Influence of Citrus sinensis seed powder on growth performance, morphological and histological development of the small intestine of broiler chickens

Abstract

Citrus sinensis (sweet orange) seeds are sources of significant quantities of bioactive compounds and dietary fiber which have shown a range of biological activities in humans but are essentially discarded with abundant waste production. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of C. sinensis seed powder on the morphological and histological development of the small intestine of broiler chickens. Four hundred and eighty (480) day-old Cobb 500 broilers chicks were divided into four groups with six replicates and 20 chicks per pen, namely control (T): fed only standard diet; CSS-0.25: standard diet + 0.25% C. sinensis seed powder; CSS-0.50: standard diet + 0.5% C. sinensis seed powder; CSS-0.75: standard diet + 0.75% C. sinensis seed powder over 42 days in a completely randomized design. The results indicated that a diet containing 0.75% of C. sinensis seed powder significantly (p < 0.05) increased the weight and length of the small intestine and its three segments. Furthermore, villi height, villi/crypt ratio, and crypt depth in the jejunal and ileal sections of the intestine increased significantly (p < 0.05) with 0.5% and 0.75% C. sinensis seed powder supplementation. In addition, weight gain and feed conversion ratio were significantly affected in the 0.5 and 0.75% groups on days 21 and 42. In conclusion, supplementation with 0.5% and 0.75% C. sinensis seed powder improves intestinal development and intestinal health in chickens.