Use of 2-methyloxolane for feeding oviparous animals

Abstract

The present invention relates to the use of 2-methyloxolane for feeding oviparous animals.

Description

Description Title: USE OF 2-METHYLOXOLANE FOR FEEDING OVIPAROUS ANIMALS Technical field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of feeding oviparous animals, in particular gallinaceous animals, more particularly chickens. Prior art

[0002] Oilseed meals are commonly used in animal feed as a protein supplement and also as a source of metabolizable energy. Oilseed meals are the solid residues from the edible oil production process by solid / liquid extraction of oilseeds.

[0003] Currently, hexane is the most widely used solvent in the solid / liquid extraction process because it has advantageous properties. Indeed, hexane allows high-yield extraction of the oil (> 97%) and allows less than 3% residual oil to be left in the solid substrate, which prevents the latter from going rancid. Hexane is easy to separate from the extracted oil, it has a suitable boiling point (Le. high enough to limit losses during extraction but low enough to limit energy consumption during its separation from the extracted oil and during its recycling), it is stable and has good lipid selectivity.

[0004] Oilseed meals contain hexane, and their hexane content is regulated in some territories. For example, in Europe, the maximum permitted hexane content in meals is 1000 mg / kg.

[0005] Hexane, however, has significant drawbacks. It is of petroleum origin, is neurotoxic, and is classified as a Category 2 reproductive toxicant and a Category 2 aquatic toxicant. It is classified as a "solvent to be limited" by expert toxicologists in the pharmaceutical industry (ICHQ3C R8) with an Acceptable Daily Intake for an average 50 kg human of only 2.9 mg.

[0006] Alternative solvents to hexane have therefore been tested on a laboratory and pilot scale. For example, the Applicant's application EP 19 842 832.3 describes the production of defatted cakes by solid / liquid extraction of soybeans, rapeseed, corn, cottonseed and sunflower, with a binary mixture of 2-methyloxolane and water.

[0007] In seeking to quantify the presence of 2-methyloxolane residues in chicken eggs, the Applicant observed that, completely unexpectedly, chickens whose diet was supplemented with 2-methyloxolane laid more eggs than chickens whose diet was not supplemented with 2-methyloxolane. Summary

[0008] Thus, the use of a food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane is proposed for increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen.

[0009] Advantageously, the oviparous animal whose diet is supplemented with the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane lays up to 14% more eggs per week than the oviparous animal whose diet is not supplemented with the food supplement according to the invention.

[0010] 2-Methyloxolane is also non-toxic upon ingestion at the amounts considered in animal feed. Indeed, a published 3-month ingestion test on rats showed a no observed adverse effect level of 250 mg / kg body weight / day. Thus, the food supplement containing 2-methyloxolane is not toxic to animals whose diet is supplemented with said food supplement.

[0011] Furthermore, the concentration of 2-methyloxolane residues present in meat from oviparous animals whose diet is supplemented with the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane and in eggs laid by oviparous animals whose diet is supplemented with the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane is very low and compatible with the human exposure limit recommended by EFSA of 1 mg / kg human body weight per day (EFSA Opinion on 2-methyloxolane of 15 March 2022).

[0012] In addition, some oviparous animals whose diet is supplemented with the food supplement containing 2-methyloxolane may see their weight increase significantly.

[0013] 2-Methyloxolane is also bio-sourced because its raw material is typically derived from sugarcane bagasse or corn cobs. Furthermore, it is not classified as toxic to the environment.

[0014] According to another aspect, there is provided a food supplement for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen, said food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane.

[0015] According to another aspect, there is provided the use of a kit for increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, in particular of a gallinaceous animal, more particularly of a hen, said kit comprising: - the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane as described above, and - a composition for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen.

[0016] According to another aspect, there is provided a kit for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen, said kit comprising: - the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane as described above, and - a composition for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen.

[0017] According to another aspect, there is provided the use of a feed for increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen, said feed comprising the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane as described above and a composition for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen as described above.

[0018] According to another aspect, there is provided a food intended for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen, said food comprising the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane as described above and a composition for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen.

[0019] According to another aspect, there is provided a dietary supplement as described above, a kit as described above or a feed as described above for use in increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen.

[0020] According to another aspect, there is provided a method of increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen, comprising a step of ingestion by the oviparous animal, in particular the gallinaceous animal, more particularly the hen, of the food supplement as described above, of the kit as described above or of the food as described above. Description of the embodiments

[0021] According to a first aspect, there is proposed a use of a food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane for increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen.

[0022] For the purposes of this application, "oviparous animal" means an animal that lays eggs and whose embryo growth takes place in the latter. A bird of the gallinaceous family is an example of an oviparous animal.

[0023] For the purposes of this application, "gallinaceous" means a family of omnivorous birds having as common characteristics a stocky body, a thick beak, short and rounded wings, and robust legs. The gallinaceous family includes several subfamilies. Phasianidae, which includes the hen, the rooster, the quail, the peacock, the partridge, and the guinea fowl, is one of these subfamilies.

[0024] For the purposes of this application, "food supplement" means a foodstuff whose purpose is to supplement a normal diet and which constitutes a concentrated source of nutrients or other substances having a nutritional or physiological effect.

[0025] Typically, the amount of 2-methyloxolane administered to the oviparous animal, in particular to a gallinaceous animal, more particularly to a hen, during this use may be between 0.1 mg / kg of oviparous animal / day and 200 mg / kg of oviparous animal / day, in particular between 1 mg / kg of oviparous animal / day and 50 mg / kg of oviparous animal / day, more particularly between 3 mg / kg of oviparous animal / day and 32 mg / kg of oviparous animal / day.

[0026] Advantageously, the egg production of the oviparous animal increases when the amount of 2-methyloxolane ingested by said oviparous animal is dosed within these ranges.

[0027] The food supplement used may be in the form of a solution, a powder, a capsule, an extrudate, a tablet or be a biological substrate cake, in particular be in the form of a powder, a capsule or be a biological substrate cake, more particularly be a biological substrate cake.

[0028] In the food supplement used, 2-methyloxolane may be in liquid form or impregnated on a food-grade carrier for the oviparous animal of the food supplement used.

[0029] For example, 2-methyloxolane in liquid form is suitable for dietary supplements in the form of solutions and capsules. 2-methyloxolane impregnation is suitable for dietary supplements in the form of powder, extrudate, tablet or biological substrate cake.

[0030] These forms are easy to produce because they are known to those skilled in the art and because 2-methyloxolane is liquid under atmospheric conditions of pressure and temperature. It can therefore be impregnated easily and by known techniques on the food grade support.

[0031] The food-grade carrier of the dietary supplement may, for example, be selected from a mineral or biological carrier. The mineral carrier may, for example, be a mineral powder, such as a silica powder. Tixosil® 68 powder is an example of a silica powder suitable for use as a mineral carrier.

[0032] For the purposes of this application, "biological substrate cake" means the solid residue from the extraction of oil or juice from a biological substrate.

[0033] For the purposes of this application, "biological substrate" means a solid material chosen from a plant, an algae, a microorganism and their mixtures, in particular a plant.

[0034] For example, the plant can be an oilseed, a protein crop or a mixture thereof.

[0035] Examples of oilseeds include rapeseed, sunflower, soybean, peanut, sesame, walnut, almond, cotton, flax or mixtures thereof, in particular rapeseed, sunflower, soybean or mixtures thereof.

[0036] Examples of protein crops are peas, beans, lupins and their mixtures.

[0037] Typically the biological substrate may be a plant chosen from almond, amaranth, peanut, argan, sea buckthorn, cashew, avocado, oat, borage, safflower, camelina, carrot, cocoa, cashew, canola, hemp, rapeseed, copra, squash, cotton, croton, rosehip, fig, prickly pear, pomegranate, hops, illipe, jojoba, jasmine, shea, lavender, lavandin, flax, lupin, corn, hazelnut, walnut, coconut, poppy, olive, evening primrose, orange, palm kernel, paprika, pecan, pistachio, pepper, castor oil plant, rice, rose, cedar rose, musk rose, sesame, soybean, marigold, sunflower, Calophyllum inophyllum, madhuca, Queensland walnut, raspberry, blackcurrant, melon, grape, tomato, baobab, babassu, cranberry, chia, pumpkin, mustard, neem, Nigella Sativa, niger, poppy, Perilla, Plukenetia volubili, pumpkin, annatto, Taramira, apricot, plum, peach, wheat, tuberose, ylang-ylang, geranium, patchouli, petitgrain (citrus), anise, caraway, juniper, bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, lemon, mace, celery, angelica, cardamom, tonka,vanilla, vetiver, iris, sandalwood, guaiac, tarragon, lemongrass, sage, mint, pine, rosemary, fir, thyme, galbanum, elemi, benzoin, myrrh, olibanum and mixtures thereof, in particular soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, baobab, corn, peanut, coconut, palm kernel, cotton and mixtures thereof, especially soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, baobab and mixtures thereof.,

[0038] According to a specific embodiment, the biological substrate cake is a cake of soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, corn, peanut and mixtures thereof.

[0039] The biological substrate cake can be in the form of cake meal or extrudate.

[0040] For the purposes of this application, "cake flour" means the by-product resulting from the grinding, milling or pulverizing of cake to obtain a powder.

[0041] Advantageously, oilcake flour is easy to eat and is very well assimilated by an oviparous animal.

[0042] For the purposes of this application, "extruded" means a product whose production is carried out by extrusion.

[0043] The biological substrate cake may be obtained from an oil production process by solid / liquid extraction using 2-methyloxolane. Such a process is for example described in application EP 19 842 832.3.

[0044] Typically, the mass concentration of 2-methyloxolane in the biological substrate cake may be less than 1000 mg / kg, in particular from 10 mg / kg to 500 mg / kg, especially from 100 mg / kg to 300 mg / kg.

[0045] Advantageously, a mass concentration in these ranges allows an effective dose of 2-methyloxolane to be administered to the animal while still ingesting an acceptable quantity of biological substrate meal.

[0046] According to another aspect, there is provided a food supplement for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen, said food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane.

[0047] The food supplement may be in the form of a solution, a powder, a capsule, an extrudate, a tablet or a biological substrate cake, in particular a powder, capsule or biological substrate cake, more particularly biological substrate cake.

[0048] In the food supplement, 2-methyloxolane may be in liquid form or impregnated on a food-grade carrier for the oviparous animal of the food supplement.

[0049] For example, 2-methyloxolane in liquid form is suitable for dietary supplements in the form of solutions and capsules. 2-methyloxolane impregnation is suitable for dietary supplements in the form of powder, extrudate, tablet or biological substrate cake.

[0050] These forms are easy to produce because they are known to those skilled in the art and because 2-methyloxolane is liquid under atmospheric conditions of pressure and temperature. It can therefore be impregnated easily and by known techniques on the food grade support.

[0051] The food-grade carrier of the dietary supplement may, for example, be selected from a mineral or biological carrier. The mineral carrier may, for example, be a mineral powder, such as a silica powder. Tixosil® 68 powder is an example of a silica powder suitable for use as a mineral carrier.

[0052] As defined above, biological substrate cake is the solid residue from the extraction of oil or juice from a biological substrate which is a solid material selected from a plant, an algae, a microorganism and their mixtures, in particular a plant.

[0053] For example, the plant can be an oilseed, a protein crop or a mixture thereof.

[0054] Examples of oilseeds include rapeseed, sunflower, soybean, peanut, sesame, walnut, almond, cotton, flax or mixtures thereof, in particular rapeseed, sunflower, soybean or mixtures thereof.

[0055] Examples of protein crops are peas, beans, lupins and their mixtures.

[0056] Typically the biological substrate may be a plant chosen from almond, amaranth, peanut, argan, sea buckthorn, cashew, avocado, oat, borage, safflower, camelina, carrot, cocoa, cashew, canola, hemp, rapeseed, copra, squash, cotton, croton, rosehip, fig, prickly pear, pomegranate, hops, illipe, jojoba, jasmine, shea, lavender, lavandin, flax, lupin, corn, hazel, walnut, coconut, safflower, olive, evening primrose, orange, palm kernel, paprika, pecan, pistachio, pepper, castor oil plant, rice, rose, cedar rose, musk rose, sesame, soybean, marigold, sunflower, Calophyllum inophyllum, madhuca, Queensland walnut, raspberry, blackcurrant, melon, grape, tomato, baobab, babassu, cranberry, chia, pumpkin, mustard, neem, Nigella Sativa, niger, poppy, Perilla, Plukenetia volubili,pumpkin, annatto, Taramira, apricot, plum, peach, wheat, tuberose, ylang-ylang, geranium, patchouli, petitgrain (citrus), anise, caraway, juniper, bergamot, mandarin, grapefruit, lemon, mace, celery, angelica, cardamom, tonka, vanilla, vetiver, iris, sandalwood, guaiac wood, tarragon, lemongrass, sage, mint, pine, rosemary, fir, thyme, galbanum, elemi, benzoin, myrrh, olibanum and mixtures thereof, in particular soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, baobab, corn, peanut, coconut, palm kernel, cotton and mixtures thereof, especially soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, baobab and mixtures thereof.

[0057] According to a specific embodiment, the biological substrate cake is a cake of soybean, rapeseed, sunflower, corn, peanut and mixtures thereof.

[0058] The biological substrate cake can be in the form of cake meal or extrudate.

[0059] Advantageously, oilcake flour is easy to eat and is very well assimilated by an oviparous animal.

[0060] The biological substrate cake may be obtained from an oil production process by solid / liquid extraction using 2-methyloxolane. Such a process is for example described in application EP 19 842 832.3.

[0061] Typically, the mass concentration of 2-methyloxolane in the biological substrate cake may be less than 1000 mg / kg, in particular from 10 mg / kg to 500 mg / kg, especially from 100 mg / kg to 300 mg / kg.

[0062] Advantageously, a mass concentration in these ranges allows an effective dose of 2-methyloxolane to be administered to the animal while still ingesting an acceptable quantity of biological substrate meal.

[0063] The food supplement can be ingested by the oviparous animal in addition to its normal diet, for example as a seed supplement.

[0064] Thus, according to another aspect, there is proposed the use of a kit for increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, in particular of a gallinaceous animal, more particularly of a hen, said kit comprising: - the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane as described above, and - a composition for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen.

[0065] Typically, the amount of 2-methyloxolane administered to the oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen, when using the kit may be between 0.1 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 200 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day, in particular between 1 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 50 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day, more particularly between 3 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 32 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day.

[0066] Advantageously, the egg production of the oviparous animal increases when the amount of 2-methyloxolane ingested by said oviparous animal is dosed within these ranges.

[0067] The composition for feeding an oviparous animal of the kit used can, for example, be: - a cereal grain such as wheat, corn, oats, and mixtures thereof, - food waste such as fruit and / or vegetable peelings, and / or - a complete food, especially a complete food.

[0068] For the purposes of this application, "complete feed" means a compound feed, nutritionally suitable for oviparous animals thanks to a specific composition, and designed to constitute a single ration which can keep oviparous animals alive and / or promote egg production.

[0069] Complete feed can be in the form of extrudate, granulate, powder or pellet.

[0070] According to another aspect, there is provided a kit for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen, said kit comprising: - the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane as described above, and - a composition for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen.

[0071] The composition for animal feed of the kit can, for example, be: - a cereal grain such as wheat, corn, oats, and mixtures thereof, - food waste such as fruit and / or vegetable peelings, and / or - a complete food, especially a complete food.

[0072] Complete feed can be in the form of extrudate, granulate, powder or pellet.

[0073] The food supplement and the composition for animal feed, in particular the complete feed, may form a feed intended for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen.

[0074] Thus, according to another aspect, there is provided the use of a feed for increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen, said feed comprising the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane as described above and a composition for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen as described above.

[0075] For the purposes of this application, "feed" means a composition that is nutritionally appropriate for oviparous animals due to its specific composition, and designed to constitute a single ration that can keep oviparous animals alive and / or promote egg production.

[0076] Advantageously, the feed used is easy to implement by the breeder because it allows the oviparous animal to be fed with a single ration in order to increase its egg production.

[0077] Typically, the amount of 2-methyloxolane administered to the oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen, when using this feed may be between 0.1 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 200 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day, in particular between 1 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 50 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day, more particularly between 3 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 32 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day.

[0078] Advantageously, the egg production of the oviparous animal increases when the amount of 2-methyloxolane ingested by said oviparous animal is dosed within these ranges.

[0079] According to another aspect, there is provided a food intended for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen, said food comprising the food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane as described above and a composition for feeding an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen as described above.

[0080] The feed can be in the form of extrudate, granulate, powder or pellet.

[0081] The feed can be produced by the process comprising the following steps: a1) mixing the feed supplement and the animal feed composition to obtain a mixture, b1) shaping the mixture obtained in step a) to produce the feed.

[0082] Steps a1) and b1) are conventional steps that can be easily implemented by those skilled in the art.

[0083] This production process is suitable for feed in extruded, granulated, powdered or pellet form.

[0084] The feed may alternatively be produced by the method comprising the following steps: a2) grinding the feed supplement to obtain a first powder, b2) grinding the animal feed composition to obtain a second powder, c2) mixing the first powder and the second powder to produce the feed.

[0085] Steps a2), b2) and c2) are conventional steps which can be easily implemented by a person skilled in the art.

[0086] This alternative production process is suitable for food in powder form.

[0087] According to another aspect, there is provided a dietary supplement as described above, a kit as described above or a feed as described above for use in increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen.

[0088] Typically, the amount of 2-methyloxolane administered to the oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous bird, more particularly a hen, through the food supplement, kit or feed for this use may be between 0.1 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 200 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day, in particular between 1 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 50 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day, more particularly between 3 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 32 kg of the oviparous animal / day.

[0089] Advantageously, the egg production of the oviparous animal increases when the amount of 2-methyloxolane ingested by said oviparous animal is dosed within these ranges.

[0090] According to another aspect, there is provided a method of increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen, comprising a step of ingestion by the oviparous animal, in particular the gallinaceous animal, more particularly the hen, of the food supplement as described above, of the kit as described above or of the food as described above.

[0091] Typically, during this method, the amount of 2-methyloxolane administered to the oviparous animal, in particular a gallinaceous animal, more particularly a hen, may be between 0.1 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 200 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day, in particular between 1 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 50 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day, more particularly between 3 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 32 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day.

[0092] Advantageously, the egg production of the oviparous animal increases when the amount of 2-methyloxolane ingested by said oviparous animal is dosed within these ranges. Examples

[0093] The following examples illustrate the invention without, however, limiting it.

[0094] In this example, domestic laying hens were divided into four groups: - the 4 hens in the control group did not ingest 2-methyloxolane. - the 12 hens in group Nx1 ingested pure liquid 2-methyloxolane in capsules. The dose of pure liquid 2-methyloxoane ingested was 3.18 mg / kg of hen / day, or 40 mg / kg in the daily ration, - the 12 hens in group Nx5 ingested pure liquid 2-methyloxolane in capsules. The dose of pure liquid 2-methyloxoane ingested was 15.88 mg / kg of hen / day, or 200 mg / kg in the daily ration, and - the 12 hens in group Nx10 ingested pure liquid 2-methyloxolane in capsules. The dose of pure liquid 2-methyloxoane ingested was 31.77 mg / kg of hen / day, or 400 mg / kg in the daily ration (group Nx10).

[0095] Egg production of each group was monitored to statistically validate the significance of the effect of oral administration of 2-methyloxolane on egg production.

[0096] The statistical processing is as follows: A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed using XLSTAT 2020.2.1 software on MS EXCEL 16.0.15225. The significance threshold is 95% with a p-value of 0.05 to verify the significant effect of oral administration of 2-methyloxolane on egg production, with the following: discrete explanatory variables: basketing group and continuous variable to be explained: number of eggs laid.

[0097] In case of significant difference between the means, a Student's t-test with a significance level of 5% will be applied for pairwise comparison from the same software.

[0098] In total, 1115 eggs were counted during the observations.

[0099] Table 1 below shows the average number of eggs laid per day by 4 hens according to their basketing group.

[0100] [Table 1] Basketing group Number of eggs Control 3.5 Nx1 3.9 Nx5 3.9 Nx10 3.9

[0101] The Student t-test clearly highlighted the existence of 2 groups: - the control group, and - groups receiving 2-methyloxolane orally.

[0102] This example therefore highlights that oral administration of 2-methyloxolane significantly increases the number of eggs laid per hen without any apparent dose effect in the range tested, namely 40 to 400 mg / kg of 2-methyloxolane in the daily ration.

Claims

Claims

1. Use of a food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane for increasing egg production of an oviparous animal.

2. Use according to claim 2 wherein the amount of 2-methyloxolane administered to the oviparous animal is between 0.1 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 200 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day.

3. Use according to claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the food supplement is in the form of a solution, a powder, a capsule, an extrudate, a tablet or is a biological substrate cake.

4. Use according to any one of claims 1 to 3 in which the food supplement is a biological substrate cake.

5. Use according to claim 4 wherein the biological substrate cake is in the form of cake flour or extrudate.

6. Use according to claim 4 or claim 5 wherein the biological substrate may be a plant selected from almond, amaranth, peanut, argan, sea buckthorn, cashew, avocado, oat, borage, safflower, camelina, carrot, cocoa, cashew, canola, hemp, rapeseed, copra, squash, cotton, croton, rosehip, fig, prickly pear, pomegranate, hops, illipe, jojoba, jasmine, shea, lavender, lavandin, flax, lupin, corn, hazelnut, walnut, coconut, poppy, olive, evening primrose, orange, palm kernel, paprika, pecan, pistachio, pepper, castor oil plant, rice, rose, cedar rose, musk rose, sesame, soybean, marigold, sunflower, Calophyllum inophyllum, madhuca, Queensland walnut, raspberry, blackcurrant, melon, grape, tomato, baobab, babassu, cranberry, chia, pumpkin, mustard, neem,Nigella Sativa, Niger, Poppy, Perilla, Plukenetia volubili, Pumpkin, Annatto, Taramira, Apricot, Plum, Peach, Wheat, Tuberose, Ylang-ylang, Geranium, Patchouli, Petitgrain (citrus), Anise, Caraway, Juniper, Bergamot, Mandarin, Grapefruit, Lemon, Mace, Celery, Angelica, Cardamom, Tonka, Vanilla, Vetiver, Iris, Sandalwood, Guaiac, Tarragon, Lemongrass, Sage, Mint, Pine, Rosemary, Fir, Thyme, Galbanum, Elemi, Benzoin, Myrrh, Frankincense and mixtures thereof.

7. Use of a kit for increasing the egg production of an oviparous animal, said kit comprising: - a dietary supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane as used in any one of claims 1 to 6, and - a composition for feeding an oviparous animal.

8. Use according to claim 7 wherein the amount of 2-methyloxolane administered to the oviparous animal is between 0.1 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day and 200 mg / kg of the oviparous animal / day.

9. Use of a feed for increasing egg production of an oviparous animal, said composition comprising a food supplement as used in any one of claims 1 to 6 and a composition for feeding an oviparous animal.

10. Use according to claim 9 wherein the amount of 2-methyloxolane administered to the oviparous animal is between 0.1 mg / kg of oviparous animal / day and 200 mg / kg of oviparous animal / day.

11. A food supplement for feeding an oviparous animal, said food supplement comprising 2-methyloxolane.

12. Kit for feeding an oviparous animal, said kit comprising: - a dietary supplement as described in claim 11, and - a composition for feeding an oviparous animal.

13. Food intended for feeding an oviparous animal comprising a food supplement as described in claim 11 and a composition for feeding an oviparous animal.