra detergente neutro (FDN) 27.22 %, fenoles totales 2.46 % y taninos 0.37 %.

El experimento se llevó a cabo durante 17 semanas y se dividió en etapas. En la de inicio (una a seis semanas de edad), se ofertó alimento balanceado comercial iniciador: proteína bruta (PB) 20 %, extracto etéreo (EE) 2 %, fibra bruta (FB) 7 %, humedad 12 %, cenizas 6 % y extracto libre de nitrógeno (ELN) 53 %). A partir de las siete semanas de edad y hasta las 14, se elaboró una dieta donde se incluyó harina de granos procesados de M. pruriens. Su formulación se llevó a cabo según los requerimientos de la NRC (1994)NRC (National Research Council). 1994. Nutrient Requirements of Poultry. Ninth revised edition. Washington D.C. Editorial National Academic Press. 176 p, ISBN: 978-0-309-04892-7. https://doi.org/10.17226/2114. . La tabla 1 muestra la composición química de la harina. A partir de esta etapa, y hasta las 17 semanas de edad, se ofertó alimento balanceado comercial finalizador, destinado a pollos (PB 18 %, EE 2 %, FB 6 %, humedad 12 %, cenizas 9 % y ELN 53 %).

Table 1.  Chemical composition of the diet corresponding to the period from 7 to 14 weeks of age for Rhode Island Red chickens
Raw matter Composition, %
Corn meal 59.04
Soybean cake meal 22.04
Processed mucuna meal 15.00
Soybean oil 1.05
Dicalcium phosphate 0.86
Calcium carbonate 1.50
Common salt 0.28
Coccidiostatic 0.05
Mycotoxin binder 0.10
Vitamins1 premixture 0.03
Minerals2 premixture 0.05
Total 100.00
Calculated contributions, %
CP 18.03
ME (MJ/kg) 12.72
Ca 0.83
P 0.35

1Content kg-1: vitamin A 8000 UI, D 2500 UI, E 8 UI, K 2 mg, B12 0.002 mg, riboflavin 5.5 mg, calcium pantothenate 13 mg, niacin 36 mg, choline 500 mg, folic acid 0.5 mg, thiamin 1 mg, piridoxine 2.2 mg, biotin 0.05 mg.

2Content kg-1 of diet: manganese 65 mg, iodine 1 mg, iron 55 mg, copper 6 mg, zinc 55 mg, selenium 0.3 mg

Para el análisis de los indicadores digestivos y de canal, se seleccionaron 30 animales de 17 semanas de edad por tratamiento. Se sacrificaron por el método de incisión en la vena yugular. De cada jaula, se seleccionaron tres aves al azar y el animal representó la unidad experimental.

Después del sacrificio, se abrió la cavidad abdominal y se extrajeron los órganos del tracto gastrointestinal (TGI). El contenido digestivo se eliminó de forma manual y posteriormente, se pesó el TGI completo, molleja, intestino delgado (ID) y grueso (IG) vacíos. Los resultados se expresaron como relativos al peso vivo (PV, g/kg PV).

La canal se separó de las plumas, cabeza y patas. Se pesó en balanza digital (SARTORIUS, Alemania). Con estos datos se calculó el rendimiento, según la ecuación:

R e n d i e m i e n t o   d e   l a   c a n a l % = P e s o   d e   l a   c a n a l ( k g ) P e s o   v i v o   a n t e s   d e l   s a c r i f i c i o ( k g ) × 100  

Se realizó análisis de varianza según diseño completamente aleatorizado. Se utilizó la dócima t de Student para p < 0.05. Se aplicó el paquete estadístico INFOSTAT (Di Rienzo et al. 2012Di Rienzo, J.A., Casanoves, F., Balzarini, M.G., Gonzalez, L., Tablada, M., Robledo, C.W. InfoStat versión 2012. Grupo InfoStat, FCA, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, Argentina. Available: http://www.infostat.com.ar.) para el análisis de los datos.

La tabla 2 muestra los pesos relativos de los órganos digestivos vacíos del TGI y los de la canal de pollos Rhode Island Red en los dos sistemas de crianza. No se observaron diferencias entre tratamientos para los indicadores en estudio, excepto en el peso del IG, que fue mayor para las aves que se criaron en libertad.

Table 2.  Digestive and carcass indicators of Rhode Island Red chickens, which intake processed Mucuna pruriens, in two rearing systems
Indicators Captivity Free SE ± p-Value
Live weight, kg 2.25 2.21 0.03 0.4188
Gastrointestinal tract, g/kg 95.38 93.60 3.03 0.6823
Gizzard, g/kg 21.56 21.83 3.75 0.8923
Small intestine, g/kg 19.34 20.34 0.64 0.2815
Large intestine, g/kg 5.11 5.83 0.22 0.0276
Carcass weight , g/kg 650.35 646.94 3.75 0.5231
Carcass yield, % 65.04 64.69 0.38 0.5225

Values between columns significantly differ at p < 0.05

El mayor peso del IG para los pollos que se criaron en libertad pudiera estar relacionado con el consumo de la vegetación nativa. Esta presenta en sus paredes celulares celulosa, polisacáridos no amiláceos, pectina y lignina, que forman parte de la fracción fibrosa presente en los vegetales. Las aves poseen características adaptativas, que le permiten hacer uso de los componentes fibrosos, digeridos fundamentalmente en los ciegos de los animales, ya que se estimula la flora cecal.

Según Elling-Staats et al. (2022)Elling-Staats, M.L., Gilbert, M.S., Smidt, H. & Kwakkel, R.P. 2022. “Caecal protein fermentation in broilers: a review”. World's Poultry Science Journal, 78(1): 103-123, ISSN: 1743-4777. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00439339.2022.2003170. , en las aves existen dos ciegos en forma de saco, que se encuentran en la unión del íleon con el colon. En ellos habitan, al menos, 13 tipos diferentes de bacterias: 90 % está representado por firmicutes, bacteroidetes y proteobacterias. Como producto final, se generan ácidos grasos de cadena corta, principalmente acetato; además de propionato y butirato. Estos contribuyen a cubrir entre 11-18 % de la energía necesaria para el metabolismo basal aviar. Son reguladores del sistema inmune y de la proliferación celular. También el butirato actúa como fuente de energía para los colonocitos (Williams et al. 2019Williams, B.A., Mikkelsen, D., Flanagan, B.M. & Gidley, M.J. 2019. “Dietary fibre: moving beyond the “soluble/insoluble” classification for monogastric nutrition, with an emphasis on humans and pigs”. Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology, 10: 45-57, ISSN: 2049-1891. http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40104-019-0350-9. ). Como resultado, eventualmente aumenta el peso de las paredes de esta sección del tubo digestivo (Adebowale et al. 2019Adebowale, T.O., Yao, K. & Oso, A.O. 2019. “Major cereal carbohydrates in relation to intestinal health of monogastric animals: A review”. Animal Nutrition, 5: 331-339, ISSN: 2405-6383. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aninu.2019.09.001. ).

El resto de los pesos relativos de las diferentes secciones del TGI no varió entre tratamientos. Akinmutimi y Okwu (2006)Akinmutimi, A.H. & Okwu, N.D. 2006. “Effect of Quantitative Substitution of Cooked Mucuna utilis Seed Meal for Soybean Meal in Broiler Finisher Diet”. International Journal of Poultry Science, 5(5): 477-481, ISSN: 1682-8356. http://dx.doi.org/10.3923/ijps.2006.477.481. no observaron diferencias para los pesos de los órganos digestivos, al emplear mucuna cocida en la etapa de finalización de pollos broilers. Esta comparación hace suponer que los FANs residuales y la fracción fibrosa de la mucuna, no ejercen efectos observables en los órganos digestivos, lo que ocurrió gracias al procesamiento al que se sometió la semilla. Según Sarmiento-Franco et al. (2019)Sarmiento-Franco, L., López-Sántiz, F., Santos-Ricalde, R. & Sandoval-Castro, C. 2019. “Mucuna pruriens seeds given in broiler diets on growth performance and carcass yield”. Ecosistemas y Recursos Agropecuarios, 6(16): 121-127, ISSN: 2007-901X. http://dx.doi.org/10.19136/era.a6n16.1815. , cuando los granos de mucuna se remojan en agua y posteriormente se cuecen, se reduce al 41 % la concentración de L-DOPA y de otros metabolitos tóxicos.

El rendimiento de la canal no difirió entre tratamientos. Resultados similares obtuvieron Evaris et al. (2020)Evaris, E. F., Sarmiento-Franco, L. & Castro, C. S. 2020. “Productive performance and carcass yield of egg type male chickens raised with outdoor access in the tropics”. Tropical Animal Health and Production, 52: 3225-3232, ISSN: 1573-7438. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11250-020-02348-w. , cuando emplearon pollos Rhode Island Red en un sistema al aire libre con dietas basadas en maíz-soya. Se conoce que los sistemas de crianza en libertad mejoran el bienestar de las aves de corral (Chen et al. 2018Chen, S., Xiang, H., Zhu, X., Zhang, H., Wang, D., Liu, H., Wang, J., Yin, T., Liu, L., Kong, M., Zhang, J., Ogura, S. & Zhao, X. 2018. “Free dietary choice and free-range rearing improve the product quality, gait score, and microbial richness of chickens”. Animals, 8(6): 84-97, ISSN: 2076-2615. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani8060084. ). Sin embargo, los resultados en cuanto a la calidad de los productos finales y la productividad aún son contradictorios. Se necesitan estudios adicionales en esta área para obtener más detalles.

Se evidencia que, en las dietas de esta línea genética, el uso de alimentos alternativos, como la mucuna procesada, no tiene una influencia marcada en los indicadores de la canal. Resultados similares obtuvieron Faria et al. (2012)Faria, P.B., Vieira, J.O., Souza, X.R., Rocha, M.F.M. & Pereira, A.A. 2012. “Quality of broiler meat of the free-range type submitted to diets containing alternative feedstuffs”. Arquivo Brasileiro de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia. 64(2): 389-396, ISSN: 1678-4162. Available: https://www.bvs-vet.org.br/vetindex/periodicos/arquivo-brasileiro-de-medicina-veterinaria-e-zoote/64-(2012)-2/qualidade-da-carne-de-frangos-de-corte-do-tipo-caipira-submetidos-a-di/. en pollos con el gen cuello desnudo. Estos autores utilizaron 10 % de leucaena, salvado de arroz y boniato en sistemas de cría en libertad.

Se concluye que la crianza en libertad de pollos Rhode Island Red, que consumen Mucuna pruriens procesada, modifica la sección del TGI relacionada con la digestión de la fibra que proviene del consumo de vegetación nativa. Sin embargo, ello no influye en el rendimiento de la canal.

Agradecimientos

 

Se agradece a TWAS-CONACYT, México, por el financiamiento parcial de la investigación.