Abdul Lateef Molan

Antioxidant activity and polyphenol content of green tea flavan-3-ols and oligomeric proanthocyanidins

The antioxidant activity and total phenolics content (TPC) of freshly prepared green tea extract (GTE) as affected by time, temperature and stirring were determined using the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and Folin–Ciocalteu assays, respectively. Acetone–water fractions of GTE containing flavan-3-ols and oligomeric proanthocyanidins were evaluated at concentrations between 25 and 500 µg/ml. Increasing the extraction time from 3 min to 10 min resulted in a significant increase in both the FRAP values and TPC. Increasing the extraction time from 10 min to 30 min was without any significant effects on both FRAP and TPC values. Moreover, the FRAP values were correlated with the TPC. GTE fractions had widely different FRAP values that were well correlated with the TPC of the fraction. It was concluded that brewing conditions such as extraction temperature, period of extraction, ratio of tea leaves to extracting water, and stirring are important factors for determining the FRAP values and TPC in GTE. These factors should be taken into consideration during preparation for nutritional benefits during usual consumption of this beverage. Elevated FRAP and TPC values corresponded to those GTE fractions with a higher amount of phenolic compounds, which have stronger antioxidant activities.

Short-term and long-term effects of excessive consumption of saturated fats and/or sucrose on metabolic variables in Sprague Dawley rats: a pilot study.

BACKGROUNDnFeeding high-fat and/or high-sugar diets to rats leads to a change in markers of metabolic syndrome. However, types and amounts of fat and sugar as well as the length of the experiment for establishing diet-induced metabolic syndrome in the Sprague Dawley (SD) rat model remain uncertain. This study was designed to investigate the effects in SD rats of consuming excess lard, sucrose or a combination of lard and sucrose for a short (4u2009week) or long (8u2009week) period of time.nnnRESULTSnConsumption of the high-fat high-sugar (HFHS) diet significantly increased weight gain and abdominal fat weights (P < 0.05), and the rats also began to develop signs of impaired glucose tolerance and had increased fasting blood lipids glucose and insulin concentrations. The high-fat (HF) diet mainly affected weight gain and fat deposition, whereas the high-sugar (HS) diet induced glucose intolerance but not the obesity-related parameters. Control rats showed a tendency towards insulin resistance and glucose intolerance when fed for a long-term period.nnnCONCLUSIONnThe lard plus sucrose-based HFHS diet is the most efficient one for inducing signs of metabolic syndrome, and SD rats fed this diet for 8u2009weeks successfully develop obesity and insulin resistance, which can be used as a model for metabolic syndrome research.

Influence of feeding coarse corn on performance, nutrient utilization, digestive tract measurements, carcass characteristics, and cecal microflora counts of broilers

The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of feeding coarsely ground corn on performance, digestive tract measurements, nutrient utilization, and cecal microflora counts in broilers. Five diets containing 600 g/kg of finely ground corn (hammer milled) or 150, 300, 450, and 600 g/kg of coarse corn (cracked in roller mill) replacing (wt/wt) finely ground corn were formulated. Each diet in mash form was offered ad libitum to 6 replicate cages of broilers (8 birds per cage) from d 11 to 35 posthatch. Weight gain increased (linear effect, P < 0.01) with increasing inclusion levels of coarse corn. Feed intake (quadratic effect, P < 0.05) increased at 150 g/kg of coarse corn inclusion, plateaued until 450 g/kg, and then increased again to 600 g/kg. Feed per gain increased (quadratic effect, P < 0.05) as inclusion of coarse corn increased to 300 g/kg and then decreased with further inclusion. Apparent metabolizable energy and total tract DM retention (quadratic effect, P < 0.01) was unaffected up to 300g/kg inclusion, and then decreased with further inclusion of coarse corn. Relative gizzard weight increased (linear effect, P < 0.05) with increasing inclusion of coarse corn. Inclusion of coarse corn had no effect (P > 0.05) on ileal digestibility of DM, N, and starch. Breast meat yield decreased (linear effect, P < 0.05 and abdominal fat increased (linear effect, P < 0.001) with increasing inclusion levels of coarse corn, but there was no effect (P > 0.05) on the carcass yield. A linear (P < 0.05) effect was observed for cecal microflora counts. Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacteria spp. counts increased and counts of Clostridium spp., Campylobacterium spp., and Bacteroides spp. decreased with increasing inclusion levels of coarse corn. The present data showed that feeding of coarse corn increased weight gain and gizzard size, and modified gut microflora profile toward beneficial species and that it can totally replace ground corn in broilers fed mash diets.

Influence of prepelleting inclusion of whole corn on performance, nutrient utilization, digestive tract measurements, and cecal microbiota of young broilers

The objective of the present study was to examine the effects of prepelleting inclusion of graded levels of whole corn on performance, digestive tract measurements, nutrient utilization, and cecal microbiota in broiler starters. Five diets, containing 600 g/kg of ground corn or 150, 300, 450, and 600 g/kg of whole corn replacing (wt/wt) ground corn, were formulated and cold-pelleted at 65°C. Each diet was offered ad libitum to 6 replicates (8 birds per replicate cage) from d 1 to 21 posthatch. The proportion of coarse particles (>1 mm) increased with increasing prepelleting inclusion of whole corn. Pellet quality, measured as pellet durability index, increased (quadratic effect, P < 0.001) with the inclusion of whole corn to 450 g/kg and then plateaued. Weight gain and feed intake decreased (linear effect, P < 0.001) with increasing prepelleting inclusion of whole corn. Feed per gain (quadratic effect, P < 0.05) increased as the inclusion level of whole corn increased to 300 g/kg and then plateaued with further inclusions. Relative gizzard weight (quadratic effect, P < 0.05) increased with increasing inclusion of whole corn up to 300 g/kg and then levelled off. The AME (quadratic effect, P < 0.05) increased up to 300 g/kg of whole corn inclusion and then decreased with further inclusion. Apparent ileal digestibility of DM (P < 0.001), N (linear effect, P = 0.07), and starch (linear effect, P < 0.001) increased with increasing inclusion levels of whole corn. Based on the fluorescence in situ hybridization method, a linear (P < 0.05) effect was determined for cecal microbiota numbers. Lactobacillus spp. counts increased and counts of Clostridium spp., Campylobacterium spp., and Bacteroides spp. decreased with increasing inclusion levels of whole corn. The present data showed that, despite increased gizzard weight and nutrient utilization, weight gain of broilers was poorer with prepelleting inclusion of whole corn due to reductions in the feed intake.

Influence of whole wheat feeding on the development of coccidiosis in broilers challenged with Eimeria.

A study was conducted to assess the effect of whole wheat (WW) feeding on performance, gizzard development, oocyst yield and intestinal lesion score of broilers challenged with Eimeria species. Diets (ground wheat (GW) and 300u2009g/kg WW replacing GW before or after pelleting) were offered ad libitum from day 1 or days 7-28 post-hatch. At 21 days of age, each dietary treatment was divided into two groups, one unchallenged control and the other inoculated with mixed species of coccidia (Eimeria acervulina, E. maxima and E. tenella). The results showed that heavier gizzards and higher mortality were observed in WW-fed birds in comparison to GW-fed birds. Interestingly, the pattern of mortality in different dietary treatments paralleled changes in gizzard size. Based on increased mortality, it is concluded that WW feeding exacerbated the severity of coccidiosis infection, possibly via a mechanism involving enhanced gizzard development.