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Agroscience

Dairy cows

Ketosis is a common metabolic disease which the result of a negative energy balance. The occurs mainly during the lactation period when the demand for energy is high. The disease is normally diagnosed by investigating the concentration of ketone bodies such as beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in the blood. However, BHB can be converted into acetoacetate which can subsequently be converted into acetone. Acetone is the simplest ketone body and can be easily detected in exhaled breath. Research within TDLab is now focusing on performing breath analysis on dairy cows using for earlier diagnosis of ketosis.

Conversion of β-hydroxybutyrate to acetoacetate to acetone
More background?
  1. Van Erp-van Der Kooij, E.; Derix, J.; Van Gorp, S.; Timmermans, A.; Krijnen, C.; Fodor, I.; Dingboom, L. Breath Analysis for Early Detection of Rising Ketone Bodies in Postpartum Dairy Cows Classified as at Risk of Ketosis. Ruminants 2023, 3 (1), 39–54.

Poultry

Poultry is the largest source of animal protein for human consumption in the world and because of its relatively low production costs and carbon footprint, and absence of religious barriers, poultry production is essential to feed the growing world population [1]. In livestock farming, and especially in poultry, the large-scale operations and high production efficiency requirements make animals very vulnerable to infections. One of the main causes why infections and disbalances lead to widespread health problems is that early signs of infestations, infections or intestinal disbalances cannot be detected by farmers, vets, or other advisors. Currently, veterinary consultation and diagnoses are often driven by the presence of clinically visible symptoms or laboratory testing. At a late stage of detection, when most damage already has been done, it is also too late for preventive interventions, which results in more rigorous treatments of entire flocks with antibiotics or chemicals. These treatments can induce antibiotic resistance and leave residues in poultry products and the environment.

TDLab focuses on the identication of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can serve as early indicators for poultry red mite infestation within laying hen farms and intestinal disbalance in broiler chickens. Blood mite infestations are associated with a specific smell that can be detected by experienced people, however, the odour has not been characterized. Also, shifts in gut microbiota will lead to a change in VOC profile within the poultry house [2].

More background?
  1. OECD-FAO Agricultural Outlook 2018-2027.
  2. Grilli, G.; Borgonovo, F.; Tullo, E.; Fontana, I.; Guarino, M.; Ferrante, V. A Pilot Study to Detect Coccidiosis in Poultry Farms at Early Stage from Air Analysis. Biosystems Engineering 2018, 173, 64–70. 10.1016/j.biosystemseng.2018.02.004.