Effect of using carbon-ion beam irradiation on sustained-release characteristic and anti-coccidial activity of oregano essential oil microcapsules

The purpose of this study is using different doses of carbon ion beam irradiation on oregano essential oil microcapsules, to investigate function of control release and anticoccidial activity in chickens. The results showed that the content of main components in oregano essential oil microcapsules after carbon ion beam irradiation, thymol and carvacrol, have little change. Moreover, it can obtain more object products and better bioactivity after the irradiation treatment. Among these different doses of irradiation, our findings showed that Microcapsule groups with 400 Gy dose irradiation showed the highest yield (68.44%) and the best anticoccidial activity. After feeding chickens infected with Eimeria tenella, the swelling of caecum and duodenum were significantly mitigated and blood contents were also significantly reduced. The bloody stool index of chickens was as low as zero on the seventh day of infection, and the anticoccidial index (ACI) is 179.39. (authors)