Research Article

Leverage of Chromium Methionine Supplementation in Laying Japanese Quail’s Diets on Performance, Quality, and Blood Traits Challenged by Heat Stress

Ayman M. Khalifah1*, Walaa A. Kashyout1, Sara A. Abdalla2, Hassan S. Zeweil3, Soliman M. Zahran3, Tarek A. Ebeid4, Waleed M. Dosoky3

1Livestock Research Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El Arab, Egypt.; 2Plant Protection and Biomolecular Diagnosis Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El Arab, Egypt; 3Animal and Fish Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, Egypt; 4Department of Poultry Production, Faculty of Agriculture, Kafrelsheikh University, Egypt.

Received | December 05, 2021; Accepted | January 25, 2022; Published | February 15, 2022

*Correspondence | Ayman M. Khalifah, Livestock Research Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications (SRTA-City), New Borg El Arab, Egypt; Email: akhalifah@srtacity.sci.eg

Citation | Khalifah AM, Kashyout WA, Abdalla SA, Zeweil HS, Zahran SM, Ebeid TA, Dosoky WM (2022). Leverage of chromium methionine supplementation in laying japanese quail’s diets on performance, quality, and blood traits challenged by heat stress. Adv. Anim. Vet. Sci. 10(3): 676-684.

DOI | http://dx.doi.org/10.17582/journal.aavs/2022/10.3.676.684

ISSN (Online) | 2307-8316

 

Introduction

Typical of developing countries that are very vulnerable to climate change and face multiple economic and environmental sustainability challenges, Egypt stands out as a good illustration of this. Egypt’s existing arid climate will be exacerbated by climate change, with relatively high temperatures and poorer rainfall in major agricultural areas. All ecological conditions affect animal welfare, including temperature, humidity, presence of toxic contaminants, and litter quality (Utnik-Banaś et al., 2014). In the case of extreme temperatures combined with high levels of humidity, this causes severe stress in the birds, which results in a decline in production performance (Dosoky et al., 2020). HS in poultry occurs when the temperature rises beyond 30°C, and it is one of the most common indicators of stress that negatively impact chicken production indices. (Rama Rao et al., 2011). In anxious poultry, the productivity of eggs, quality of eggs, utilization of feed, and weight gains were all restricted (Mashaly et al., 2004). Antioxidant status debilitated and mineral secretion boosted in serum and liver due to HS in poultry (Khan et al., 2011). What’s more, HS also accelerates lipid oxidation as more of a consequence of rising free radical production, which promotes the synthesis of reactive oxygen species and generates oxidative stress in cells (Altan et al., 2003). Acclimatization could help reduce the impacts of HS (Yalcin et al., 2001). Shelter, ventilation and cooling solutions are likely to reduce HS effectively. Because of their impracticality and high expense, several approaches have been abandoned in specific locations and farms. Instead, nutritional manipulation in poultry production could be a viable option (Shane, 1988, Khalifah et al., 2021, Hassan et al., 2022). According to the literature, antioxidant vitamins and minerals such as zinc (Chand et al., 2014), selenium, and Cr (Torki et al. 2014) may help to mitigate the negative impact of environmental stress.

Cr is a vital micronutrient for humans and animals (Nattapon et al., 2012). It aids in physiological and nutritional efficiency (Aslanian et al., 2011). Cr, which is usually found in nature as a trivalent state, is required for the activation of various enzymes and the stabilization of proteins and nucleic acids. Its principal function in metabolism is to potentiate insulin activity via an organometallic structure known as glucose tolerance factor (Mohammed et al., 2014). Cr boosts glucose glycogenesis, promotes glucose transportation, and boosts protein synthesis (Hayirli, 2005). Cr is thought to operate as an antioxidant as insulin promotes lipid peroxidation (Habibian et al., 2013). Also, Cr plays a vital role in enhancing cholesterol profile (Preuss et al., 1990). Cr shortage has been linked to slowed growth rate, glucose and protein metabolism (Pagan et al. 1995). Cr addition to poultry diets improved the growth performance variables (Habibian et al., 2013). Under environmental, nutritional, and hormonal stress, Cr’s positive benefits can be shown more clearly. (Sahin et al., 2002a, Gleuktin et al., 2009).

The (NRC, 1994) made no recommendations for poultry Cr requirements, particularly quails. (Sahin et al., 2002a; Sahin et al., 2005). However, in recent years, more studies on the usage of Cr and its beneficial effects on poultry quality have been conducted. Cr supplementation can help in minimizing the adverse effects of environmental stress during the formation of the yolk (Nasiroleslami and Torki 2011). Cr in organic forms is more soluble in water and metabolized in the gastrointestinal tract to a vastly more significant amount than Cr in inorganic types (Anderson et al., 2001). Chromium linkage with L-methionine (Cr-Met) is a newly available natural Cr form whose availability and effects in growing Japanese quail have been determined (Dosoky et al., 2020).

As a result, the purpose of this study is to investigate the potential actions of Cr-Met in the laying performance and quality of quails grown in Egypt throughout the summer.

Materials and Methods

The present study was performed at the Fish and Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University. Samples analysis were conducted at Livestock Research Department, Arid Land Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technology Applications (SRTA-City).

Housing and management

The Institutional Animal Ethics Committee of Alexandria University approved the field experiment. A total of 180 layer Japanese quails were handled. Quails were weighed separately and then randomly assigned to five experimental groups with initial average weight 152.45 g ±1.89, each with 36 birds; each group was split into six replicas, consisting of 6 birds per replicate. Throughout the testing period, which lasted from 9 to 18 weeks, quails were housed in wire-laying cages (60*43*20 cm. l*w*h) in a open house arrangement. Feed and water were supplied ad-libitum. Quails were conditioned to 16 hours of continuous light and reared under the same management. The average ambient temperature was 33 ℃, with average relative humidity of 75%.

Experimental diets

Cr was added in the form of Chromium-l-methionine complex (containing 1 g of Cr:kg−1Cr-Met) to the basal diet it was obtained from Haerbing Debang Dingli Biology Technique Co., Ltd. (Heilongjiang, China).

The basal experimental diets were formulated to cover the nutrient requirements of laying quail as NRC (1994) recommended. Composition and calculated analysis of the experimental diets are presented in Table 1.

The experimental groups received the following dietary treatments

Basel diet without supplementation (BD).

BD + 0.2 g CrMet /kg diet.

BD + 0.4 g CrMet /kg diet.

BD + 0.6 g CrMet /kg diet.

BD + 0.8 g CrMet /kg diet.

 

Table 1: Feed composition and calculated analysis of the experimental basal diets

Ingredients	%
Yellow corn Soybean meal (44 %) Concentrate (50 %) * Di-calcium phosphate Limestone Sunflower oil Vit. and min. mix. ** Salt (NaCl)	59.50 22.60 10.00 0.40 5.50 1.00 0.50 0.50
Total	100
Calculated analysis1
Crude protein (%) ME (Kcal/ Kg diet) Ether extract (%) Crude fiber (%) Methionine (%) Methionine +Cystine (%) Lysine (%) Calcium (%) Av. Phosphorus (%)	20.00 2903.89 2.60 3.04 0.71 0.90 1.15 2.58 0.40

* Concentrate (contains): ME (K cal/kg) 2870, Crude protein 50%, Crude fiber 1.51%, Crude fat 1.54%, Calcium 4.29%, Phosphorus 2.39%, NaCl 0.8%, Methionine 4.6%, Methionine & Cystine 5.38%, Lysine 3.90%.

** Each kg of vitamin and minerals mixture contained: Vit. A, 4,000,000 IU; Vit. D3, 500,000 IU; Vit, E, 16.7 g., Vit. K, 0.67 g., Vit. B1, 0.67 g., Vit. B2, 2 g., Vit. B 6, .67 g., Vit. B12, 0.004 g., Nicotinic acid, 16.7 g., Pantothenic acid, 6.67 g., Biotin, 0.07 g., Folic acid, 1.67 g., Choline chloride, 400 g., Zn, 23.3 g., Mn, 10 g., Fe, 25 g., Cu,1.67 g., I, 0.25 g.,Se, 0.033 g. and, Mg, 133.4 g.

1 Calculated according to NRC (1994).

 

Determination of performance

The number of eggs produced and egg weights for each replicate were recorded daily.The egg number, laying rate, and egg mass were calculated. Feed intake (FI) was recorded daily for each replicate, and feed conversion ratio (FCR) was calculated by dividing the amount of FI by the amount of egg mass-produced.

Determination of Eggshell quality

Eggshell quality traits were conducted weekly using all eggs of 2 days from all treatments. Indices of eggshell quality included eggshell weight percentage, egg shape index was determined according to (Romanoff and Romanoff, 1949), specific gravity (Novikoff and Gutteridge, 1949), and eggshell thickness (Voisey and Hunt, 1974).

Determination of interior Egg quality

Albumen and yolk percentages were calculated, yolk index was estimated according to (Funk, 1948). Yolk color was determined according to (Vuilleumier, 1969).

Determination of cholesterol, total lipids, and fatty acids of egg yolk

Yolk cholesterol was extracted according to (Fisher and Leveille, 1957) and analyzed according to (Allain et al., 1974). Total lipids were determined according to (Fisher and Leveille, 1957).

Fatty acids analysis, whether SFA or UFA, was carried out by gas-liquid chromatography (GLC) using Shimadzu gas chromatograph (GC-4 cm, PFE). Preparation of fatty acids methyl esters from total lipids of the sample was performed according to (Radwan, 1978).

Determination of blood traits

At the end of the experiment, six birds were randomly chosen from each treatment and slaughtered; blood samples were taken, centrifuged at 1500 rpm for 10 min, and sera were collected and stored at -20°C. Serum samples were thawed at room temperature, then total protein, albumin, creatinine, uric acid, total lipids, triglycerides, cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), glucose, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH) were measured with a spectrophotometer (SELECTA® UV-2005) using a commercial detection kit (Bio-diagnostic, Egypt) following the manufacturer’s instructions. Serum globulin levels were calculated by subtracting albumin values from total protein values (Coles, 1986).

Statistical analysis

The differences among treatments were statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA using (SPSS) statistical software package for windows version 23.0. Duncan’s Multiple Range-test separated the significant differences between treatment means (Duncan, 1955). The used model was:

Yij = µ+ Ti +eij

Where:

Yij = An observation treatment

µ = Overall mean

Ti = the treatment effect (I = 1--------- 5)

eij = The experimental random error.

Results

Performance of laying quails

Data describing the influence of Cr-Met supplementation on performance of laying quails are presented in Table (2). Cr-Met supplmentation had insignificant (P > 0.05) effect on FI of laying Japanese quail compared to the group fed BD. The results concerning that FCR was significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by incremental levels of Cr-Met. These improvements were observed in FCR of birds given 0.2,

 

Table 2: Effect of dietary Cr-Met on performance of laying quails.

Items	Cr-Met (g/kg diet)					SEM	P-value
	0	0.2	0.4	0.6	0.8
Feed intake (g/hen/day)	26.80	25.66	26.94	27.04	27.03	0.226	0.256
Feed conversion ratio (g feed/g egg)	3.18a	2.73b	2.96b	3.00b	3.24a	0.058	0.016
Egg laying rate (%)	65.03b	69.59a	69.59a	71.43a	68.89a	0.991	0.007
Egg weight (g)	12.75	13.11	14.78	13.80	13.41	0.247	0.0791
Egg number (g/hen/day)	0.65b	0.69a	0.70a	0.71a	0.69a	0.007	0.034
Average egg weight (g)	13.01	13.47	13.01	12.62	12.13	0.206	0.334
Egg mass (g/hen/day)	8.45bc	9.38a	9.08ab	9.02ab	8.34c	0.131	0.021

Means followed by different lowercase letters are significantly different (P ≤ 0.05).

 

Table 3: Effect of dietary Cr-Met on eggshell quality of laying quails.

Items	Cr-Met (g/kg diet)					SEM	P-value
	0	0.2	0.4	0.6	0.8
Egg shape index	74.79	78.11	78.73	78.87	74.90	0.962	0.482
Eggshell weight(g)	1.21	1.20	1.40	1.37	1.35	0.047	0.710
Eggshell weight (%)	9.47	9.47	9.28	9.57	10.28	0.440	0.311
Specific gravity	1.07	1.66	1.08	1.11	1.10	0.055	0.067
Eggshell thickness	18.33	19.00	19.46	19.86	18.93	0.228	0.280

Means followed by different lowercase letters are significantly different (P ≤ 0.05).

 

Table 4: Effect of dietary Cr-Met on interior egg quality of laying quails.

Items	Cr-Met (g/kg diet)					SEM	P-value
	0	0.2	0.4	0.6	0.8
Albumen weight (g)	7.45	7.70	8.65	8.23	7.91	0.265	0.073
Albumen weight (%)	58.55	58.76	58.95	59.68	59.05	1.143	0.066
Yolk weight (g)	4.06	4.16	4.69	4.24	4.13	0.106	0.205
Yolk weight (%)	31.98	31.78	31.58	30.75	31.27	0.916	0.151
Yolk Index	517.66	463.2	511.46	495.23	504.86	12.138	0.683
Yolk height (mm)	12.24	12.18	13.426	12.09	12.53	0.313	0.695
Yolk Color	2.60	3.60	3.80	3.00	3.40	0.265	0.235

Means followed by different lowercase letters are significantly different (P ≤ 0.05).

 

Table 5: Effect of dietary Cr-Met on yolk total lipids, yolk total Cholesterol, yolk saturated and unsaturated fatty acids of laying quails.

Items	Cr-Met (g/kg diet)					SEM	P-value
	0	0.2	0.4	0.6	0.8
Yolk total lipids (mg/g yolk)	304.74a	296.87a	289.82ab	278.72bc	270.83c	2.830	0.001
Total Cholesterol (mg/g yolk)	17.28a	16.98ab	16.84ab	16.42bc	16.08c	0.120	0.001
Saturated fatty acids (% total fatty acids)
Myristic acid	0.42a	0.346b	0.32b	0.33b	0.316b	0.009	0.001
Palmitic acid	31.56a	29.90ab	28.502b	26.12c	25.87c	0.468	0.001
Stearic acid	11.28a	11.41a	10.58ab	10.81ab	9.90b	0.164	0.020
Arachidic acid	1.77a	1.44b	1.28c	1.18cd	1.11d	0.038	0.001
Unsaturated fatty acids (% total fatty acids)
Palmitoleic acid	2.20b	2.66ab	2.51ab	2.55ab	2.78a	0.042	0.001
Oleic acid	35.16b	38.16a	38.02a	38.38a	38.97a	0.395	0.001
Linoleic acid	11.28b	11.68ab	11.91a	12.23a	12.53a	0.148	0.050
Linolenic acid	0.81b	0.87a	0.89a	0.89a	0.911a	0.010	0.024

Means followed by different lowercase letters are significantly different (P ≤ 0.05).

 

Table 6: Effect of dietary Cr-Met on blood traits of laying quails.

Items	Cr-Met (mg/kg diet)					SEM	P-value
	0	0.2	0.4	0.6	0.8
Total protein (mg L-1)	5.28c	5.53c	5.99b	6.02b	6.57a	0.090	0.001
Albumin (mg L-1)	2.40c	2.87b	3.23b	3.11b	3.70a	0.080	0.001
Globulin (mg L-1)	2.88	2.66	2.76	2.91	2.87	0.077	0.843
A/G ratio	0.88	1.13	1.24	1.09	1.49	0.072	0.091
Creatinine (mg L-1)	0.84	0.87	0.84	0.86	0.96	0.014	0.057
Uric acid (mg L-1)	5.81a	5.52ab	5.40ab	5.05bc	4.79c	0.092	0.002
Total lipids (mg L-1)	404.33a	392.00ab	393.44ab	377.44bc	372.11c	3.136	0.004
Triglycerides (mg L-1)	142.24a	134.11ab	133.56ab	127.89b	124.78b	2.072	0.042
Cholesterol (mg L-1)	181.11a	173.67b	174.78b	170.89bc	166.44c	1.142	0.001
LDL (mg L-1)	82.35a	79.32ab	76.94bc	73.41cd	70.32d	0.957	0.001
HDL (mg L-1)	36.79c	37.11c	39.95bc	41.31ab	44.33a	0.647	0.001
Glucose (mg L-1)	167.56a	157.44b	154.00bc	151.67bc	149.00c	1.360	0.001
Total antioxidant Capacity (ng/mL)	0.80b	0.87a	0.89a	0.90a	0.93a	0.011	0.002
Malondialdehyde (nmol/mL)	11.09a	10.52ab	10.29abc	9.98bc	9.51c	0.152	0.009
Glutathione Peroxidase (ng/mL)	30.99c	33.24bc	33.95b	34.53b	40.09a	0.586	0.001

Means followed by different lowercase letters are significantly different (P ≤ 0.05).

 

0.4, and 0.6 g Cr-Met / kg diet. The advances in these groups reached 14.15, 6.92, and 5.66 % from the group fed BD.

The increase in laying rate reached a significant (P ≤ 0.01) effect with different levels of Cr-Met supplmentation on diets compared to the BD group, results showed that daily egg number significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased by supplementations of Cr-Met with different diets levels compared to BD group. Results indicated that Cr-Met supplementation did not significantly influence average egg weight compared to BD group. Egg mass/hen/day was significant (P ≤ 0.01) increased with different levels of Cr-Met, the highest value was recorded with birds fed 0.2 g Cr-Met/kg diet compared to the BD group.

Eggshell quality of laying quails

Data describing the effect of Cr-Met supplementation on eggshell quality traits are summarized in Table (3). The results show that egg shape index, eggshell weight (absolute and percentage), egg specific gravity, the eggshell thickness was not significantly affected by dietary supplementation of Cr-Met.

Interior egg quality of laying quails

Data describing the effect of Cr-Met supplementation on interior egg quality are summarized in Table (4). Data of albumen weight (absolute and percentage), yolk weight (absolute and percentage), yolk index, yolk height, and yolk color were not significantly affected by Cr-Met supplementation to laying quails’ diet.

Yolk total lipids, total cholesterol, and fatty acids of laying quails

Results presented in Table (5) summariesed the effect of Cr-Met on total lipids and cholesterol, yolk saturated and unsaturated fatty acids in the egg yolk of laying quails. Yolk total lipids and yolk cholesterol were significantly (P ≤ 0.001) decreased by Cr-Met supplementation. The best values in yolk total lipids and total cholesterol were recorded with Cr-Met at 0.6 and 0.8 g/kg diet. Results also showed a significant decrease in SFA content and a considerable increase in UFA by Cr-Met supplementation as compared to BD group.

Effect of Cr-Met on selected blood traits of laying quails.

The results in Table (6) showed the effect of Cr-Met on selected blood parameters. Data showed that the Cr-Met induced a significant (P ≤ 0.001) increase on blood total protein and albumin; it was observed that total protein and albumin concentrations were increased with increasing Cr-Met level in diets. The effects of Cr-Met supplementation on kidney parameters showed a significant decrease (P ≤ 0.001) in uric acid concentration. However, creatinine concentration was not affected by Cr-Met supplementation. Cr-Met supplementations significantly decreased (P ≤ 0.05) the total lipids, total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and glucose levels. However, the results indicated that HDL was significantly (P ≤ 0.01) increased compared to BD group. Also, results show a significant (P ≤ 0.01) increase in serum TAC and GSH with Cr-Met supplemented groups compared to BD group. Conversely, MDA was significantly (P ≤ 0.01) decreased in all treated groups than BD group.

Discussion

Temperatures of 32°C or above are considered to affect the performance of laying hens. Prior studies have connected high ambient temperatures to reduced FI, egg production, egg weight, and a higher FCR (Panda et al., 2008). According to Sahin et al. (2004), the addition of Cr can mitigate some of the negative impacts of HS on production performance. Our results indicate that Cr-Met enhanced the production performance of laying quails. Similary, (Karami et al., 2018) reported that giving laying hens low Cr-Met diets (0.4 g/kg) did not influence the number of eggs laid, egg weight, or egg mass when HS was administered. Also, Mirfendereski and Jahanian (2015) observed that adding Cr-Met significantly enhanced egg production. Nevertheless (Torki et al., 2014) found no significant effect on egg production and egg mass in hens supplemented chromium picolinate (0.4 g/kg). It was discovered that Cr-Met supplementation had no effect on FI but has a beneficial impact on FCR, Sahin et al. (2002b) and Piva et al. (2003), also discovered that supplemental Cr had no effect on FI but increased FCR in laying hens. However, (Mirfendereski and Jahanian, 2015) found that Cr did not influence FCR. Various experimental circumstances and characteristics, such as supplementation ways (in diet or water), provided quantities, stress intensities, stress types, and accessibility, all have a part in different findings.

Results showed that Cr-Met supplementation showed non-significant effect on egg quality traits. However, most of the egg quality traits were enhanced. Our findings contrast those of Torki et al. (2014), who discovered that giving HS laying hens a diet containing 0.2 g/kg Cr increased eggshell weight and thickness. Sahin et al. (2002a) found that HS hens given 0.4 g/kg Cr had a higher eggshell weight. Attia et al. (2015) discovered that Cr-supplemented meals enhanced shell thickness considerably.

Because of the inclusion of Cr-Met, which may lessen the effect of HS, the egg’s specific gravity was enhanced, although not significantly in this investigation. The rationale for these seemingly coincidental eggshell thickness and specific gravity discoveries may be attributed to:-(i) Cr may contribute to egg quality preservation by acting as a structural component of albumen or as a protein binder, (ii) Cr is required for the synthesis of ovomucin, which is responsible for the structure of albumen gels, and (iii) Cr stimulates the transmission of metal ions (most likely magnesium) into egg albumen during the plumping process in the uterus. It is possible to use the specific gravity as a proxy to estimate both the thickness of the shell and its strength (Roberts, 2004). As a result, it’s logical to expect that a thicker shelled egg will have a higher specific gravity.

Cr as a single supplement boosted egg shape index in HS birds, according to (Karami et al., 2018). Additionally, Cr-Met had no effect on yolk weight or yolk index within the control under HS; these findings were similar to (Piva et al., 2003), who discovered that Cr did not affect yolk weight or yolk index, but (Sirirat et al., 2013), found that laying hens fed diets enriched with nanoparticles chromium picolinate (0.3 and 0.5 g/kg) had lower egg yolk weight than control chickens. Our findings indicated a slight rise in yolk color, although it was not statistically significant. Adding Cr to the diet improved yolk color in HS laying hens (Torki et al., 2014). Local strain hens fed Cr showed higher albumin weight, yolk index, and yolk weight than those fed control diets (Attia et al., 2015).

According to our findings, Cr-Met reduced the concentration of total lipids and cholesterol in the yolk. In line with our results, Attia et al. (2015) discovered that chromium supplementation in laying hens during hot summer conditions reduced egg yolk total cholesterol, total lipids, and triglycerides compared to the control. In addition, (Sahin et al., 2004) discovered that supplementing laying hens’ diets with Cr lowers cholesterol levels in their yolks.

Consumers need to know how many nutrients meat and eggs have and how much UFA and cholesterol they contain. Eggs’ nutritional characteristics are connected to the content of fatty acids in eggs. SFA influences the pathophysiology of cancer and heart disease associated with diet (Briggs et al. 2017). In contrast, UFA, renowned for their health benefits, such as reduced thrombotic risk and decreased heart disease incidence in humans, have been shown to have a positive impact on human health (EFSA 2010). Enhanced quantities of UFA in the eggs and higher antioxidant qualities in the eggs, were all seen in the current study, demonstrating that feed supplementation with Cr-Met can be a method to improve nutritional features of quail egg yolks. The addition of Cr-Met in quail meals improved the final product by reducing undesired SFA content and enhancing good UFA.

The results indicated that Cr supplementation increased serum total protein and albumin concentrations. Similar increase in serum total protein concentration was observed by Torki et al. (2014), who added 0.2 or 0.4 g/kg Cr (as Cr picolinate) to diets of HS laying hens. However, Ma et al. (2014) observed that the serum albumin concentration of laying hens was not influenced by the addition of 0.2, 0.4, or 0.6 g/kg Cr (as Cr propionate). Results demonstrated a reduction in uric acid concentration while not affecting creatinine levels. According to Ma et al. (2014), a 0.2 g/kg Cr supplement reduced uric acid content by 31%. However, karami et al. (2018) discovered that Cr had no effect on serum uric acid levels, and Samanta et al. (2008) found that serum uric acid concentrations were identical in broilers fed 0.5 or 1 g/kg Cr (as Cr picolinate) and those fed a control diet. This study’s reduction in uric acid might be related to this supplement’s antioxidant activity (Onderci et al., 2003) as uric acid has been linked to antioxidant qualities in birds (Tsahar et al., 2006). Although we don’t know why creatinine levels decreased, these data imply that Cr-Met had no negative impact on renal function.

According to our findings, Cr-Met treatment resulted in a decrease in fatty acid profile. It is consistent with our results that supplementing diets with 0.2 or 0.4 mg/kg Cr reduced triglycerides and cholesterol levels of laying chickens, as demonstrated by Torki et al. (2014). Additionally, Mirfendereski and Jahanian (2015) showed that the application of 1 g/kg Cr-Met lowered the cholesterol levels of laying hens. Conversely, Ma et al. (2014) found that adding 0.2, 0.4, or 0.6 g/kg Cr to diets did not affect triglycerides content of laying hens (as Cr propionate).

As a result of our observations, the glucose concentration gradually decreased as the amount of Cr-Met increased. Mirfendereski and Jahanian (2015) and Torki et al. (2014) observed that supplementing laying hens with 0.5 and 1 g/kg Cr reduced glucose concentrations. Inversely, Ma et al. (2014) found that feeding laying hens 0.2, 0.4, or 0.6 g/kg Cr (as Cr propionate) did not affect their blood glucose levels. Cr has been proposed to be a physiologically active mineral because it is a component of a biomolecule known as chromodulin. Chrmodulin is a component of the insulin signaling pathway and seems to influence glucose and lipid metabolism through the action of insulin (Vincent 2000).

Tissue damage, bird health problems, and financial losses are all linked to oxidative stress, which occurs when free radical generation outpaces antioxidant defenses (Panda and Cherian 2014). Minerals including zinc, copper, manganese, and selenium have been advocated as external antioxidants (Willcox et al., 2004). The current study found that Cr-Met acts as an antioxidant by increasing GSH activity in the blood and lowering MDA levels. Our findings agree with those of Attia et al. (2015), who discovered that adding chromium resulted in less (p ≤ 0.05) MDA concentration than control in laying hens under Egyptian summer conditions. In rats, administration of Cr picolinate reduced MDA synthesis, a marker of lipid oxidation, and Cr functioned as an antioxidant, according to Preuss et al. (1997). Also, MDA in serum was significantly reduced in rats fed a Cr-supplemented diet, according to Anderson et al. (2001). Augmenting with trace organic minerals reduced the peroxidation of lipids (Bun et al., 2011) and enhanced the activity of GSH (Ma et al., 2011). For their potential to reduce oxidative stress, Mathivanan and Selvaraj (2003) discovered that Cr supplements in layer hens’ diets act as antioxidants. There are several components in both egg yolks (phospholipids) enzymes and whites (ovalbumin, ovotransferrin, phosvitin) are linked to antioxidant properties (Carocho et al., 2013). In conclusion Cr-Met could be supplemented to diets of laying quails at 0.4 and 0.6 g Cr-Met/kg for its benefits on performance, egg quality traits, increasing the fatty acid profile of eggs and enhanced the blood traits including (lipid profile, kidney function and antioxidant activity) under HS.

Conflict of interest

No conflict of interest.

novelty statement

The authors have developed the composition of laying quails diet by natural feed additives (chromium methionine). The results of the leverage of chromium methionine on laying quails diets on performance, quality and blood traits challenged by heat stress are published for the first time.

authors contribution

AMK & WMD: Experiment idea and design. AMK, WAK & SAA: Executing the experiment and lab analysis. TAE: statistical analysis. AMK & WMD: write the manuscript. SMZ & HSZ: revised the manuscript.

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