Abstract
Drugs that are commonly used in poultry farms can potentially cause a detrimental effect on meat consumers as a result of chemical residues. Therefore, seeking a natural alternative is crucial for the health of the consumers. The egg yolk immunoglobulin Y (IgY) is a promising natural replacement for antibiotics in the broilers' diet. There is a scarce focus on the influence of probiotics and IgY on the quality and the nutritive values of broiler meat and whether it can efficiently displace the anti-microbial power of antibiotics. Herein we used 40 Ross chicks (1.2 ± 0.43 days old) and separated them into four groups with variant feed additives (basal diet “control,” probiotic, IgY, and probiotic + IgY). Our findings showed that the combination of probiotic and IgY supplementation enhanced the carcass quality traits and decreased the pH values that could retard spoilage due to bacteria and improve shelf life and meat quality. The same group also achieved a significant reduction in thiobarbituric acid value, indicating an improvement of meat quality. Moreover, color, shear force, water holding capacity, and cooking loss were most acceptable in broiler meat supplemented with IgY, which confirmed the highest carcass quality. Notably, the weight gain in the combination group has been greatly increased. Also, the protein percentage was the highest (22.26 ± 0.29, P < 0.001) in this combined supplementation group, which revealed the highest nutritive values. Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli could not be detected in the meat of the probiotics group and/or in the combined treatment group. Interestingly, the IgY group showed an evidence of the killing power (log colony-forming units per milliliter) of S. aureus and Listeria monocytogenes at 1,500 μg/ml. Our findings, in vitro as well as in vivo, revealed that the combination group had antimicrobial bioactivity and enhanced the chickens' immunity. Therefore, IgY, a novel trend of feed additives, can be used to limit drugs. Additionally, the mortality percentage recorded was zero in all groups that received feed supplementation, while the combination group reached the best financial advantages. We concluded that feeding IgY powder with probiotic is a frontier to improve the productivity, immunity, and meat quality of broilers.
Highlights
The administration of antibiotics for chickens has various useful applications, such as therapeutic, prophylactic, and growth promoters
We showed that the supplementation of purified immunoglobulin Y (IgY) in combination with probiotics could remarkably improve the overall activity of broilers with immune stress; this effect was referred to the drop of immune cell count, which is responsible for inflammatory cytokine production and, the exaggerated stress during the innate immune response [6]
A basal diet, (ii) probiotics group: chick broilers supplemented with a probiotic mixture PRO-PAC R (Nutrivet Animal Health, Co., Ltd., Egypt) from day 1 to 42 of age, at 0.5 g/kg, (iii) IgY group: chick broilers supplemented with IgY powder (0.5 g/kg) which is added from day 8 to 42, and (iv) combination group: chick broilers supplemented with a mixture of both IgY and probiotics (0.25 g each per kilogram)
Summary
The administration of antibiotics for chickens has various useful applications, such as therapeutic, prophylactic, and growth promoters. Probiotics dietary supplements in chickens are known to limit the usage of antibiotics and to improve the meat quality [2]. Maternal chicken Igs are passed to offspring through the egg yolk to provide passive immunization [4]. We showed that the supplementation of purified IgY in combination with probiotics could remarkably improve the overall activity of broilers with immune stress; this effect was referred to the drop of immune cell count, which is responsible for inflammatory cytokine production and, the exaggerated stress during the innate immune response [6]. The improvement of meat quality traits related to appearance, such as color, is quite critical for product marketing and to the economic value of fresh meat.
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