Abstract
Purpose : To investigate the efficacy of promising alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters (organic acids, phytobiotics, and their combinations) as feed additives in poultry feed. Methods : Different feed treatments were formulated with organic acids, phytobiotics and their combinations, and their effects on blood profile, serum enzymes and immunity parameters were evaluated in broilers at 21 and 42 days of age. Results : Cholesterol, triglyceride and HDL levels of the 21- and 42-day old broilers were significantly (p 0.05) in parameters except hematocrit, RBC, MCH, MCHC, WBC at age 21 days. However, among the serum enzymes assayed, only gamma-glutamyl transferase activity was altered for the modified feed group. Conclusion : These results suggest that supplementation with organic acids and phytobiotics can be used as alternatives to antibiotic growth promoters without interfering with the overall health and performance of broilers. Keywords : Broilers, Antibiotic growth promoters, Phytobiotics, Organic acids, Biochemical parameters
Highlights
The use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry feed was banned in 2006, notwithstanding their beneficial roles in growth performance and disease prevention in poultry, due to the development of resistance in bacteria and presence of drug residues in meat [1]
Phytobiotics, organic acids and their combinations resulted in decreased cholesterol, triglycerides and low density lipoprotein (LDL), and increased high density lipoprotein (HDL) level at both stages (Table 2 and Table 3)
The results of this study demonstrate that supplementation of broiler feed with organic acids and phytobiotics may serve as effective alternative to synthetic antibiotics
Summary
The use of antibiotic growth promoters (AGPs) in poultry feed was banned in 2006, notwithstanding their beneficial roles in growth performance and disease prevention in poultry, due to the development of resistance in bacteria and presence of drug residues in meat [1]. Efforts have been focused on the use of alternatives to AGPs such as organic acids and phytobiotics [2]. The content of active substances in the products may vary widely within phytobiotic feed additives, depending on the part of the plant used (e.g. seeds, leaf, root or bark); harvesting season, and geographical location [4]. The physiological effects of various active compounds derived from plants and their possible interactions have been investigated in terms of growth, production performance, immune response and gut health of animals [5,6]. It has been observed that serum biochemical and hematological parameters are improved by inclusion of phytobiotics in broiler diets [7]
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