Haematological indices, serum cholesterol and meat quality of broiler chickens fed diets with palm oil sludge substituting maize

Abstract

A 49-day feeding trial was conducted to assess the effect of substituting 10, 20, 30 and 40% of energy supplied by maize in a control diet with energy from palm oil sludge (POS) using 200 Shaver Starbo chickens allotted at 10 birds per replicate and 4 replicates per treatment. On the 49 th day, four female birds per replicate were humanely slaughtered for haematological variables, serum cholesterol and oxidative stability of refrigerated meat. Substituting maize with POS increased dietary ether extract. Haematological variables were not significantly (P>0.05) influenced by dietary treatment. Serum cholesterol contents increased from 140.32 ± 5.88 in the control to 198.00 ± 1.58 mg/dl (P<0.05) at 40% substitution (41.11% increase). Lipid contents of the meat increased with increasing levels of POS in the diets (P<0.05). Thigh, drumstick and breast muscle lipid contents were 119.9 ± 9.8, 103.1 ± 6.4 and 91.6 ± 7.1 g/kg muscle, respectively (P<0.05). Oxidative deterioration of the meat, measured as malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration was lowest for meat from chickens fed the control diet and increased with increasing levels of dietary POS (P<0.05). It was concluded that even if economic returns by partial substitution of maize with POS is enhanced, the effect on meat quality in terms of elevated lipids, cholesterol and oxidative susceptibility vis-a-vis accumulation of dangerous lipid peroxidation products in/of the meat are of human health concern.