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A study was conducted to compare the effects of an antibiotic growth promoter (flavomycin) and two herbal natural feed additives (garlic and thyme) with and without a xylanase-based enzyme complex in wheat-based diets on growth performance, carcass parameters, total plasma cholesterol concentration, intestinal traits and the dry matter content of excreta of broiler chickens. A total of 112 day-old male broiler chicks was randomly assigned to eight groups containing 14 chicks each and raised from 1 to 42 days of age. The control group received the wheat-soyabean meal basal diet. In the treatment groups the basal diet was supplemented with one of the following: an antibiotic, thyme, garlic, an enzyme, the antibiotic plus the enzyme, thyme plus the enzyme or garlic plus the enzyme. During the 42-d growth period there were no significant differences in body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio of the broilers between dietary treatments. Feeding the diet supplemented with the antibiotic plus the enzyme significantly increased hot and cold carcass yields compared to the diets supplemented with thyme, garlic, enzyme and garlic plus enzyme. Total plasma cholesterol concentration, the dry matter content of excreta and the relative weights of the heart, pancreas, liver, gizzard and spleen were not significantly influenced by dietary treatments. The relative weight of the small intestines of the broilers receiving the diets supplemented with the antibiotic, antibiotic plus enzyme, thyme plus enzyme and garlic plus enzyme were significantly less than those of the broilers fed the basal diet and the diets supplemented with thyme, garlic and enzyme. The basal diet and garlic supplemented diet significantly increased the length of the small intestine compared to the other dietary treatments. Broilers receiving the diet supplemented with antibiotic had significantly lower total aerobic bacterial counts in the small intestines compared to those on the other dietary treatments. The combined supplementation of the antibiotic and enzyme resulted in a significantly lower E. coli concentration in the small intestines compared to the basal diet and the other dietary treatments.

The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of the supplementation of an antibiotic growth promoter or novel feed additives with or without a xylanase-based enzyme complex to wheat-based diets on the growth performance, carcass yields and quality and intestinal characteristics (length of the total and small intestine, pH and viscosity of digesta, microflora) of Japanese quail. Eight hundred and forty day-old male quail chicks were randomly assigned to 14 groups of similar mean weight each of which included three replicates of 20 quail. The control group received a wheat-soyabean meal basal diet. In the treatment groups, the basal diet was supplemented with one of the following: an antibiotic, oregano essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, oregano essential oil plus cinnamon essential oil, a probiotic, a mannanoligosaccharide, and the same diets plus an enzyme. During the 35-d growth period there were no significant differences in body weight gain (BWG), feed intake (FI) or feed conversion ratio (FCR) of quail between dietary treatments. The use of oregano essential oil plus cinnamon essential oil or mannanoligosaccharide without the enzyme complex in the quail diets decreased plasma total cholesterol level compared to the control diet. The dietary supplementation of AGP, oregano essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, oregano essential oil plus cinnamon essential oil without the enzyme complex decreased plasma triglyceride levels compared with the control diet. When oregano essential oil, cinnamon essential oil, oregano oil plus cinnamon oil, a probiotic or a mannanoligosaccharide with an enzyme complex were used in a wheat based quail diet, the intestinal viscosity was significantly decreased compared to the control diet. Although the use of essential oils in combination with the enzyme complex, a probiotic and a mannanoligosaccharide with or without the enzyme complex in the wheat based diet significantly reduced the intestinal viscosity compared to the control diet, these treatments negatively decreased plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride.

An in vivo experiment was conducted to compare the effects of dietary supplementation with oleuropein and/or α-tocopheryl acetate on growth performance, serum lipid concentrations and lipid oxidation of Japanese quail meat during refrigerated storage. Performance and slaughtering parameters were not affected by dietary treatments. The diets supplemented with oleuropein at the levels of 150 or 200 mg/kg were more effective in delaying lipid oxidation in breast and thigh meats compared with the control diet. The dietary inclusion of neither vitamin E nor oleuropein at different levels did not significantly affect the fatty acid compositions of the breast meat compared with the control diet. The diets supplemented with oleuropein at the levels of 150 or 200 mg/kg had significantly the highest polyunsaturated fatty acid and omega-3 fatty acid contents in thigh meat compared with the vitamin E diet. The ratio of omega-6 fatty acids to omega-3 FAs in thigh meat of quails fed diet supplemented with vitamin E at the level of 200 mg/kg was equivalent to those of quails fed the diets supplemented with oleuropein at the levels of 100 and 150 mg/kg. The results showed that the dietary oleuropein supplementation at 150 mg/kg level may be used in quail diets enriched with the polyunsaturated fatty acids of vitamin E as a natural antioxidant.

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