The effects of supplementation of zinc sulfate and prebiotic on production performance, cecal microbial population, immune response and hematological parameters in laying Japanese quails

Rahbar , Nazanin; Taher Mirakzehi , Mohammad; Saleh , Hassan

doi:10.22034/AER.1.1.47

[Home ] [Archive]

[ فارسی ]

Journal of Animal Environmental Research

Main Menu

Home

Journal Information

Articles archive

For Authors

For Reviewers

Registration

Contact us

Site Facilities

Search in website

Receive site information

Indexing

Volume 1, Issue 3 (10-2025)

Journalaer 2025, 1(3): 47-56

Back to browse issues page

The effects of supplementation of zinc sulfate and prebiotic on production performance, cecal microbial population, immune response and hematological parameters in laying Japanese quails

Nazanin Rahbar

, Mohammad Taher Mirakzehi ^*

, Hassan Saleh

Abstract: (886 Views)

Introduction: Zinc is incorporated in various organic and mineral forms to improve its absorption and utilization in the diets of poultry. Prebiotics are also used as potential alternatives to antibiotics in poultry diets, reducing the pH of the intestine and thereby decreasing the population of pathogenic bacteria, improving gastrointestinal health, and enhancing nutrient utilization efficiency. The aim of this experiment is to investigate the effects of zinc and prebiotic inulin on production performance, cecal microbial population, and immune response in laying Japanese quails.
Materials & Methods: This experiment was conducted in a 2×2 factorial arrangements using 240 laying Japanese quail chicks at 48 days of age. The study included 4 treatments, each with 6 replicates and 10 birds per replicate. The factors were zinc in the form of zinc sulfate (0 and 100 mg/kg) and inulin (0 and 10 g/kg). The experiment lasted 7 weeks, during which the birds had ad libitum access to water and feed. Daily egg production (number and weight) was recorded, and weekly feed intake was calculated. At the end of the experiment, eggs were collected for quantitative and qualitative assessments. On the last day of the trial, one bird per replicate was randomly selected, blood samples were taken, and then the birds were slaughtered. The contents of the cecum were taken to assess the microbial population. To evaluate humoral immunity, the SRBC test was used. Therefore, two injections were administered on days 29 and 36 of the experimental period to determine the primary and secondary antibody responses.
Results: The results showed that supplementation of either zinc sulfate or inulin led to an increase in egg weight, egg production, egg mass, and improved feed conversion ratio. Supplementation of inulin resulted in increased egg weight and shell thickness. Additionally, it led to an increase in the population of beneficial bacteria such as Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, while reducing the population of harmful bacteria like Clostridium and Coliform. Zinc sulfate supplementation enhanced the antibody response against SRBC. Adding inulin to the diet also led to a reduction in cholesterol and an increase in serum HDL levels.
Conclusion: The results indicate that supplementation with Zinc sulfate and inulin, without imposing any negative effect, leads to improved production performance in laying quails through modulation of the gut microbiota population and enhancement of immune response.

Keywords: Zinc sulfate, Prebiotic, Production performance, Microbial population, Immune response, Blood parameters, Japanese laying quail

Full-Text [PDF 919 kb] (328 Downloads)

Type of Study: Research | Subject: Special
Received: 2025/09/4 | Accepted: 2025/10/2 | Published: 2025/10/2

References

1. 1. Costa, F.G.P., Nobre, I., Silva, L., Goulart, C., Figueiredo, D. and Rodrigues, V., 2008. The use of prebiotic and organic minerals in rations for Japanese laying quail. International Journal of Poultry Science. 7(4): 339-343. doi: 10.3923/ijps.2008.339.343

2. 2. Shang, H., Zhao, J., Dong, X., Guo, Y., Zhang, H., Cheng, J. and Zhou, H., 2020. Inulin improves the egg production performance and affects the cecum microbiota of laying hens. International journal of biological macromolecules. 155: 1599-1609. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2019.11.137

3. 3. Li, B., Schroyen, M., Leblois, J., Beckers, Y., Bindelle, J. and Everaert, N., 2019. The use of inulin and wheat bran only during the starter period or during the entire rearing life of broilers: effects on growth performance, small intestinal maturation and cecal microbial colonization until slaughter age. Poultry Science. 98(9): 4058-4065. doi: 10.3382/ps/pez088

4. 4. Gupta, N., Jangid, A. K., Pooja, D. and Kulhari, H., 2019. Inulin: A novel and stretchy polysaccharide tool for biomedical and nutritional applications. International journal of biological macromolecules. 132: 852-863. doi: 10.1016 /j.ijbiomac.2019.03.188

5. 5. Abdelqader, A., Al-Fataftah, A.R. and Daş, G., 2013. Effects of dietary Bacillus subtilis & inulin supplementation on performance, eggshell quality, intestinal morphology and microflora composition of laying hens in the late phase of production. Animal feed science and technology. 179(1-4): 103-111. doi: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci.2012.11.003

6. 6. Shang, H., Hu, T., Lu, Y. and Wu, H., 2010. Effects of inulin on performance, egg quality, gut microflora and serum and yolk cholesterol in laying hens. British Poultry Science. 51(6): 791-796. doi: 10.1080/00071668.2010.531005

7. 7. Nabizadeh, A., 2012. The effect of inulin inclusion in low phosphorus diets on some hematological, immunological parameters and broiler chickens performance. Research Journal of Animal Sciences. 6: 60-66.

8. 8. Bai, S., Wu, A., Ding, X., Lei, Y., Bai, J., Zhang, K. and Chio, J., 2013. Effects of probiotic-supplemented diets on growth performance and intestinal immune characteristics of broiler chickens. Poultry Science. 92(3): 663-670. doi: 10.3382/ps.2012-02813

9. 9. Reda, F.M., El-Saadony, M.T., El-Rayes, T.K., Attia, A.I., El-Sayed, S.A., Ahmed, S.Y. and Alagawany, M., 2021. Use of biological nano zinc as a feed additive in quail nutrition: biosynthesis, antimicrobial activity and its effect on growth, feed utilisation, blood metabolites and intestinal microbiota. Italian Journal of Animal Science. 20(1): 324-335. doi: 10.1080/1828051X. 2021.1886001

10. 10. Venubabu Thati, A., Roy, S., Prasad, M., Shivannavar, C. and Gaddad, S., 2010. Nanostructured zinc oxide enhances the activity of antibiotics against Staphylococcus aureus. J. Biosci. Technol. 1: 64-69.

11. 11. Council, NRC. 1994. Nutrient requirements of poultry: 1994: National Academies Press.

12. 12. Sahin, K. and Kucuk, O., 2003. Zinc supplementation alleviates heat stress in laying Japanese quail. The Journal of nutrition. 133(9): 2808-2811. https://doi.org/10.1093/j n/ 133.9.2808

13. 13. Kucuk, O., Kahraman, A., Kurt, I., Yildiz, N. and Onmaz, A., 2008. A combination of zinc and pyridoxine supplementation to the diet of laying hens improves performance and egg quality. Biological trace element research. 126: 165-175. doi: 10.1007/s12011-008-8190-z

14. 14. Hu, C., Qian, Z., Song, J., Luan, Z. and Zuo, A., 2013. Effects of zinc oxide-montmorillonite hybrid on growth performance, intestinal structure, and function of broiler chicken. Poultry Science. 92(1): 143-150. doi: 10.3382/ ps.2012-02250

15. 15. Sari, M., Tilki, M. and Saatci, M., 2016. Genetic parameters of egg quality traits in long-term pedigree recorded Japanese quail. Poultry science. 95(8): 1743-1749. doi: 10.3382/ps/pew118

16. 16. Boa-Amponsem, K., Price, S., Dunnington, E. and Siegel, P., 2001. Effect of route of inoculation on humoral immune response of White Leghorn chickens selected for high or low antibody response to sheep red blood cells. Poultry science. 80(8): 1073-1078. doi: 10.1093/ps/80.8. 1073

17. 17. Institute, SAS. 2014. SAS 9.4 Output delivery system: User's guide: SAS institute.

18. 18. Abbasi, M., Dastar, B., Afzali, N., Shargh, M.S. and Hashemi, S., 2022. The effects of nano and micro particle size of zinc oxide on performance, fertility, hatchability, and egg quality characteristics in laying Japanese quail. Biological trace element research. 200(5): 2338-2348. doi: 10.1007/s12011-021-02848-2

19. 19. Sahin, K., Sahin, N., Kucuk, O., Hayirli, A. and Prasad, A., 2009. Role of dietary zinc in heat-stressed poultry: A review. Poultry Science. 88(10): 2176-2183. doi: 10.3382/ps.2008-00560

20. 20. Ahmed, W. and Rashid, S., 2019. Functional and therapeutic potential of inulin: A comprehensive review. Critical reviews in food science and nutrition. 59(1): 1-13. doi: 10.1080/10408398.2017.1355775

21. 21. Park, S.O. and Park, B.S., 2012. Effect of feeding inulin oligosaccharides on cecum bacteria, egg quality and egg production in laying hens. African Journal of Biotechnology. 11(39): 9516-9521. doi: 10.5897/AJB12. 5250

22. 22. Świątkiewicz, S., Koreleski, J. and Arczewska, A., 2010. Effect of organic acids and prebiotics on bone quality in laying hens fed diets with two levels of calcium and phosphorus. Acta Veterinaria Brno. 79(2): 185-193. doi:10.2754/avb201079020185

23. 23. Ghasemian, M. and Jahanian, R., 2016. Dietary mannan-oligosaccharides supplementation could affect performance, immunocompetence, serum lipid metabolites, intestinal bacterial populations, and ileal nutrient digestibility in aged laying hens. Animal Feed Science and Technology. 213: 81-89. doi: 10.1016/j.anifeedsci. 2015.12.012

24. 24. Xu, Z., Hu, C., Xia, M., Zhan, X. and Wang, M., 2003. Effects of dietary fructooligosaccharide on digestive enzyme activities, intestinal microflora and morphology of male broilers. Poultry Science. 82(6): 1030-1036. doi: 10.1093/ps/82.6.1030

25. 25. Duan, M., Sun, X., Ma, N., Liu, Y., Luo, T., Song, S. and Ai, C., 2019. Polysaccharides from Laminaria japonica alleviated metabolic syndrome in BALB/c mice by normalizing the gut microbiota. International journal of biological macromolecules. 121: 996-1004. doi: 10.10 16/j.ijbiomac.2018.10.087

26. 26. Abdel‐Wahab, A., Elnesr, S.S. and Abdel‐Kader, I., 2023. Effect of dietary supplementation of Jerusalem Artichoke extract on performance, blood biochemistry, antioxidant parameters, and immune response of growing Japanese quail. Journal of Animal Physiology and Animal Nutrition. 107(3): 920-927. doi: 10.1111/jpn.13783

27. 27. Wu, X., Wen, Z. and Hua, J., 2019. Effects of dietary inclusion of Lactobacillus and inulin on growth performance, gut microbiota, nutrient utilization, and immune parameters in broilers. Poultry Science. 98(10): 4656-4663. doi: 10.3382/ps/pez166

28. 28. Dibaiee-Nia, G., Akbari, M. and Karimi, S., 2017. Effects of supplemental zinc in a wheat-based diet on performance, intestinal viscosity, immune system and lipid peroxidation of 21-day old broiler chickens. Poultry Science Journal. 5(1): 7-15. doi: 10.22069/psj.2017.1107 2.1189

29. 29. Soni, N., Mishra, S.K., Swain, R., Das, A., Chichilichi, B. and Sethy, K., 2013. Bioavailability and immunity response in broiler breeders on organically complexed zinc supplementation. Food and Nutrition Sciences. 4(12): 1293. doi: 10.4236/fns.2013.412166

30. 30. Lotfi, Z., Borhani, S., Jamili, S. and Kadkhodaei, A., 2014. Toxic effect of copper sulfate on gill and liver tissue of Oncorhynchus mykiss. Journal of Animal Environment. 5(4): 79-84. (In Persian)

31. 31. Movahed, P., Oskoueian, E., Faseleh Jahromi, M., Shokryazdan, P., Salari Pour, M. and Ahmadi, M.R., 2022. Evaluation of replacing inorganic zinc with organic zinc on growth performance, immune system, antioxidant status, morphology of jejunum, and tissue zinc retention in broilers. Journal of Animal Environment. 14(2): 131-138. (In Persian) doi: 10.22034/AEJ.2021.256119.2403

Send email to the article author

Add your comments about this article

‎ 10.22034/AER.1.1.47

Mendeley

Zotero

RefWorks

Rahbar N, Taher Mirakzehi M, Saleh H. The effects of supplementation of zinc sulfate and prebiotic on production performance, cecal microbial population, immune response and hematological parameters in laying Japanese quails. Journalaer 2025; 1 (3) :47-56
URL: http://journalaer.com/article-1-31-en.html

Rights and permissions
	This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Volume 1, Issue 3 (10-2025)

Back to browse issues page

Persian site map - English site map - Created in 0.18 seconds with 39 queries by YEKTAWEB 4774