Aim:In this study, a planned research work was conducted to investigate the nutrigenomic aspects of supplementation of Allium sativum (garlic) and Ocimum sanctum (holy basil) leaf powder on the growth performance and immune characteristics of broilers.Materials and Methods:A 6 weeks feeding trial was conducted with 280-day-old Ven Cobb broilers, distributed randomly into seven experimental groups. Each treatment had 4 replicates with 10 birds each. The birds of the control group (T1) were fed a basal diet formulated as per BIS standards. The broilers of treatment groups T2 and T3 were fed basal diet supplemented with the commercially available garlic powder (GP) at levels of 0.5% and 1.0% of the feed, respectively, while broilers in T4 and T5 were fed basal diet supplemented with commercial grade holy basil leaf powder (HBLP) at levels 0.5% and 1.0% of the feed, respectively. Birds in the T6 were fed with 0.5% GP and 0.5% HBLP, whereas T7 was fed with 1.0% GP and 1.0% HBLP. At the end of the feeding trial (6th week), blood samples were collected and analyzed for relative mRNA expression of toll-like receptors (TLR) 2, TLR 4 and TLR 7 using real-time polymerase chain reaction.Results:The mean body weight gain and feed conversion efficiency were improved (p<0.05) in broilers fed the GP and HBLP incorporated diets compared with the control group. The relative mRNA expression levels of TLR 2, TLR 4 and TLR 7 in the peripheral blood of the broilers were found to be increased (p<0.05) in the birds supplemented with graded levels of the GP and HBLP as compared to the untreated group.Conclusion:The present work concludes that the inclusion of GP and HBLP could enhance the production performance and immune status of birds by augmenting the T-cell mediated immune response and thereby protects them from disease without decreasing growth traits as a possible substitution to conventional antimicrobials.

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To evaluate the effect of herbal lysine supplementation on performance of broiler chicken, a study was conducted on 200, one day-old commercial broiler chicks randomly distributed into 20 subgroups means five dietary treatments with four replicates per treatment and each replicate had ten birds. Feeding trial was conducted for 42 days. The control group (T1) was offered maize-soybean meal based diet without lysine while in second group (T2) basal diet was supplemented with 100% synthetic lysine. In T3 group basal diet was supplemented with 50% herbal + 50% synthetic lysine, while in T4 with 100% herbal lysine and in T5 with Herbal lysine at 50% Higher Level Than T4 group. Feed intake (g/bird), body weight gain (g/bird) significantly (P< 0.05) increased in T4 group as compared to the non supplemented group (T1). Feed conversion ratio was significantly better with herbal lysine supplementation as compared to synthetic lysine and the control. Dietary supplementation of herbal lysine resulted in slightly higher dry matter metabolizability, gross energy metabolizability and nitrogen retention as compared to control group. Thus, it can be concluded that supplementation of herbal lysine at 100% level was found to improve the growth performance in terms of body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, nutrient metabolizability and achieving profitable poultry production.

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The paucity of novel antibiotics for treating human and animal infections has heightened global fears about growing drug-resistant superbugs. Antibiotic replacement approaches for food-producing animals, particularly poultry and livestock, are urgently needed by the agricultural business. The need of the hour is to develop and exploit promising antibiotic-alternative phytochemicals in order to minimize Antibiotic Growth Promoters and develop an antibiotic-free animal production system. Phytogenic plant dietary supplements have positive effects on poultry performance and immunity. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) play a key role in the innate immune system. TLRs recognize microbes that have broken through physical barriers such as the skin or the mucosa of the digestive tract, triggering immune cell responses. Supplementation of herbs in the dietary regimen of poultry had shown stimulatory effects on the immune system. Herbs such as Amla, Ashwagandha, Garlic powder, Giloy, Turmeric, Shatavari, Aloe vera, Moringa and holy basil have been shown to increase the relative mRNA expression of different toll-like receptors, thereby enhancing broiler immunological status by modulating their immune response.