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Revista mexicana de ciencias pecuarias

versión On-line ISSN 2448-6698versión impresa ISSN 2007-1124

Rev. mex. de cienc. pecuarias vol.13 no.1 Mérida ene./mar. 2022  Epub 06-Jun-2022

https://doi.org/10.22319/rmcp.v13i1.5939 

Articles

Economic and productive impact of an herbal mixture with choline derivatives on rabbit production

Minerva Jaurez-Espinosaa 

Pedro Abel Hernández-Garcíab 

Amada Isabel Osorio-Teránb 

Germán David Mendoza-Martínezc 

Juan José Ojeda-Carrascob 

María Zamira Tapia-Rodríguezb 

Enrique Espinosa-Ayalab  * 

a Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Centro Universitario UAEM Amecameca. Doctorado en Ciencias Agropecuarias y Recursos Naturales. México.

b Universidad Autónoma del Estado de México. Centro Universitario UAEM Amecameca, km 2.5 carretera Amecameca - Ayapango, 56900, Amecameca, Estado de México. México.

c Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana-Xochimilco. Departamento Producción Agrícola y Animal. Cd. de México, México.


Abstract

The use, as well as the productive and economic effect of herbal compounds on rabbit production has been little studied, for this reason, the objective was to evaluate the effect of a polyherbal mixture rich in choline conjugates based on Trachyspermum ammi, Achyranthes aspera, Azadirachta indica and Citrullus colocynthis, on the economic and productive response of meat rabbits. For this, 40 New Zealand X California rabbits (30-d old) were used, which were randomized into five groups (0.0, 200, 400, 600 and 800 mg kg-1 of polyherbal DM, BioCholina®), the experiment lasted 34 days. The productive response, meat quality and economic indicators were evaluated. A completely randomized design with an arrangement of orthogonal polynomials was used to determine linear and quadratic effects, with a significance level of P<0.05. The results in terms of production parameters were similar between treatments, except for feed consumption (P=0.006) and feed conversion (P=0.005) with a linear effect at higher concentration of the polyherbal. The inclusion of the polyherbal increased pH in meat (linear, P=0.004) and coordinate b* (linear, P=0.009), it was observed that the treatment with 200 mg showed the best economic indicators, improving the income-expense ratio by 9 percentage units. It is concluded that the addition of polyherbal mixtures based on natural choline conjugate did not improve the productive variables, however, a favorable economic trend is marked with the addition of 200 mg kg-1 of DM.

Key words Economic analysis; Choline conjugates; Phytoadditives; Nutraceuticals; Meat quality

Resumen

El uso, así como el efecto productivo y económico de compuestos herbales en producción cunícola ha sido poco estudiado, por tal motivo el objetivo fue evaluar el efecto de una mezcla poliherbal rica en conjugados de colina a base de Trachyspermum ammi, Achyranthes aspera, Azadirachta indica y Citrullus colocynthis, sobre la respuesta económica y productiva de conejos para carne. Para lo cual se utilizaron 40 conejos Nueva Zelanda X California (30 días de edad), los cuales fueron aleatorizados en cinco grupos (0.0, 200, 400, 600 y 800 mg kg-1 de MS poliherbal, BioCholina®), el experimento tuvo una duración de 34 días. Se evaluó la respuesta productiva, calidad de la carne e indicadores económicos. Se utilizó un diseño completamente al azar con un arreglo de polinomios ortogonales para determinar efectos lineales y cuadráticos, con un nivel de significancia de P<0.05. Los resultados en cuanto a los parámetros productivos fueron similares entre tratamientos, excepto consumo de alimento (P=0.006) y conversión alimenticia (P=0.005) con un efecto linealmente a mayor concentración del poliherbal. La inclusión del poliherbal incrementó pH en carne (lineal, P=0.004) y coordenada b* (lineal, P=0.009), se observó que el tratamiento con 200 mg presentó los mejores indicadores económicos mejorando en 9 unidades porcentuales la razón ingresos-egresos. Se concluye que la adición de mezclas poliherbales a base de conjugado de colina natural no mejoró las variables productivas, sin embargo, se marca una tendencia económica favorable con la adición de 200 mg kg-1 de MS.

Palabras clave Análisis económico; Conjugados de colina; Fitoaditivos; Nutracéuticos; Calidad carne

Introduction

Animal production presents productive and economic challenges that must be addressed through methods and techniques that do not represent health risks, which is why the use of natural additives considered phytobiotic (phytogenic) that can be included in the diet of animals in production1 is proposed, with the intention of improving productive yield, carcass quality, and that they generate acceptable economic indicators2. These additives include herbs, essential oils and extracts3, which contain bioactive compounds (secondary metabolites) such as alkaloids, phenols, terpenoids, steroids, tannins, saponins, phenolic compounds (flavonoids, flavones, isoflavones), anthocyanins, lignans, stilbenes, coumarins, carotenoids (tetraterpenes), quinones, among others4. Other metabolites exert various functions such as antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, immunostimulant5, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiulcer, antiviral, anticancer agents, and, in animal production, behave as appetite stimulants and growth promoters6, since they can act on the metabolism of the intestine microbiota, inhibiting the replication of specific pathogenic microorganisms, as well as stimulating the production of endogenous digestive enzymes, which benefit health(7;8).

There are several reports that demonstrate the use of herbal mixtures rich in choline derivatives in animal production, where the following has been evaluated: the response in liver and productive function in broilers9, the impact on rumen fermentation in lambs8,10, oxidative stress and biochemical changes in dairy cows11, gene expression and immunostimulant effect in female calves1, blood analytes in lambs as indicators of lipid metabolism12.

Choline derivatives (conjugate) are essential nutrients for growth and productive yield of animals; this is because choline is involved in various cellular functions. Usable forms of choline are phosphatidylcholine, lysophosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin, which are lipid-soluble (components of all cell membranes and have a central role in lipid metabolism and cell signaling), free choline and choline metabolites, acetylcholine (ACho), betaine, glycerophosphocholine and phosphocholine that are soluble in water13; likewise, it acts as a donor of the methyl group, after oxidizing to betaine, to convert homocysteine into methionine in the transmethylation pathway in the liver to prevent the accumulation of fat14.

Due to the multiple functions and benefits, natural choline is an alternative for animal production as an additive to the use of synthetic choline chloride or other additives with side effects and high costs of addition15, for this reason, the polyherbal mixture Biocholine® (source of low hygroscopicity phosphatidylcholine), made up of the plants Trachyspermum ammi, Achyranthes aspera, Azadirachta indica, Citrullus colocynthis and Andrographis paniculata16, can be a productive and economically profitable alternative. That is why the objective of the present study was to evaluate the economic and productive impact of the addition of a polyherbal mixture in choline conjugates added to the diet of rabbits.

Material and methods

Animals and diet

The research was conducted under the guidelines approved by the Academic Committee of the Department of Animal Science of Ethics, Biosafety and Animal Welfare of the UAEM Amecameca University Center of the Autonomous University of the State of Mexico. The experiment was conducted in the rabbit metabolic area.

Forty weaned kits (30 days old), California X New Zealand breed (506.52 ± 120.47 g), were used, which were assigned in individual cages in five treatments (n= 8); with levels of addition of the polyherbal mixture at 0.0, 200, 400, 600 and 800 mg kg-1 of dry matter (DM) (BioCholina Powder®, Technofeed Mexico), an additive composed of Trachyspermum ammi, Achyranthes aspera, Azadirachta indica, Citrullus colocynthis and Andrographis paniculata), which contains 16 g kg-1 of total choline conjugates16, the five groups being homogeneous in terms of weight, which was considered as initial weight (P>0.05).

The experimental diet was formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of fattening rabbits17 (Table 1), however, choline requirements were kept below (1,130 mg kg-1). The polyherbal formula was added to the formulated balanced feed, mixed and subsequently pelletized to offer it to rabbits ad libitum, as well as clean and drinking water. The experiment lasted 34 days, with seven days of adaptation, the diets of the treatments were isoenergetic and isoproteic.

Table 1 Ingredients (g kg-1), polyherbal mixture (mg kg-1 of feed) and chemical composition of experimental diets 

Ingredients Polyherbal mixture (mg kg-1 DM)
Control 200 400 600 800
Wheat bran 33 33 33 33 33
Corn grain 19 19 19 19 19
Oat hay 19 19 19 19 19
Soybean meal (44% CP) 17 17 17 17 17
Alfalfa hay 9 9 9 9 9
Vegetable oil 2 2 2 2 2
Saccharomyces cerevisae 1 1 1 1 1
Polyherbal mix 0.0 200 400 600 800
Crude protein, % 17.9 17.9 17.9 17.9 17.9
Digestible energy, Mcal kg-1 DM 2.85 2.85 2.85 2.85 2.85
Crude fiber, % 12.6 12 12 12 12
Neutral detergent fiber, % 31.3 31.3 31.3 31.3 31.3
Acid detergent fiber, % 15.9 15.9 15.9 15.9 15.9
Choline, mg kg-1 DM 1127 1130 1133.2 1136.4 1139.6

NCR, 1977.

The following productive variables were determined, initial weight (0d), final weight (34d) and daily weight gain, as well as the record of the feed offered and rejected, to obtain voluntary consumption on a wet basis and its subsequent adjustment to dry matter; in addition, the feed conversion (kilos of feed to obtain one kilogram of live weight) was obtained.

Sample collection and analysis

At 65 days of age of the rabbits, the slaughter was carried out, with previous fasting of 24 h. The management of the carcasses followed the methodology proposed by Peiretti and Mineri18. During the slaughter, the weight of the hot carcass, the gastrointestinal tract including spleen and mesenteric tissue, liver and kidneys (abdominal organs), as well as heart and lungs (thoracic) were recorded. The carcasses were stored at 4 °C for 24 h and weighed again to obtain the weight of the cold carcass; to perform the meat quality measurements, the Longissimus dorsi muscle was dissected in its lumbar portion19.

Meat quality

Analyses were performed on the Longissimus dorsi muscle at 24 h postmortem; measurements were made in duplicate for each of the variables. The pH was taken at the level of the 5th lumbar vertebra with a penetration potentiometer (Hanna instruments H199163)20. Color measurements were taken with a colorimeter (Konica Minolta, trichromatic) and readings were reported as: L* (luminosity), a*(red), b* (yellow), used to obtain C* (chroma) and H* (Hue)21. The water retention capacity (WRC) was determined through loss of water by dripping and by pressure22 and also the loss of water by cooking23.

To determine the economic impact, the cost of the kit, cost of each ingredient of the diet, including the herbal mixture per treatment dose, were considered, with prices of 2020; all these as expenses of the activity. For income, the sale price of live animals and carcass was calculated based on the local market; once the income and expenses were obtained, the profit (income-expenses) was obtained for the live animal, in hot and cold carcass; finally, the income-expense ratios (income-expenses) were calculated, which allowed to know the rate of return in percentage units, where it is indicated that an income-expense rate less than 1 represents losses, equal to 1 indicates that there were no profits, while rates greater than 1 are indicative of profits. All economic values are indicated in US dollars at an exchange rate of $1USD to $20.03MX dated February 10, 2021.

Statistical analysis

The results were analyzed with a completely randomized design, using the R24 software, using initial weight as a covariable for the productive variables and using orthogonal polynomials to obtain linear and quadratic effects to evaluate the effects of the polyherbal additive25 with a significance level of P<0.05.

Results

The addition of the polyherbal mixture showed no significant effects (P>0.05) on final weight, daily weight gain, hot and cold carcass weight (Table 2). In contrast, a linear effect is observed on feed consumption (P=0.006) and feed conversion (P=0.005).

Table 2 Productive test and characteristics of the carcass of rabbits added with a polyherbal mixture (g) 

Item Polyherbal mixture (mg kg-1 DM) SEM P-value
0.0 200 400 600 800 Linear Quadratic
Initial weight 513.0 516.5 513.8 498.0 481.1 25.92 0.52 0.71
Final weight * 1444.3 1505.5 1461.5 1443.6 1429.3 38.25 0.44 0.38
Daily weight gain 27.7 30.0 28.3 27.2 26.3 1.85 0.32 0.41
Feed intake * 82.9 87.6 88.6 89.3 91.1 3.22 0.006 0.55
Feed conversion 3.01 2.97 3.18 3.2 3.4 0.12 0.005 0.52
Hot carcass weight * 777.3 845.6 794.4 773.1 769.6 59.51 0.63 0.61
Cold carcass weight * 749.7 816.1 764.7 743.0 739.7 58.88 0.61 0.62
Gastrointestinal tract 340.2 338.5 348.0 335.5 288.7 26.29 0.14 0.19
Heart and lungs 22.5 20.7 23.1 22.7 20.8 2.17 0.84 0.70
Liver 35.5 35.5 39.0 35.8 35.2 2.24 0.68 0.21
Kidneys 12.6 12.6 13.0 12.7 12.5 0.92 0.95 0.75

SEM= standard error of the mean.

* The initial weight was considered as covariable (P<0.05)

With respect to the weight of the hot and cold carcass, as well as the weight of the gastrointestinal tract, liver, kidneys and thoracic organs (heart and lungs), no significant effect was observed (P>0.05).

The results on meat quality are shown in Table 3, where it can be seen that the pH showed a linear (P=0.004) and quadratic (P=0.009) effect in the groups added with the polyherbal mixture.

Table 3 Quality characteristics of the Longissimus dorsi muscle obtained from rabbits fed a polyherbal mixture 

Item Polyherbal mixture (mg kg-1DM) SEM P-value
0 200 400 600 800 Lin Quad
pH 5.5 5.6 5.8 5.6 5.8 0.06 0.004 0.09
L* 51.3 54.3 51.9 57.0 53.5 1.45 0.12 0.31
a* 3.8 4.2 4.0 4.3 4.8 0.53 0.20 0.74
b* 3.0 4.3 3.5 4.7 4.6 0.42 0.009 0.59
Chroma 4.9 6.1 5.4 6.4 6.7 0.58 0.03 0.99
Hue Angle 180.6 180.7 180.7 180.8 180.7 0.063 0.13 0.22
Drip loss, % 3.7 3.5 3.8 4.0 3.9 0.016 0.15 0.99
Cooking loss, % 33.9 34.9 33.6 34.4 34.1 0.002 0.39 0.50
Pressure loss, % 20.3 17.5 20.9 20.0 20.0 0.000 0.86 0.81

SEM= standard error of the mean; Lin= linear, Quad= quadratic.

L*: luminosity; a*: it tends to red; b*: it tends to yellow

As for the trichromatic coordinates of the meat, no effects (P>0.0.5) were observed in L*, a* and Hue angle, not so for b* and chroma that presented a linear effect (P=0.009 and 0.03), in the water retention capacity, no significant differences were observed (P>0.05).

In the economic analysis (Table 4), an increase in costs as the addition of the polyherbal mixture increased was observed, both in costs per feed and per animal, finding the lowest costs in the control treatment, this derived from the cost of the additive. Regarding income per live animal, in hot and cold carcass, it was obtained that the treatment with the addition of 200 mg kg-1 presented higher incomes, a situation that is related to the productive response, since this group was the one with the highest weight.

Table 4 Economic analysis of rabbits fed a polyherbal mixture 

Item Polyherbal mixture (mg kg-1 DM)
0 200 400 600 800
Feed cost, $ 0.7688 0.8152 0.8272 0.8362 0.8557
Cost per animal, $ 2.7658 2.8122 2.8242 2.8332 2.8527
Income per live animal, $ 3.2755 3.4767 3.3180 3.2026 3.0908
Income per hot carcass, $ 3.4927 3.7993 3.5696 3.4737 3.4578
Income per cold carcass, $ 3.5556 3.8706 3.6270 3.5242 3.5082
Profit per live animal, $ 0.5097 0.6645 0.4937 0.3694 0.2381
Profit per hot carcass, $ 0.7264 0.9885 0.7453 0.6405 0.6055
Profit per cold carcass, $ 0.7898 1.0584 0.8027 0.6909 0.6555
Income-expense ratio live animal 1.18 1.24 1.17 1.13 1.08
Income-expense ratio hot carcass 1.26 1.35 1.26 1.23 1.21
Income-expense ratio cold carcass 1.29 1.38 1.28 1.24 1.23

With respect to the profit and the income-expense ratio, it was observed that the addition of 200 mg kg-1 gives the maximum value, reaching the highest profitability in the cold carcass, this being 1.38 (for each unit of expense, the unit is recovered and a profit of 0.38 units is obtained).

Discussion

Productive response

According to the results obtained, there were no significant effects on feed consumption and daily weight gain due to the addition of polyherbal mixtures, despite the fact that these additives are considered as phytogenic additives with the characteristic of stimulating the production of digestive enzymes, such as trypsin and amylase, with the ability to optimize the absorption of nutrients and consequently improve productive and carcass responses6, however, in this study, these benefits were not observed, a situation similar to that presented by other authors12, in a study carried out in lambs fed choline conjugates at doses of 0 and 4 g day-1, no better response was found in the added treatment with respect to the control on final weight (28.63 - 28.68 kg) or daily weight gain (106.44 - 107.98 kg). Similarly, in two studies carried out in rabbits using various plants, they did not observed improvements in production parameters despite being plants rich in secondary metabolites26,27, since it is reported that the metabolites present are not sufficient to modify the microbiota or the conditions of the gastrointestinal tract.

On the other hand, the relationship between feed conversion and weight gain was not affected by the doses of polyherbal mixtures, values that agree with what was reported by another paper10, an study in which there was a linear effect (P=0.07) in conversion but not in weight gain (P>0.10) in growing lambs, using a polyherbal formula, as well as in the results of Selvam et al28 in chickens fed an herbal mixture (0.0, 500 and 1,000 g-1 t-1 of feed), and they obtained values of 1.58 in the control treatment and of 1.47 and 1.48 in the added groups.

The addition of polyherbal mixtures showed a positive effect on the variables of feed consumption and daily weight gain, since rabbits with the lowest body weight were in the control group (27.7 g d-1), which is deficient in choline with 1,130 mg d-1, when the minimum requirement is 1,130 mg kg-1 DM. In this regard, in studies where choline deficiency has been experimentally induced, growth retardation, anemia, muscular dystrophy and death have been observed29, a situation that is confirmed in this experiment.

Although the active mechanism of choline chloride is still unclear, excess choline has been shown to negatively affect animal yield; one of the hypotheses that may explain the results obtained is that, when exceeding the ability to metabolize choline at the cellular level, an accumulation of phosphocholine occurs, a situation that could be occurring in treatments with 600 and 800 mg (27.2 and 26.3 g d-1 respectively), which are above the necessary requirement for rabbits at this stage of growth16.

An experiment conducted on quails at doses of 1,000, 1,500, 2,000 and 2,500 mg kg-1 of choline showed a greater weight gain between d 7 to 21 of age (1.95, 2.10, 2.98, 2.48 g), as well as better conversion (5.29, 5.44, 3.68, 4.35); this situation contrasts with what was observed in the present research, probably because the addition of polyherbal mixtures could have modified the digestive physiology, acting on the cecal microbiome, since the digestive system of the rabbit is adapted to the fermentation of plant epithelial cells in the cecum30, while in birds, these digestive fermentation processes do not occur.

Although in this study no hematological analyses were performed to know the hepatic functioning due to the addition of polyherbal mixtures, various studies have observed the variation of the response when using herbal formulas; in a research31, they found that liver weight had no relationship in the production of specific enzymes (ALT and AST), as they showed no changes between the groups when choline (1,000 mg kg-1) was added as a lipotropic agent in broilers, likewise9, they observed a decrease in serum concentrations of AST in broilers fed choline (1 g kg-1) and lectin (0.5 g kg-1). It is worth mentioning that the use of various plants participates in the metabolism of lipids and cholesterol32, a situation that modifies the general metabolism of the animal and therefore the productive response, it is possible that the plants that make up the polyherbal formula have effects on lipids and these in turn can modify the absorption of nutrients.

Meat quality

According to the pH results obtained, significant differences were found between the treatments added with polyherbal mixtures compared to the control (P<0.05), presenting values ranging from 5.5 for the control and 5.8 as a maximum for the added groups. These results are consistent with what was reported by others33, where they found pH values of 5.8 for meat of rabbits fed different parts of the Tithonia tubaeformis plant. The optimal pH at 24 h postmortem for glycolytic muscles, such as the Longissimus dorsi muscle of the rabbit, is between 5.3 and 6.032; this parameter is one of the most important indicators for assessing meat quality, as it is associated with appearance, color (myoglobin chemical reactions) and water absorption34.

The parameters obtained of the variable b* of meat color are lower (between 3 and 4.7) than those reported35 in rabbits fed flavonoids contained in alfalfa, at doses of 0.0, 400, 800, 1,200 mg kg-1 and find values that range between 6.1 and 6.6. As mentioned by Selvam et al28, where they reported values of 8.34 and 10.16 for variable b of rabbits fed different parts of the Tithonia tubaeformis plant. The coordinate b* that represents the yellow pigment in meat, this value was affected in the treatments with the addition of the polyherbal mixture, which could be due to a series of nonenzymatic browning reactions that occur in the oxidation products of lipids and amines in the phospholipid head groups or the amine in the protein36. Likewise, the presence of antioxidant compounds such as phenols and flavonoids contained in polyherbal mixtures could be responsible for the color differences observed. The results obtained in this experiment in terms of color indicate a meat with a slight coloration that tends to brown and is nonexudative, a situation that is not desirable since rabbit meat is pale nonexudative37.

In several studies26,27 that involved the use of plants in the feeding of rabbits, it was observed that the incorporation at low levels of plants with high antioxidant potential and with phenolic compounds, they do not have the ability to modify the quality of the meat, a situation similar to that reported in this experiment, this because the volumes added are low.

Economic impact

The addition of 200 mg kg-1 DM of the polyherbal formula generated the highest live weight and the best feed conversion in this experiment, such a situation was reflected in the economic indicators; when adding this dose, the greatest profits and income-expense ratios were obtained, since it can be indicated that it was the optimal dose for these animals. In one study38, it was observed that the addition of plants with immunostimulant potential generated economic benefits in the production of rabbits, a situation similar to that reported in this research; this effect may be due to the fact that polyherbal formulas contain a large number of metabolites, and these generate beneficial modifications in the gastrointestinal tract, or in the absorption of nutrients, a situation that generates better feed conversions. In the same sense, in a study conducted in dairy cattle, it was observed that the addition of a polyherbal formula rich in choline improved economic indicators due to the fact that milk production was improved and the number of pathology events was decreased39.

Conclusions and implications

The addition of polyherbal mixtures based on natural choline conjugate did not improve the productive variables; however, a favorable economic trend is marked with the addition of 200 mg/kg of dry matter, due to a positive effect on feed conversion. It is recommended to continue studying the use of natural choline in rabbits, at doses less than 200 mg kg-1, since in this research, the possible benefits were found in this group, as well as maintaining the recommended requirements of choline for optimal storage of vitamins, avoiding inefficiencies in absorption or dietary metabolism, and ensuring the physiological state of rabbits.

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Received: February 10, 2021; Accepted: April 26, 2021

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