University of Agriculture Faisalabad

Lactic acid bacteria (LAB)-based probiotics are widely recognized as effective and sustainable alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters due to their ability to improve intestinal integrity, modulate host immunity, and enhance productive performance in poultry. This study evaluated the effects of Pediococcus acidilactici (1 × 10 8 CFU/g) administered via drinking water on the productive performance, egg quality characteristics, hatching traits, serum biochemical indices, and immune responses of broiler breeder hens. A total of 240 hens (29 weeks old) were randomly assigned to four treatment groups receiving 0.0, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.3 g of Pediococcus acidilactici per liter of drinking water, with six replicates of ten birds each. All birds were maintained under standardized management and environmental conditions for an eight-week experimental period. Supplementation at 0.2 and 0.3 g/L significantly increased egg production, egg weight, and egg mass, while also improving feed efficiency ( P < 0.05) without affecting feed intake, final body weight, or livability ( P > 0.05). These inclusion levels also enhanced reproductive performance—including settable eggs, fertility, hatchability, and hatch of fertile eggs—while reducing embryonic mortality ( P < 0.05). In terms of egg quality, hens receiving 0.2 and 0.3 g/L exhibited significant improvements in egg length, egg width, and Haugh unit scores ( P < 0.05), whereas other internal and external egg quality parameters remained statistically unchanged ( P > 0.05). Furthermore, probiotic supplementation at these levels significantly reduced serum triglyceride concentrations and elevated antibody titers against Newcastle disease and infectious bronchitis viruses ( P < 0.05). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that supplementing drinking water with PA, particularly at a concentration of 0.2 g/L, can effectively enhance the productivity, reproductive performance, and immune status of breeder hens. Future research should explore the long-term effects of PA across different genetic strains and production stages, while also integrating gut microbiota profiling and metabolic studies to better elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms.

Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) from acetaminophen (APAP) overdose involves ER stress, oxidative damage, apoptosis, and inflammation. This study assesses Terminalia arjuna bark extract (TAE) against APAP-induced toxicity in rats, comparing its efficacy with N-acetylcysteine (NAC) through key signaling and inflammatory markers. Twenty-four Wistar rats were equally divided into four groups: Control Negative (CN, no treatment), Control Positive (CP, acetaminophen 350 mg/kg), N-acetylcysteine (NAC, 150 mg/kg), and Terminalia arjuna bark extract (TAE, ethanolic, 80 mg/kg). Over 14 days, liver injury was induced in the CP group via acetaminophen, while the NAC and TAE groups received their respective treatments. Animals were decapitated on day 15, and biological samples were collected for analysis. Biochemical assessments included liver function markers (ALT, AST) and oxidative stress parameters (SOD, TAC, TBARS, TOS). Gene expression studies were performed for oxidative stress regulators (Keap1, Nrf2) and ER stress signaling molecules (ERK, JNK, PPAR-α, AKT). Histopathological examination evaluated liver architecture and cellular integrity. Acetaminophen induced significant hepatotoxicity, as reflected by elevated liver enzymes, increased oxidative stress, altered gene expression, and disrupted liver histology. APAP toxicity resulted in elevated oxidative stress, apoptosis, inflammation, and ER stress, leading to significant hepatic damage (p < 0.0001 vs CN). NAC and TAE treatments mitigated these effects, with TAE demonstrating superior improvement in oxidative stress markers (p < 0.0001 vs CP). Gene expression analysis revealed a protective shift in the Keap1-Nrf2 pathways in the treated groups. Histopathology confirmed reduced necrosis and preserved hepatic architecture in the NAC and TAE groups. T. arjuna exhibits potent hepatoprotective effects, comparable to NAC, through modulation of oxidative stress, apoptosis, and ER stress pathways. Further studies are needed to explore its clinical applicability in acute liver injury management.

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) is a legume crop, consumed mainly for its nutritional value, drought resistance, and high biomass production. The main objective of the research was to assess the nutritional profile of alfalfa at various cutting stages with different organic and inorganic fertilizer treatments. The Treatments included: To (No fertilizer), T1 (100%N from cow dung slurry), T2 (75%N from cow dung slurry + 25%N from urea), T3 (50%N from cow dung slurry + 50%N from urea), T4 (75%N from urea + 25%N from cow dung slurry) and T5 (100%N from urea). They used cannulated buffalo bulls to assess the in-situ digestibility of alfalfa samples in 0, 24, 48 and 96-hour incubation time of 5g nylon bags. The findings reveal significant (P&lt;0.05) differences in proximate analysis, such as dry matter, crude protein, crude fiber, NDF, ADF, and ash, among treatments. Digestibility parameters like dry matter, crude protein, NDF, ADF were also significantly affected (P&lt; 0.05). Digestion was maximum in T5 whereas minimum values were recorded. Digestion rate between treatments was not consistent and T5 treatment showed the highest digestion rate as evidenced by the feed digestibility test. Researchers found that fertilizer treatment and cutting stage both significantly affected the nutritional composition and digestibility kinetics of alfalfa. Keywords: Fabaceae, lucern, leguminous fodder, organic fertilizers, protein content, fodder digestibility.

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a leafy herb that contains many useful nutrients, allowing it to easily overcome the threats to food security in countries of the Global South by adding fiber/bulk, folate and other available nutrients. In 2020, almost 220 metric tons of lettuce was produced in Pakistan. This high production needs attention to meet the demand. Southern Pakistan is facing water crises and the hydroponic system is one revolutionary technique which can allow the region to meet its food demand. In this experiment, different treatment combinations were used to study their effects and evaluate the best combination of nutrients to get the maximum production of lettuce. Results are concluded on the basis of last-week (5th week) production of shoot and root mass. Treatment one (T1) performed outstanding overall out of all four treatments across all parameters. Maximum average root and shoot length (RL, SL) was observed in treatment one (T1) at 5.94 cm and 15.50 cm respectively. Shoot length is directly proportional to production of the head of the plant. For root and shoot weight (RW, SW) treatment 1 (T1) is more effective than treatment 2 (T2). For treatment 1, root weight (RW) was recorded at 0.09 g and shoot weight (SW) was 0.22 g. The hydroponic system demands huge capital investment, which can be compensated by high production of crops. To increase the efficiency of the system, there is a dire need to calculate optimum nutrient combinations for application to the crop for a sound food security plan.

The current study is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of advanced thermal, including microwave (MW) and ohmic heating (OH), and non-thermal, ultrasonication (US) and hydrostatic high pressure (HHP) processing techniques on the preservation and shelf-life extension of sugarcane juice (SCJ). HHP immediately increased viscosity from 4.14 ± 0.02 to 5.04 ± 0.05 mPa.s, suggesting microstructural stabilization. Heat-sensitive ascorbic acid was best protected by non-thermal methods: HHP and US showed no significant losses versus fresh SCJ, whereas OH and MW reduced vitamin C by approximately 7.3% and 18.3%, respectively. However, ohmic heat treatment resulted in a substantial decline in residual enzymatic activity among all treatments, with polyphenol oxidase (PPO) at 0.77 ± 0.03 U/mL and peroxidase (POD) at 1.35 ± 0.03 U/mL, respectively. Analysis of various phenolics like caffeic, gallic acid, vanillic acid, benzoic acid, and others using HPLC revealed that HHP was the most effective technique in retaining phenolics as compared to others. Non-thermal techniques were found to be more efficient in preserving color, rheological properties, and phenolic contents in SCJ than the advanced thermal treatment. Conclusively, the results depicted that HHP is an effective method for preserving the nutritional and functional qualities of SCJ, while OH is superior to MW treatment among thermal tools. Future research should focus on enhancing HHP parameters, combining non-thermal techniques, and evaluating technological and economic feasibility for industrial adoptions.