Abstract
This study evaluated the effect of pequi peel meal in the diet for laying hens on performance and egg quality. Hy-Line® Brown hens (n=160) aged 55 weeks with 1642±63g body weight were distributed in a completely randomized design with five treatments and four replications of eight birds each. The treatments consisted of isometric substitution of corn by pequi peel meal at 0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5 and 10%. The performance and internal and external egg quality were evaluated. Egg production, egg mass and feed conversion worsened linearly with increasing replacement of corn with pequi peel meal, while the yolk color increased linearly. The other variables related to performance and internal and external egg quality were not significantly affected by the treatments. It can be concluded that the use of pequi peel meal replacing corn in laying hen diet does not change the internal and external egg quality, improves the pigmentation of egg yolk, and impairs performance of laying hens.
Highlights
Feeding represents up to 70% total production costs in the poultry sector, mainly due to the high cost of ingredients comprising the base of diets, such as corn and soybean meal, which represent 80-90% ingredients in feed (Rodrigues, Rostagno, & Albino, 2003)
Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) is a fruit of a native tree to the Brazilian cerrado. It is well distributed in the northern and central western Brazil, and is mainly extractively exploited during the growing season, which is from September to March (Gonçalves, Vilas Boas, Resende, Machado, & Vilas Boas, 2011)
Peel meal is rich in dietary fiber, calcium, magnesium, and copper (Soares Junior et al, 2010)
Summary
Feeding represents up to 70% total production costs in the poultry sector, mainly due to the high cost of ingredients comprising the base of diets, such as corn and soybean meal, which represent 80-90% ingredients in feed (Rodrigues, Rostagno, & Albino, 2003). Price variation of these ingredients throughout the year creates an opportunity for the use of alternative ingredients in animal feed. Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense) is a fruit of a native tree to the Brazilian cerrado. It is well distributed in the northern and central western Brazil, and is mainly extractively exploited during the growing season, which is from September to March (Gonçalves, Vilas Boas, Resende, Machado, & Vilas Boas, 2011). According to Vera et al (2007), after the extraction of pequi, there remains the peel, which accounts for approximately 70% total weight of the fruit.
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