Zahed Omid, Vakili Reza, Mokhtarpour Amir
Department of Animal Science, Kash.C., Islamic Azad University, Kashmar, Iran.
Special Domestic Animals Institute, Research Institute of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.
Trop Anim Health Prod. 2025 Jun 9;57(5):249. doi: 10.1007/s11250-025-04504-6.
Growing concerns over antibiotic resistance and environmental sustainability have increased the demand for natural alternatives to in-feed antibiotics in poultry production. Biochar offers a novel, eco-friendly solution that may improve animal performance while supporting waste valorization. This study investigated the effect of biochar produced from pistachio by-product (PB) on growth, feed efficiency, and gut health in Japanese quails. Birds were assigned to five dietary treatments including a control diet without additives, a diet with 0.05% flumequine, and diets supplemented with 0.35%, 0.65%, or 1% PB biochar for 35 days. Feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio (FCR), carcass traits, nutrient digestibility, intestinal histomorphology, and cecal microbial counts were evaluated. The results showed that final body weight and weight gain significantly increased in birds fed 0.65% biochar compared to the control and flumequine groups (P < 0.05). A trend towards a lower FCR was observed in birds fed 0.65% biochar compared with the control (P = 0.08). Except for the weight of the breast and thigh, none of the carcass traits and internal organs were affected by the treatments (P > 0.05). Preplanned comparisons between control and biochar-treated groups showed that PB biochar significantly increased Lactobacillus populations while reducing E. coli counts in the cecum (P < 0.05). Ileal digestibility of crude protein (CP) and crude fiber (CF) also enhanced with the inclusion of biochar in the diets compared to the control (P < 0.05). Dietary inclusion of PB biochar increased cecal and ileal villus height indicating improved gut morphology (P < 0.05). The optimal inclusion level of PB biochar was found to be 0.65%, which showed significant improvements in growth and digestibility. Overall, this study provides insight into the potential of PB biochar as a promising alternative to antibiotics.
对抗生素耐药性和环境可持续性的日益关注，增加了家禽生产中对饲料中抗生素天然替代品的需求。生物炭提供了一种新颖、环保的解决方案，可能改善动物性能，同时支持废物资源化。本研究调查了开心果副产品（PB）制成的生物炭对日本鹌鹑生长、饲料效率和肠道健康的影响。将鹌鹑分为五种日粮处理组，包括不含添加剂的对照日粮、含0.05%氟甲喹的日粮，以及添加0.35%、0.65%或1% PB生物炭的日粮，为期35天。评估了采食量、体重增加、饲料转化率（FCR）、胴体性状、养分消化率、肠道组织形态学和盲肠微生物数量。结果表明，与对照组和氟甲喹组相比，饲喂0.65%生物炭的鹌鹑最终体重和体重增加显著增加（P < 0.05）。与对照组相比，饲喂0.65%生物炭的鹌鹑FCR有降低趋势（P = 0.08）。除胸肉和大腿重量外，各处理对胴体性状和内脏器官均无影响（P > 0.05）。对照组与生物炭处理组之间的预先计划比较表明，PB生物炭显著增加了盲肠中乳酸杆菌数量，同时减少了大肠杆菌数量（P < 0.05）。与对照组相比，日粮中添加生物炭还提高了粗蛋白（CP）和粗纤维（CF）的回肠消化率（P < 0.05）。日粮中添加PB生物炭增加了盲肠和回肠绒毛高度，表明肠道形态得到改善（P < 0.05）。发现PB生物炭的最佳添加水平为0.65%，其在生长和消化率方面有显著改善。总体而言，本研究深入了解了PB生物炭作为抗生素有前景替代品的潜力。
