Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, Blood Serum Indices and Meat Quality Properties of Broilers FED with Acanthophyllum Bracteatum

Abstract

Background: The present study investigated the effects of different levels of Acanthophyllum bracteatum powder (ABP) on growth performance, carcass parts yield, blood serum indices, and meat quality in Ross 308 broilers. Methods: A total of 240 one-day-old male broilers were allocated into six dietary treatments, with 4 replicate pens and 10 birds per each pen. Six levels of supplemental ABP, at 0 (control), 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 g/kg of the basal diet, were randomly combined to different experimental units, randomly. Results: The findings indicated that the average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were affected by supplementation of ABP at 2.0 and 2.5 g/kg (p < 0.05) in the whole experimental periods. However, average daily feed intake (ADFI) was not affected by the dietary treatments (p > 0.05). It was also observed that the relative weight of abdominal fat decreased significantly by 2.0 g/kg ABP as compared to the control group (p = 0.038). Supplementation of ABP at 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5 g/kg decreased the total blood serum cholesterol (CHOL) and thiobarbituric acid reacting substances (TBARS), as compared to the control group, significantly (p < 0.05). Conclusion: It can be concluded that incorporation of ABP into the diet, as a medicinal plant source, at 2.0 or 2.5 g/kg, might have some desirable effects on the productive performance, ileal microbiota, CHOL concentration and relative weight of the abdominal fat of broiler chickens. Keywords: Broiler chicken; Acanthophyllum bracteatum; growth performance; carcass yield; blood serum