Acta Vet. Brno 2008, 77: 503-508
Influence of Chromium and Cadmium Addition on Quality of Japanese Quail Eggs
The experiment was conducted to evaluate the effect of chromium (Cr) and cadmium (Cd) on the quality of Japanese quail eggs. The birds (n = 60) were divided into 3 groups of 20 animals each. Group 1 was the control group. Group 2 was administered 0.12 mg Cr/day (Cr group) per quail in drinking water, whereas Group 3 was given a combination of 0.12 mg Cd and 0.12 mg Cr/ day (Cd-Cr group). The distribution of Cd in eggs, the egg mass, and the strength and thickness of shells was determined after after Day 35 and 58 of administration. Addition of Cr had a positive effect on the weight of eggs. A significant decrease of eggshell strength (p < 0.05) and thickness was found after Day 35 and 58 of the experiment in the Cd-Cr group (3) in comparison to the Cr-only group (2) and the control group (1). The content of Cd was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in eggshells and in the egg yolk from the Cr-only group (2) in comparison to the Cd-Cr group (3) and the control group (1). The data show that addition of Cr can improve quality indicators of quail eggs and eliminate the negative effect of Cd.
Keywords
trace elements, Coturnix coturnix japonica, egg weight, strength, eggshell, thickness.
