Effect of stevioside and steviol on the developing broiler embryos.
At day 7 of incubation, fertile broiler eggs were injected with different amounts of stevioside and steviol of 0.08, 0.8, or 4 mg stevioside/egg and 0.025, 0.25, or 1.25 mg steviol/egg. At hatch (day 21) and 1 week later, not any influence of the different treatments could be found on embryonic mortality, body weight of the hatchlings, deformations (e.g., bone, beak, and head malformations, abnormal feathering, open vent), or abnormal development of the gonads. No stevioside or steviol could be detected in the blood of the hatchlings. The hatchlings developed normally. It is concluded that prenatal exposure to stevioside and steviol is not toxic for the chicken embryo.
Geuns
Jan M C
JM
Lab Plant Physiology, Kasteelpark Arenberg 31, B-3001 Leuven, Belgium. Jan.Geuns@bio.kuleuven.ac.be
Bruggeman
Veerle
V
Buyse
Johan G
JG
D000818:Animals; D002642:Chick Embryo / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D002645:Chickens / Q000097:blood; D006224:Cricetinae; D004224:Diterpenes / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D045786:Diterpenes, Kaurane; D005260:Female; D005960:Glucosides / Q000097:blood / Q000633:toxicity*; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012098:Reproduction / Q000187:drug effects; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
D004224:Diterpenes; D045786:Diterpenes, Kaurane; D005960:Glucosides; D013549:Sweetening Agents; C012043:stevioside; C012042:steviol