Abstract:
The objective of this twin study was to evaluate the influence of a phytogenic feed additive (PFA) comprising of a selected combination of different plant materials including herbs, spices, essential oils and their extracts and an antibiotic growth promoter (AGP) bacitracin methylene disalicylate (BMD) in comparison to a negative control on carcass and meat traits in broiler chickens.
In Experiment 1, 432 day-old Cobb 400 broilers were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments with 12 replications per treatment and 12 birds per replicate over a period of 39 days. In Experiment 2, 120 day-old Cobb 400 broilers were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments with 8 replications per treatment and 5 birds per replicate over a period of 39 days. The 3 dietary treatments in both experiments comprised of a control (basal diet only), AGP (basal diet + 225 mg/kg BMD), and PFA (basal diet + PFA Digestarom Poultry 150 mg/kg).Experiment 1: carcass traits were mostly unaffected (P > 0.05) by diets except the yield of drumstick which was higher in the AGP and PFA groups as compared with the control (P = 0.002). Relative organ weights were also not affected significantly due to supplementation of AGP and PFA to the diet (P > 0.05), however, weight of the viscera decreased (P = 0.004) in the dietary groups receiving AGP and PFA supplementation. No significant effect of the diets was observed on drip loss and pH of meat, although PFA group tended to have a lower meat pH compared to the other 2 groups (P > 0.05).
Experiment 2: supplementation of the PFA significantly increased the moisture content (P = 0.03) and Water Holding Capacity (WHC) in the poultry meat compared with the control group (P = 0.016). The drip loss (48 h) was significantly less (P = 0.025) in the PFA group compared to the AGP group. In conclusion, the evaluated PFA significantly reduced the weight of viscera and increased the moisture content and WHC in meat and consequently reduced the drip loss compared to the BMD group. A reduced FCR and improved weight gain were also registered. The PFA can thus serve as an alternative to the AGP in broiler production
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