In chickens, chemical signals in feed are transduced by taste buds, the taste sensory organs, and transmitted to the brain as neural information that motivates and guides feed intake. Chicken taste buds are different from those of mammals in several aspects. For example, chicken taste buds are ovoid-shaped and they appear mostly near the openings of the salivary glands. Unlike mammals, in which taste buds are primarily located in the tongue, only 2% of chicken taste buds are located in the posterior region of the tongue. The majority of chicken taste buds are located in the epithelium of the palate (69%) and in the base of the oral cavity (anterior mandibular gland region, 29%)1,2,3.
In the present study we tested a protocol for peeling off intact oral epithelial sheets in post-hatch broiler-type chickens. Taste bud labeling with the molecular markers Vimentin and α-Gustducin was successful in peeled epithelial sheets from the base of the oral cavity, the palate, and the posterior region of the tongue, areas where taste buds are located. We found that antibodies to molecular markers present in the taste buds labeled many more taste buds than previously counted using conventional SEM methods. The number of taste buds was higher in female-line males than other groups and continued to increase after hatch, providing a temporal window for mechanistic studies and for potentially regulating taste bud development and nutrient sensing. Moreover, in the peeled tissue, 2-photon microscopy was successfully used to examine the 3-D structure of chicken taste buds. Our methods are useful for future studies on chicken gustatory function, which is essential for making nutritive choices under motivation to intake feed. Also, the protocol may have broad application across fields, i.e., it is applicable to all epithelial appendages in different species.
buds broiler nutritional information
Our observations of taste buds using molecular markers bring forth new information about the sensory organs for taste in chickens. First, we found that previous reports underestimated the number of chicken taste buds. The number of taste buds in P3 female-line male chickens was 507 in the palate and 260 in the base of the oral cavity, which is much higher than the 218 (palate) and 91 (base of the oral cavity) taste buds previously counted with SEM2. The numbers of taste buds clustered in a rosette-like arrangement were up to 14 in female-line males and 9 in male-line females in the base of the oral cavity. These numbers were also higher than previously reported. Second, taste buds were distributed more broadly in the base of the oral cavity than previously reported, extending further to the lateral side of the lingual tissue. There has been a broad consensus that birds have lower taste acuity than mammals due to presence of fewer taste buds13,14. However, recent studies show that chickens have oral taste receptors sensitive to specific taste stimuli, e.g., bitter, umami, and fat via oral taste receptors15,16,17, suggesting that birds have a well-developed taste system1. Our findings regarding the higher number of taste buds in chickens indicate a potentially larger than previously appreciated impact of taste on feeding behaviors in birds.
It has been reported that the number of taste buds in the oral cavity measured at P5 varies among different breeds of chicken, such as in White Leghorn layer-type males, Rhode Island Red layer-type males, and broiler-type males4. In the present study, we found that the number of taste buds and clusters formed by taste buds varied by gender even in the same breed: female-line males continued to have more taste buds and clusters than females and male-line males soon after hatch. We also found that the number of taste buds in the cluster was higher in female-line males than in females: one cluster contained 4 taste buds in males and 3 taste buds in females.
The bowls don't include the orange or the naked coleslaw, but they're all under $6 and about 600 calories or less, with the plates hovering near 850 calories. The mini bowls are a snack at below 400. I just wonder how long it will be until someone becomes like the guy at Subway, loses a grip of weight by eating only at the Flame Broiler and becomes the spokesperson. It will happen. They are pretty up front about all the nutritional information on the menu; sodium levels are high on the plates (880 milligrams is the highest), but the mini bowls are more reasonable at around 300.
The takeout menu is like a miniature health class with a page of information about cabbage, broccoli, carrots and green onions. I used to put cabbage in the nutritional ghetto with iceberg lettuce, but they've sold me on it having great medicinal value. At least that's what the ancient Greeks and Romans used to believe, but they also used lead in their water systems, so who knows.
J. Wang*, R. Patterson, and W.K. Kim (2021). Effects of phytase and multi-carbohydrase on growth performance, bone mineralization, and nutrient digestibility in broilers fed a nutritionally reduced diet. Journal of Applied Poultry Research 0:100146. 2ff7e9595c
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