Antioxidant activity and chemical composition of meat from broilers fed diets containing different essential oils

Abstract

Background and Aim: Broiler meat is susceptible to lipid oxidation due to its high content of unsaturated fatty acids, especially when stored for a long time. Concerning with that problem, we can add natural compounds to the animal feed, as the plant essential oils, which have antioxidant, antimicrobial, and antifungal activities. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antioxidant activity, fatty acid profile, and chemical composition of the meat of broilers fed with diets containing different essential oil, including lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus) and pedestrian tea (Lippia aff. rotundifolia). Materials and Methods: The experimental design used was a 4×4 factorial scheme (storage time×diets), and each treatment was repeated thrice. The treatments were applied as negative control (without antimicrobial); positive control (ration supplemented with 10 ppm of enramycin and 42 ppm of salinomycin), lemongrass (ration with 120 mg of essential oil of lemongrass for each kilogram of live weight of the animals), and pedestrian tea (ration with 120 mg of essential oil of pedestrian tea for each kilogram of live weight of the animals). Storage was performed after slaughter and evaluated monthly for 4 months. Results: The inclusion of lemongrass oil and pedestrian tea in the broiler diet did not change the ether extract content of the meat sample obtained from thigh and drumstick. The storage time promotes an increase in the moisture loss of the meat from the 2nd month in all treatments. There was an interaction between the additive and storage time for moisture loss. In the 2nd month of storage, the meat from broilers fed the antibiotic-containing feed had a lower moisture loss than those from broilers in the other treatment groups. The fatty acid profile did not differ statistically between the different treatment groups. The inclusion of additives in the food dropped the lipid oxidation at the 2nd month of storage. From the 3rd month, however, only the essential oils showed antioxidant effect. Conclusion: Antioxidant activity was positive for treatments that included essential oils. The lemongrass oil and pedestrian tea can be used as antioxidant additives in broiler diets to improve the oxidative stability of thigh-drumstick meat during storage. The results of the study suggest a good prospective for further research with profitability of usage essentials oils examined, for their economical application as feed components in broiler nutrition.

Dietary Eucommia ulmoides Extract Alleviates the Effect of Cold Stress on Chick Growth Performance, Antioxidant and Immune Ability

“…Traditional measures to reduce the impact of low-temperature stress on chicks include increasing padding, raising the environmental temperature, adding vitamins and antibiotics, etc., [ 19 , 20 , 21 ], which are costly, energy consuming, and environmentally unfriendly [ 20 ]. Using medicinal plant additives has been one of the common trends to improve the low-temperature stress on chicks in recent years [ 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Feeding Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) can promote animal growth, enhance antioxidant levels, and enhance immune ability [ 23 , 25 ], in order to reduce the impact of environmental stress on the animal.…”

“…Using medicinal plant additives has been one of the common trends to improve the low-temperature stress on chicks in recent years [ 22 , 23 , 24 ]. Feeding Chinese herbal medicines (CHM) can promote animal growth, enhance antioxidant levels, and enhance immune ability [ 23 , 25 ], in order to reduce the impact of environmental stress on the animal.…”