Abstract
Two experiments were carried out to assess the efficacy of plant extracts as alternatives for antimicrobial growth promoters in broiler diets. The performance experiment included 1,200 male broilers raised from 1 to 42 days of age. The metabolism experiment used 96 male broilers in the grower phase housed in metabolic cages for total excreta collection. At the end of the metabolism experiment, 24 birds were sacrificed to assess organ morphometrics. In both experiments, the following treatments were applied: control diet (CD); CD + 10 ppm avilamycin; CD + 1000 ppm oregano extract; CD + 1000 ppm clove extract; CD + 1000 ppm cinnamon extract; and CD + 1000 ppm red pepper extract. The microencapsulated extracts contained 20% of essential oil. No significant differences (P>0.05) in the studied performance parameters were observed among treatments. The dietary supplementation of the extracts did not influence (P>0.05) nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy values. In general, organ morphometrics was not affected by the experimental treatments, but birds fed the control diet had higher liver relative weight (P<0.05) as compared to those fed the diet containing red pepper extract, which presented the lowest liver relative weight. These results showed that there was no effect of the tested plant extracts on live performance or in organ morphometrics.
Highlights
Brazilian poultry production has continuously adopted new technologies, which ensures its competitiveness in the global meat market
Two experiments were carried out to assess the efficacy of plant extracts as alternatives for antimicrobial growth promoters in broiler diets
These results showed that there was no effect of the tested plant extracts on live performance or in organ morphometrics
Summary
Brazilian poultry production has continuously adopted new technologies (genetic improvement, nutrition, management, health control), which ensures its competitiveness in the global meat market. Since the 1950s, antimicrobial feed additives (antibiotic and chemotherapeutic drugs) have been used as growth promoters, with generalized use in animal production, allowing adequate productivity of animals raised under intensive conditions (Menten, 2001). Despite the observed improvement in broiler performance, the use of antibiotic growth promoters has been criticized due to its possible role in the occurrence of antimicrobial resistance in humans. 22nd, 2003, determined the ban of the use of all antibiotics and chemotherapeutic drugs as growth promoters in the European Union as of Jan. 1st, 2006. This new context caused an increase in the search for alternative growth promoters
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