Well, we are already at the first issue of the Journal for 2015, and 2014 seems far away now. We had more than 100 papers submitted in 2014 – some of which are still being processed, but this marks a major increase in the amount of papers we receive at the Journal. When I first started editing the WPSJ, we often had to solicit papers on a regular basis to make up an issue. However, in the advent of online submission systems and improved electronic communication, we are receiving more papers than ever from unsolicited sources. This has had several impacts from an administration point of view. Firstly, we are now in a position to be more discerning in the papers we accept. Increasing focus on detailed topics is now achievable – to the benefit of our readership. However, this has meant that we now have to apply some stricter rules regarding length of papers, as we are restricted in the print copy of the WPSJ. As a result, I now have to enforce the 20 page submitted limit, as longer papers cause delays in publishing for those authors further back in the production system. So, when you are submitting a paper, please respect the page limits imposed out of consideration for other authors. Following the October Board Meeting in Korea, where we were all made very welcome by the organisers (thank you) – several changes to the way the WPSJ is run were actioned. Most important of this was the formation of a Board Editorial Committee comprised of myself, Dr Michelle Tixier-Boichard, Prof Rob Gous and Prof Birger Svihus, with Mrs Dorien Kleverwal from the Dutch Office being involved in the meetings. This will be a boon to myself and Dr Shay Hill, who assists me with the running of the Journal, as we will have colleagues to assist with the ongoing development and success of the Journal. In addition, a revamp of members of the Editorial Committee is underway, with those people involved having to take on responsibilities for sections and topics within the journal – again to increase $ efficiency and quality. The Board voted for the Journal to move to an online publishing system called FirstView, whereby as soon as papers are completed, they will go live online, and the later be incorporated into the print issue. This will allow us to get papers out faster, and get better visibility of the publications from the WPSJ. So 2015 will be a year of change – but for the betterment of the Journal and for WPSA members.

Dr Lucy Waldron

Editor

In recent years, changing public perceptions and attitudes, as well as a hostile economic climate, have combined to potentially modify French consumer behaviour relating to poultry meat. This paper makes use of a longitudinal dataset that has been constructed through regular surveying of consumers and review information relating to purchasing patterns, perceptions and decision factors in France. These findings will be of interest to marketing practitioners as well as policy makers, academics and others with an interest in the poultry sector.

Vegetable protein (VP) diets, i.e. diets based entirely on plant material, are increasingly used by the poultry industry around the world for a variety of reasons, including cost, ingredient availability and growth of the organic product sector. However, VP diets are difficult to formulate because of potential nutrient imbalances, and VP sources can contain anti-nutritive factors, which necessitates processing and nutrient supplementation. In a series of research trials at the University of New England, the nutritive value of VP diets was assessed, in which soybean and canola meals partially or completely replaced fishmeal or meat meal. Diets containing soybean meal or canola meal as protein sources were slightly inferior to diets containing fishmeal but similar to diets containing meat meal. The digestibility of amino acids and minerals was greater for diets containing animal protein sources, but carcass fat content was also higher in birds fed diets containing fish meal. Leg bone development was superior in chicks on diets containing fish meal. The quality of the VP diets was improved through supplementation with carbohydrase and phytase. In feed selection tests, birds preferred diets containing canola meal to diets containing soybean meal, although productivity on the latter was superior. Birds also consumed more of the diet containing meat meal than the VP diets.

Coccidiosis is well known as an expensive, parasitic disease for the poultry industry worldwide. The disease causes real economic losses by causing poor growth and feed efficiency in broilers even leading to high mortality. Consequently, large amounts of money are being spent on vaccination and inclusion of anticoccidial drugs into diets. In recent years, development of resistance to coccidiostats, elevated costs of systematic vaccination and increasing consumer demand for ′natural′ food products has fuelled the development of natural, plant-based alternatives for coccidial control in poultry farming. The anti-coccidial properties of numerous natural products such as Ageratum conyzoides extract (billy goat weed), green tea, maslinic acid, extracts of Polygonum bistorta (Anjbar) and Agele marmelos (Bael), Artemisia sieberi, Artemisia absinthium, the leaves of Neem (Azadirachta indica), Artemisia annua and Aloa vera-based supplements have been reported. This article summarises the experimental knowledge relating to the efficacy, possible modes of action and different aspects of application of botanical supplements as feed additives for the treatment of poultry diseases, especially coccidiosis.

Postileal fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract of poultry takes place as a result of the interaction between two components of the intestinal ecosystem: rapidly changing microbiota and digesta with different physicochemical properties. Short chain fatty acids, the major products of fermentation, act to stabilise microbiota composition and maintain gut health, and constitute an additional source of energy. Due to different mechanisms of action of probiotics, phytobiotics and prebiotics in the intestinal ecosystem, the quantities and proportions of the major products of fermentation are affected by the type of feed additives. Some phytobiotics, including alkaloids, exert antimicrobial effects and reduce short chain fatty acids concentrations in the caecum. Mannan-oligosaccharides, regarded as prebiotics, may prevent the adhesion of pathogenic bacteria (mostly E. coli and Salmonella) to the gut wall. Prebiotic oligosaccharides, in particular fructo-oligosaccharides and inulin, are used by beneficial bacteria of the genera Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, thus enhancing the synthesis of short chain fatty acids in the lower gastro intestinal tract of poultry, while low intestinal pH inhibits the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

Postileal fermentation in the gastro intestinal tract of poultry is affected by the main raw materials used during feed formulation, for example cereal grains, rapeseed meal, soybean meal, lupin seeds. Since cereal grains are the main source of dietary non-starch polysaccharides, including the viscous water-soluble fraction, their quality determines the rate of postileal fermentation. The supplementation of poultry diets with selected enzymes, mostly xylanase andß-glucanase, suppresses fermentation in the upper gastro intestinal tract, and enhances the process in the caecum. Due to relatively high concentrations of raffinose family oligosaccharides in soybean meal, diets rich in that raw material may stimulate gut fermentation and decrease the growth performance of young birds. Rapeseed meal and lupin seeds, used as partial substitutes for soybean meal, affect fermentation processes in the gastrointestinal tract of poultry to a low degree, as compared with a soybean-based diet. Sunflower meal, even at low inclusion levels (14%), reduces the synthesis of caecal short chain fatty acids, probably due to an increase in lignified fibre in the diet.

Over the past half century the turkey industry has seen significant changes in the methods used to harvest meat. Some of the major changes include an increase of over three fold in line speed (new plants are designed to process up to 3,600 bph) and processing larger birds; both resulted in a six fold rise in kg processed per hour. The industry has also seen a large increase in the proportion of cut up and deboned meat (i.e. helped year round sales), as well as substantial improvements in sanitation. These advancements have been possible due to knowledge gained in areas such as genetics, muscle biology (post mortem processes), live bird handling (transportation, unloading, stunning), heat and mass transfer (scalding, chilling) and computer science (e.g. image analysis, in-line weighing and tracking). This review includes a general summary of the steps involved in primary turkey processing and focuses on several principles that have been used to achieve greater efficiencies in mechanising the process. The main focus areas include automating unloading, stunning, chilling and mechanical filleting. These topics are also used to demonstrate the importance of moving from a batch operation to a continuous line where speed, efficiency and traceability could be improved by mechanisation. Overall, integrating and automating the whole process is a challenge that must be met by both the processing plant personnel and equipment manufacturer who should understand the whole farm to fork approach.

In view of the increasing public awareness of the relationship between healthy diet and prevention of many diseases, particularly civilisation-related diseases, producers are trying to focus consumers’ attention on the health-promoting components found in poultry meat or introduced to final products. The health-promoting quality of poultry meat may be improved by undertaking certain animal management measures (genetic and nutritional factors), reducing undesirable components, adding individual biocomponents and applying appropriate technological measures. These include changing fatty acid profiles, increased content of bioactive protein and reduced content of sodium chloride, nitrates and nitrites. At present research is being conducted on methods to enrich the composition of meat and its processed products with bioactive substances such as vitamins, polyunsaturated fatty acids and other beneficial components, e.g. fibre.

The objective of this review is to update and discuss the current findings from studies with laying hens on dietary factors that can beneficially affect eggshell quality, with special emphasis on microelements and feed additives. The crucial importance of dietary calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D3 levels and sources for eggshell quality has been well documented in scientific literature. Many recent studies regarding the effect of nutrition on eggshell parameters have focussed on dietary micromineral levels and sources. There has been also growing interest in the influence of feed additives on the improvement of intestinal health and mineral availability. The results of the experiments presented here demonstrate that efficacy of layer diet supplementation with microelements and feed additives is not consistent, however findings of several trials indicate, that eggshell quality may be positively affected in certain conditions by optimal dietary level and form of manganese, as well as by the addition of pre- and probiotics, organic acids, and herb extracts.

With the advancement in knowledge of innate immune functioning, toll-like receptors (TLRs) have emerged as potential adjuvant candidates. TLRs are one of the types of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that sense conserved signature molecules on invading pathogens. Detection of the pathogens via TLRs alerts the immune system of the host and helps in mounting a quick immune response against the invading pathogens. This property of TLR ligands may be exploited for the development of effective prophylactic agents against infectious chicken diseases. In this review the immunostimulatory effects of various TLRs will be discussed as well as their use as adjuvants in combination.

New Zealand has a much higher rate of reported campylobacteriosis cases than the rest of the developed world. It has been assumed that New Zealand C. jejuni strains have greater heat tolerance and thus are better able to survive cooking. Therefore there is a need to fully determine the temperature dependence of Campylobacter spp. and to update the current knowledge of kinetic parameters such as D and z values of Campylobacter spp. The significantly higher reported D- values for Campylobacter spp. already seen in the Netherlands requires a practical stance in ensuring appropriate evaluation of thermal process lethality of Campylobacter spp. An extensive search of data bases for publications on Campylobacter heat resistance was conducted. The kinetic parameters obtained in New Zealand under isothermal and dynamic conditions in broths or in food matrix are broadly in agreement with previously published international data and do not indicate that New Zealand strains are more heat resistant than other strains. This finding has a significant impact to regulators, consumers, food industry and researchers as it has revealed the scientific evidence to maintain the standards for the heat treatment practices. Any change of heat treatment practice can cause unpredicted loss to the poultry industry and challenges the regulatory bodies to convey the message of altering the consumers cooking temperature to all consumers with a short time given the reluctance of consumers in using thermometers to verify the cooking temperature at home. Consumers play an important role in making certain the food they prepare is safe by preventing cross-contamination in order to avoid the risk of food borne diseases.

Magnesium has essential functions in cellular metabolism and bone development. Its actions are closely linked to calcium and phosphorus, making the achievement of the right proportion of these elements in diets an important issue in poultry nutrition. The magnesium requirement of poultry has rarely been studied and most studies conducted are more than 35 years old. Despite the fact that magnesium is adequately present in most plant-based diets, supplemental magnesium may positively affect poultry meat quality and body weight at certain developmental stages. However, excessive dietary magnesium could influence calcium and phosphorus availability and metabolism through different mechanisms. Understanding the effects of supplemental magnesium on the availability and metabolism of other dietary constituents and vice versa is important for formulating balanced diets and achieving maximal performance in poultry. Here we review this complex, insufficiently explored issue.

High growth rates in modern-day broilers require diets concentrated in digestible protein and energy. In addition to affecting feed conversion efficiency, it is important to prevent surplus dietary protein because of greater amounts of undigested protein entering the hindgut that may be fermented by the resident microbiota. The latter may result in increased formation of a wide range of protein-derived compounds including ammonia, amines, indoles and phenols, in addition to secondary products (lactate, succinate) and gases such as methane, hydrogen and carbon dioxide. In poultry, studies have shown the presence of protein fermentation products such as biogenic amines and branched chain fatty acids (BCFA) in the ileal and caecal digesta. The production and metabolism of nitrogenous waste products (as a result of protein fermentation) such as uric acid and ammonia may lead to a burden on the organism and cause additional energy losses. Although biogenic amines are important for normal gut development, greater concentrations may cause gizzard erosion, mortality and depressed growth rate in broilers. A decrease in indigestible protein reduces hindgut protein fermentation. In broilers, feeding diets with coarse particles (between 600 to 900 μm) and/or using feed additives, such as pre- and probiotics and organic acids, especially butyric acid, may improve protein digestion, thereby, potentially reducing hindgut protein fermentation. Studies are therefore needed to determine the extent and importance of hindgut protein fermentation on performance and gut health in broilers.

Dietary plant ß-mannans are one of the major anti-nutritional components in monogastric nutrition. The presence of ß-mannans in poultry diets has been associated with many negative features ranging from high intestinal viscosity and low nutrient digestibility to adverse effects on innate immune response and microbial proliferation in the gut. ß-Mannanase supplementation to the feed of domestic fowl is one of the strategies for optimisation of nutritional value of ß-mannan containing diets. Research has shown positive effects of ß-mannanase supplementation on performance and nutrient digestibility in poultry fed corn-soybean meal-based diets as well as diets containing guar meal, copra meal, and palm kernel meal. Such performance and nutrient digestibility improvements are the result of single or combined modes of action due to ß-mannanase addition. Particularly over the last decade, it has become increasingly clear that these modes of action might be very complex and versatile. The identification and understanding of the mechanisms by which ß-mannanase supplementation affects nutrient digestion, metabolism, overall performance and health of birds, is important for the optimisation and broadening of the application of this enzyme in avian nutrition. This paper reviews various modes of action by ß-mannanase supplementation in poultry. Additionally, significance of single modes of action under different conditions is also discussed.

Feeding antibiotics as growth promoters has had a substantial role in the poultry industry historically, although many countries now limit their use due to concerns over residues and microbial resistance in human medicine. For many years medicinal plants have been used as pharmaceuticals in natural therapy. However, limited studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of certain plants as feed additives in poultry. The importance and use of black pepper, cinnamon and turmeric is reviewed in the following paper. Black pepper acts as an antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant. Cinnamon has anti-allergenic, antioxidant, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antiviral and blood purifying properties and aids in digestion. Turmeric acts as an antioxidant, anti-mutagenic, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial agent and protects the liver against a variety of toxins. However, a systematic approach toward the efficacy and safety of these plant materials and their active compounds in poultry is still lacking.

Following the removal of antibiotic growth promoters in animal feed, various products have been suggested as alternatives to the poultry feed industry. Among these products some types of clay or derivatives were used as a natural supply in order to optimise performance. Clay is indeed abundant naturally, cheap, widely used by hens raised outdoors voluntarily or by ingesting earthworms and soil fauna insects. As an indication it was estimated that a laying hen kept outdoors consumes 10g of soil, 7g of plant and 20g of insects and worms per day. In further studies it was reported that soil ingestion can reach 30% of dry matter intake. Considering their specific absorption capacities of ions, clays are considered real molecular sieves. Various studies have concluded that clays promote a hygienic digestive tract, increase food retention time and contribute to improving water retention and reducing the moisture content of droppings. The use of clays was accompanied by positive responses in nutrient digestibility, weight gain and feed conversion ratio. Also the addition of clay enhances meat sensorial value and organoleptic characteristics, the cutting yield and meat processing abilities. The antimicrobial and antitoxic properties of clay were shown to improve the appetite and weight gain of chickens eating food containing aflatoxins. In laying hens literature states that the use of clay improves egg size, egg internal qualities, shell strength and wet droppings. Clay use is also reported to reduce mite infestation in hens and improve ambient conditions in animal husbandry with substantially lower levels of NH3 and CH4.

The World’s Poultry Science Journal is indebted to Prof J.A. Castello, Prof D.K. Flock, Dr D. Grastilleur, Dr S. Cherepanov and Prof N. Yang for the translations of these summaries.