Mechanistic insights into niosomal epicatechin on nutritional value and functional quality of chicken meat and economics: monitoring color and oxidative stability for extended shelf life during frozen storage.
14 affiliations
- 1Environment and Life Sciences Research Center, Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, Safat, Kuwait.
- 2Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
- 3Department of Animal Wealth Development, Veterinary Economics and Farm Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
- 4Food Hygiene Department, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Mansoura Branch, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt.
- 5Department of Biotechnology, Reference Laboratory for Quality Control of Poultry Production (RLQP), Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Zagazig, Egypt.
- 6Biochemistry Department, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Mansoura Branch, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt.
- 7Department of Biochemistry, Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Mansoura Branch, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Giza, Egypt.
- 8Agricultural Research Center, Department of Food Hygiene, Food Inspection Laboratory Damietta Port, Animal Health Research Institute, Damietta, Egypt.
- 9Department of Nutrition, Oncology Center Faculty of Medicine Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt.
- 10Department of Toxicology and Biochemical, Zagazig Branch Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI) Agricultural Research Centre (ARC), Zagazig, Egypt.
- 11Department of Biochemistry, Animal Health Research Institute, Zagazig Branch, Agriculture Research Center, Zagazig, Egypt.
- 12Department of Biotechnology, Agriculture Research Center (ARC), Animal Health Research Institute (AHRI), Giza, Egypt.
- 13Department of Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, King Faisal University, Al Hofuf, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
- 14Department of Nutrition and Clinical Nutrition, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.
Abstract
Introduction
In the modern poultry industry, nanoencapsulation protects natural antioxidants like epicatechin from harsh conditions, boosting their effectiveness.Methods
In this study, broilers were fed four diets with 0, 75, 150, and 300 mg/kg niosomal epicatechin (Nio/Epicatechin) to evaluate its boosted effects on performance, immunity, meat quality, antioxidant stability, and lipid peroxidation during frozen storage.Results and discussion
The highest dose (300 mg/kg) produced the best results: chickens grew faster, converted feed more efficiently, and had higher carcass yields. Muscle growth genes (MyoD, mTOR, MyoG) were turned on, while the growth-limiting gene MSTN was suppressed. Meat quality improved, with lower drip, thaw, and cooking losses, and better pH stability. Profits increased, and feed costs dropped. Fat and cholesterol in breast and thigh meat were significantly reduced, as fat-making genes (FAS and ACC) were downregulated. After 90 days of frozen storage, meat from the 300 mg/kg group had higher antioxidant capacity, more phenolics and flavonoids, and lower levels of harmful oxidation products like malondialdehyde and cholesterol oxides. Antioxidant enzyme genes (SOD-1, catalase, GSH-Px, NQO1, HO-1) were more active, and the meat showed stronger free radical scavenging power. Overall, Nio/Epicatechin supplementation, especially at 300 mg/kg, enhances growth, improves meat nutritional quality, boosts oxidative stability during frozen storage, and extends shelf life, making it a valuable strategy for poultry production.
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BibTeX
@article{alkhalaifah2026mechanistic,
title = {{Mechanistic insights into niosomal epicatechin on nutritional value and functional quality of chicken meat and economics: monitoring color and oxidative stability for extended shelf life during frozen storage.}},
author = {H S Al-Khalaifah and Marwa I Abd El-Hamid and Sara E Shahin and Aya M Emam and Amal S A El Oksh and Marwa Samir and Nour El-Hoda Khayrat Hammad and Samah A M Abou Shehatta and Elham Elsayed Abo-Almagd and Dalia W A H Elged and Dalia Ibrahim Mohamed and Wessam Youssef and Sherief M Abdel-Raheem and Doaa Ibrahim},
journal = {Frontiers in veterinary science},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/fvets.2026.1960674},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948345},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mechanistic insights into niosomal epicatechin on nutritional value and functional quality of chicken meat and economics: monitoring color and oxidative stability for extended shelf life during frozen storage.
AU - H S Al-Khalaifah
AU - Marwa I Abd El-Hamid
AU - Sara E Shahin
AU - Aya M Emam
AU - Amal S A El Oksh
AU - Marwa Samir
AU - Nour El-Hoda Khayrat Hammad
AU - Samah A M Abou Shehatta
AU - Elham Elsayed Abo-Almagd
AU - Dalia W A H Elged
AU - Dalia Ibrahim Mohamed
AU - Wessam Youssef
AU - Sherief M Abdel-Raheem
AU - Doaa Ibrahim
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/13
JO - Frontiers in veterinary science
DO - 10.3389/fvets.2026.1960674
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948345
AB - Introduction In the modern poultry industry, nanoencapsulation protects natural antioxidants like epicatechin from harsh conditions, boosting their effectiveness.Methods In this study, broilers were fed four diets with 0, 75, 150, and 300 mg/kg niosomal epicatechin (Nio/Epicatechin) to evaluate its boosted effects on performance, immunity, meat quality, antioxidant stability, and lipid peroxidation during frozen storage.Results and discussion The highest dose (300 mg/kg) produced the best results: chickens grew faster, converted feed more efficiently, and had higher carcass yields. Muscle growth genes (MyoD, mTOR, MyoG) were turned on, while the growth-limiting gene MSTN was suppressed. Meat quality improved, with lower drip, thaw, and cooking losses, and better pH stability. Profits increased, and feed costs dropped. Fat and cholesterol in breast and thigh meat were significantly reduced, as fat-making genes (FAS and ACC) were downregulated. After 90 days of frozen storage, meat from the 300 mg/kg group had higher antioxidant capacity, more phenolics and flavonoids, and lower levels of harmful oxidation products like malondialdehyde and cholesterol oxides. Antioxidant enzyme genes (SOD-1, catalase, GSH-Px, NQO1, HO-1) were more active, and the meat showed stronger free radical scavenging power. Overall, Nio/Epicatechin supplementation, especially at 300 mg/kg, enhances growth, improves meat nutritional quality, boosts oxidative stability during frozen storage, and extends shelf life, making it a valuable strategy for poultry production.
SN - 2297-1769
ER -