Hydroxychloride trace minerals have a positive effect on growth performance,carcass quality and impact ileal and cecal microbiota in broiler chickens

Background:The objective was to study the effect of hydroxychloride trace minerals(HTM)on growth performance,carcass quality and gut microbiota of broiler chickens in comparison to sulphate trace minerals(STM).In total 1440 male Ross 308 day-old chicks were divided into 12 replicate pens with 30 birds each per treatment.Four different treatments were tested according to a 2×2 factorial study design,where the animals received a three phase diet containing either inorganic Zn from sulphates or Zn from HTM in high(80 mg/kg Zn)or low Zn dosage(20 mg/kg Zn).In all treatments 15 mg/kg Cu was added from the same mineral source as the Zn.Body weight and feed intake were measured on day 0,10,27 and 34,while carcass and breast meat yields were measured at the end of the study(day 34).In addition,high-throughput sequencing analysis was performed in digesta samples from ileum and cecum to study the gut microbiome(day 34).Results:The results showed an improved(P<0.05)body weight of broiler chickens fed HTM,regardless of Zn level,on day 27,while on day 34 this effect remained as a tendency(P=0.0542).In the overall study period,birds fed HTM had a higher(P<0.05)average daily gain and average daily feed intake when compared to birds fed STM.The mineral source did not affect the carcass characteristics,however,feeding 80 mg/kg Zn resulted in a significantly higher(P=0.0171)breast meat yield,regardless of source.High-throughput sequencing analysis of the microbiota revealed a higher microbial diversity in the ileum and cecum of HTM fed birds compared to STM fed birds.Taxonomical differences were mainly found in the cecum,specifically between the group fed high and low Zn levels from HTM.This correlated with the mineral contents observed in the cecal digesta.Comparing both groups fed 80 mg/kg Zn,the HTM group had more Streptococcaceae,Streptococcus,Clostridia,Weissella and Leuconostocaceae compared to the STM group.Conclusions:HTM improved growth performance of broiler chickens;and the source and level of Zn modulated the gut microbiota communities in broilers differentially.

Characterization of Fe5(AsO3)3Cl2(OH)4·5H2O,a new ferric arsenite hydroxychloride precipitated from FeCl3-As2O3-HCl solutions relevant to arsenic immobilization

Tooeleite(Fe6(As03)4 SO4(OH)4·4 H2 O)is widely precipitated for direct As(III)removal from sulfate-rich industrial effluents.However,whether or not Fe(III)-As(III)-Cl(-I)precipitate is produced in chloridizing leaching media for As immobilization is almost unknown.This work founded the existence of ferric arsenite(hydroxy)chloride as a new mineral for As(III)removal.Its chemical composition and solid characterization were subsequently studied by using scanning electron microscope with an energy dispersive spectrometer(SEM-EDS),X-ray diffraction(XRD),infrared(FT-IR),Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric(TG)curve.The results showed the formation of a yellow precipitate after 3-days reaction of Fe(III)/As(III)with molar ratio≈1.7 in chloride solution at pH 2.3 neutralized with NaOH.Compared with tooeleite,chemical analysis and solid characterization indicated that Cl(-I)replaces S04(-II)producing ferric arsenite hydroxychloride with formula Fe5(As03)3-Cl2(OH)4·5 H2 O.This new plate shaped solid showed better crytallinity than tooeleite,although it has similar morphology and characteristic bands to tooeleite.The FT-IR bands at 628,964 cm-1 and the Raman bands at 448,610,961 cm-1 were assigned to Fe-O or As(Ⅲ)-O-Fe or As(Ⅲ)-O bending/stretching vibration,indicating that both arsenite and chloride substituted for the position of sulfate for ferric arsenite hydro xychloride produced due to the lack of the SO42-vibrations.Cl-(I)also contributed to increase As removal efficiency in aqueous sulfate media under acidic pH conditions via the probable formation of sulfatechloride ferric arsenite.

Synthesis of RE(OH)_2Cl and REOCl (RE=Eu, Tb) nanostructures

Anisotropic structures, nanoneedles, and nanospindles of rare earth hydroxychloride （RE（OH）2Cl） and oxychloride （REOCl） （rare earth=Eu and Tb） were synthesized. The rare earth hydroxychloride nanostructures were formed via a thermally assisted hydrolysis of the rare-earth sesquioxide nanocrystals. The morphological evolution of the nanostructures was studied using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, while the structural evolution was investigated using X-ray diffraction techniques. The thermal stability of the rare earth hydroxychlorides was investigated using thermogravimetric analysis. The rare earth oxychloride nanospindles were synthesized via a simple heat-treatment of rare earth hydroxychloride nanospindles.