Effect of Calcium Phosphate Nanoparticles Supplementation on Growth Performance of Broiler Chicken

Abstract

The supplementation of mineral in nano form increases bioavailability and efficiency of utilisation. In this context an experiment was carried out to study the effect of calcium phosphate nanoparticles supplementation on the growth performance of broilers with the objective to reduce the quantity of mineral supplementation that would intern reduce the feed cost. Since phosphorus is expensive among the mineral sources, its requirement as dicalcium phosphate was replaced by nano form of calcium phosphate as low as 50% requirement to 100 % at 10 % increment range. Calcium phosphate nanoparticles were synthesised in laboratory by wet chemical method and the particle size and morphology were determined using transmission electron microscope. Calcium phosphate nanoparticles ranged between 20 and 90 nm. Feeding trail was conducted using mash feed. Feeding trial in 70 male broiler chicks (Cobb 400) from day 1 to 28 indicated that the cumulative feed intake was significantly (p<0.05) higher (1487.30 ± 19.99, 1510.80 ± 13.82, 1549.30 ± 5.75, 1550.00 ± 3.52, 1562.50 ± 3.85 and 1572.80 ± 1.50 g ) in birds fed with calcium phosphate nanoparticles at 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100 % respectively in the diet than control diet containing coarse particles of dicalcium phosphate (1466.60 ± 4.73 g). By the end of fourth week, birds fed with 50 % and 60 % calcium phosphate nanoparticles had significantly (p<0.05) higher bodyweight gain (1069.90 ± 9.31 and 1068.50 ± 36.51) respectively than control (891.60 ± 48.1 g). Birds fed with 50 % calcium phosphate nanoparticles recorded best feed conversion ratio (1.39 ± 0.02) and it differed significantly (p<0.05) from control (1.64 ± 0.08) group. It is concluded that supplementation of 50 % of calcium phosphate nanoparticles can be practiced instead of the conventional practice of dicalcium phosphate incorporation in broilers diet. Thus, it is postulated that the usefulness of nano form in reducing the mineral quantity to half in the diet will reduce the cost of feeding when the actual production of calcium phosphate nanoparticles is up scaled to an industrial level.