Table 1.
Nutritional value of levan
| Nutrient | Analyzed value |
|---|---|
| Dry matter (%) | 96.81 |
| Crude ash (% DM) | 0.038 |
| Crude protein (% DM) | bd. |
| Crude fiber (% DM) | bd. |
| Crude fat (% DM) | bd. |
| Nitrogen-free extract (% DM) | 96.77 |
| Sugars (% DM) | 9.874 |
Table 2.
Composition and nutritional value of the basal diet
| Diet composition (%) | |
| Wheat 10.5% CP | 31.65 |
| Maize 7% CP | 30.00 |
| Soybean meal 46% CP | 15.31 |
| Sunflower meal 34% CP | 9.440 |
| Limestone | 7.720 |
| Premix | 4.000 |
| Soybean oil | 1.880 |
| Nutritional value | |
| Dry matter (%) – analyzed | 88.59 |
| Crude ash (% DM) – analyzed | 12.70 |
| Crude fat (% DM) – analyzed | 3.725 |
| Crude protein (% DM) – analyzed | 16.30 |
| Crude fiber (% DM) – analyzed | 4.012 |
| Metabolizable energy (kcal/kg DM) – calculated | 2640 |
| Total Ca (% DM) – analyzed | 3.802 |
| Total P (% DM) – analyzed | 0.564 |
* Premix composition: Ca – 213.5 g/kg; P – 45 g/kg; Na – 40 g/kg; Lys – 46 g/kg; Met – 67 g/kg; Thr – 20 g/kg; Trp – 0.700 g/kg; Arg – 3,200 g/kg; Ile – 1,600 g/kg; Val – 2,300 g/kg; vitamin A – 250,000 IU/kg; vitamin D3 – 250,000 IU/kg; vitamin E – 750 IU/kg; vitamin K – 75 mg/kg; vitamin B1 – 50 mg/kg; vitamin B2 – 100 mg/kg; vitamin B3 – 750 mg/kg; vitamin B5 – 250 mg/kg; vitamin B6 – 100 mg/kg; vitamin B7 – 1250 μg/kg; vitamin B12 – 625 μg/kg; choline – 10,000 mg/kg; folic acid – 25 mg/kg; Fe – 625 mg/kg; Mn – 2,500 mg/kg; Zn – 1,500 mg/kg; Cu – 375 mg/kg; I – 25 mg/kg; Se – 7.5 mg/kg; phytase – 18,725 FTU/kg.
Table 3.
Performance of laying hens
| Parameter | C | L0.1 | L0.25 | L0.5 | L1 | SEM | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30th day | |||||||
| EP (%) | 90.47 | 92.19 | 92.76 | 93.52 | 92.38 | 0.493 | 0.387 |
| DEM (g per hen) | 56.00 | 55.35 | 57.05 | 56.05 | 56.60 | 0.252 | 0.268 |
| EW (g) | 57.07 | 56.77 | 58.13 | 57.10 | 58.05 | 0.257 | 0.329 |
| FI (g) | 129.1 | 129.6 | 129.6 | 129.6 | 129.9 | 0.118 | 0.587 |
| FCR | 2.306 | 2.346 | 2.273 | 2.314 | 2.298 | 0.011 | 0.351 |
| 60th day | |||||||
| EP (%) | 91.04 a | 94.12 ab | 94.42 ab | 95.00 b | 93.68 ab | 0.392 | 0.015 |
| DEM (g per hen) | 58.16 | 57.59 | 59.33 | 57.71 | 58.14 | 0.373 | 0.630 |
| EW (g) | 59.71 | 58.94 | 60.81 | 59.01 | 59.73 | 0.397 | 0.544 |
| FI (g) | 129.1 | 129.1 | 128.3 | 129.1 | 129.1 | 0.213 | 0.757 |
| FCR | 2.222 | 2.247 | 2.165 | 2.241 | 2.225 | 0.014 | 0.445 |
| 90th day | |||||||
| EP (%) | 92.07 a | 94.35 ab | 95.16 ab | 95.96 b | 94.08 ab | 0.361 | 0.010 |
| DEM (g per hen) | 58.85 | 59.17 | 59.83 | 59.14 | 58.82 | 0.257 | 0.759 |
| EW (g) | 60.54 | 60.39 | 61.12 | 60.34 | 60.18 | 0.271 | 0.854 |
| FI (g) | 129.5 | 128.9 | 129.7 | 129.3 | 127.2 | 0.552 | 0.773 |
| FCR | 2.205 | 2.180 | 2.170 | 2.188 | 2.165 | 0.012 | 0.886 |
Table 4.
Egg quality
| Parameter | C | L0.1 | L0.25 | L0.5 | L1 | SEM | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30th day | |||||||
| Breaking strength (kg/cm2) | 5.518 | 5.942 | 5.759 | 5.801 | 5.863 | 0.049 | 0.168 |
| Thickness (mm) | 0.366 | 0.380 | 0.378 | 0.385 | 0.385 | 0.003 | 0.247 |
| Yolk color | 10.87 | 11.16 | 11.08 | 10.95 | 11.08 | 0.078 | 0.629 |
| HU | 96.35 | 96.19 | 93.72 | 93.89 | 94.94 | 0.463 | 0.256 |
| 60th day | |||||||
| Breaking strength (kg/cm2) | 5.301 a | 5.763 b | 5.633 ab | 5.665 ab | 5.607 ab | 0.048 | 0.035 |
| Thickness (mm) | 0.347 | 0.360 | 0.346 | 0.357 | 0.346 | 0.003 | 0.470 |
| Yolk color | 10.62 | 10.70 | 11.16 | 11.08 | 10.70 | 0.071 | 0.351 |
| HU | 83.32 | 85.42 | 85.29 | 82.82 | 83.57 | 0.551 | 0.270 |
| 90th day | |||||||
| Breaking strength (kg/cm2) | 5.504 | 5.739 | 5.865 | 5.766 | 5.867 | 0.050 | 0.527 |
| Thickness (mm) | 0.368 | 0.363 | 0.361 | 0.360 | 0.361 | 0.002 | 0.921 |
| Yolk color | 8.545 | 8.750 | 8.779 | 8.579 | 8.829 | 0.099 | 0.869 |
| HU | 91.85 | 94.26 | 93.20 | 92.03 | 93.33 | 0.548 | 0.782 |
Figure 1.
The number of Lactobacillus spp., Bifidobacterium spp., and Enterobacteriaceae family bacteria in the JEJ and CEC (mean ± SD, N=8); a, b – values above bars with different letters differ significantly at the level of P<0.05; C – control group; L0.1, L0.25, L0.5, L1 – groups with the addition of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% levan, respectively.
Figure 2.
Relative abundance of individual phyla (2 a), classes (2 b), orders (2 c), families (2 d), and genera (2 e) of bacteria in the CEC of laying hens.
Figure 3.
The taxonomic assignments in CEC.
Figure 4.
Length of intestinal villi (μm) in DUO, JEJ and IL (mean ± SD, N=8); a, b – values above bars with different letters differ significantly at the level of P<0.05; DUO – duodenum; JEJ – jejunum; IL – ileum; C – control group; L0.1, L0.25, L0.5, L1 – groups with the addition of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% levan, respectively.
Figure 5.
Intestinal villi surface area (mm2) in DUO, JEJ and IL (mean ± SD, N=8); a, b – values above bars with different letters differ significantly at the level of P<0.05; DUO – duodenum; JEJ – jejunum; IL – ileum; C – control group; L0.1, L0.25, L0.5, L1 – groups with the addition of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% levan, respectively.
Figure 6.
Depth of intestinal crypts (μm) in DUO, JEJ and IL (mean ± SD, N=8); a, b – values above bars with different letters differ significantly at the level of P<0.05; DUO – duodenum; JEJ – jejunum; IL – ileum; C – control group; L0.1, L0.25, L0.5, L1 – groups with the addition of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% levan, respectively.
Figure 7.
The V/C ratio in DUO, JEJ and IL (mean ± SD, N=8); a, b – values above bars with different letters differ significantly at the level of P<0.05; DUO – duodenum; JEJ – jejunum; IL – ileum; C – control group; L0.1, L0.25, L0.5, L1 – groups with the addition of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% levan, respectively.
Figure 8.
The cortex to medulla thickness ratio in THM (mean ± SD, N=8); a, b – values above bars with different letters differ significantly at the level of P<0.05; C – control group; L0.1, L0.25, L0.5, L1 – groups with the addition of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% levan, respectively.
Figure 9.
The number of Bu-1+, CD4+ and CD8α+ cells in the SPL (mean ± SD, N=8); a, b – values above bars with different letters differ significantly at the level of P<0.05; C – control group; L0.1, L0.25, L0.5, L1 – groups with the addition of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% levan, respectively.
Figure 10.
The number of Bu-1+, CD4+ and CD8α+ cells in the CT (mean ± SD, N=8); a, b – values above bars with different letters differ significantly at the level of P<0.05; C – control group; L0.1, L0.25, L0.5, L1 – groups with the addition of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% levan, respectively.
Figure 11.
CD4+/CD8α+ cells ratio in the SPL (mean ± SD, N=8); a, b – values above bars with different letters differ significantly at the level of P<0.05; C – control group; L0.1, L0.25, L0.5, L1 – groups with the addition of 0.1%, 0.25%, 0.5% and 1% levan, respectively.
Table 5.
Populations of blood lymphocytes and monocytes
| Type of cells | C | L0.1 | L0.25 | L0.5 | L1 | SEM | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KUL01+ cells | % | 15.46 ab | 22.01 a | 19.42 ab | 20.13 ab | 14.55 b | 1.422 | 0.042 |
| Total count (×106/ml) | 5.990 | 10.11 | 9.090 | 8.540 | 5.540 | 0.892 | 0.087 | |
| Bu-1a+ cells | % | 25.39 | 29.01 | 27.20 | 24.68 | 27.74 | 0.787 | 0.235 |
| Total count (×106/ml) | 9.720 | 12.44 | 12.69 | 10.65 | 9.600 | 0.657 | 0.108 | |
| CD3+ cells | % | 60.48 a | 47.38 b | 46.14 b | 47.99 b | 54.01 ab | 2.688 | 0.001 |
| Total count (×106/ml) | 23.52 | 20.63 | 21.11 | 20.19 | 19.58 | 0.677 | 0.693 | |
| CD4+ cells | % | 40.80 ab | 37.23 b | 37.48 b | 36.27 b | 44.48 a | 1.514 | 0.001 |
| Total count (×106/ml) | 15.80 | 16.48 | 17.38 | 15.30 | 16.08 | 0.350 | 0.931 | |
| CD8+ cells | % | 16.47 a | 11.44 b | 10.39 b | 12.80 ab | 11.95 b | 1.040 | 0.002 |
| Total count (×106/ml) | 6.360 | 5.020 | 4.860 | 5.390 | 4.260 | 0.347 | 0.245 | |
| CD3+/TCRγδ+ cells | % | 14.97 | 14.28 | 13.22 | 12.67 | 14.60 | 0.432 | 0.578 |
| Total count (×106/ml) | 5.830 | 6.150 | 6.140 | 5.460 | 5.340 | 0.168 | 0.900 | |
| CD4+/CD8+ ratio | 2.630 b | 3.320 ab | 3.650 ab | 2.990 ab | 3.930 a | 0.230 | 0.014 |